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LOS ANGELES — Terry Bradshaw spills a cup of espresso, however Curt Menefee doesn’t flinch. Menefee leans towards a tray not seen on tv for some tissue to assist clear up as Bradshaw continues to make some extent in regards to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Howie Lengthy helps with the cleanup, and Bradshaw retains speaking. Jimmy Johnson listens intently.
Menefee then ribs Bradshaw about needing one other cup of espresso, and Johnson makes use of espresso as a transition to speak in regards to the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.
“So Terry spills espresso on stay TV … now, how do you react?” Menefee mentioned shortly after whereas sitting in a dressing room at Fox Studios. “As a substitute of going into panic mode, we made it a part of the present, and we laughed it off and had some enjoyable with it.”
It’s a humorous second within the studio. And Menefee, the longtime sports activities persona for Fox Sports activities, would let you know he has probably the most enjoyable jobs on the planet because the host of “Fox NFL Sunday.”
It is likely to be espresso at some point. The following day, Johnson would possibly get fired up speaking a couple of teaching state of affairs, or Lengthy might need a passionate dialogue in regards to the Raiders, a franchise he performed with for 13 seasons. Michael Strahan is as busy as anybody on the present together with his a number of tv jobs. He may be humorous, or he may be dialed in and critical when discussing soccer. If the present had a script, it will go off-script more often than not.
However somebody has to maintain the present flowing. That’s the place Menefee steps in.
His colleagues name him a good friend, therapist and some extent guard of kinds on the present. Menefee, 58, is in his 18th season as host of a present that’s all about soccer however is likely to be finest identified for the wacky moments that make viewers giggle.
Menefee is not only the host; he’s the easy persona in an NFL comedy troupe.
“Folks by no means go, ‘You probably did an excellent job of breaking on the Cowl 2.’ It’s, ‘I find it irresistible while you guys bust one another’s chops,’” Menefee mentioned. “That’s one thing that folks will bear in mind from the present greater than the rest: (Bradshaw) spilled espresso, and also you guys laughed it off and talked about it getting on his go well with.”
To know Menefee’s significance, take into consideration the solid. There’s Bradshaw, the four-time Tremendous Bowl champion and Corridor of Fame quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the Nineteen Seventies. There’s Lengthy, a Corridor of Fame defensive lineman who gained a Tremendous Bowl with the Los Angeles Raiders. There’s Strahan, a Corridor of Fame defensive finish and the NFL file holder for many single-season sacks (22.5, tied with the Steelers’ T.J. Watt) who gained a Tremendous Bowl with the New York Giants. And there’s Johnson, a Corridor of Fame coach who gained two Tremendous Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and in addition a nationwide faculty soccer championship on the College of Miami.
Somebody comparatively new to the combination is Rob Gronkowski, who gained 4 Tremendous Bowls as a good finish with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and certain is headed to the Corridor of Fame. Add within the ever-energetic NFL insider Jay Glazer, and that’s a whole lot of persona on set with the potential for tv chaos. Somebody would possibly go on a rant with nobody understanding the route.
Menefee has realized the best way to let everybody have their time whereas additionally ensuring the present stays on schedule.
“Folks don’t know what he does for us,” Glazer mentioned. “He’s our chief. He’s our therapist. There are six of us on the present, so there’s 19 personalities — and Bradshaw and I bought 12. For Curt to have the ability to hold us in verify like this … you realize, we’re household.”
The espresso spilling is only a microcosm of what Menefee means to the present. Glazer and Bradshaw each have publicly mentioned a few of their psychological well being struggles. Glazer mentioned Menefee takes the time to verify on them and has been a confidant when occasions are robust. When he’s coping with a doable anxiousness assault, Glazer mentioned it’s Menefee who typically is the primary to cease what he’s doing to assist.
That’s as a result of Menefee has constructed real friendships with the crew. There are offseason holidays. Glazer was Menefee’s finest man at his wedding ceremony 10 years in the past. Their spouses know one another, too.
Menefee mentioned he’s one of many “uncommon” company capable of spend two days fishing at Johnson’s residence within the offseason as a result of Johnson normally solely offers guests at some point. Moreover, Menefee watches faculty soccer with Bradshaw and Johnson each Saturday, the place there’s bonding and the place Menefee picks up perception into how they’re fascinated by the NFL that is likely to be helpful on the present.
“I get to spend time with my finest buddies in life. That’s not a job,” Menefee mentioned. “It’s simply enjoyable time. It’s simply an extension of the blessings that I’ve been given and the enjoyment that I’m capable of have in life to have the ability to do that and name it my job. I do know that not many individuals get to say that.”
The friendship is the inspiration of what makes the present go. It permits Menefee to know when to let somebody hold speaking and in addition when to make use of nonverbal communication to inform somebody to wrap up his level. Menefee gauges what’s engaged on the fly. He does all of this with present producer Invoice Richards chatting with him in his earpiece.
What makes the present a lot enjoyable is the unpredictability — however it additionally may be hectic if somebody can’t preserve order. The present isn’t rehearsed, so Menefee will react to a Bradshaw rant or a Johnson monologue on the fly. Controlling the room is a vital talent to verify segments don’t run lengthy and sponsor reads aren’t forgotten.
Emphasis on “controlling the room.”
