Monday Night Football
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{{redirect|MNF}}
{{infobox Television |
| image = [[Image:ESPNMNF.jpg|ESPN Monday Night Football logo]]
| show_name = Monday Night Football
| format = [[Sports]]
| runtime = 3 Hours +
| creator = [[Roone Arledge]]
| starring = [[Mike Tirico]]<br>[[Ron Jaworski]]<br>[[Tony Kornheiser]]<br>[[Michele Tafoya]]<br>[[Suzy Kolber]]<br>[[Chris Berman]]<br>[[Keyshawn Johnson]]<br>[[Steve Young (athlete)|Steve Young]]<br>[[Thomas Jackson (American football)|Tom Jackson]]<br>[[Bill Parcells]]<br>[[Emmitt Smith]]<br>[[Stuart Scott]]
| country = {{USA}}
| network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1970-2005) <br> [[ESPN]] (2006-Present)
| theme_music_composer = [[Hank Williams, Jr.]]
| opentheme = "''All My Rowdy Friends (Are Coming Over Tonight)''"
| picture_format = [[480i]] ([[SDTV]]), <br> [[720p]] ([[HDTV]])
| executive producer = [[Norby Williamson]] (2006-Present)
| producer = [[Jay Rothman]] (2006-Present)
| director = [[Chip Dean]] (2006-Present)
| first_aired = [[September 21]], [[1970 NFL season|1970]]
| last_aired = Present
| num_episodes = 591 (as of the [[2007 NFL season]])
| imdb_id = 0065323
| tv_com_id = 25378
| website = http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/index
|
}}
'''''Monday Night Football''''' ('''''MNF''''') is a [[live television]] broadcast of the [[National Football League]]. Originally airing on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network from [[1970 NFL season|1970]] to [[2005 NFL season|2005]], ''Monday Night Football'' was the second longest running [[prime time]] show on [[United States of America|American]] broadcast network television (after [[CBS]]' ''[[60 Minutes]]'') and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male viewers. ABC aired a total of 555 Monday night games.
''Monday Night Football'' moved to the [[ESPN]] cable network in [[2006 NFL season|2006]], ending a 36-year run on ABC. ABC and ESPN are both owned by [[The Walt Disney Company]].
''Monday Night Football'' can also be seen in [[Canada]] on [[The Sports Network|TSN]] and [[Réseau Info-Sports|RIS]], in most of [[Europe]] on [[NASN]], on [[Five (channel)|Five]] and [[Sky Sports]] in the UK and in some regions of the world outside the U.S. on [[ESPN International]]. A [[Spanish language]] version airs on [[ESPN Deportes]] in the U.S. and on [[ESPN International]] in Latin America.
== Overview ==
''Monday Night Football'' has enjoyed success throughout its 36-year run. The weekly game is popular not only with fans, but with players, as it guarantees a full national telecast of the game and puts both teams in the spotlight. Teams are selected for ''MNF'' games based partially on their success during the previous season, rewarding the best teams and biggest stars. Teams with large national fan bases such as the [[Dallas Cowboys]], [[Green Bay Packers]], [[New England Patriots]], [[Oakland Raiders]], and [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], among others, usually appear on MNF as well regardless of their previous season's record. Teams can make a maximum of three Monday night appearances per season.
Since 2003, to avoid any scheduling unfairness where a team may have five days between games and others six (or seven) before the first playoff game, there is no Monday night game during the final week of the regular season. From 2003 until 2005, one game was played on Thursday and another Monday under the Monday Night Football banner. Starting in 2006 when the series moved to cable, two games are played on the opening Monday night to capitalize on fan interest during "Kickoff Weekend". The necessity of advance scheduling sometimes results in late-season contests between lesser teams, and teams which do better than expected may not get to play on ''MNF'' until the next year.
(Cable games are protected from the NFL's flexible scheduling rule adopted for the 2006-07 season. The new rule applies only to CBS, Fox, and NBC Sunday games.)
<!--[[Image:Stamp-us-monday-night-football.jpg|thumb|Commemorative ''WEDNESDAY Night Football'' U.S. [[postage stamp]]]]-->
Franchises with the most Monday night appearances include the [[Green Bay Packers]], [[Dallas Cowboys]], [[Washington Redskins]], [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders]], [[Chicago Bears]], [[Denver Broncos]], and [[Miami Dolphins]]. The most common ''Monday Night Football'' pairings are [[Denver Broncos|Denver]] vs. [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] and [[Dallas Cowboys|Dallas]] vs. [[Washington Redskins|Washington]], with each matchup having been televised 14 times; both are division games between bitter rivals and draw substantial interest from fans of other teams as well. [[Atlanta Falcons|Atlanta]] vs. [[New Orleans Saints|New Orleans]], also a division game, has been on the Monday night schedule for three years in a row.
== History ==
=== Pre-1970 ===
{{main|Monday Night Games Pre-1970}}
During the early 1960s, NFL Commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]] envisioned the possibility of playing at least one game weekly during prime time for a greater TV audience. An early bid in [[1964 NFL season|1964]] to play on Friday nights was soundly defeated, with critics charging that such telecasts would damage the attendance at high school games. Undaunted, Rozelle decided to experiment with the concept of playing on Monday night, scheduling the [[Green Bay Packers]] and [[Detroit Lions]] for a game on [[September 28]], [[1964 NFL season|1964]]. While the game was not televised, it drew a sellout crowd of 59,203 to [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], the largest crowd ever to watch a professional football game in [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] up to that point.
Two years later, Rozelle would build on this success as the [[National Football League|NFL]] began a four-year experiment of playing on Monday night, scheduling one game in prime time on [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] during the [[1966 NFL season|1966]] and [[1967 NFL season|1967]] seasons, and two contests during each of the next two years. [[NFL on NBC|NBC]] followed suit in [[American Football League seasons#1968|1968]] and [[American Football League seasons#1969|1969]] with games involving [[American Football League|AFL]] teams.
During subsequent negotiations on a television contract that would begin in [[1970 NFL season|1970]], Rozelle concentrated on signing a weekly Monday night deal with one of the three major networks. After sensing reluctance from both NBC and CBS in disturbing their regular programming schedules, Rozelle spoke with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
Despite the network's status as the lowest-[[Nielsen Ratings|rated]] network, ABC was also reluctant to enter the risky venture. Only after Rozelle used the threat of signing with the independent [[Hughes Sports Network]], an entity bankrolled by reclusive billionaire [[Howard Hughes]], did ABC sign a contract for the scheduled games. Speculation was that had Rozelle signed with Hughes, many ABC affiliates would have pre-empted the network's Monday lineup in favor of the games, severely damaging potential ratings.
=== 1970s ===
{{see also|Monday Night Football: Year-by-Year History (1970-89)}}
After the final contract for ''Monday Night Football'' was signed, [[ABC Sports]] producer [[Roone Arledge]] immediately saw possibilities for the new show. Setting out to create an entertainment "spectacle" as much as a simple sports broadcast, Arledge hired [[Chet Forte]], who would serve as director of the program for over 22 years. Arledge also ordered twice the usual number of cameras to cover the game, expanded the regular two-man broadcasting booth to three and used extensive graphic design within the show as well as "instant replay."
==== Jackson, Cosell and Meredith ====
Looking for a lightning rod to garner attention, Arledge hired controversial New York sports broadcaster [[Howard Cosell]] as a commentator, along with veteran football play-by-play man [[Keith Jackson]]. Arledge's original choice for the third member of the trio, [[Frank Gifford]], was unavailable since he was still under contract to [[CBS Sports]]. However, Gifford suggested former Dallas Cowboy quarterback [[Don Meredith]], setting the stage for years of fireworks between the often-pompous Cosell and the laid-back Meredith. (Arledge had tried to lure [[Curt Gowdy]] and then [[Vin Scully]] to ABC for the ''MNF'' play-by-play role, but settled for Jackson after they proved unable to break existing contracts with [[NBC Sports]] and the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], respectively.)
''Monday Night Football'' first aired on ABC on [[September 21]], [[1970 NFL season|1970]], with a game between the [[New York Jets]] and the [[Cleveland Browns|Browns]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]]. Advertisers were charged [[United States dollar|$]]65,000 per minute by ABC during the clash, a cost that proved to be a bargain when the contest collected 33 percent of the viewing audience. The Browns defeated the Jets, 31-21.
One of the trademarks of ''Monday Night Football'' is a music cue used during the opening teasers of each program, a [[Johnny Pearson]] composition entitled "[[Heavy Action]]", originally theme music for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]]'s ''[[Superstars]]'' series. ABC had acquired the rights to ''Heavy Action'' specifically for ''Monday Night Football''.
That success would continue over the course of the season, helping establish a phenomenon on Monday nights in the [[Fall (season)|fall]]: Movie attendance dropped, [[bowling]] leagues shifted to Tuesday nights and a [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] hospital established an unwritten rule of no births during games.
