NBC "Sunday Night Football" play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico is too objective to be a member of the Bills Mafia, but he always seems to find a way to compliment Western New York when he calls games involving Josh Allen and company.
In an interview three years ago, Tirico said he has a “real warm spot in my heart for fans, for upstate New York and what the Bills organization has been here.”
During a victory over Green Bay in 2022, Tirico noted: “Even when the Bills aren’t good, these are great, great fans.”
Buffalo Bills fans may also remember an on-air prediction he made in 2019 during a 24-17 Bills loss to the New England Patriots.
After noting the Patriots’ longtime success, Tirico said: “Buffalo fans are glad the 2020s are coming.”
“I like it,” Tirico said in a recent telephone interview. “That is one prediction I was OK with, so far. I’m five for five on division titles in the 2020s, so I’m going to take credit for it now.”
People are also reading…
The Bills' attempt to go six for six starts with their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 7, to be called by Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” in what will be the first game of the last season of Highmark Stadium.
Mike Tirico (copy) (copy)
Mike Tirico of NBC Sports. Charles Sykes/Invision/Associated Press
Tirico, who will call his first Super Bowl in February, provided a little history that Bills fans hope will be repeated about a NFL team playing its final season in a stadium.
“The Patriots' last season in their old stadium before they moved across the parking lot to their new stadium, they won the Super Bowl,” he said.
Tirico noted that the Patriots played their 2001 season in Foxboro Stadium before playing their first game in Gillette Stadium on the opening night of the 2002 season.
“So, there's precedent within the division to have your last season in your old stadium where your new one is right across the parking lot and you win the Super Bowl," Tirico said.
“We’ll obviously be in Buffalo the opening weekend. Is there a chance that we get to open the new stadium on Thursday night, which is usually reserved for the Super Bowl champions, in September 2026? It's a pretty good possibility,” he added.
Alan Pergament: Tirico's take on 'Hard Knocks; 'The Pitt' and star Noah Wyle honored by critics
“There aren't a lot of big-name controversies, big controversies, I should say, regarding the Bills. It tends to be not as headline grabbing as maybe when the (Dallas) Cowboys or a team like that are on," NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico told Alan Pergament.
However, Tirico knows it won’t be easy to get there.
“They’re as good as anyone,” he said. “Look at how close they've been all these years. Josh (Allen) is in the prime of his career. (James) Cook is all set, right? I like the increased depth of the receiving core, the two tight ends, and there are answers most places on the board when you look at this team. Health always impacts these teams, obviously.
“But as you go in with a level field and a healthy team, and the Bills are one of the five or six teams that, if things go right, they can easily get there. Obviously, the AFC with Josh, (Baltimore’s) Lamar Jackson, (Kansas City’s) Patrick Mahomes and (Cincinnati’s) Joe Burrow, it's hard to get through two or three of those guys in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl. But I'd love it if the Bills got to the Super Bowl. There are a whole bunch of teams that's going to be great, it's going to be great whoever's there, right? But to see a team like Buffalo that over the years has been so close to get another opportunity, that would be great.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Tirico talked about the Baltimore opener, his affinity for Western New York and his best and worst experiences at the stadium in Orchard Park with its multiple names.
On the Baltimore opener, a year after the Bills were embarrassed by the Ravens on SNF in a 35-10 loss before they won the rematch in the playoffs:
Alan Pergament: NBC's Tirico, Collinsworth are entertaining act during 'Showtime in Buffalo'
“NBC Sunday Night Football” play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico seems to enjoy calling Buffalo Bills games as much as the players enjoy playing in them and fans enjoy watching them, writes Alan Pergament.
“The regular season game against Baltimore was the low point of the season for the Bills. That was, easily, their poorest game. And they certainly atoned for it in a terrific and memorable divisional playoff game (a 27-25 Bills win), which will have Baltimore's attention when they come in there for the opener. From a larger scale perspective, it is always a festive atmosphere at that stadium, to begin with. But I just think it multiplies because now the countdown's really on with the farewell to Rich, Highmark, New Era, all the names that stadium's been.
“This is the beginning of the end, right? I think that this is going to add to this season for the Bills and their fans. And I know that I'm excited that we have two opportunities minimum (the Bills host the Pats on Oct. 5.) to come there for regular season games because it's one of my favorite places to do games. The new place is going to be incredible, but I'm going to miss coming to that stadium and that atmosphere for games. ... I think opening night is just going to be just off the charts exciting.
“The Patriots are going to be a team that opens eyes this year. (Coach) Mike Vrabel's team is going to be pretty good. The Patriots games up there are always good, right? Even when the Pats haven't been good, they’re always entertaining and exciting. I think that's going to be another good game, a good atmosphere, as well. We’ve got two terrific home games up there for Sunday night.”
On his affinity for Western New York:
“First off, my college days down the road in Syracuse, so I get upstate and Western New York sensibilities. Not only did I go to school there, but I was in the market for three years at the local CBS station. And during my time there, we started coming over to cover the Bills home games in the late '80s. That’s the professional side. And then that dovetailed right into the run of four Super Bowls. So I was at three of those for ESPN radio.
“The personal side is (University at Buffalo football play-by-play announcer) Paul Peck is my closest friend that I've had for the last 40 years, and just staying in touch with Paul (Tirico’s roommate at Syracuse University), his family and many, many visits to Hamburg and Western New York and always talking about what's going on there. I love the people who live there. I live in the Midwest now for the last quarter century plus, and it's a very similar set of sensibilities as the people who live here. Nice people. True sports fans, love their teams, love their hometown.
“I think you've got to be wired a pretty special way to live in places where the weather's bad half the year. And I think it takes just people who I gravitate toward, and that's one of the reasons I love Buffalo and love coming to cover the Bills.”
On his best memory at the Orchard Park stadium, where he has called eight games over the years:
“Just sitting in that press box and watching fans dig themselves their place to stand or sit after snowstorms. It's just so cool. I'm thinking of last year in the San Francisco game (a 35-10 Bills victory). That Josh Allen lateral touchdown (from Amari Cooper) in the snow will be forever replayed. It's one of the great moments in that stadium in a regular season game. But the image that sticks with me is the fans like three hours before just digging out their seats with cardboard so they had a place to stand.
“I’d say the collective memory are the fans singing ‘Shout’ after the Bills score a touchdown, going all the way back to the Jim Kelly days. I would say those are some of the general memories that, that stick out, for me, of going to that place.”
“I've got 100 different things that come to mind of games in Buffalo that were so much fun, for me… The new place is going to be incredible, but looking forward to the next set of memories there, for sure.”
His worst memory:
“I got stopped on the New York State Thruway for speeding on the way back from Orchard Park to Syracuse when I was in local TV in 1989 or 1990 hustling back to get the 11 o'clock sportscast ready that night. The state trooper was kind enough to not ticket me and just give me a warning.
“I’ll add to that the snow game against San Francisco. I had just torn my Achilles the week before, so my surgery for repair was Monday morning at 9 a.m., back in Michigan. As it's starting to snow and it's snowing through the game, I'm thinking, ‘Can I get back to get my surgery?’ Luckily, it worked out OK. So that was another memory for me sitting in the stadium and worrying about the weather, as we all do there.”
0 Comments
Stay up-to-date on what's happening
Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!