Yes the Kansas City Chiefs won a thrilling Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Glendale Arizona, but my main focus was on the debut of the great duo of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen in the booth for the Super Bowl. Both did an excellent job calling the not only the Super Bowl but all season long. During the 2021 season Burkhardt and Olsen were on the B team behind Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, after Buck and Aikman left for ESPN’s Monday Night Football for the 2022 season, Burkhardt and Olsen were promoted to the new A team. Kevin Burkhardt is a really really good up and coming play by play announcer while Greg Olsen is one of the top game analysts in the NFL on TV.
When was I watching Super Bowl on Sunday between the Chiefs and the Eagles, I was paying very close attention to Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen calling the game and my overall takeaway was they were already in mid season form and aced the test in their Super Bowl debut. Kevin called a really good game where he setup Greg Olsen to give good analysis throughout the Super Bowl. From the opening kickoff of Super Bowl 57 to the game’s final play, the broadcast duo of Kevin Burkhardt and Olsen sounded more like Super Bowl veterans where they were crisp, informative, and prepared than the rookies they were.
With the Chiefs facing third-and-8 at the Eagles’ 15-yard-line with 1:54 to play, a defensive stop likely would have forced the Chiefs to attempt a field goal and given the Eagles ample time to march down the field on the ensuing possession. Unfortunately Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, matched up on Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and was called for defensive holding. The penalty gave the Chiefs a first down where it all but sealed the game’s outcome. Olsen added by saying “I don’t love that call,’’ he said. “I think on this stage, I think you let them play,’’ he said. “… I think you let them play, finish this thing out.’’ “Let’s go back to this penalty,’’ he said, as he described the replay of Bradberry trying to defend Smith-Schuster. Olsen added by saying “I hear what you’re saying, Mike. He’s trying to run a little whip route, sell the shallow cross, I know he’s got that right hand (on Smith-Schuster), I get it. I just think in this moment, oh, man, that is a game-altering penalty.’’ On the next play Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon had an easy path to the end zone but he wouldn’t score a touchdown so that the Eagles would have time to tie the game up. Greg Olsen made this great call “He’s got to get down!” Olsen said. “He’s got to get down.” Burkhardt and Olsen both deserve an A for their Super Bowl debut.
Unfortunately we believe that Tom Brady will takeover for Greg Olsen on the A team with Kevin Burkhardt beginning in the fall of 2024 and he will be getting paid a lot of money which is 10 years for $375 million contract which is absolutely ridiculous, disrespectful and insulting to millions of people who don’t make that kind of money. Yes I understand Tom Brady is not only the greatest quarterback in NFL history and a big name but him getting paid all that money is so stupid. Greg Olsen is putting a lot of pressure on Tom Brady if he succeeds him in the broadcast booth in 2024 or maybe they both could be together with Kevin Burkhardt in a 3 person booth who knows. I just think it would be foolish for Fox Sports for Greg Olsen to be replaced by Tom Brady and what if he either doesn’t do the full 10 years or isn’t good at it. Cris Collinsworth at NBC Sports for Sunday Night Football, his contract expires in a couple of years and if Olsen isn’t happy at Fox Sprots I hope he goes to NBC Sports and gets to work with the great Mike Tirico. Keep putting pressure on Tom Brady and the Fox Sports executives Greg Olsen.