Cosell's presence initially caused [[Henry Ford II]], chairman of the [[Ford Motor Company]], the show's main sponsor, to ask for his removal. Cosell dodged another controversy when he appeared to be intoxicated on the air during the [[November 23]] game between the [[New York Giants]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. Already under the weather, Cosell drank at a promotional party prior to the game, then ended up vomiting on [[Don Meredith]]'s cowboy boots near the end of the first half. Jackson and Meredith ended up announcing the rest of the contest.
==== Cosell, Gifford and Meredith ====
[[Image:1973 Monday Night Football Intro.gif|right|thumb|The ''Monday Night Football'' intro circa [[1973 NFL season|1973]].]]
In [[1971 NFL season|1971]], Gifford became available and Arledge brought him to ABC, replacing Jackson (who returned to broadcasting [[College American football|college football]] for the network). The former [[New York Giants|New York Giant]] had been an NFL announcer for [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] during the 1960s but never a [[play-by-play]] man prior to joining ''Monday Night Football''. In that capacity for ''Monday Night Football'' from [[1971 NFL season|1971]]-[[1985 NFL season|1985]], Gifford was often criticized for his see-no-evil approach in regard to discussing the NFL, earning him the dubious nickname "Faultless Frank." Regardless, Gifford would have the longest tenure of any broadcaster on the show, lasting until [[1998 NFL season|1998]].
Cosell's abrasive personality gave him enough recognition to host a live ABC variety show in the fall of 1975. That show is remembered today only as a trivia question, as its title, "''[[Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell|Saturday Night Live]]''", prevented [[Saturday Night Live|a new late-night sketch comedy program on NBC]] from using that title until the ABC show was canceled. That seeming popularity was in contrast to the repeated criticisms in the media, as well as bar room contests in which winners were allowed to throw a brick through a television image of Cosell.
After beginning with critical acclaim, Meredith began to take his weekly assignments less seriously, while also beginning an acting career. By [[1973 NFL season|1973]], his motivation for the broadcasts seemed highly suspect, given incidents during a trio of contests. On [[October 29]], Meredith was drinking during the [[Buffalo Bills]]-[[Kansas City Chiefs]] game, which was preceded one week earlier by his pre-game analysis of the [[Denver Broncos]]-[[Oakland Raiders]] game: ''"We're in the [[Denver, Colorado|Mile High City]] and I sure am"'' — a not-so-subtle reference to his use of [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] at the time. Finally, during the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]-[[Washington Redskins]] game on [[November 5]], he referred to [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Richard Nixon]] as "[[Tricky Dick]]."
==== Cosell, Gifford, Williamson and Karras ====
Meredith would be absent from ''Monday Night Football'' for a broadcasting and acting career on rival [[The NFL on NBC|NBC]] from [[1974 NFL season|1974]] through [[1976 NFL season|1976]]. [[Fred Williamson]], a former [[Kansas City Chiefs]] defensive back nicknamed "The Hammer" for his often-brutal hits, was selected by ABC to replace Meredith in [[1974 NFL season|1974]], but following a few pre-season broadcasts, proved so inarticulate that he was relieved of his duties prior to the start of the regular season, becoming the first ''MNF'' personality not to last an entire season (much less no part of the regular season at all). Williamson was replaced by fellow [[Gary, Indiana]] native [[Alex Karras]], formerly of the [[Detroit Lions]]. The highlight of Williamson's ''MNF'' career was probably at the introductory press conference where he quipped that he was hired to ''"bring some color to the booth."''
Karras made his debut on [[September 16]], [[1974 NFL season|1974]] and immediately made an impact when he jokingly referred to [[Oakland Raiders]]' defensive lineman [[Otis Sistrunk]] as having attended "The University of [[Mars]]." That would essentially be the high point of Karras' three-year tenure, with a developing movie career often distracting him from showing any improvement. (In reality, Sistrunk did not attend any college but played semi-pro ball before getting a tryout with the Raiders; after Karras' remark and for the rest of Sistrunk's time with the team the Raiders team guide listed his college alma mater as "The University of Mars".)
==== Cosell, Gifford, Meredith and Tarkenton ====
Meredith returned to the ABC booth in [[1977 NFL season|1977]], but seemed to lack the enthusiasm that had marked his first stint from [[1970 NFL season|1970]]-[[1973 NFL season|1973]]. While the NFL moved to a 16-week schedule in [[1978 NFL season|1978]], Meredith was contractually obligated to work only 14 games, leaving Cosell and Gifford to work games as a duo or with newly-retired [[Fran Tarkenton]] beginning in [[1979 NFL season|1979]].
One of the more somber contests in the run of the series came on [[November 27]], [[1978 NFL season|1978]] when the [[San Francisco 49ers]] hosted the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Earlier in the day, [[List of Mayors of San Francisco, California|San Francisco mayor]] [[George Moscone]] and City Supervisor [[Harvey Milk]] had been murdered at City Hall. Despite the complaints that followed, the [[National Football League|NFL]] chose to play the game, a decision that mirrored the league's playing the weekend of the [[John F. Kennedy assassination]] [[1963 NFL season|15 years earlier]].
[[Image:1979 Monday Night Football Intro.gif|thumb|right|The ''Monday Night Football'' opening sequence from [[1979 NFL season|1979]].]]
The opening contest of the [[1979 NFL season|1979 season]] saw a poignant moment as former [[New England Patriots]] wide receiver [[Darryl Stingley]] was introduced to a sellout crowd at the Patriots' [[Foxboro Stadium|Schaefer Stadium]]. Stingley had been paralyzed in a preseason game the year before and was making his first visit to the stadium since the accident.
=== 1980s ===
{{see also|Monday Night Football: Year-by-Year History (1970-89)}}
==== John Lennon tragedy ====
[[Image:1980 Monday Night Football Intro.gif|thumb|right|The ''Monday Night Football'' intro from [[1980 NFL season|1980]].]]
One of the most remembered moments in ''Monday Night Football'' history occurred on [[December 8]], [[1980 NFL season|1980]], yet had nothing to do with the game or football in general. During a game between the [[Miami Dolphins]] and [[New England Patriots]], Howard Cosell broke the tragic news of famed [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[John Lennon]]'s assassination,<ref>[http://www.995themountain.com/guides/aahtml/wav/00jl806.wav 995themountain.com]</ref> news that stunned a nationwide audience.
{{cquote|This, we have to say it, is just a [[National Football League|football]] game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable [[tragedy]] confirmed to us by [[ABC News]] in [[New York City]]: [[John Lennon]], outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous perhaps of all [[The Beatles]], shot twice in the back, rushed to [[Roosevelt Hospital]], dead ... on ... arrival.}} In [[1974 NFL season|1974]], Lennon had appeared in the ''Monday Night Football'' broadcast booth and was briefly interviewed by Cosell.
==== Rest of 1980s ====
The 1982 television contract renewal also put ABC in the Super Bowl rotation for the first time, with [[Super Bowl XIX]] in 1985. A second renewal of the television contract gave them [[Super Bowl XXII|XXII]] in 1988.
==== Cosell, Gifford, Meredith and Simpson ====
Cosell continued to draw criticism during ''Monday Night Football'' with one of his offhand comments during the [[September 5]], [[1983 NFL season|1983]] game igniting a controversy and laying the groundwork for his departure at the end of that season. In a game between the [[Washington Redskins]] and [[Dallas Cowboys]], Cosell referred to [[Alvin Garrett]], an [[African American]] wide receiver for the Redskins, as a "little monkey." Cosell noted that Garrett's small stature, and not his race, was the basis for his comment, citing the fact that he had used the term to describe his grandchildren. Later, a special on Howard Cosell showed him calling Mike Adamle (a white player) a "little monkey." Stung by the unrelenting barrage of remarks, Cosell claimed upon his departure from ''Monday Night Football'' that the [[National Football League|NFL]] had become "a stagnant bore." In Cosell's book, ''[[I Never Played the Game]]'', he devoted an entire chapter ("Monkey Business") to the Garrett episode. Also in ''I Never Played the Game'', Cosell said that ABC should've had the right to choose its own ''Monday Night'' schedule. In his mind, ''Monday Night Football'' is what elevated the NFL in popularity over [[Major League Baseball]]. He felt this should have been ABC's reward for raising the level of the NFL's popularity.
