Brad Beyer
A Conversation with Brad Beyer
(Don Meredith)

Q: What are your earliest memories of Monday Night Football®?
A: I was actually pretty young, second or third grade, when I started watching Monday Night Football®. I remember I'd have to finish my homework before my dad and I would sit down and watch it.

Q: What were some of the groundbreaking aspects of what was being done with Monday Night Football®?
A: I think because it was live and everybody was flying by the seat of their pants, it brought this certain energy. No one had ever seen that energy before, and these people were really interacting and watching the game. The way Chet Forte was directing the show -- the visuals of getting right down on the field and showing the players, getting really close up -- seeing the players' faces through their helmets and the emotion and everything that was going on during the game, it was revolutionary.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the turmoil that was behind the scenes of Monday Night Football®?
A: Frank and Don were both ex-NFL stars, and Howard wasn't. Howard came from a whole different school. They didn't really know much about broadcasting, to be honest, and I think Howard really resented that. I think that's where a lot of the turmoil came from. Howard resented the fact that they were getting all this attention because they were jocks.

Q: What is your perception of Howard Cosell?
A: He had such strong opinions on everything. He had a very specific point of view on the game and was very intellectual. Howard talked about the game in a way nobody had ever heard before. I don't think a lot of Americans related to him. I think they thought he was arrogant and a little condescending and I think people sort of resented that.

Q: What does John bring to the role of Howard Cosell?
A: I think he is one of the best character actors in America. Being able to work with him and watch him has been so great for me. He's got the cadence of the way Howard speaks, as well as his looks, posture and his physicality. It's uncanny.

Q: Describe your character.
A: In the beginning, Don Meredith was the only guy on the show who wasn't a journalist. Keith and Howard were both sort of these cerebral types and when Don came in he was the only one who had played football professionally. He came in with a different perspective on the game. He would wait for Howard to say a word that he knew the rest of America never heard of and would remark on it. It was funny, he was funny and he had a lot of personality.