The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t play the New Orleans Saints until Week 7, but we now know who will be on the NFL Network broadcast from Paris. In an ESPN press release, it was announced that Dave Pasch will handle play-by-play with Kurt Warner and Jason Kelce as color commentators for the game, which will air on NFL Network.
Warner is no stranger to NFL Network’s broadcast coverage, as he’s worked alongside Rich Eisen for multiple international games over the past few seasons. Pasch and Kelce are new to the mix, as ESPN employees joining NFL Network’s coverage after ESPN purchased the network earlier this year.
Pasch is a longtime college football and college basketball broadcaster taking on a heavier NFL role this season. He has experience calling NFL preseason games on TV as well as the NFL on the radio. This season will be his first extensive experience calling NFL games for TV. The Pasch/Kelce/Warner trio will work four games this season, three of which are international ones.
The Steelers-Saints matchup is the third international game, so the group should have developed some chemistry by Oct. 25.
Kelce has yet to spend regular time in a broadcast booth, serving as an analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown and also hosting a late-night sports talk show on ESPN. Kelce is better remembered for his time in the league, spending 13 years as a center for the Philadelphia Eagles and earning six All-Pro nods.
Warner, of course, is also a former player, notably leading the Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game in which the Steelers captured their sixth Lombardi Trophy. He also won the MVP award and appeared in a Super Bowl with the then-St. Louis Rams. He has since transitioned to a successful media career, posting quarterback breakdowns on his YouTube channel in addition to his work in the booth and in the studio with NFL Network.
While there could be a concern that Kelce’s big personality will take over a broadcast, Pasch is no stranger to that when calling games. He was a frequent partner of Bill Walton calling PAC-10 and later PAC-12 basketball games, and if he can handle the late, great Walton, he can handle anyone.
It’s always interesting to hear a new booth, and it’ll be interesting to see whether this trio can succeed and work together beyond this season.