Todd Blackledge Q&A: On his move to NBC, the Bengals-Steelers call-up and the playoffs

Each week during football season, we'll be interviewing a different broadcaster. The goal is for readers to gain insight into how broadcasters approach what they do, along with some questions related to the game or task they are assigned that week. Our 14th Q&A subject is NBC college football and NFL analyst Todd Blackledge, who will call the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game this Saturday on NBC and Peacock with Noah Eagle and Kathryn Tappen.

Previous weeks on Fox featured Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver and Jay Glazer. Amazon Al Michaels; CBS and Westwood One Audio Kevin Harlan; CBS Gene Steratore; ESPN's Dan Orlovsky; NBC's Melissa Stark; NFL Network's Rich Eisen; Joe Buck of ESPN/ABC, of ​​CBS Charles Davis and ESPN's Amy Trask and Laura Rutledge.

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Why was moving from ESPN to NBC after nearly two decades the right move for you?

I was very happy there, and I was very confident that my work was well respected and well received. I wasn't looking to go anywhere. I've been there 17 years. I had different people in each play, but I had the same director, Scott Johnson, for 17 years. There were six camera guys on the same crew as us the whole time. So it was a very family atmosphere, which I loved. I would put our games and work against anyone who plays football at any level.

I made the playoff (in college) every year, and I was comfortable with that. I realized I was at my max at ESPN, and that wasn't going to change. It took a while when I first came (to ESPN) from CBS, but I got the hang of it. When NBC started talking to me about what their (Big Ten) project was going to be and how they were going to try to present it, I was very intrigued. Again, I wasn't looking to go anywhere. But as this progressed, the NBC show got better and better, and they made me feel so important and wanted. You want to find a perfect fit, you want to feel wanted, you want to feel like you matter to them. NBC made me feel this way.

Your stream is doing the Bengals-Steelers game. The last time you called an NFL game was the first two weeks of the 2000 NFL season when you filled in for two of your fellow CBS Sports analysts who were having some health issues. Having a 23-year gap in any job assignment can be surreal. Are you nervous? excited? A mix of all?

First of all, I am thrilled for this opportunity. I'm so grateful that NBC felt confident in putting Noah, Katherine, and (me) in this place. I wouldn't say I'm nervous because I've always been a fan of the game. My dad coached in the NFL for 16 years. I played, and I know it was a long time ago, but I'm still a fan.

During the College Football Playoff Conference Championship weekend — this being the first year I haven't played a college football championship game in many years — Noah and I went to Stamford, Connecticut, and played a practice game in the studio. It was a Packers-Chiefs game on Sunday night. We had our product in our ear and we played the whole game. I then flew to Dallas for the Cowboys-Eagles game because I wanted to go through Mike (Tirico) and Chris (Collinsworth)'s preparation process. I went to watch the Cowboys practice and sat in on meetings with (Cowboys coach) Mike McCarthy and (quarterback) Dak Prescott. I wanted to see how Chris and Mike plan their week and how different it is from what I'm used to. I then stayed to watch the game and sat in the “Sunday Night Football” booth and listened to the broadcast.

These two holidays have been very helpful for me and have made me confident going into this week. At the end of the day, this is still football. During that 23-year gap, the college game turned into a professional game in terms of the rules and some of the things that happen. The difference is no longer as drastic as it was many years ago.

Your broadcast group will also call an NFL playoff game. Did you expect this when you joined NBC, or was this just a wonderful coincidence?

It's not something I was expecting. Coming here wasn't part of my deal. But I feel proud and happy about this opportunity. To me, that means they loved the work that Noah, Kathryn, and I and the entire production crew did in our first year together in the Big Ten and that they felt confident in putting us in this role. I'm very happy about it, but it wasn't something I expected.

How do you rate your first year in NBC's college football wing?

I thought it went very well. I was pleasantly surprised by how much chemistry Noah and I had. I felt like things improved over the year and Katherine Tappen was great to work with. So, aside from the fact that we had some matches that weren't great matches, I thought the broadcast went very well and got better as the year went on.

You've never worked with Noah before. It's someone your child's age. How did you try to formulate chemistry?

I knew they were working on his contract, and there was a certain waiting period. Once that was official, we spoke on the phone and then met in New York. In fact, the Clippers (NBA) had a weekend where they played the Knicks one night and then the Nets (whose Eagle handles play-by-play duties). So I flew to New York and my producer Matt Marvin, our director Charlie Dammeyer, Noah and I met for lunch. That was the first time I was with him in person. Then we texted back and forth and we were together in Indianapolis during the Big 10 media days.

