In what could be the start of the reimagination of ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” format, Charles Woodson is out, sources tell The Post.
Woodson, the Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer, never really took off on the show, which has been hosted by Sam Ponder the past two years.
He joined ESPN immediately after he retired from football three years ago. Woodson confirmed the news on his Instagram account after The Post called ESPN for comment Thursday morning.
The other main analysts on the “Sunday Countdown” set have been ex-Jets coach Rex Ryan, former Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
The show has struggled to find its footing following the forced departure of Chris Berman two years ago. Ponder replaced Berman and struggled her first season.
She arrived with more of a college sports-based reporting background. She did grow a bit more comfortable as an NFL host her second season. But still, she is not yet on the same level as ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” host, Suzy Kolber.
While ESPN has wanted Berman to increase his role again at the network, there have been no indications yet that a complete comeback for the 63-year-old Berman is in the works. An increased presence, though, is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Moss and Ryan have not fully developed into must-listen analysts. Moss is not bad, but he should be the star of the program, and so far his performance on most Sundays has been like six-receptions-for-80-yards games when ESPN needs him to go 10 for 145 with two TDs. Ryan has gotten a little better, but his analysis lacks some depth.
It feels as if Ryan is holding back a little so as not to dampen potential coaching opportunities, or he doesn’t have much.
Hasselbeck is more of a voice-of-reason guy, which can work, but he needs to be playing off more dynamic opinions if he is going to find his long-term groove.
The bigger issue for “Countdown,” which is facing all its ESPN studio shows, is how to differentiate itself in an increasingly cluttered environment.
The year after Berman was replaced by Ponder and company in 2017, “Sunday Countdown”’s ratings dropped 12 percent. This year, they were up 4 percent, according to ESPN.
The Ponder-hosted ratings are impacted by cord-cutting that has lowered numbers across the board, but are aided because of streaming numbers being counted by Nielsen, which they weren’t in 2016, Berman’s final full season. There is more daily NFL programming than ever.
Besides the fact ESPN is nearly wall-to-wall football all year, there is NFL Network and the behemoth of all the incessant content on the internet.
By the time Sunday arrives, the fan who would be inclined to watch a program like “Sunday Countdown” in the past is already filled with information.
The most useful Sunday segments are probably provided by insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, but even those news items, which affect rooting interests, betting and fantasy, are easily found on social media before or immediately after they make air.
In the forthcoming years, betting will surely become a larger part of these programs, though the league partners may not be as quick to move as some of their competitors on the internet.
To get where ESPN needs to go on Sundays, it must become better and more unique. This is not easy to do, and ESPN is beginning to fully game plan on how to do it.
Woodson won’t be a part of it next year. The rest of the cast? That remains to be seen.
Are you ready for some more football? CBS thinks you might be. On Saturday night, it will have the opener of Alliance of American Football at 8 p.m. from the Alamodome as the San Antonio Commanders face the San Diego Fleet. Jamie Erdahl and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner will handle the pregame, while Spero Dedes, Trent Green and Tiki Barber will call the game.
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