By Richie Zyontz
The main producer of FOX NFL
Editor’s Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and has been a lead producer for the past 20 seasons. He has over 40 years of league experience and has made six Super Bowls. Throughout the 2022 NFL season, he’ll provide an inside look as FOX’s new No. 1 NFL team makes its journey towards Super Bowl LVII.
Another holiday, another working weekend away from home. Thank goodness for understanding family. But that is the occupational hazard of sports television. As Hyman Roth told Michael Corleone in The Godfather II, “this is the job we chose.”
So with Christmas upon us, our FOX team added to their frequent flyer accounts and converged on Dallas from 23 different states to help cover the NFC East match between Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys.
Malice in Dallas
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of a major sporting event. The hype, trash talk, and gambling all went up a few notches. The atmosphere is vibrant with anticipation.
And no, I’m not referring to the Eagle vs Cowboy sidebar contest.
It was the vengeful tennis match between Greg Olsen and director Rich Russo that caught our crew’s attention — an event now forever known as Dallas Malice.
Competition can turn friends into enemies, and judging by the pre-match mood, Olsen and Russo are heading in that direction.
Two cameras are ready and a live stream has been set up for a select few with too much time to spare. Our entire crew provided support. Kevin Burkhardt and affiliated producer/guest analyst Rich Gross direct the action, Erin Andrews interviews the athletes and Mike Pereira serves as the referee.
Out of all the tennis matches I have witnessed, none stands out for its high quality of play. Russo started strong, showing good form and a steady forehand, and took the lead three games by one in the first set.
But then the court coverage, long reach, and combination of strength and ingenuity proved too difficult to overcome.
As a result, the former Pro Bowl won in consecutive sets, 6-4, 6-1.
Malice in Dallas
FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen and director Rich Russo played a heated game of tennis before the Christmas Eve Cowboys-Eagles game.
Any malice that existed before the match turned into mutual respect afterwards, and the good camaraderie in A-Crew reached new heights.
A new chapter for an old rival
Fighting games are fun because they’re rich in history. The Cowboys and Eagles brought back many lasting memories.
During the broadcast, we added some production elements that honor the legacy of both teams. My favorite is a cleverly edited piece with audio from former Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson ripping off Eagles coach Buddy Ryan after a particularly thrilling game in 1989 – forever known. with the name The Bounty Bowl.
These teams didn’t like each other then, and that mutual animosity didn’t change one bit.
Each game has its own unique rhythm. Our job as producers and directors is to react and adjust to that rhythm. Sometimes the game collects data along with multiple stops and penalty flags. And sometimes the game simply leaves you breathless as the ball moves up and down the court again and again. That’s how this person feels about me.
It was a Christmas Eve classic with Dallas’ 40-34 scoreline.
After many weeks of inconclusive competition, our team has covered 2 beauties in a row. There’s nothing quite like the drama of a meaningful end of season NFL game. Director Rich Russo, recovering well from his defeat on the tennis court the day before, skillfully captured the emotions of both sides.
One of our crew members didn’t have to travel far to attend this game. His name is Michael Brandt, but we call him Mookie. This Dallas native has been a great replay operator with us for 25 years, and he has a pretty interesting family story to tell.
Historical Witness
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was murdered in Dallas. It was a terrible event that changed the course of history. The country reacted and mourned from afar. As a first grader at PS 40 in New York City, I was confused as to why we were sent home so early. Tragedy made Dallas the center of the universe for the wrong reasons.
While many of us watched Walter Cronkite on CBS News document the event, Mookie’s father Ernest was nowhere near the television. He was there.
Ernest Brandt was one of thousands of onlookers gathered to greet the presidential motorcade on that fateful November day. He bet a good spot just outside the Dallas Book Depository in Dealey Plaza.
He heard three shots. At first, he said, it sounded like a motorcycle counterattack. The second clearly shows that there is a shooter. After the third shot, witnesses apparently pointed to a sixth-floor window in the Book Archive as likely the source of the gunfire. A man named Abraham Zapruder stood behind Mr Brandt with his Bell-Howell camcorder. A clearly visible observer in a black felt hat standing a few feet away from the convoy was Ernest Brandt.
Mookie’s dad was in the movie Zapruder before, during, and after President Kennedy was shot.
For the next several years, Brandt served as the unofficial historian of the assassination, sharing his memories with tourists in Dealey Plaza until his death in 2017 at the age of 10. 91.
Whatever and wherever we are tasked with next week, it will be difficult to stay ahead of the game we witnessed today. The Cowboys and Eagles gave us an incredible match; as David Helman wrote after the game, this is something we should all hope to see in the knockouts. Rest assured that if that happens, FOX Sports Group A will be there to deal with it.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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