That same year, [[O.J. Simpson]] replaced Tarkenton as a fill-in when Meredith or Cosell, who also was a broadcaster for [[Major League Baseball on ABC|Major League Baseball]]'s playoffs, was unavailable. The season would serve as a study in contrasts as one of the most exciting Monday night games ever was followed the next week by one of the most badly-played in the run of the series. On [[October 17]], [[1983 NFL season|1983]], the highest scoring game in ''Monday Night Football'' history took place in the [[Green Bay Packers]]/[[Washington Redskins]] game, with the Packers winning the game by a 48-47 score. Seven days later, the [[New York Giants]] and [[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] played for more than four hours before settling for a 20-20 [[overtime (sports)|overtime]] tie, ''MNF'''s only OT tie to date. The deadlock had come after dropped touchdown passes by Cardinal wide receivers [[Willard Harrell]] and [[Roy Green]] and a trio of missed field goals by teammate [[Neil O'Donoghue]], including two in the final 63 seconds of the overtime period.
==== Gifford, Meredith and Simpson ====
When Cosell left prior to the start of the [[1984 NFL season|1984]], the trio of Gifford, Meredith and Simpson handled the duties. Cosell's departure seemed to have the greatest effect on Meredith, who many believed to be a poor analyst in his absence. Falling ratings also gave indications that much of the mystique that surrounded the weekly event had disappeared.
==== Gifford, Simpson and Namath ====
[[Image:1985 Monday Night Football Intro.gif|thumb|right|The ''Monday Night Football'' intro from [[1985 NFL season|1985]].]]
After the [[1984 NFL season|1984]] season, ABC replaced Meredith with [[Joe Namath]] the following year, with the quarterback making his debut in the annual [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]]. In a coincidental twist, both Namath and Simpson were busy prior to the telecast with their induction into the shrine.
One of the more grisly moments in ''Monday Night Football'' history occurred during a game between the [[Washington Redskins]] and [[New York Giants]] on [[November 18]], [[1985 NFL season|1985]], at [[Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium|RFK Stadium]]. Redskins quarterback [[Joe Theismann]]'s career would end when Giants linebacker [[Lawrence Taylor]] reached from behind to drag him down and Taylor fell heavily on the quarterback’s leg in the process. On the play, which viewers could see in a gruesome slow-motion replay, Theismann suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his lower right leg.<ref>[http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20031110-122902-9456r.htm washingtontimes.com]</ref>
Two weeks after that painful memory, the series' most watched contest took place as the previously unbeaten [[Chicago Bears]] were defeated by the [[Miami Dolphins]], who had not lost to an [[National Football Conference|NFC]] team at home since [[1976 NFL season|1976]]. That would turn out to be Chicago's only loss in [[1985 NFL season|1985]]. The show gained a [[Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 29.6 with a 46 share.
==== Gifford, Michaels and Swann ====
Both Namath and Simpson would be replaced at the end of the [[1985 NFL season]], with critics noting their lack of journalistic skills in comparison to Cosell. In their place the following year came veteran broadcaster [[Al Michaels]], who had previously anchored ABC's pregame coverage of [[Super Bowl XIX]] and had been since [[1983 in baseball|1983]] the lead play-by-play announcer of ''[[Monday Night Baseball]].
Michaels served as the play-by-play announcer, teaming with Gifford for a two-man booth in [[1986 NFL season|1986]]. During that season, the [[Miami Dolphins]] again made Monday night history with the biggest blowout in ''Monday Night Football'' history in a 45-3 rout of the then 10-1 [[New York Jets]]. (The record was later tied and subsequently broken in [[2005 NFL season|2005]]; see below.) Also in 1986, when Al Michaels became unavailable because he was calling Major League Baseball's [[1986 American League Championship Series|League Championship Series]], Frank Gifford moved up into the play-by-play spot while [[Lynn Swann]] filled-in as the color commentator. Gifford would once again call the play-by-play when Michaels was busy calling the [[World Series]] in [[1987 NFL season|1987]] and [[1989 NFL season|1989]].
{{see also|Major League Baseball on ABC|1987 World Series|1989 World Series}}
==== Gifford, Michaels and Dierdorf ====
[[Image:1988 Monday Night Football Pinball Intro.gif|thumb|right|The pinball inspired opening sequence from the [[1988 NFL season|1988]] season.]]
In [[1987 NFL season|1987]], Gifford and Michaels were joined by [[Dan Dierdorf]], returning the series to its original concept of three announcers in the booth. The trio would last for 11 seasons through the conclusion of the [[1997 NFL season|1997]] season. In [[1989 NFL season|1989]], television composer [[Edd Kalehoff]] created a new arrangement of [[Johnny Pearson|Johnny Pearson's]] [[Heavy Action|"Heavy Action"]], by that time fully synonymous with the series. This more or less replaced an original composition by [[Charles Fox (composer)|Charles Fox]]. Also debuting in 1989 was [[Hank Williams, Jr.]] in "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night", sung to the music of his 1984 hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin' Over Tonight".
=== 1990s ===
{{see also|Monday Night Football: Year-by-Year History (1990-Present)}}
Along with the renewed television contract, ABC was awarded the telecast to [[Super Bowl XXV]] and [[Super Bowl XXIX]], and the first round of NFL playoffs. The ''Monday Night Football'' team of announcers anchored the telecasts, except for the first of two wild card playoff games, where ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN's Sunday Night]]'' NFL crew of [[Mike Patrick]] and [[Joe Theismann]] anchored that telecast. However, the original crew for one of the two wild card playoff games in [[1990 NFL season|1990]] and [[1991 NFL season|1991]] consisted of [[Brent Musburger]] and [[Dick Vermeil]] (both of whom did college football broadcasts for ABC during those two seasons).
From [[1990 NFL season|1990]] until [[2005 NFL season|2005]], ABC's ''MNF'' television package has included seventeen (eighteen in 1992 and 1993) regular season games (from [[2003 NFL season|2003]] until [[2005 NFL season|2005]], a Thursday game and 16 Mondays -- no game on Week 17 because of playoff preparation disadvantages), the first two wild card [[NFL playoffs|playoff]] games (held on the first Saturday of the playoffs), and at times, the [[American Football Conference|AFC]]-[[National Football Conference|NFC]] [[Pro Bowl]].
The [[October 17]], [[1994 NFL season|1994]] episode between the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] and [[Denver Broncos]] featured a duel between two future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] quarterbacks, [[Joe Montana]] and [[John Elway]]. With 1:29 left to play in the game, Elway scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to put the Broncos ahead 28-24. But then Montana led the Chiefs on a 75-yard drive to score the game-winning touchdown with just 8 seconds to play. The final score was Chiefs 31, Broncos 28.
In the [[1995 NFL season|1995]] ''MNF'' regular season opener between the [[Dallas Cowboys]] and [[New York Giants]] at the [[New Jersey Meadowlands]], Cowboys owner [[Jerry Jones]] controversially brought [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] chairman [[Phil Knight]] down to the sidelines, representing Jerry's individual deal with Nike, contrary to the NFL's policy of negotiating its marketing deals as a league.
In [[1997 NFL season|1997]], ABC began using a [[Digital on-screen graphic|scoring bug]] showing the game clock and score throughout the entire broadcast.
==== Michaels, Dierdorf and Esiason ====
In [[1998 NFL season|1998]], [[Lesley Visser]] became the first female commentator on ''Monday Night Football''. She had been the first female beat writer in the [[National Football League|NFL]] when she covered the [[New England Patriots]] for the [[Boston Globe]] in the mid-1970s, and was the first and only woman to handle a [[Super Bowl XXVI|Super Bowl]] [[Vince Lombardi Trophy|Trophy]] presentation when she was a sportscaster with [[NFL on CBS|CBS]]. Visser was followed by several women, notably [[Melissa Stark]] and [[Lisa Guerrero]], on the sideline who were perceived as "eye candy", none of whom affected the ratings.
For the [[1998 NFL season|1998]] season, ABC pushed ''Monday Night Football'' back an hour (it has usually aired at 9:00 p.m. [[North American Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]). A special pregame show that was hosted by [[Chris Berman]] from the [[ESPN Zone]] restaurant in [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] was created. The game would start around 8:20 p.m. for this particular season. Despite leaving the booth, Frank Gifford stayed on one more year as a special contributor to the pregame show.
A mildly infamous incident came during the final 1998 telecast when Dierdorf asked Michaels, prior to a halftime interview with [[Buffalo Bills]] quarterback [[Doug Flutie]], ''"Are you gonna tell 'em how you're sick of all this [[Boston College|B.C.]] stuff?"'' Michaels (thinking that they had gone into a commercial break and that his microphone was off) replied, ''"No [[shit]]."''
[[Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen]] numbers for the first 17 weeks of the 1998 TV season showed that ''Monday Night Football'' averaged a 13.9 rating, down 8 percent from 1997's 15.0--the previous standard in ratings futility. In actuality, ''MNF'' ratings had been hitting all-time record lows for the previous four years.
==== Michaels and Esiason ====
Beginning in [[1999 NFL season|1999]], ''Monday Night Football'' telecasts used a computer-generated yellow line to mark where a team needs to get a first down. [[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN]] had begun using it first. 1999 also saw the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]] being moved from Saturday afternoon to Monday night. It would remain on Monday night through [[2005 NFL season|2005]].
