FOX Sports’ top NFL announcing duo of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen had the honor of calling their first Super Bowl on Sunday. How did the Super Bowl LVII broadcast go?
Any time you’re given the keys to announce a major sporting event like Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, multiple elements of the style and delivery offered from the booth are a sure lock to be criticized, mocked, and generally taken to task by an endless sea of critical voices.
Most of the noise comes from social media, but not all of it.
To this very day, Joe Buck — for as great of an announcer he’s proven to be — still gets widely panned for what was perceived as not nearly enough enthusiasm after Giants receiver David Tyree’s clinically insane “Helmet Catch” in the final minutes of Super Bowl XLII.
That was 15 years ago.
If that doesn’t provide a clear picture of the microscope these guys are not only under but remain under, nothing will.
So given that this was Burkhardt and Olsen’s first go at the Super Bowl, one has to think their internal nerves might be extra loud heading into Sunday.
But, as wild as it might seem to proclaim, there’s actually some positivity to toss around the room regarding the performance of FOX’s No. 1 announcing duo.
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Burkhardt and Olsen deliver on first big play of Super Bowl
The Eagles scored first, but it was on a 1-yard touchdown run up the middle from dynamic quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not really a true measuring stick to get a sense of what would set the tone for the broadcast.
When Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce for a spectacular 18-yard TD, Burkhardt brought the goods.
Tone set. Game on. And then Olsen swung through with a succinct analysis of what the Chiefs were testing with the Eagles’ defense and, ultimately, safety Marcus Epps.
Neither Burkhardt nor Olsen overtalked in their respective roles while still being able to deliver the goods, which is something we can probably only say about the best announcing duos in the sport.
Olsen tends to come across in a similar way that the great Cris Collinsworth of NBC’s Sunday Night Football does, in that he has the ability to explain to the viewer what happened during a particular play in an “X’s and O’s” way that’s also completely understandable to the casual fan.
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Poor field conditions called out by FOX announcers
Of course, there will be plenty of detractors and those who will say FOX’s broadcasting duo didn’t call out the embarrassingly poor field conditions early enough. But the reality is Olsen made a point to comment that players on both teams were slipping and doing so frequently in the painted areas.
Sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi officially cemented that point later on in the broadcast, discussing the numerous cleat changes that were required in order for players to get better footing.
Yes, perhaps the most problematic force in Super Bowl LVII outside of Hurts and Mahomes was the “Tahoma 31” breed of grass. Players sliding all over the place on every drive of the Super Bowl is not exactly a look to be proud of in this instance, so we’re not sure why Oklahoma State would leave this prideful Tweet up. But that’s a story for another day.
Kevin Burkhardt’s call on Chiefs’ game-winning field goal
It’s understandable what Burkhardt was seemingly going for here. A snappy, quick call, and then let the moment breathe.
That’s usually an awesome approach for an announcer to take. ESPN’s Joe Buck is superb at doing exactly that. It just seemed like Burkhardt let it breathe entirely too long. While it wasn’t a walk-off kick, a moment that big shouldn’t feel as empty as it did. This call needed bookends.
However, the key play that led to the Harrison Butker field goal was running back Jerick McKinnon wisely stopping short of the end zone and allowing the clock to bleed in order to set up the best-case scenario for the Chiefs.
Olsen was there to provide some excitable assistance, with Burkhardt working around him like a pro.
One key element that should be noted before we close was just how strongly Burkhardt and Olsen worked with FOX Sports NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira during multiple replay reviews.
If you’ve watched even one NFL game, you know how clunky these things can be.
Whether it be disagreements, talking over one another about what they’re seeing, or downright miscommunication, it can turn into a mess rather quickly. But the three of them worked in tandem like a well-oiled machine. As seamless as it can get, especially when one review took entirely too much time to come to a decision. But they managed to stay the course despite the prolonged window of the comical “was it a catch or not” time.
All in all, it was a solid broadcast for FOX’s first-timers, with just a few holes to spruce up.
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