“I’m not ripping the fellows, but when this kindergarten class goes loopy, I would like a trainer to say, ‘Now we’re going to industrial,’” Richards mentioned. “We are able to simply let it go and these guys can go for an hour, we’d by no means take a industrial, and we’d all get fired. Curt preserving the practice on the tracks, I can’t let you know how essential that’s.”
It additionally helps that Menefee has been on stay tv since he was 19 years previous, going again to his time as a pupil at Coe School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He’s been educated to remain prepared for something.
Menefee took over because the full-time host of “Fox NFL Sunday” in 2007 after James Brown left for CBS. Lengthy mentioned he admired how Menefee dealt with being the “bullpen man” as Fox first experimented with utilizing Joe Buck to host and in addition name video games. Menefee taking on meant the present didn’t need to journey to the place Buck was working.
For practically twenty years, it’s labored. And friendships have shaped within the course of.
Menefee’s preparation is meticulous. The Santa Barbara, Calif., resident is up by 5:30 a.m. day-after-day for meditation together with his spouse, Viollette, and to work out. The early begin additionally permits Menefee to name or textual content varied sources across the NFL on the East Coast who need to talk early of their day.
Menefee likes to maintain soccer to a minimal on Mondays in order that Viollette has a day with him with out the pressures of labor. By Tuesday, he’s speaking with Richards in regards to the imaginative and prescient for Sunday’s present. The rundown for the present is normally set by Thursday, which is when Menefee begins specializing in groups and stats that might be essential for Sunday.
Friday is spent with a whole lot of texts and telephone calls to individuals across the league. On Saturday, he drives from his residence in Santa Barbara roughly 100 miles to a lodge room in Los Angeles for his weekly custom of watching faculty soccer with Bradshaw and Johnson at their lodge round midday. Menefee likes to be again in his room by 5 p.m. to work on a few of the written components of the present, and he prefers to be in mattress by 8 p.m. He’s then up by 4 a.m. for meditation and to reach on the Fox studio by 5 a.m. for present preparation.
Menefee jokes that his soccer profession led to center faculty, however he’s not considered as a soccer outsider by his buddies on set. They acknowledge the work he does, together with visiting a number of coaching camps within the offseason and sustaining relationships and perception throughout the league to assist the present’s progress.
He is aware of the game and might juggle halftime highlights in a number of markets. He additionally might help somebody with a bit of data on the fly.
“If I used to be in a professional soccer sport present and I needed to telephone a good friend for some sort of data, Curt can be the man to name,” Lengthy mentioned. “Curt is so good with a whole lot of massive personalities on the present. We’re not a rehearsal present. To be sincere, I believe that’s a part of the rationale why we’re profitable, as a result of what you’re seeing is real, genuine reactions to a first-time dialog.”
For the entire reward Menefee receives, he’s admittedly his personal worst critic. He used to obsess over stumbling over a phrase or a mispronunciation. He mentioned these issues don’t trouble him anymore, as a result of, in common dialog, these issues occur.
His focus in after-show conversations with Richards is on the stream of the present. What labored for every section? What didn’t? For Menefee, it’s extra the large image.
“Did I get Terry in quickly sufficient? Did I wrap him up fast sufficient?” Menefee mentioned. “Did I transition from this being critical to this being lighthearted or vice versa? I don’t assume I’ve ever executed an ideal present. I’m nonetheless striving, nonetheless attempting to get there. I haven’t gotten there but.”
“The very best level guard goes to take a few pictures, and people are those you would possibly take into consideration on the best way out,” Richards mentioned. “However he’s an excellent shooter, so he’s making most of them, so no person cares. Curt’s errors aren’t one thing I spend a whole lot of time on, as a result of there’s not loads (of them).”
Glazer’s friendship with Menefee dates again to the Nineteen Nineties when each have been working in New York and Glazer requested Menefee to co-host a present, “Pointless Roughness” on the MSG Community. He believes Menefee is nice to work with as a good friend however added that Menefee may be “very, very, very exhausting on himself” after a present.
“I all the time inform him we sort of go as you go,” Glazer mentioned. “So, it’s possible you’ll assume one thing wasn’t good, however the remainder of us don’t see it. So, don’t put that in our heads. Our present is imperfect. We’re off the cuff. I’ll simply say to him, ‘Hey, bro, you beat up on your self, however the remainder of us don’t see what you’re upset about. So, don’t deliver it out. Let’s you and I simply speak it up.’
“Then we speak it out, after which he’s like, ‘You’re proper.’”
Therapist. Level guard. Perfectionist. The grownup within the room. There are a whole lot of methods Menefee is described. His foremost focus, although, is ensuring his buddies look good on air.
He’s change into a celeb in his personal proper. The present was inducted into the Nationwide Affiliation of Broadcasters Corridor of Fame in 2019 — so technically, Menefee is a Corridor of Famer like his panelists.
But when his buddies are shining on air and the viewers proceed to return again, he’s joyful.
“The No. 1 objective is for individuals to depart the present feeling like they had fun, that they loved it, as a result of leisure is the very first thing,” Menefee mentioned. “The second factor is that they get some data out of it.”
Spoken just like the grownup within the room.
(Prime picture: Noam Galai / Getty Photos for Empire State Realty Belief)
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