[[Boomer Esiason]] replaced Gifford in [[1998 NFL season|1998]], and Dierdorf left for a return to [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] in [[1999 NFL season|1999]]. Esiason's relationship with Michaels was questioned leading to his firing. Esiason and Michaels reportedly never got along, and it led to ABC firing Esiason shortly after calling [[Super Bowl XXXIV]] together.
<!-- These quotes need a specific source cited:
Esiason complained to the New York Times that Michaels ''"could have been better for me, and I tried with him, but it never clicked with me because he never wanted it to click.”'' To that, Michaels gave a terse response to Esiason's claims in a released statement:''"I will not join in this juvenile vitriol."'' -->
=== 2000s ===
{{see also|Monday Night Football: Year-by-Year History (1990-Present)}}
==== Michaels, Fouts and Miller ====
Comedian [[Dennis Miller]] joined the cast in [[2000 NFL season|2000]] along with [[Dan Fouts]]. The move was ultimately regarded as a bust by many viewers and commentators. ABC briefly considered adding [[comedian]] [[Rush Limbaugh]] before Miller was added to the broadcast team, despite having no prior sports broadcast experience. Miller demonstrated a knowledge of the game and its personalities, although at times he tended to lapse into sometimes obscure analogy-riddled [[Stream of consciousness writing|streams of consciousness]] similar to his "rants." ABC eventually set up a Web page dedicated to explaining Miller's sometimes obscure pop culture references.
Also in [[2000 NFL season|2000]], [[Don Ohlmeyer]], the program's producer up until [[1977 NFL season|1977]] was brought back.<ref>[http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2000/0622/598628.html ESPN.com - NFL - Dennis Miller a surprise addition to MNF<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> After spending time at [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]], Ohlmeyer was lured out of retirement to spark interest and provide some vigor to the broadcast. Besides the on-air talent, Ohlmeyer's changes included clips of players introducing themselves, new graphics, and music. In another rather irreverent move, the [[Digital on-screen graphic|scoring bug]] was seen to have nicknames for the teams, such as "Skins" and "Fins" (for [[Washington Redskins|Redskins]] and [[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]], respectively) instead of their common abbreviations, WSH and MIA, respectively.
On [[October 23]], [[2000 NFL season|2000]], the [[New York Jets]] and [[Miami Dolphins]] competed in what is now known as ''[[The Monday Night Miracle (American football)|The Monday Night Miracle]]''. Trailing 30-7 in the fourth quarter, [[Vinny Testaverde]] led the Jets to score 23 consecutive points to tie the game. After Miami scored another touchdown, Testaverde threw to offensive tackle [[Jumbo Elliott (American football)|Jumbo Elliott]] to tie the game at 37-all. At 1:08 a.m., Tuesday morning, [[John Hall (American football)|John Hall]] kicked a field goal in overtime to win the game 40-37. It was the second biggest fourth quarter comeback in NFL history and biggest comeback in Jets' history. [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] predicted the comeback at halftime, where he was appearing with the ''MNF'' crew for an upcoming movie. With the Jets already down by 20 points he said, {{cquote|[[Wayne Chrebet]] will catch a pass and the Jets will win. They're a great team.}}{{Fact|date=November 2007}}
The [[2001 NFL season|2001]] season of ''MNF'' featured a season-long campaign promoting the anticipated 20,000th point scored in ''MNF'' history. [[Denver Broncos|Broncos]] kicker [[Jason Elam]] completed the task with a field goal during a 38-28 loss at [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] on [[November 5]]. The three points also put Elam over 1,000 points for his career.
==== Michaels and Madden ====
In [[2002 NFL season|2002]], both Dennis Miller and Dan Fouts were dropped and [[John Madden (football)|John Madden]] joined Al Michaels in a two man booth. Madden was a coach for the [[Oakland Raiders]], namesake of the seminal ''[[Madden NFL]]'' video game series, and successful broadcaster with the [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] and [[NFL on FOX|FOX]] networks for 21 years before joining ''Monday Night Football''.
In [[2002 NFL season|2002]], the broadcast debuted the ''Horse Trailer'' award, in which a picture of the game's top performer(s) is displayed, as chosen by the broadcasting crew. During the fourth quarter of a preseason game early that season, Madden was joking about doing some recording in the "Horse Trailer", a term the producers used for one of the ABC production trucks. It was, in fact, a custom built trailer designed from the shell of an [[Horse Trailer|equine transporter]], but inside housed sophisticated electronic equipment. By the first week of the regular season, an idea to decorate the plain white trailer with ''MNF'' decor, the entire ''MNF'' schedule, and a weekly [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]], was born. Immediately following each game, the winner(s) is chosen, and his picture is affixed to the trailer in the corresponding location. When Madden and Michaels went to [[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC]] in [[2006 NFL season|2006]], they debuted a similar feature, the ''Rock Star'' – the photo of the player of the game being attached to the top of [[NBC Studios#The New York Studios|30 Rockefeller Plaza]] in New York. (For the [[2007 NFL season|2007]] season, the "Horse Trailer" concept has been reinstated.)
Also, in [[2002 NFL season|2002]], the commentators for the AFC wild card game were [[Brent Musburger]] and [[Gary Danielson]]. [[Jack Arute]] was the sideline reporter.
After suffering through several years of dismal [[NFL Pro Bowl|Pro Bowl]] ratings, ABC considered moving the game to Monday night. In February 2003, Madden declined to serve as color commentator for the game in [[Hawaii]], citing his [[fear of flying]]; former ''MNF'' personality [[Dan Fouts]] took his place. The following year, the Pro Bowl remained on Sunday, but was moved to ABC's sister network, [[ESPN]].
In [[2003 NFL season|2003]], ABC and the [[National Football League|NFL]] dropped the ''Monday Night Football'' game for the final week of the regular season. The move, which had been in effect for the first eight years of the broadcast ([[1970 NFL season|1970]]-[[1977 NFL season|1977]]), was the result of declining ratings, as well as problems involved for potential playoff teams, as there was a potential of only four days rest between their final regular season game and first round playoff game. ABC replaced the telecast with an opening weekend Thursday night game, and in exchange ESPN got a Saturday night game on the final weekend.
Also during the [[2003 NFL season|2003]] season, [[Lisa Guerrero]] decided to leave [[Fox Sports Net]]'s ''[[The Best Damn Sports Show Period]]'' to join the ''MNF'' television crew as a sideline reporter (replacing the [[pregnancy|pregnant]] [[Melissa Stark]]). Guerrero's performance on the broadcast was heavily criticized, and the following year (also in an apparent move away from the "eye candy" concept) ABC replaced her with longtime TV sports journalist [[Michele Tafoya]]. Lisa Guerrero defended herself by saying that the show hired her with the intention of going in a totally different direction with the job of sideline reporter — personality-driven and feature-driven — then discarded all of that and told her to just do the job in the usual fashion. She said that she never would have taken the job if she had known that they would change their minds like that. In [[2005 NFL season|2005]], Michele Tafoya sat out much of the season while on [[Parental leave|maternity leave]]. In Tafoya's place came [[Sam Ryan]].
On the [[October 6]], [[2003 NFL season|2003]], episode between the [[Indianapolis Colts|Colts]] and [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Buccaneers]], Indianapolis was trailing 35-14 with 3:43 remaining. The Colts had returned a Tampa Bay kickoff 90 yard to the 11 yard line, setting up a quick score. The Colts recovered an [[onside kick]] and scored again to narrow the margin to 35-28. They forced a Tampa Bay punt and with under two minutes remaining, Manning led an 87-yard drive to score the game-tying touchdown with 35 seconds left in regulation. In overtime, kicker [[Mike Vanderjagt]] missed a 40-yard [[Field goal (football)|field goal]], but [[Simeon Rice]] was called for a [[leaping]] penalty, a rarely-seen unsportsmanlike conduct infraction that penalizes a player for running and jumping to block a kick and landing on other players. Vanderjagt's subsequent kick was batted and hit the upright, but fell in good, winning the game for the Colts. Vanderjagt went on to become the first kicker in NFL history not to miss a kick attempt in a complete season, including the playoffs.
