Thanks to Comcast, Jason Brewer of BleedingGreenNation.com recently sat down with NFL Network host Rich Eisen to provide readers with an inside look at his role during the NFL Draft.
2011 NFL Draft: Exclusive Interview With NFL Network’s Rich Eisen
Ever wondered what Rich Eisen’s job is like? Yeah, me too. Here’s an exclusive interview with Eisen on his role at NFL Network during draft week, thanks to our friends at Comcast.
With NFL Network on Comcast, fans can watch complete coverage of the entire 2011 NFL Draft as well Thursday Night Football live in HD, recaps of every NFL game On Demand, expert analysis, and 2,000 hours of football programming. Comcast subscribers can also tune in to see The Top 100: Players of 2011 Preview Show On Demand beginning April 25th. With NFL Network delivering live HD coverage of the entire 2011 NFL Draft, Rich Eisen was willing to discuss his thrilling lifestyle as an NFL Network host on the set of the Draft:
Q: What can viewers watching the 2011 NFL Draft at home with NFL Network on Comcast expect from this year’s coverage?
A: We are going to be at the NFL Draft with the best team equipped to provide the level of comprehensive coverage that fans are looking for. NFL Network is the only outlet that has complete access to the NFL Scouting Combine, broadcasts the Senior Bowl and its practices, and has a daily show dedicated to the NFL Draft (Path to the Draft). Essentially, we have been all over the talent evaluation portion of the NFL Calendar.
Our expert analysts and anchors have been talking about the NFL Draft on a daily basis for the past 3.5 months and it is pretty much a part of our DNA. Now that the Draft is here, it’s actually time to see how it all comes out in the wash and personally, I think we are the best equipped to do that. We are going to make sure that we are keeping things as informational and entertaining as possible for viewers tuning in to watch us over a 30 hour period and I am sure that our production department has been working tirelessly to make sure that the look and feel of our broadcast of the NFL Draft is what people have come to expect from NFL Network. We just want to make sure that people are staying tuned and enjoying what they are seeing.
Q: It’s amazing how popular the NFL Draft has become, but one pet peeve that fans have is when picks are “spoiled” before they are announced. What are your thoughts? Do you think that fans should not know the official pick until Commissioner Roger Goodell announces it at the podium?
I hate spoiled picks. I absolutely hate it because I think people want to watch the NFL Draft as in the dark as everyone else that’s watching. I have already told the producers that I don’t want to know the picks before they are announced. If there’s anyone else on the set that wants to know, I don’t want them in my ear telling me because I personally do not want to know.
With that being said, if there's a player in the green room on the telephone with a team, we have to show the shot because it's incredibly compelling video. When Dez Bryant received a call from the Dallas Cowboys last year and dropped to his knees it was an emotional scene in his living room with his family going crazy, so we have to show that. It's compelling because it tells a story and allows viewers to put themselves in the shoes of these players and experience the excitement. It's like being a fly on the wall.
How do we not show a young player crying in the green room or his family huddling and jumping up and down together before his name is called if our cameras our there? But if our information guy knows who the 21st pick of the NFL Draft is going to be and we don’t have the camera in his house and the player isn’t at Music City Radio Hall, there is no reason for us to broadcast the pick early. For us to flex our muscles because our information guys know stuff cold is wrong. I don’t think we’re going to do that ... I really don’t think we’re going to do that.
I think people watch us because they like us, they know they can trust us, and the information we deliver is compelling, entertaining, and non-intrusive. If we have a camera in a player’s house and he finds out that he is drafted based on a phone call and our cameras are on, there is no way that we are not going to show the shot, I am sorry. But that is only for a select number of the 256 players selected in the Draft.
Q: With over 200 players being selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, how do you stay up-to-date on player profiles and projected rankings? What kind of preparation do you go through to prepare?
I am pleased to say that I do all three days of coverage, all seven rounds, and every single pick during our live coverage of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. I love doing it. I am a native New Yorker and it’s an honor to have the opportunity to be there from the first pick in the Draft until Mr. Irrelevant.
There is a lot of information to know but I prepare for the NFL Draft by coming to work every day. I talk about the NFL Draft on a daily basis because this is the sport I cover, this is the show I do, and I talk about everything that’s taking place every single day. When I come into work, I read all the articles about the Draft, sit in production meetings, see Michael Lombardi in the hallway, speak with Mike Mayock once or twice per week, and watch Path to the Draft. Even if I wanted to tune the NFL Draft out, which I know I never would, I can’t avoid it because this is what we do.
I will be the only host on NFL Draft weekend that had the luxury of going to the NFL Combine and watching every single player do on-field events with my own two eyes. I was strolling through the bowels of the NFL Combine speaking with players and coaches. I am thrilled to have the access that I do with my position and use it to take all things into account that I see, hear, read, and research over the 3.5 month evaluation period prior to the Draft. This year especially, with the Lockout and no free agency taking place, I am scrounging for any morsel of information available that has nothing to do with a legal brief.
Q: In four years covering the NFL Draft with Mike Mayock, have you ever seen him stumped? How does he retain so much football knowledge?
I actually have seen Mike Mayock stumped and that is why he is so great. A few years ago the Oakland Raiders drafted a safety named Mike Mitchell in the second round of the NFL Draft. Mitchell was a guy from a small school (Ohio University) that we didn't have tape on and wasn't even on Mayock's Draft Board for any team at the safety position. When the pick was announced, I started thumbing through all of my paperwork and looked all the way down Mayock's draft board, which is a laminated, color-coded sheet that we receive.
