The morning of Sept. 25, 2006, Jay Rothman loaded his ESPN production and announcer team into a bus for a tour around New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the city 13 months earlier, and ESPN was in the third game of a new “Monday Night Football” contract after ABC had the rights for the previous 35 years.
Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser comprised the new broadcast booth, and because Kornheiser was afraid of flying, a "Madden-style cruiser” that transported the “Pardon the Interruption” star was therefore at the disposal of Rothman, the executive producer for "MNF" from 2006-2020.
Prior to the production meeting, the crew visited the city’s Ninth Ward – bounded by the Mississippi River to the south and Lake Pontchartrain to the north
– to view the destruction.
“Just to see how crushed that area was,” Rothman told USA TODAY Sports by phone leading up to the 20th anniversary of the game, which will be commemorated during "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Saints and Falcons on Oct. 5.
The group saw houses still marked with X’s, or “Katrina crosses,” which let outsiders know that the home had been searched by rescuers. Everybody was engrossed by tour, Rothman remembered – not in a fun way, but empathetically. The tactic hammered home the responsibility of the night.
NFL fans know what happened next. Saints special-teamer Steve Gleason pounced on the Atlanta Falcons’ first punt of the game, and Curtis Deloatch recovered it in the end zone for a Saints touchdown that sent the Superdome into a frenzy.
Looking back on that night, Tirico – calling just his fifth NFL game despite more than a decade of experience announcing college games at that point – wishes he had his nearly 300 games of NFL experience in his back pocket while also noting his newness helped in that situation.
There is a strategy in live television called “laying out,” which calls for the announcers to say nothing and let the pictures on the screen and the natural sound accomplish the storytelling. That’s exactly what Tirico, Theismann and Kornheiser did after Tirico shouted “Touchdown New Orleans!” following Deloatch's touchdown. It was an intentional phrase used to honor the city and not simply the Saints.
Of all the play-by-play voices he’s worked with during a lifetime in the business, Rothman said Tirico has the best sensibilities to understand the magnitude of a moment. Tirico, thinking like a producer, took the lead in the booth.
“The best thing for all of us was to shut up,” Tirico told USA TODAY Sports, adding: “You make the call, and you put your hands out ‘Hey, let’s not say anything.’”
“I think he gave them the armbar,” Rothman said.
The producer said his crew felt an enormous responsibility and sense of pride “to do this city – and to do this region – right.” ESPN lobbied the league for that game because they could offer extensive pregame programming and even share programming with ABC. Robin Roberts hosted the pregame ceremony, which included a concert from U2 and Green Day.
“It was a news event,” Rothman said. “I don’t want to be disrespectful to the game, with the game sort of being the backdrop. With the Saints being the crown jewel of the city … it was a big deal going into it.”
Tirico wanted viewers to understand that while the Superdome looked normal, the surrounding areas were not. He has hosted Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and called a Super Bowl at this point in his career. But 20 years ago, he hadn’t experienced narrating a game with an overarching theme that served as the backdrop.
For Tirico, New Orleans contains personal connections. As a student media member during the Syracuse men’s basketball team’s run to the national title game in 1987, Tirico covered the loss to Indiana in the Superdome. When the Orange won the national title 16 years later, the confetti fell in the Superdome.
“I already had a real warm feeling for New Orleans and what the city was all about,” Tirico said. “That night really cemented it.”
Rothman remembers leaving the production trucks that night wishing the game had been better. Gleason’s moment came 90 seconds into the night, and only one other touchdown was scored. The Superdome had been relit and repainted and looked brand new on TV, but players kept slipping on the turf that had just been put down.
“It was sloppy,” Rothman admitted.
Back at hist hotel later, the emails and texts signaled a different story, and Rothman even received a game ball from the Saints for his efforts. Satisfaction came from the pride of a broadcast well done, he said. He still gets chills talking about that night.
One highlight for Rothman included having director Spike Lee in the booth on the heels of his “When the Levees Broke” HBO documentary to offer context and perspective. Red Cross callouts layered the entire show.
“We handled this event, this opportunity … I was really proud of our team,” Rothman said.
Tirico will attend Monday night's anniversary game as a spectator after calling “Sunday Night Football” for NBC, his employer since 2016, between the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers.
On past anniversaries, Tirico said, he found a re-air of the game and be flooded with memories. He hasn't done that this year. By now, he understands the impact of that game.
“I’m really proud,” Tirico said, “of the job that all of us did.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 20 years later, why Mike Tirico 'shut up' during one of his most famous calls