On [[December 22]], [[2003 NFL season|2003]], [[Green Bay Packers]] quarterback [[Brett Favre]] put on one of the most defining moments of his career (while also ranking among his greatest game ever). The day before the contest against the [[Oakland Raiders]], his father, [[Irvin Favre|Irvin]], died suddenly of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. Favre elected to play, passing for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards for the game in a 41-7 destruction of the Raiders (receiving applause from the highly partisan "[[Raider Nation]]"). Afterwards, Brett said, {{cquote|I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight.}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:owens-sheridan-skit.jpg|thumb|Still from the controversial ''Desperate Housewives'' pregame skit, [[Terrell Owens]] with popular TV actress [[Nicollette Sheridan]]]] -->
On [[November 15]], [[2004 NFL season|2004]], controversy shrouded [[Philadelphia Eagles]] wide receiver [[Terrell Owens]] when he appeared with popular TV actress [[Nicollette Sheridan]] (of the new hit [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] series ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'') in an introductory skit which opened that evening's ''MNF'' telecast, in which Owens and the Eagles played the [[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]] at [[Texas Stadium]]. The skit was widely condemned as being sexually suggestive (see video<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGFIePxLbQk YouTube - Monday Night Football<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>) and ABC was forced to apologize for airing it (the Eagles went on to win the game, 49-21, with Owens catching three touchdown passes). However, on [[March 14]], 2005, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] ruled that the skit did not violate decency standards, because it contained no outright nudity or foul language.
==== "The Monday Night Massacre" ====
On [[December 5]], [[2005 NFL season|2005]], dubbed "The Monday Night Massacre" by [[NFL Films]], the [[Seattle Seahawks]] shut out the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] 42-0 with three defensive touchdowns (two interceptions, one fumble return) to tie the then-largest margin of victory mark in ''Monday Night Football'' history and set the mark for the greatest margin of victory in a Monday night shutout, as well as setting the NFL record for scoring the most points with under 200 yards of offense. [[Andre Dyson]] scored twice for the Seahawks defense, once on a 72 yard interception return and the other on a 25 yard fumble return, earning himself the "Horse Trailer Player of the Game" as well as NFC defensive player of the week. A fourth interception return by [[Michael Boulware]] fell just short of tying another Seahawks NFL record of four defensive scores in a single game, set during a 45-0 victory over the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] in [[1984 NFL season|1984]]. The defeat was the Eagles third worst in team history. The Eagles also lost their star RB Brian Westbrook due to an injury in this game.
==== The end of the ABC era ====
Despite high ratings, ABC lost millions of dollars on televising the games during the late 1990s and 2000s. Also, the NFL indicated that it wanted Sunday night to be the new night for its marquee game, because more people tend to watch TV on Sundays, and Sundays would be more conducive to [[flexible scheduling]], a method by which some of the NFL's best games could be moved from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night on short notice. Given these factors, as well as the rise of ABC's ratings on Sunday night, and their wish of protecting their ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'' franchise (which they knew would be costly), on [[April 18]], 2005, ABC and the NFL announced the upcoming end of their 36-year partnership, with ''Monday Night Football'' being aired on [[ESPN]] starting with the [[2006 NFL season|2006 season]], a move some Disney shareholders have criticized. However, ESPN's ability to collect subscription fees from cable and satellite providers, in addition to selling commercials, made it more likely that ESPN could turn a profit on NFL telecasts, as opposed to ABC's heavy losses.
The final ABC ''Monday Night'' broadcast was on [[December 26]], when the [[New York Jets]] hosted the [[New England Patriots]], from [[Giants Stadium]]. Both the first and last ABC ''Monday Night Football'' telecast games ended with a score of 31-21 with the Jets on the losing end. [[Vinny Testaverde]] holds the distinction of throwing the last TD pass in ABC's ''MNF'' telecast history; it was to wide receiver [[Laveranues Coles]]. Also, Testaverde's pass set an NFL record: most consecutive seasons with a touchdown pass, 19 seasons (1987-2005). Patriots [[linebacker]] [[Mike Vrabel]] in the last ABC ''MNF'' broadcast on 26 December [[2005 NFL season|2005]] set a record of note, becoming the first player to catch 2 [[touchdown]] passes and record a [[quarterback sack]] in the same game. The final play of the ABC era was a Pats kneeldown by 44-year old reserve [[quarterback]] [[Doug Flutie]]. John Madden said at the show's ending {{cquote|They can take football away from ABC on Monday nights, but they can't take away the memories.}}
During its final NFL television contract, ABC was awarded the telecasts to [[Super Bowl XXXIV]], [[Super Bowl XXXVII]], and [[Super Bowl XL]]. With the end of ABC's contract, the Super Bowl XL broadcast was the network's final NFL telecast, at least for the foreseeable future.
==== Move to ESPN ====
Starting in [[2006 NFL season|2006]], ESPN began airing the Monday night games and [[NBC]] got [[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN's Sunday night package]]. The Sunday night game is now the "showcase" game of the week on the NFL schedule.
{{see also|NBC Sunday Night Football}}
While the ESPN broadcasts will have the ''MNF'' name and heritage, NBC (like ABC) is a [[broadcast television|broadcast]] network, whereas ESPN is a [[Cable television|cable]] service not freely available to all Americans (though it is on the ''basic'' level of most cable and satellite providers), though many ESPN games air on free broadcast TV in the home markets of each team. For that reason, NBC gained rights to the Thursday night season opening game, the [[Wild card (sports)#National Football League|wild card]] doubleheader that has traditionally aired on ABC, as well as a share of the rotating rights to the [[Super Bowl]] (with CBS and FOX also in the mix).
==== Tirico, Theismann and Kornheiser ====
ESPN had initially stated that its ''MNF'' team would consist of Al Michaels and [[Joe Theismann]] in the booth with [[Michele Tafoya]] and [[Suzy Kolber]] serving as sideline reporters. However, on [[February 8]], 2006, ESPN announced that former NBA studio host [[Mike Tirico]] would replace Michaels in the booth in 2006, joined by Theismann, and [[Tony Kornheiser]]. ESPN announced the following day that it had "traded" the contract of Michaels to NBC to join Madden on their ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' broadcast in exchange for some [[NBC Universal]] properties, including rights to [[Ryder Cup]] coverage, and the return of the rights to [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]] (a Walt Disney creation) to ESPN parent [[The Walt Disney Company]] after nearly 80 years of Universal ownership.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2324417 ESPN - Stay 'tooned: Disney gets 'Oswald' for Al Michaels - NFL<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ESPN's first Monday night broadcast was during the preseason on Monday, [[August 14]], 2006, when the [[Oakland Raiders]] visited the [[Minnesota Vikings]], publicized as the return of [[Randy Moss]] to Minnesota for the first time since the Vikings traded him after the [[2004 NFL season|2004 season]]. The telecast debuted with brand-new graphics, including a time-score box placed in the lower center of the screen. These graphics are now being phased in on other ESPN/ABC professional sports telecasts; a variation of it used for [[The NBA on ESPN|NBA]] telecasts was unveiled on [[October 25]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]]. The first regular season Monday Night Football game to air on ESPN was on [[September 11]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]]. The game featured the visiting Minnesota Vikings at the [[Washington Redskins]] at [[FedEx Field]]. The Vikings won 19-16.
The [[September 25]] edition of ''Monday Night Football'' highlighted the [[New Orleans Saints]]' first game back in the [[Louisiana Superdome]] following [[Hurricane Katrina]] to take on the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. The game had a [[Super Bowl]]-like atmosphere with performances by the [[Goo Goo Dolls]], [[U2]], and [[Green Day]] before the game. The [[National Football League|NFL]] tapped producer [[Don Mischer]] and director [[Hamish Hamilton]] to produce the event. Former [[President of the United States|President]] [[George H. W. Bush]] handled the pregame coin toss. The Saints beat the Falcons 23-3 in what now ranks as one of the most-watched events in the history of cable television.
ESPN's [[October 23]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]] telecast of the [[New York Giants]]-[[Dallas Cowboys]] drew the largest audience in the history of cable television at the time, besting the previous mark set by a 1993 [[NAFTA]] debate between [[Al Gore]] and [[H. Ross Perot]]. An average of 16,028,000 viewers (12.8 rating) watched as the Giants defeated the Cowboys, 36-22. ''ESPN's Monday Night Football'' now accounts for eight of the ten biggest cable audiences in history.
What would eventually be named the "NFL's comeback of the year" was played on ''Monday Night Football'' on [[October 16]]. Late in the third quarter, the massive underdog [[Arizona Cardinals]] lead the [[Chicago Bears]] 23-3, and seems to have the game wrapped up, seeing as rookie [[Matt Leinart]] was having a great day, and Arizona had forced 6 turnovers out of Chicago's [[Rex Grossman]]. Chicago's defense then went on to score 14 points from fumble ruturns for touchdowns, and with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter, and down 17-23, Chicago's [[Devin Hester]] returned a punt to take a 24-23 lead. Matt Leinart then led the Cardinals down the field, only to have Neil Rackers miss a field goal, and Chicago went on to win.
At the conclusion of the 2006 season, ESPN has managed to secure all of the cable television audience records.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} ''Monday Night Football'' and its surrounding shoulder programming are the most profitable franchise on cable television.