I've worked with some great play-by-play players — Mike Tirico, Vern Lundquist, Mike Patrick, Brad Nessler, Joe Tessitore, Sean McDonough — and I've never played a coaching game with any of those guys. The first time we showed up to do a game, we did it and kind of figured out each other's rhythm and style, and it went from there. Noah is a professional. He is mature beyond his years.

What current college football coach would make a good broadcaster if he decided to leave the coaching profession?

I think Sonny Dykes from (TCU) will be good. It kind of made him this good boy from Texas, and he was around football, high school and college all his life. He's got a good personality. I think Dabo Swinney (Clemson) will be good. It will be interesting to listen to him. He's a high-energy kind of guy, a lot of personality. It will bring that energy into the cabin, which is important.

How close do you get to cursing on air?

I've been close several times. I'll tell you a funny story. This happened early in my career. My first job as an analyst, I was hired by the Big East Television Network. They have just started their TV package. It was hard for me to get the job because I was a Penn State guy, and Penn State had said goodbye to its eastern neighbors and gone to the Big Ten. Some schools in the Big East were not happy about hiring me.

One of them was Pittsburgh because it was our archrival. One of the first games I played in was at the old Pitt Stadium. They had a blue wooden box for the broadcast booth. It was separate from the press box. It was an afternoon game, and it was hot in September. Someone spilled a can of Coke on the floor in the booth, and there were bees flying in and out of the booth the whole time. At one point, we turned away from the camera for a commercial break. I'm swatting the bees and saying this place really sucks. Well, one bar owner in Pittsburgh raised the bird and caught me talking. The Big East Network and I felt a little sad. The next week I had to do some apologizing and explaining. I've learned (to) never assume your microphone isn't on. Always assume it is on.

What's the one sporting event outside of college football that you've never called but would love to attend regardless of who has the contract?

I love the Final Four. I've been to it. I watched it. Basketball was my favorite sport growing up, and my dream for a long time was to go to the University of Kentucky to play basketball. My dad was an assistant football coach at UK when I was in middle school. I fell in love with Kentucky basketball, but I wasn't old or talented enough to fulfill that dream. So the Final Four will likely be the event.

Who is a current broadcaster working in another sport that you really admire and why?

The first would be (ESPN NBA analyst) Hubie Brown just because of his longevity. I just think it's great. When I listen to an analyst, I want someone to teach me something or give me an idea that I couldn't see for myself, and Hobby always does that. The other guy for the same reason is (Fox MLB analyst) John Smoltz. I love listening to him play a game because he takes you into the pitcher's mind or the hitter's mind and gives you information that you wouldn't know on your own.

I hope this is how I call the game. The first game I played live, a producer pulled me aside after a production meeting and said, “Look at the guy next to you. His job is to tell people what happened, who carried the ball, who made the save. Don't repeat what he says. Your job is to try to answer To the question “Why”. Why did this play work? Why didn't it work? Why did the play work this way?” So I always tried to answer the question “why”.

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Past questions and answers

• Greg Olsen: On Tom Brady and his future at Fox, Jordan Love, Justin Fields, and more

• Al Michaels: As for cash, he had dinner with John Madden, who works with Kyle Shanahan

• Kevin Harlan: On his Super Bowl streak, the Buck Family and the Speedy Dolphins bond

• Pam Oliver: On radio longevity, what her job is like, Eagles fans' joy and more

• Gene Steratore: On how to be an NFL rules analyst, staying on top of the rules and more

• Dan Orlovsky: On ESPN, I watch every NFL game, and the viral video that started it all

• Melissa Stark: On the art of field questions, Eagles fans and Taylor Swift

• Rich Eisen: On Chiefs-Dolphins, play-by-play and an alternate reality at Turner

• Jay Glazer: In his 3,912 phone calls, how he does his job and fights anxiety

• Joe Buck: On Eagles-Chiefs, 22 with Troy Aikman and covering Taylor Swift

• Charles Davis: On the Steelers, Bengals, calling NFL games without playing in the NFL and more

• Amy Trask: On her transition to television, how she views the NFL and the John Madden story

(Top photo of Todd Blackledge at Big Ten Media Days in July: Michael Hickey/Getty Images)