By Richie Zyontz
FOX NFL Lead Producer
Editor’s Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as the lead producer. He has more than 40 years of experience covering the league and has produced seven Super Bowls. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, he is providing an inside look as FOX’s new No. 1 NFL team, including NFL legend Tom Brady, makes its journey toward Super Bowl LIX. Read more behind-the-scenes stories from Richie Zyontz here.
The Green Bay Packers’ game at Minnesota in Week 17 always stood out like a jewel on the NFL schedule. Our crew had yet to see the Vikings in person, so we all looked forward to this critical showdown.
December visits to Minneapolis conjure up thoughts of long underwear and freezing temperatures. And yes, through the years, we have experienced our share of blizzards — and even a stadium roof collapse.
But my enduring memories from more than 40 years of visits to “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” are entirely warm.
Perhaps the trip that stands out most came in Jan. 1992 during the week leading up to CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl 26 between the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. With a day to kill, I suggested to John Madden that we explore the world of ice fishing, which he rapidly agreed to.
Needless to say, we had no idea what we were getting into.
Ahead of Super Bowl 26, members of the CBS broadcast team, including the author (second from left), John Madden (far right) and producer Lance Barrow (left of Madden), decided to try their hands at ice fishing. (Photo courtesy of Richie Zyontz)
So, with the help of a local guide, we jumped on the Madden Cruiser and drove 75 miles north to Mille Lacs, where we spent several hours fruitlessly jigging our lines in a hole, catching no fish. That, in itself, was quite an accomplishment. Some locals felt so bad for us that they loaded our bucket with walleye and perch and sent us on our merry way.
Next thing I know, Madden was on the phone with the late media writer and kibitzer from USA Today, Rudy Martzke, who the next day wrote about Madden’s haul from his day on the ice. Madden’s great piece of disinformation in the article summed up the experience: “We caught ‘em, we cleaned ‘em, we cooked ‘em and we ate ‘em.”
Nobody could cook up a great story quite like John Madden!
[Related: More from Tom Brady | More from Richie Zyontz]
Battle of the Northland
Now back to the original premise.
The clash between these two NFC North rivals was the hottest ticket in recent memory, according to Vikings officials. Anticipation of big games really gets the juices flowing — for players, coaches, fans and broadcasting crews. With only 280 miles and a four-and-a-half drive separating these cities, the sea of purple Skol chanters was dotted with patches of golden Cheeseheads.
The sleek, glass-themed backdrop of U.S. Bank Stadium belied the gritty, black-and-blue nature of this rivalry.
It’s hard to imagine legendary head coaches Vince Lombardi and Bud Grant exchanging pleasantries prior to a game at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Yet right before our eyes, an hour before the game, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur and Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell were hugging it out. Of course, they are friends and have a shared history together, but still … what would Bud have thought?
I once asked the famously laconic Grant what it was like battling it out with Lombardi all those years. His answer summed up those times clearly and succinctly: “Lombardi was a prick.”
Matt LaFleur and Kevin O’Connell are friends, but what would the great Bud Grant have thought of this exchange? (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
A Team Effort
A broadcast is only as good as the efforts of the technical crew. They do all the hard work and set the table for us to make good decisions in the truck. We try not to let them down. On Sunday, the table was set perfectly.
Our cameras captured the intensity of the day with a constant flow of inside-the-helmet reaction shots. LaFleur doesn’t hide his emotions, which is to our benefit. Earlier in the season on a Zoom call, he sheepishly told us his wife wasn’t happy seeing him yelling and looking miserable on television all the time.
We took that as a compliment. And again on Sunday, it was the many faces of LaFleur that added cinematic flavor to the production.
One key to the game, which we discussed at length at our Saturday meeting, was how Green Bay would handle Minnesota’s all-world receiver Justin Jefferson. The answer was illustrated through many high-angle replays of the Packers defense double- and sometimes triple-teaming him.
It’s easy for broadcasters to follow the ball, but taking the viewer away from the ball often tells a better story.
The sounds from the trenches were tremendous, especially when Minnesota had the ball and the home crowd fans were sipping their beers instead of screaming their lungs out. Quarterback Sam Darnold’s voice and cadence came through loud and clear. And this allowed Tom Brady to guide us through what all the gibberish means.
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Vikings’ Sam Darnold | Week 17 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
One of the areas we knew Brady could dominate as a broadcaster was by explaining all the machinations at the line of scrimmage. And as the season has progressed, he has delivered big time, translating the seemingly indecipherable quarterback language into plain English. His weekly take on quarterback play is always fascinating to hear. It’s an old-school take that the quarterback must show leadership through toughness and intelligence. Take a hit. Be smart with the ball.
Darnold also delivered big time, earning Brady’s constant praise and checking all his boxes of successful quarterback play. And man can he zip the ball. His spirals looked sensational in NFL Films-quality super slo-motion. Prior to the game, the Vikings were the team flying under the radar. After beating Green Bay 27-25, the Vikings might be the team we see in New Orleans in February.
So now we go from the black-and-blue intensity of the NFC North to the pastel colors of the NFC South, as the Tampa Bay Bucs can clinch their division with a win over New Orleans.
The season has flown by, and the Super Bowl now looms only 39 days away. We don’t know which teams will be playing in the big game, but we relish the fact that our crew will be there, ready and eager to take on whatever surprises the game sends our way.
And this time, there will not be any frozen lakes to fish, successfully or otherwise.
Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as lead producer. He boasts more than 40 years of experience covering the NFL.
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