==== Tirico, Jaworski and Kornheiser ====
Analyst and former NFL quarterback [[Ron Jaworski]] replaced [[Joe Theismann]] in the booth beginning with the 2007 season. Theismann was offered a prominent football analyst job with ESPN.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2812834&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines ESPN - Jaworski replacing Theismann in MNF booth - NFL<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
On [[December 3]], [[2007 NFL season|2007]] 17.5 million people watched the undefeated [[New England Patriots]] defeat the [[Baltimore Ravens]], 27-24, breaking the previous record of 17.2 million for corporate sibling [[Disney Channel]]'s showing of ''[[High School Musical 2]]''.<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977078.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 ESPN football earns record ratings - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==== Secondary broadcast teams ====
In 2006 and 2007, ESPN broadcast two games on the opening week of the season, and the second game used separate announcers and production staff that was not used for the rest of the schedule. On [[September 11]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]], the announcers were [[Brad Nessler]], Ron Jaworski, and [[Dick Vermeil]]. On [[September 10]], [[2007 NFL season|2007]], the regular ''[[Arena Football League on ESPN|AFL on ESPN]]'' team of [[Mike Greenberg]] and [[Mike Golic]] was used along with [[Mike Ditka]]. For both games, the sideline reporter was [[Bonnie Bernstein]].
==== Revamp after dissapointing 2007 season ====
After experiencing low ratings<ref>[http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6492388.html ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ Ratings Hit Record Low - 10/17/2007 2:11:00 PM - Multichannel News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and criticism<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081401503.html Kornheiser, Not Yet in Game Shape On 'MNF'<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> about the production during the 2007 season, ESPN announced that long-time sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya would not return in their previous roles for the 2008 season<ref>[http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/02/10/espn-says-suzy-kolber-michelle-tafoyas-roles-are-being-determ ESPN Says Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya's 'Roles Are Being Determined' for MNF in 2008 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Also, other changes to ''MNF'' are being considered.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
== The show as entertainment ==
''Monday Night Football'' has continued to provide as much entertainment as sports throughout its run. In addition to the extra cameras, the show has also pioneered technological broadcast innovations, such as the use of enhanced [[slow motion]] replays and computerized graphics.
Celebrity guests, such as former [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Spiro Agnew]], singers [[Plácido Domingo]] and [[John Lennon]], [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]], and even [[Kermit the Frog]], were often featured during the game to "liven up" the broadcast. The [[November 26]], [[1973 NFL season|1973]] contest featured a rare instance of two celebrities entering the booth, with Lennon being interviewed by Cosell and [[Governor of California|California governor]] [[Ronald Reagan]] speaking with Gifford, with Reagan explaining the rules of American football (off-camera) to Lennon as the game went along. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw an even more increased reliance on the entertainment factor. Some halftime shows, featuring popular music stars, were broadcast in full rather than being ignored in favor of analysis of the game by the commentators, as in previous seasons.
Williams, Jr. (who sings the memorable [[catchphrase]] ''"Are you ready for some football?"'') composed a [[music video]]–style opening theme for the show (a later theme was provided by [[Kid Rock]]). Before Hank Williams, Jr.; [[Edd Kalehoff]] revamped the "[[Heavy Action]]" theme song in [[1989 NFL season|1989]]. It was Williams, Jr. who literally had the last word on ABC's last broadcast, with his rendition of [[Don Meredith|Don Meredith's]] famous song, ''"Turn Out the Lights, The Party's Over,"'' shown as the broadcast ended. On [[October 23]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]], [[Hank Williams Jr.]] shouted the catchphrase, live, on top of the "Cowboy star" at the 50-yard line of [[Texas Stadium]] before kickoff of the [[Dallas Cowboys]] game that evening.
The program's affiliation with ABC/ESPN also resulted in numerous promotional crossovers between ''MNF'' and other ABC/ESPN programs.
===2006 summary===
For its 2006 debut on ESPN, Williams, Jr. re-recorded the ''MNF'' opening theme with an all-star jam band that included [[Brian Setzer]], [[Little Richard]], [[?uestlove]], [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]], [[Clarence Clemons]], [[Rick Nielsen]], [[Bootsy Collins]], [[Charlie Daniels]], [[Steven Van Zandt]] and others. The 2006 telecast generally began with a cinematic tease produced by Rico Labbe, Michael Sciallis and Jason Jobes. It was during one of these teases that [[Barack Obama]] spoofed his announcement for the 2008 Presidential candidacy.
The tease is followed by the show open produced by Los Angeles-based [[The Syndicate]] called '''''Transformation'''''. It features [[computer-generated imagery]] showing a city being transformed into a football stadium and passers-by on the street turning into players, coaches, fans, and officials set to an updated orchestral treatment of the "Heavy Action" theme song. The sequence begins every week with a different celebrity walking down the street, picking up a glowing football helmet with the ESPN logo on the side and saying, ''"I'm ready for some football? Are you?"'', thus beginning the transformation process. Celebrities for 2006 included [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Matthew Fox (actor)|Matthew Fox]], [[Hugh Hefner]], [[Paris Hilton]], [[Spike Lee]], [[Ashton Kutcher]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Ludacris]], [[Jack Black]], [[Kiefer Sutherland]], [[Jim Belushi]], [[Ben Stiller]], [[Tyra Banks]], [[Carmen Electra]] and [[Eva Longoria]].
Also, the stars returned in full force to the booth, though this proved to be the major criticism of the [[ESPN]]'s first ''MNF'' season. On the opening weekend, [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], another celebrity turned California governor, was in the booth at [[McAfee Coliseum]] in [[Oakland, California]]; before that, [[Jamie Foxx]] appeared at [[FedExField]] in suburban [[Washington, D.C.]] Following them have included [[National Basketball Association|NBA basketball]] superstar [[Dwyane Wade]],<ref>[http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/15533476.htm]</ref> [[Basketball Hall of Fame]] player [[Charles Barkley]], [[NASCAR]] [[NEXTEL Cup Series]] driver [[Jeff Gordon]], comedian [[Jimmy Kimmel]] (whose opening words to [[Joe Theismann]] were ''"how's the leg?"''), actor [[Sylvester Stallone]], director [[Spike Lee]], [[hip hop]] artist [[Jay-Z]], and ''MNF'' theme singer [[Hank Williams, Jr.]]
===Digital on-screen graphics===
ESPN's score banner used since acquiring ''Monday Night Football'' from sister-channel ABC is placed in the middle of the screen on the bottom. It looks all black, and with the road team on the left side, and the home team on the right side. Also, the team colors are on the sides of the scoreboard. When a touchdown happens, a side of the team who scores the touchdown opens with a team logo, and next to it is "TOUCHDOWN" and the score changes number-by-number. ESPN Monday Night Football is the only time this score banner is used. In other sports, a red parallelogram shaped score banner was used. The other on screen graphics are intact.
===2007 summary===
<!--If anyone has a chart showing the local stations that simulcast the game, similar to the one at Run to the Playoffs, I would appreciate it being put on the site.-->
ESPN cut back to only one opening tease for the 2007 season. Williams Jr. and the all-star band returned, only this time they played in a [[nightclub|"juke joint"]] set on a [[rural route|country road]]. The lead singer arrives in a [[GMC Yukon]] truck (GMC paid for [[product placement]]) with the license plate "BOCEPHUS", which is Williams' [[nickname]]. The Syndicate's computer-generated tease was removed and replaced by short pre-taped films focusing on a team or player in the game. Some of them have featured actor [[Jamie Foxx]].
The guest visits continued: Barkley returned to the booth on [[September 17]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]. Other guests throughout the season have included Kimmel (another returnee), [[Drew Carey]], [[Miley Cyrus]], [[Russell Crowe]], and [[Terry Bradshaw]]. In addition, Gordon was a halftime guest on the game just before the season-ending [[Ford 400]] and was joined by teammate [[Jimmie Johnson]].
When the game ends, Williams returns to say, "See you in (city that is the site of the next week's game)." Both the open and close contain helmets of the participating teams, organized in the style of a [[concert]] [[poster art|poster]].
