1. A couple of weeks ago, I stated in Traina Thoughts that it was a disservice to NFL fans that Fox’s Greg Olsen was not behind a microphone for postseason games.
My comment had nothing to do with Tom Brady because I totally understand why Fox decided to get involved in the Tom Brady business.
Very simply, Olsen is one of the best analysts on all of sports television and he didn’t work a game during the playoffs. That shouldn’t happen. But it did. Olsen himself just opened up about being sidelined during the postseason in an interview with Charlotte’s WCNC, and was quite candid.
“I’ll be honest, it’s hard sitting home on the couch watching the games,” said Olsen. “You’re sitting there and you’re living and dying with every broadcast, and you’re sitting there and you’re dissecting everything that’s said and done and, ‘What would you have said?,’ and, ‘What would you have done?’
“I’ve been very honest. My goal getting into this was to not just call regional 1 o’clock games and just be happy to be there. I’ve called the highest games, we’ve called some of the biggest games in NFL history, some of the biggest audiences in NFL history. Super Bowls, championship games, playoff games, Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity over the last couple of years to call any and all of that. To not do it anymore is hard. It’s not ideal.
“Listen, wherever it is, whatever network it’s on, whatever opportunity is there, my goal is to continue to show I’m as good, if not better than anybody in this industry and I just need a chair and an opportunity to present the game in a way that I find interesting and in a way that seems like people have connected with over the last couple of years and I’m gonna continue to work until that opportunity is just completely out the door.”
As I said in that column, what makes the Olsen situation especially frustrating is that at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be an opening for him to grab a No. 1 analyst role. There’s going to have to be a surprise somewhere along the way for Olsen to get the job he deserves.
Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later for the fan’s sake and for Olsen’s sake.
2. Here’s what I wrote last week in Traina Thoughts after analyzing the NFL’s lower ratings for the divisional round playoff games: “This year, CBS gets the late window for Bills-Chiefs. Will Kansas City’s drawing power help CBS top Fox’s 56.7 million from last season? Despite softer ratings for the wild card and divisional rounds, I’ll say yes, thanks to the three-peat factor and the Chiefs’ popularity with non-football fans.”
Of course, I’m only reposting that because I was right. Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp reports that the Bills-Chiefs game pulled in 57.4 million viewers.
Also hearing 44.2 million viewers for Eagles' blowout win over Commanders in early Sunday window.
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) January 28, 2025
🔲 Would be least-watched NFC Championship since Rams-Saints in 2019 (44.1 million, and that game was before out-of-home audience metrics factored in) https://t.co/JlAtr1S6Wk
3. Pete Carroll and Marshawn Lynch had a nice reunion Monday at Carroll’s introductory press conference with the Raiders even though Carroll did not know the reunion was coming.
Pete Carroll had no idea Marshawn Lynch was in the building during his press conference, and that Lynch shouted, "RAIDERSSS!"
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 28, 2025
Lynch: "You ain't hear me yelling at you?"
Carroll: "Was that you?!"
Lynch: "Who else gonna gon yell like that?"
😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/XXDLr90iYs https://t.co/sA39Xw9yfV
4. I have absolutely no idea what Jerry Jones was trying to say here on Monday.
Add it to the Jerryisms bingo card
— Jeff Kolb (@JeffKolbFOX4) January 27, 2025
Jerry Jones when I asked how the reaction of Cowboys fans makes him feel: "There's a very low percentage of this that is smiles and glory holes. Very low percentage."#DallasCowboys #jerryjones pic.twitter.com/YJCXU9rCR9
Luckily, Green Light’s Chris Long is here to educate us.
My thoughts on the Jerry Jones comments pic.twitter.com/72JRZ62yOF
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) January 28, 2025
5. Ohio State coach Ryan Day was on Monday’s episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and confirmed that the golf cart mishap following the Buckeyes' national title win over Texas reminded him of Austin Powers.
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Topics covered include the significant ratings drop for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the latest regarding the league going to an 18-game schedule, Netflix’s involvement in the NFL, the narrative that the league and the refs want the Chiefs to win, the practice of having coaches interview for jobs with other teams while they are in the playoffs, what happened to Deion Sanders possibly becoming the Cowboys coach, Tom Brady’s conflict of interest in calling game for Fox while being one of the owners of the Raiders and much, 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 Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date 40 years ago, “We Are the World” was recorded. If you haven’t watched the documentary about the making of the song on Netflix, I can’t recommend it enough.
In 1985, during the recording of the iconic song We Are the World, Bob Dylan was struggling to make his vocals work with the song's pop arrangement.
— Kevin Dahlstrom (@Camp4) January 30, 2024
Stevie Wonder, who has the ability to mimic other voices, showed Dylan how to do his part... in Dylan's voice.
It's a… pic.twitter.com/EomCVZdA8a
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.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fox’s Greg Olsen Gets Brutally Honest About Being Sidelined for the Playoffs.
