09-11-2026, 07:19 PM -
From The Athletic:
Netflix started a little slow on it sports coverage......But Netflix has learned a thing or two as it has gone forward,..........
If you were to create in a lab a human being to demonstrate that the early lessons were received by Netflix, it would result in Pro Football Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
Kuechly’s DNA is built on X&O chromosomes.
In Kuechly’s debut as Netflix’s No. 1 game analyst, he was about football, first, second and third. Paired with an already established big-game voice, the 29-year-old Noah Eagle, Kuechly made the game the focus Thursday.
Sports — especially the king of all media, the NFL — sell themselves. It doesn’t need any Netflix special sauce. Just make sure the stream works and deliver a football game. Down in front!
Kuechly had great detail in his analysis. His experience as a Carolina Panthers radio game analyst prepared him to get in and out in the proper amount of time. He was informative, though a bit dry. (We will take that every day of the week — and with the Thursday night game being held Friday morning in Australia, no one knew what day it was anyway.) No one wants analysts who are too distracting.
While the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7, Eagle worked like a strong nose tackle in Kuechly’s playing days, taking care of the blockers to let a linebacker have clean lanes to make tackles. Eagle gave Kuechly plenty of room to teach football.
Analysts have talked about runners squaring their shoulders for decades, but Kuechly added at one point that it allows a ball carrier to easily go left or right. It was a quick, subtle point that allowed a viewer to understand the game better.
In another instance, Kuechly explained how coaches teach to tackle high inside a team’s own 5 so an opponent can’t fall forward into the end zone. Simple, good stuff.
Kuechly needs to explain some football vernacular a little more. If you say, “PBU,” just add “pass breakup” as not everyone watching grew up playing Pop Warner. It is an easy fix. Fans want to go inside, so just telling viewers the terms along with a one-line explanation goes a long way.
NBC handled the behind-the-scenes production for Netflix, but the streamer’s top sports executive, Gabe Spitzer, and his team decided the direction.
It was a cleaner approach to the telecast, demonstrated by an easy-to-read on-screen scorebug and a pregame show, led by Elle Duncan with analysts Michael Irvin, Clay Matthews and Nick Foles, that was about the game.
Joining Eagle and Kuechly were two sideline reporters, Tom Pelissero and MJ Acosta-Ruiz. The duo gave solid information, not overdoing it.
On Thursday, Kuechly and Netflix squared their shoulders, showcasing the right tackling form. It was the streamer’s best job yet.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7583631...australia/
Andrew Marchand is a Sr. Sports Media Columnist for The Athletic. He previously worked for the New York Post and ESPN, where he predominantly covered sports media and baseball. In 2024, he won the Associated Press Sports Editors' top national award for beat writing for his coverage of sports media.
Netflix started a little slow on it sports coverage......But Netflix has learned a thing or two as it has gone forward,..........
If you were to create in a lab a human being to demonstrate that the early lessons were received by Netflix, it would result in Pro Football Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
Kuechly’s DNA is built on X&O chromosomes.
In Kuechly’s debut as Netflix’s No. 1 game analyst, he was about football, first, second and third. Paired with an already established big-game voice, the 29-year-old Noah Eagle, Kuechly made the game the focus Thursday.
Sports — especially the king of all media, the NFL — sell themselves. It doesn’t need any Netflix special sauce. Just make sure the stream works and deliver a football game. Down in front!
Kuechly had great detail in his analysis. His experience as a Carolina Panthers radio game analyst prepared him to get in and out in the proper amount of time. He was informative, though a bit dry. (We will take that every day of the week — and with the Thursday night game being held Friday morning in Australia, no one knew what day it was anyway.) No one wants analysts who are too distracting.
While the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7, Eagle worked like a strong nose tackle in Kuechly’s playing days, taking care of the blockers to let a linebacker have clean lanes to make tackles. Eagle gave Kuechly plenty of room to teach football.
Analysts have talked about runners squaring their shoulders for decades, but Kuechly added at one point that it allows a ball carrier to easily go left or right. It was a quick, subtle point that allowed a viewer to understand the game better.
In another instance, Kuechly explained how coaches teach to tackle high inside a team’s own 5 so an opponent can’t fall forward into the end zone. Simple, good stuff.
Kuechly needs to explain some football vernacular a little more. If you say, “PBU,” just add “pass breakup” as not everyone watching grew up playing Pop Warner. It is an easy fix. Fans want to go inside, so just telling viewers the terms along with a one-line explanation goes a long way.
NBC handled the behind-the-scenes production for Netflix, but the streamer’s top sports executive, Gabe Spitzer, and his team decided the direction.
It was a cleaner approach to the telecast, demonstrated by an easy-to-read on-screen scorebug and a pregame show, led by Elle Duncan with analysts Michael Irvin, Clay Matthews and Nick Foles, that was about the game.
Joining Eagle and Kuechly were two sideline reporters, Tom Pelissero and MJ Acosta-Ruiz. The duo gave solid information, not overdoing it.
On Thursday, Kuechly and Netflix squared their shoulders, showcasing the right tackling form. It was the streamer’s best job yet.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7583631...australia/
Andrew Marchand is a Sr. Sports Media Columnist for The Athletic. He previously worked for the New York Post and ESPN, where he predominantly covered sports media and baseball. In 2024, he won the Associated Press Sports Editors' top national award for beat writing for his coverage of sports media.
