That place rocks. When I'm in there on Monday nights, if the game is good, it's about as loud as any place in the league. People think it's laid-back ... but fans there can be as passionate as fans anywhere.

If there are dominant teams, people enjoy discussing whether that's good or bad for the game, and if there aren't any dominant teams, then people enjoy discussing that.

Monday Night Football started in 1970, and when it started, it was something extremely special because sports had not been aired in prime time. So, it was a novelty, and a lot of people thought it wouldn't work, and, of course, it worked spectacularly well.

People know me from a hockey game, from an earthquake, from the O.J case.

The game is No. 1. You are an adjunct to the game. In a studio, there is no game. You are the star. That's why you are there. For the game, you can't go away from the game and beat your chest. People are there to watch the game. You are there to supplement, not to override or overwhelm.

Jim and I talked before the game (Monday) about this. It just doesn't make sense. Too many good teams. It's too difficult to stack the deck against people.