In the year 2000, the broadcast networks were losing viewers to cable. Consequently, Monday Night Football faced considerably more competition, as sports in prime time became relatively common place. ABC hatched a plan to lure viewers back with a less sporty, more entertaining commentator, to supplement Al Michaels, the veteran play-by-play announcer and Dan Fouts, a retried Hall of Fame quarterback. Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh aggressively pursued the gig, but it is clear ABC would never accept his politics. Proving the point, former coordinating producer David Israel casually smears Limbaugh as “a racist,” after admitting he nailed his audition.
Arguably, that is a highly relevant and telling detail, because Miller’s own commentary turned in a starboard direction following the terrorist attacks of September 11. In fact, 9/11 directly impacted Monday Night Football, postponing one game. When football resumed, the mood of the country remained much more subdued, making it trickier for Miller to fulfill his comedic role on the broadcast.
It is a shame the Miller years didn’t last longer, because he landed some hilarious riffs. Eventually, ABC replaced Miller and Fouts with John Madden, which made sense to a lot of fans at the time. However, if they had kept Miller for a few more years, they would have had a wealth a material to repackage (like “Miller on the Giants,” “Miller on the Broncos,” “Miller on the Refs,” etc.).