I looked through every single player projected during rounds one through seven and even double checked the list while our analysts were having a discussion and didn’t see his name. I interrupted the analysis and said to Mayock that I didn’t even see him on his draft board and he responded by saying that he had honestly never seen tape on Mitchell but if the Raiders like him, they clearly liked him for a reason.
The beauty of Mike Mayock is that he gives you his opinion, which is incredibly informed and superbly prepared, and if the draft pick doesn’t align with what he thinks should fit, he doesn’t denigrate. He essentially says “this is what I think, the team feels differently, and we will see how it all plays out in the NFL but for the moment, good luck to the kid.” Mike knows that it is an inexact science and that is why fans gravitate towards him and our coverage.
Q: What is the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on Draft weekend? Is there one moment that sticks in your mind that you remember most?
A few years ago we hardly went to analyst Charley Casserly on the first day of our coverage because of the way things happened during the Draft. During our pre-Draft show for the second day of coverage we went to Charley and he kept talking and refused to stop. He even said on the air that he was getting his points in because we would probably not go back to him for the next five hours. He probably talked for a solid five minutes and continued to do so while we went into a commercial break. It was great, a hilarious moment that I will never forget.
We just have fun with our NFL Draft coverage because we understand that it’s a long process and there can be technical glitches that we don’t profess to ignore. During our late coverage of the Draft, we sometimes get slap-happy and distort the heads of our analysts. We just try to have fun and hopefully people will gravitate towards us because we understand that it’s a serious event and very important but it’s fun at the same time.
Q: With the NFL changing the format of the Draft last year to air in primetime and be televised over the course of three days, does it make your life easier as a broadcaster? Or does a little part of you miss doing the nine straight hours of live coverage?
No, I honestly don’t miss it. I know some fans probably miss having a big Saturday NFL Draft party where they invite everyone over to their house and others who work on weeknights may be disappointed because they miss live coverage of the first round of the Draft, but the new primetime format is great. With the first round being broadcasted in primetime on just one night, it makes for more of a grind but I am going to be the last guy to complain about that.
Q: Take our NFL Network on Comcast viewers behind the scenes of the 2011 NFL Draft. Are you allowed any time on the set for bathroom breaks or to call or text friends about surprising Draft Picks?
There is a men’s room in the bowels of Radio City Music Hall that is probably a brisk 30-second walk from the set. You just need to focus on the Draft being a marathon and not a sprint and cannot hydrate too much. If you don’t hydrate enough you can clearly cramp up while sitting in certain positions but you just have to fight through it and take it one segment at a time and hope for the best.
I will be tweeting live throughout the Draft but I will not be the guy to follow if you are away from the television set waiting for updates on every single pick. (Note: Pick-by-pick comments will be available on NFL.com.) I will be snapping photographs from the set, mentioning what Marshall Faulk is having for lunch and dinner, and giving some updates from time to time about potential upcoming trades. I will have my @RichEisen Twitter feed going at all times, through all three days of coverage. I tweeted throughout the broadcast of the NFL Combine and find that I can be multi-tasking and multi-media at the same time.
Q: It’s always impressive to see studio analysts keep their composure on set with fans in the audience yelling at them and chanting their name from the balcony at Radio City Music Hall. Is it fun working in that type of atmosphere? Do you thrive in those situations?
It’s fun and really is a dream come true. I would love to shake the hands of every single person that shows up to the NFL Draft during the Lockout for their passion and interest. I am beyond thankful for any fan who watches the Draft or an NFL-related show during the middle of a labor situation. If people want to come out to the Draft and scream at me, it’s their prerogative and I thank them for it. I can’t wait to be there and meet as many people as possible and thank them wholeheartedly for attending the Draft.
Q: You have become quite an Internet sensation with your 40-yard dash speed at the NFL Combine. Is there one player in this year’s NFL Draft that you know you could outrun?
I nearly outran an offensive lineman this year. The kid ran a 6.0 in the 40-yard dash and afterwards, I received a tweet from Warren Sapp saying that he found my pace car. I thought that I might get him this year but I was a tenth of a second too slow and ended up running a 6.18. I only know one speed and that is slow. I run not only for me but for anyone who wants to run at the NFL Combine and I truly believe that one day I will break six seconds.
Q: You’ve recently got into podcasting. What are the advantages of doing a format like that?
I love having the ability to do podcasts because of the long format, informality, and the opportunity to decide what is said, how the show is laid out, and who the guests are. I really enjoy having a full hands-on experience with the production of the podcasts.
I have been privileged to have some phenomenal guests on the show, including Larry David, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, John Legend, and Mark Wahlberg. I have also had a number of players come on the podcast. Ray Lewis came on the show and I was able to have a half-hour conversation with him, which is something you can't do on television. I also had Tom Brady on the show the week before the Patriots played the Jets on Monday Night Football and we had a great twenty minute chat.
Podcasts are just a lot of fun and I love doing them because they are another way for me to broadcast to fans. It’s awesome to see the number of International sports fans who tell me that they download the podcasts. Tweeting is the same thing - an immediate interactivity and a constant online chat with anyone who wants to send me something. The more I can get out there and interact, the more I enjoy it.
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