SI

When Will Networks Realize the Role of the Television Rules Analyst Needs to Change?

Football rules analysts just keep getting worse and worse at their jobs.

Jimmy Traina

Football rules analysts often struggle to let viewers know what’s a penalty and what is not.
Football rules analysts often struggle to let viewers know what’s a penalty and what is not. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

1. I have written numerous columns about the nonsensical role of the football rules analyst on television. Here is another one.

These rules analysts regularly hurt broadcasts, cause confusion and provide nothing beneficial while doing anything and everything they can to agree with/defend the refs. And this has only gotten worse.

This is annoying enough during the regular season, but it’s beyond irritating during playoff games.

Thursday’s Ole Miss-Miami game featured a doozy from ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier.

After a Rebels defensive back laid a big hit on Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney, Chris Fowler brought in LeMonnier, who couldn’t have been more definitive in his “analysis.”

“Definitely defenseless player,” stated LeMonnier. “Strong hit to the head/neck area. This shouldn’t take long.”

So, what happened? After the review, the ref said there was no targeting on the play. Then Fowler had to bring LeMonnier back on the air so he could try to save face.

“They also have to have an indicator in there,” said a back-pedaling LeMonnier.  “A launch, a thrust, that type of thing. Running straight into him, they deemed that is not targeting.”

To sum up: LeMonnier originally came on the broadcast to give his take on the penalty, which ended up being 100% wrong. Then he came back on the broadcast to defend the refs even though he disagreed with the refs’ call.

You can’t make it up.

I just want one network executive to tell me what this added to the telecast. I want to know how this serves the viewer in any way, shape or form.

This comes on the heels of ESPN NFL rules analyst Mike Chase embarrassing himself on Saturday by saying he “supported” a horrifically bad offensive pass interference call on Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillian. This one was so bad Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick, in the booth for the game, couldn’t help but sternly take the refs to task for the terrible call.

I’ve said this a million times before and I’ll say it again: The only time a broadcast should use a rules analyst is when there is confusion about a rule that viewers may not be familiar with. We don’t need the rules analyst to give us their take on replays. Just let the play-by-play person and game analyst do that, because no matter what the rules analyst “sees,” they’re going to do whatever they can to defend the call made by the refs.

Not only do these “rules analysts” totally destroy the flow of a broadcast, but they also actually hurt the credibility of the telecast. It blows me away that the networks that air football games do not see this.

2. These are the broadcast assignments for this weekend’s NFL wild-card games:

  • Rams-Panthers: Joe Davis and Greg Olsen
  • Packers-Bears: Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit
  • Bills-Jaguars: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo
  • Niners-Eagles: Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady
  • Chargers-Patriots: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
  • Texans-Steelers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

It’s unfortunate this is a year in which Fox gets two playoff games instead of CBS because it would’ve been great to hear Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt call postseason action after having such a strong regular season in their first year together.

Obviously, Greg Olsen is great, so this is no disrespect to him, but Eagle and Watt became huge fan favorites throughout the season. One of the reasons fans enjoyed Watt’s broadcast style was because of his genuine enthusiasm and excitement. It would’ve been fun to hear him on a game with high stakes.

3. Sports Business Journal’s Richard Deitsch reported Friday that Al Michaels will return to Amazon Prime Video for the 2026 NFL season. It will be the fifth year Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will be in the booth for Thursday Night Football.

4. My fellow wrestling fans will get a kick out of this exchange between Pat McAfee and his crew and WWE superstar Nikki Bella during Thursday’s Ole Miss-Georgia Field Pass telecast.

5. The Jets went 3–14, didn’t record an interception all season and lost their final five games by scores of 34–10, 48–20, 29–6, 42–10 and 35–8.

Somehow, the team’s social media department thought this would be a good post to put out into the world on Thursday.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ESPN workhorse Laura Rutledge.

Rutledge talks about her various jobs, which include NFL Live, SEC Nation, Monday Night Football and sideline reporting during the college football playoffs.

In addition, Rutledge shares her side of recent “controversies” regarding her postgame interviews with Justin Herbert and Sam Darnold and discusses getting the Chris Berman treatment for her viral sprint from doing a halftime interview to the set to host halftime of the Sugar Bowl.

Rutledge also talks about her worst halftime interview, the job she likes the most and what she watches in the little downtime she gets and much more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I recently watched the Chevy Chase documentary that aired on CNN last week, which I highly recommend if you grew up in the ‘80s and have a special fondness for Saturday Night Live.

After watching the doc, I went into a Chevy Chase YouTube rabbit hole and found this gem.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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