Bettis steps into role as football analyst

Tuesday, February 21, 2006
By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jerome Bettis had to wait 13 seasons before achieving the highest team honor in the NFL when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL earlier this month. His climb to the top began with the Los Angeles Rams in 1993 and had many frustrating near-misses along the way.

He'll have no such wait to reach the highest pinnacle in his post-NFL career. Bettis is starting at the top.

If there was any doubt that Bettis was in demand as a television analyst it ended with the announcement that he will be part of NBC's "Football Night in America." NBC has attracted a legendary list of broadcasters to usher in its return to the NFL. Bettis is in extraordinary company.

NBC lured away Al Michaels and John Madden from "Monday Night Football" to handle the calling of the games -- the NFL opener Sept. 7 at Heinz Field and 16 Sunday night games.
NBC's agreement runs through 2012 and includes flexible game selection the final seven weeks of the season, an option the NFL has never given another network.

Bettis will be part of the pregame show, "Football Night in America," which will have Bob Costas as host. Costas has won 17 Emmy Awards and is regarded as the best in the business. Former NFL wide receiver Cris Collinsworth, whose post-playing career includes five Emmys, will be a co-host.

Bettis, who retired as the fifth-leading rusher in NFL history, is the third person on the panel. Dick Ebersol, the head of NBC sports, said at least two more people "in various roles," will be added.

In speaking of Bettis, Ebersol said: "We put one more piece of the jigsaw puzzle together, an extraordinary important piece to get a contemporary player fresh from the game, who not only played the game at the highest level, but knows how to relate to the fans.

"He made it evidently clear to us back in late October, when he flew into New York less than 12 hours after a Monday night game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. He did his audition with Cris and Bob and literally blew us away. He really knew the inside story of so many people in the league, which I can believe comes directly from the fact that he is so widely respected by the players."

"It's great to be part of a new team," Bettis said. "My last team won a championship. We have different goals but the same outcome. We want to be champions."

Bettis indicated he had other options but none as good as this one. "This was clearly the No. 1 opportunity for me," he said.

Bettis was asked if a nice guy such as himself could make critical comments about NFL players, many of whom are his friends.

"I've always told the truth," he said. "I think honesty is the best policy. If a guy is not playing well, he knows it. I'll just be telling the truth. As long as I call it as I see it, I think I'll be fine."

Ebersol related how the NFL scheduling relieved Bettis of some high-level anxiety.

"He was actually worried, when he first got here and sat down with me last night, that he would have to choose between being in the studio on the very first night, which he knew he had to do, when his team was going to get their Super Bowl rings. Now he has the best of both worlds: The Bus will pull up outside of Heinz Field and he will be there for the ring ceremony and he will be there with Bob [Costas] and Cris Collinsworth to cover the game for us."

(Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1468.)