Plenty of changes are coming to NBC's Football Night in America, the pregame show that precedes Sunday Night Football. There have been in recent weeks plenty of rumors followed by reports followed by announcements.
The latest announcements came on Sunday night. One, former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is joining the show. Two, the show is going on the road each and every week.
It was already moving in that direction. Last year, the show went to Philadelphia in Week 1, Dallas in Week 4, Pittsburgh in Week 8, Philly in Week 11, and Pittsburgh in Week 18. That was the most number of fully on-site programs in the 20-year history of the show.
This year, it will be 18 weeks. Plus the Week 1 Wednesday night game in Seattle.
Since 2010, I've made the trip to the NBC studio in New York (through 2013) and Connecticut (since 2014) — with the exception of the two pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, when I appeared from the studio above my garage. This year, I'll be in the stadium for some games, home for others.
It will be driven largely by proximity/travel, with the significance of the game also a factor. Trips to California make no sense, especially with a 7:00 a.m. ET show the next morning. (Which, as Myles Simmons knows from the times he has co-hosted, is 4:00 a.m. PT.)
Car trips from what is an ideal starting point in West Virginia to places like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C., Charlotte, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Detroit will be easy, since I can post items on PFT and/or make calls and/or catch a nap on the way. Some other places will entail a direct flight from Pittsburgh not much longer than the weekly trips to and from Connecticut.
The bonus is this — on weekends when I'm home, I'll have more time to do what I do every day: Load this space with new stories and record videos from the PFT Live set or the Olive Garden alternate location. The loose plan is to do weekly Saturday night episodes of #PFTPM when I'm here, and videos after the 1:00 p.m. ET games on Sundays.
The biggest difference will be on no-travel Mondays, when I can lock in and crank out content without scrambling to the airport, waiting to board the plane, waiting for the plane to take off, flying home, etc.
Would I prefer to be with the rest of the team every week? Yes. But it doesn't make sense to hopscotch around the country for 18 straight weeks. Especially since every week is a lather, rinse, repeat of non-stop work from Monday through Friday, leave home on Saturday, travel-work-travel, get home on Monday, and do it all again.
It still beats the hell out of working for a living, I know. But reduced travel will be better for my overall physical and mental health and well-being. It will be better for NBC. And it will ultimately be better for you, since I'll have more time to ride the horse that brung me into this space, 25 years ago.