== ''Monday Night Football'' scoring records ==
* '''Most points'''
** 55 - [[Indianapolis Colts]], [[October 31]], [[1988 NFL season|1988]]
** 52 - [[San Francisco 49ers]], [[December 23]], [[1991 NFL season|1991]]
** 50 - [[San Diego Chargers]], [[December 20]], [[1982 NFL season|1982]]
** 49 - [[Philadelphia Eagles]] , [[November 15]], [[2004 NFL season|2004]]
** 49 - [[Kansas City Chiefs]], [[December 13]], [[2004 NFL season|2004]]
** 48 - [[Detroit Lions]], [[October 19]], [[1981 NFL season|1981]]
** 48 - [[Green Bay Packers]], [[October 17]], [[1983 NFL season|1983]]
** 48 - [[Baltimore Ravens]], [[December 19]], [[2005 NFL season|2005]]
* '''Most one-sided games'''
**45 points - [[Baltimore Ravens|Baltimore]] 48, Green Bay 3 - [[December 19]], [[2005 NFL season|2005]]
**42 points - Miami 45, [[New York Jets|N.Y. Jets]] 3 - [[November 24]], [[1986 NFL season|1986]]
**42 points - [[Seattle Seahawks|Seattle]] 42, [[Philadelphia Eagles|Philadelphia]] 0 - [[December 5]], [[2005 NFL season|2005]]
**38 points - San Francisco 52, [[Chicago Bears|Chicago]] 14 - [[December 23]], [[1991 NFL season|1991]]
**38 points - San Francisco 41, [[Atlanta Falcons|Atlanta]] 3 - [[November 9]], [[1992 NFL season|1992]]
* '''Highest scoring games'''
** 95 points - Green Bay 48, [[Washington Redskins|Washington]] 47 - [[October 17]], [[1983 NFL season|1983]]
** 87 points - Kansas City 49, [[Tennessee Titans|Tennessee]] 38 - [[December 13]], [[2004 NFL season|2004]]
** 84 points - San Diego 50, [[Cincinnati Bengals|Cincinnati]] 34 - [[December 20]], [[1982 NFL season|1982]]
** 82 points - [[Dallas Cowboys|Dallas]] 43, Seattle 39 - [[December 6]], [[2004 NFL season|2004]]
** 79 points - [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] 45, [[Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh]] 34 - [[October 20]], [[1980 NFL season|1980]]
* '''Lowest scoring games'''
** 3 points - Pittsburgh 3, Miami 0 - [[November 26]], [[2007]]
** 9 points - [[Jacksonville Jaguars|Jacksonville]] 9, Pittsburgh 0 - [[September 18]], [[2006]]
** 10 points - San Francisco 7, [[New York Giants|N.Y. Giants]] 3 - [[December 3]], [[1990]]
** 12 points - Oakland 9, [[Denver Broncos|Denver]] 3 - [[December 1]], 1980
** 14 points - Washington 9, Dallas 5 - [[October 2]], [[1978]]
== Miscellaneous information ==
{{Trivia|date=November 2007}}
* ''Monday Night Football'' was rarely defeated in the ratings during the 1970s. One such occasion was on [[October 28]], [[1974 NFL season|1974]], when the Steelers-Falcons game was outdone by a heavily-promoted episode of the [[CBS]] comedy ''[[Rhoda]]'', in which [[Rhoda Morgenstern (fictional character)|Rhoda Morgenstern]] married Joe Gerard.
* The [[Seattle Seahawks]] have the most Monday night shutouts with five. Also, they have shut out their opponents in three straight Monday Night appearances ([[Philadelphia Eagles]] in [[2005 NFL season|2005]]: 42 - 0, the [[Oakland Raiders]] in [[2006 NFL season|2006]]: 16 - 0, and the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in [[2007 NFL season|2007]]: 24 - 0).
* Prior to [[1978 NFL season|1978]], there would be one "bye week" per season (Week 14, the last week of the regular season) in which no Monday night game would be scheduled or televised. From [[1974 NFL season|1974]]-[[1977 NFL season|77]], a Saturday night game was scheduled for Week 14 and televised live by ABC.
* For a time in the 1980s, ABC also aired occasional games on Thursday nights. These were billed by the network as '''''Thursday Night Editions of Monday Night Football'''''.
* From [[1970 NFL season|1970]] to [[1995 NFL season|1995]], ABC affiliates in [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] and [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] aired ''MNF'' games on a one-hour [[tape delay (broadcasting)|tape delay]] in order to accommodate local newscasts (unless the [[Seattle Seahawks]] were playing, in which case the game would be shown [[Live television|live]]). The practice, long opposed by viewers and ABC, was ended in [[1996 NFL season|1996]]. The Seattle ABC affiliate then tried to accommodate having to show their news later than the other TV stations in the city by marketing it as "[[KOMO-TV|KOMO]] 4 News Primetime", touting it as a way to watch the news at a more convenient time than evening rush hour.
* Additionally, this practice was done in [[Hawaii]], where ABC affiliate [[KITV]]/[[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]] delayed the game until 6 p.m. locally, meaning either 11 p.m. or midnight eastern depending on which side of the [[daylight saving time]] date the game was played. Thus, the game, which was broadcast live on local radio, was almost over before it aired on television.
* In the case of [[Guam]], [[KTGM]], the ABC affiliate in that U.S. territory, aired ''MNF'' live on Tuesdays at 11 a.m., which is due to Guam's being a day ahead of the United States.
* [[Frank Gifford]]'s spotter from [[1973 NFL season|1973]]-[[1985 NFL season|1985]] was Canton native Steve Bozeka, who got the job from spotting a [[Hall of Fame Game]] in [[Canton, Ohio]]. Gifford liked him so much he talked to ABC and his first game was in 1974 Green Bay vs. Buffalo. Although he rarely got air time, he was always mentioned at the end when Howard Cosell would read the producers. He was on TV once when ''MNF'' got shot and Howard Cosell said "You see this white-haired man, this is my spotter Steve Bozeka".
* On ABC, the demand to broadcast ''Monday Night Football'' games live across the [[United States]] was difficult to reconcile with other prime time programming, which is usually set to begin at a certain local time regardless of time zone. On the East Coast, with ''MNF'' beginning at 9:00 p.m. [[Eastern Standard Time]], there were two hours of primetime in which to schedule regular programming. However, on the West Coast, the games lasted from 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. [[Pacific Standard Time]] (or in the case of Seattle and Portland [[1970 NFL season|1970]] to [[1995 NFL season|1995]], 7:00 - 10:30 p.m.), leaving little or no time for additional network programming on Monday. Thus, network shows scheduled for primetime on the East Coast were broadcast at unusual hours on the West Coast. For instance, Seattle ABC affiliate [[KOMO-TV|KOMO]] broadcast new episodes of the series ''[[Coach (TV series)|Coach]]'' on Saturday afternoons.
* There have been a few occasions when two Monday night games were played simultaneously. In [[1987 NFL season|1987]], a scheduling conflict arose when [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Minnesota Twins]] went to Game 7 of the [[1987 World Series|World Series]] (which also aired on ABC), making the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] unavailable for the [[Minnesota Vikings]]' scheduled game that Sunday. The Vikings game was subsequently moved to Monday night, and ABC aired it in a split telecast with the regularly-scheduled ''MNF'' game. A similar scenario unfolded in [[1997 NFL season|1997]], when the [[Florida Marlins]] went to Game 7 of the [[1997 World Series|World Series]] and the [[Miami Dolphins]]' Sunday game at [[Pro Player Stadium]] was shifted to Monday night (which marked a rare instance of the Dolphins wearing their road jerseys in a night home game, since the game was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon - the Dolphins usually wear their home jerseys in night home games).
* A change in the television contracts in 2006 prompted a significant change in the opening week. On [[September 11]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]], the NFL staged its first ''scheduled'' Monday night doubleheader on the opening weekend of the season, with both games shown on ESPN. The [[Minnesota Vikings]] defeated the [[Washington Redskins]], 19-16, in a game that started at 7 p.m. ET, and the [[San Diego Chargers]] topped the [[Oakland Raiders]], 27-0, in a game that started at 10:15. ESPN broadcast a second doubleheader on [[September 10]], [[2007 NFL season|2007]]. The [[Cincinnati Bengals]] defeated the [[Baltimore Ravens]], 27-20, followed by the [[San Francisco 49ers]] defeating the [[Arizona Cardinals]], 20-17. The Cardinals-49ers game was delayed until 10:25 p.m. because the Ravens-Bengals game went beyond the allotted time. When the first game had still not ended by 10:25, the opening kickoff was moved to [[ESPN2]]. ESPN and ESPN2 [[simulcast]] roughly one minute of playing time of the second game immediately after the first game ended.
* On [[October 27]], [[2003 NFL season|2003]], the ''MNF'' game between the [[San Diego Chargers]] and [[Miami Dolphins]] was moved to a neutral site. The [[Cedar Fire]] in the [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] area forced the teams to vacate [[Qualcomm Stadium]], which was being used as an evacuation site. The game was moved to [[Sun Devil Stadium]] in [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]] and shown as scheduled. The [[tickets]] for the game were free.
* In September 2005, the [[New Orleans Saints]] vacated from the [[Louisiana Superdome]] in the wake of the [[Hurricane Katrina]] disaster, and were forced to move a scheduled Sunday afternoon home game against the [[New York Giants]] from New Orleans to Monday night at [[Giants Stadium]]. In a unique television doubleheader, the Saints-Giants game started at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and the first half aired on ABC; at 9 p.m. the game shifted to [[ESPN]] while ABC began its regularly-scheduled ''MNF'' game of the [[Washington Redskins]] visiting the [[Dallas Cowboys]] (the Saints-Giants game was seen in its entirety in New York, Louisiana and other hurricane-affected areas on ABC, with the regularly-scheduled ''MNF'' game shown on ESPN until the end of the first game). ABC and ESPN interspersed both games with an on-air [[telethon]] to raise money for aid to the hurricane's victims. The last two minutes of the second quarter and the entirety of the second half were not seen in Canada, as [[The Sports Network|TSN]], the cable network that holds the rights to ESPN NFL games but not to ''MNF'', chose instead to air [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]]'s ''[[WWE Raw|Monday Night Raw]]'' (the highest rated show on basic USA cable), and ABC had switched to the start of the Dallas-Washington game. (TSN no longer has the rights to show ''Monday Night Raw'' and now shows all ''MNF'' games without interruption.)
