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Trent Dilfer Explains Broadcasting Influences

“Dilfer told Wingo that he was one of four people that helped to make him a better broadcaster.”

Ricky Keeler

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Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

You might remember Trent Dilfer as a Super Bowl winning quarterback with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, being the head coach of the Elite 11 program, and who is now the head coach for Lipscomb Academy in Tennessee. However, Dilfer was part of the NFL media from 2006-2017. To be fair, you probably remember that too.

Dilfer was Wingo’s guest on the latest episode of Trey Wingo Presents: Half-Forgotten History podcast. In addition to talking about his playing career, Dilfer mentioned how he met former ESPN analysts Trey Wingo and Mark “Stink” Schlereth (now at FOX). 

Jim Kelly and Dilfer met Wingo and Schlereth at a bar in Detroit during the week of Super Bowl 40 when Dilfer was working for NFL Network and one compliment Dilfer and Kelly gave changed the way Wingo viewed NFL Live, the show he had only started hosting for a couple of years at the time (began in 2003).

“NFL Live had started in 2003. We thought we were doing ok. You guys came up to Stink and I and you guys were like we love your show because you guys talk about football the way we as football players talk about football. For a guy who was a terrible football player, but always wanted to be a great football player, that was the best thing you could have ever said to me. It was the first time I realized man, we might be doing something good here,” said Wingo. 

Trent Dilfer told Wingo that he was one of four people that helped to make him a better broadcaster.

“I tell people all the time, I learned everything from Rich Eisen, you, and then admired Stink. Tried to copy Stink. I didn’t work a ton with Stink because we didn’t work a ton of shows together. Then, I would add Steve Levy to that too.

“Rich kind of taught me what it looked like because I was still playing. Rich was great because he was a truth-teller. Then, I spent hours upon hours with you and you corrected me all the time. You affirmed the things I did well and corrected the things I didn’t. Then, you would turn me over to Stink and be like watch how he does it because he is awesome at what he does.”

The one piece of advice that Levy gave Trent Dilfer ended up helping him improve as an analyst on TV.

“Levy told me go back home when you are done with TV and listen to yourself with your back turned to the TV and then watch yourself with the sound off…All of a sudden, I wasn’t running words together, my eyes weren’t looking all over the place, I wasn’t looking at the wrong camera, I was slower with my pace, doing the TV things. I tell people all the time I owe you guys so much.”

To this day, Dilfer still tells former football players that they should try to do television when their playing career ends.

“I have so many great relationships with the people at ESPN, it’s a great career. Players transition, they say should I go to TV? I say absolutely yes.”

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Bleav To Launch 2 FuboTV Channels

“Over 1,000 hours of original content is produced by Bleav each month.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Sports and entertainment media production company Bleav has officially launched two channels available now on FuboTV.

Bleav Sports and Bleav Football will utilize content from its podcast network to comprise programming on the TV side.

“We are excited to be partnering with Fubo, one of the premiere companies for sports streaming,” Bleav president Eric Weinberger said.

Over 1,000 hours of original content is produced by Bleav each month. Former NFL and NBA standouts like Ahman Green, Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, LenDale White, Ike Taylor and Jonathan Stewart are just some of the hosts for Bleav.

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Neil Everett Exits ESPN After 23 Years

“ESPN changed my life, but now it’s time for me to change my life.”

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Courtesy: NBAE via Getty Images

Neil Everett’s SportsCenter days are over. Front Office Sports reports that the anchor has chosen to say goodbye to ESPN after 23 years at the network.

“ESPN changed my life, but now it’s time for me to change my life,” Everett said. “Time to write a new chapter.” 

The network reportedly offered Everett a new deal. Had he agreed to it, the anchor would have taken a salary reduction.

This is a significant moment for SportsCenter. Everett moving on means one of the show’s longest-tenured partnership comes to an end. He had worked with Stan Verrett since 2009.

Everett’s exit comes in the same week that it was revealed Chris Chelios would not return to the network’s NHL coverage next season. The Walt Disney Company is currently in the middle of trying to cut 7000 jobs to save $5.5 billion.

As for the future, Everett says he will seek to increase his TV role with the Portland Trail Blazers. He has been part of the team’s broadcast crew on NBC Sports Northwest for the last two years.

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Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica To Make FOX TV Debut on Belmont Coverage

“Everyone I’ve worked and interacted with at the company has been so helpful and open to someone who has spent his entire professional life elsewhere.”

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Courtesy: KFSM

As the college football season was winding down, fans found out one of the foundational members of the College Gameday staff would be leaving ESPN. Chris “The Bear” Fallica left the network and has been working for FOX since the new year. This weekend during the network’s coverage of The Belmont Stakes, he will finally make his TV debut for his employers.

“It’s been great. This will be my first TV appearance, so I’m excited,” Fallica said in an interview with FOXSports.com. “But we’ve been cranking out content on the digital side since January, and I’m very happy with how the USFL picks have been going (4-0 last week for those of you counting at home). Everyone I’ve worked and interacted with at the company has been so helpful and open to someone who has spent his entire professional life elsewhere.”

Fallica, who worked for ESPN for nearly three decades, is going to be a major presence in FOX’s gambling content both on air and online. Making picks is nothing new. He had been doing it on College GameDay for years prior to his exit. 

In addition to making football picks, horse racing is going to be a major part of what The Bear does for FOX. While this will be his TV debut on FOX, Fallica put the spotlight on one of his colleagues.

“It was a great decision to bring Tom [Durkin] back for this call. His voice is synonymous with the sport for a generation of racing fans, so it will be a treat to hear him call a race again.”

Durbin is coming out of retirement to call the race. This is the first year that the Belmont is airing on FOX as part of a rights deal with the New York Racing Association.

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