* From [[1986 NFL season|1986]] to [[1989 NFL season|1989]], Al Michaels would take one Monday night off each October to work on ABC's postseason [[Major League Baseball]] coverage. ''MNF'' would revert to a two-man booth on these occasions, with Gifford once again calling play-by-play.
* For several occasions in the 1980s and early 1990s, the ''MNF'' broadcasting crew was used to cover one of the many [[college football]] [[bowl game]]s on ABC. For example, the ''MNF'' crew of Michaels, Gifford, and Dierdorf called the 1992 [[Sugar Bowl]].
* The ''MNF'' crew of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf made a cameo appearance in the [[1996 in film|1996]] movie ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'', during the fictional ''Monday Night Football'' game in the film. Pieces of the sequence were shot around an actual Monday night game between the Cardinals and the Cowboys in [[1995 NFL season|1995]].
* The [[New York Jets]] played in the first network broadcast of ''MNF'' ([[1970 NFL season|1970]]), a defeat at the hands of the [[Cleveland Browns]] 31-21. In the last network broadcast on [[December 26]], [[2005 NFL season|2005]], the Jets lost to the [[New England Patriots]]; the final score was also 31-21.
* The first sponsor of ''MNF'' was [[Marlboro (cigarette)|Marlboro Cigarettes]]; this was before the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] banned cigarette commercials from television.
* As a coach, [[John Madden (football)|John Madden]] has the highest winning percentage (.740) in ''Monday Night Football'' history and he later broadcast ''MNF'' telecasts for ABC.
* The highest-rated ''Monday Night Football'' telecast to date was the [[Miami Dolphins]]' victory over the previously-undefeated [[Chicago Bears]] on [[December 2]], [[1985 NFL season|1985]]. The game earned ABC a [[Nielsen rating]] of 29.6 and a share of 46. The lowest-rated ''MNF'' game to date was the [[New York Giants]]' defeat of the [[Atlanta Falcons]] on [[October 15]], [[2007]], which received a 5.7 rating on ESPN.
* Rap group [[The LOX]] one time freestyled over the ''MNF'' theme song, which was called "Monday Nite Football". Then rapper [[Cam'ron]] made the song "Let Me Know", which samples the ''MNF'' theme song, but with a changed tempo.
== The commentators ==
{{main|List of Monday Night Football commentators}}
{{Timeline Monday Night Football}}
== Foreign language versions ==
=== Spanish version ===
Since [[2006 NFL season|2006]], a [[Spanish-language]] telecast is also broadcasted on [[ESPN Deportes]], the Spanish version of ESPN and on [[ESPN International|ESPN Latin América]] featuring NBA and NFL play-by-play announcer [[Alvaro Martin]], Super Bowl winner [[Raul Allegre]] as color commentator and [[John Sutcliffe]] as the field reporter. This is the same crew of '''''La NFL Dominical''''', the Spanish version of [[ESPN Sunday Night Football]], until [[2005 NFL season|2005]]. The announcers of the second game of the 2006 doubleheader were [[Eduardo Varela]] (play-by-play), [[Robert Abramowitz]] (color) and [[Georgina Ruiz Sandoval]] (field reporter). Preceding the game '''''NFL Esta Noche''''' (''NFL Tonight''), the 30-minute pre-game show, can be seen on both networks.
The four booth announcers called the 2007 season opening games from ESPN's [[Bristol, Connecticut]] headquarters while watching games on [[television set|monitor]]s. None of them traveled to the game sites and there were no sideline reporters in the early weeks. Later only John Sutcliffe traveled to the ''MNF'' stadiums. On Christmas Eve game and season finale, Robert Abramovitz replaced Raul Allegre.
=== Portuguese version ===
Since the 1990s, ESPN Latin America has a feed in [[portuguese language]] targeted to their viewers in [[Brazil]]. [[Ivan Zimmermann]] (play-by-play), [[André José Adler]] (play-by-play), [[Roberto Figueroa]] (color), [[Marco Alfaro]] (color) among others, were the announcers broadcasting from ESPN's headquarters. Since [[2006 NFL season|2006]], the structure of the Brazilian feed was merged with [[ESPN Brasil]] and the broadcasting is made from [[São Paulo]]. The current announcers are [[Everaldo Marques]] (play-by-play) and [[Paulo Antunes]] (color).
== ''MNF'' on radio ==
{{main|NFL on Westwood One|NFL on NBC Radio}}
Since its inception ''Monday Night Football'' has also been carried on national [[radio]] networks. The [[Mutual Broadcasting System]] aired the games initially, with [[Van Patrick]] ([[1970 NFL season|1970]]-[[1973 NFL season|1973]]) and [[Lindsey Nelson]] ([[1974 NFL season|1974]]-[[1977 NFL season|1977]]) announcing. [[CBS Radio Network|CBS Radio]] took over in [[1978 NFL season|1978]] with [[Jack Buck]] and [[Hank Stram]] commentating. After a two-year stint ([[1985 NFL season|1985]]-[[1986 NFL season|1986]]) with [[Don Criqui]] and [[Bob Trumpy]] calling the games on [[NBC Radio]], Buck and Stram resumed with CBS Radio in [[1987 NFL season|1987]]. In [[1995 NFL season|1995]], [[Howard David]] and [[Matt Millen]] replaced Buck and Stram. [[Marv Albert]] and [[Boomer Esiason]] have been the ''MNF'' radio voices since [[2002 NFL season|2002]].
In the 1990s, CBS Radio purchased a controlling stake in [[Westwood One]], which in turn had bought out both the NBC and Mutual networks. As of 2008, Westwood One is no longer controlled by CBS; who maintains the NFL radio rights is unclear at this point.
== Slogans ==
* ''Is it Monday Yet?''
* ''Are you ready for some football?''
* ''"I'm thinkin' about Monday"''
* ''I'm ready for some football. Are you?''
==References==
{{reflist}}
*Gunther, Marc, and Bill Carter. (1988). ''Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football.'' New York, NY: Beech Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-07553-3
== See also ==
*''[[NFL on CBS]]''
*''[[NFL on FOX]]''
*''[[NFL on NBC]]''
*[[Monday Night Games Pre-1970]]
*[[Monday Night Football: All-Time Standings]]
*[[Monday Night Football: Series By Series History]]
*[[Monday Night Football results (1970-1989)]]
*[[Monday Night Football results (1990-present)]]
== External links ==
#[http://video.google.com/videopreview?q=channel%3Aabc+title%3Amonday+title%3Anight+title%3Alive&time=1595000&page=1&docid=-7542963135907108960&urlcreated=1115055611&chan=KGO&prog=Monday+Night+Live&date=Mon+Dec+27+2004+at+9%3A00+PM+PST Google Video Search] channel:abc title:Monday title:night title:live
#[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/index ESPN.com - NFL Index]
##[http://abcsports.com ABCSports.com]
##[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/madden John Madden]
##[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2035618 ESPN.com - NFL - 2005 ABC Sports' MNF schedule]
##[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/rss/columnist?name=madden_john] John Madden's [[RSS (file format)]] feed, available during the NFL season
#{{imdb title|0268466|Monday Night Mayhem}}
#[http://www.jumptheshark.com/forum/monday-night-football/1351 Jump the Shark - Monday Night Football]
#[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/20/sports/football/20tv.html Though well-intentioned, "MNF's" Katrina telethon was poorly executed]
#[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/nfl/12/26/bc.fbn.mondaynightfinal.ap/ Saying goodbye to ''Monday Night Football'' on ABC]
#[http://www.ilovewavs.com/TV/Sports/TV%20Theme%20-%20ABC,%20NFL%20-%20Are%20You%20Ready%20For%20Some%20Football.wav TV Theme - ABC, NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football.wav]
#[http://www.80stvthemes.com/ra/MONDAYNITE.ra ABC Monday Night Football (1970) - 'Heavy Action' instrumental music]
#[http://www.80stvthemes.com/ra/MNF89.ra ABC Monday Night Football (1989) - The long 'Heavy Action' instrumental version used when introducing the teams.]
#[http://enews.earthlink.net/article/spo?guid=20060814/44dff540_3ca6_1552620060814-255874006 TV Review: New 'MNF' Trio Makes Debut]
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