Football fans react to hearing Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler broadcast Monday Night Football

There were some new voices on ESPN’s first of two Monday Night Football broadcasts this week, as the network’s top college football broadcast team — Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Maria Taylor — called the Pittsburgh Steelers-New York Giants game.

This is a one-time thing (for now), and they’ll go back to college football next weekend, but fans seemed to have a good time listening to them call Monday night’s game.

Here’s some of the reaction to the Herbie/Fowler NFL debut:

Surprised to hear Kirk Herbstreit on MNF. I’m here for it.

— Derek McGowen (@DerekMcGowen55) September 14, 2020

I already love Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, your normal ESPN broadcast crew for primetime college football games, on this #MNF broadcast.

Wish it was more than just this one-time thing.

— Rob Connett (@RobConnett1) September 14, 2020

I’m completely here for Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling NFL games.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 14, 2020

Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler are better than any MNF crew espn has had in years

— Alex Washburn (@WASH_tubb) September 14, 2020

Herbstreit doesn’t miss a stride going from college to NFL.

Fowler’s limitations show more. He’s prepared and has improved, but his voice doesn’t carry. His tempo is only OK.

He is a far superior host than play-by-player. Big games in college sometimes hide it.

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) September 14, 2020

All fans seemed to be in agreement that the broadcast with Herbie and Fowler was better than recent years’ broadcasts, which featured Booger McFarland, Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten:

@espn can’t believe you make Herbstreit and Fowler spent entire weekends in Iowa City and had me listening to Witten and Booger on MNF

— Cabron James (@allHAILgio) September 14, 2020

Herbstreit and Fowler doing Monday Night Football is so much better than whatever they’ve got going on with Booger McFarland and crew every week. Is it possible for them to do the biggest college games on Saturday nights AND MNF? #mondaynightfootball

— Josh Wiegand (@joshdwiegand) September 14, 2020

Officially have listened to one more quarter of Kirk Herbstreit on MNF than I did all of Booger last year

— CJ Kaltenbach (@TheSeigeDFS) September 14, 2020

Fowler and Herbstreit just running circles around Tess and Booger in the MNF booth

— Rivers Upchurch (@RiversUpchurch) September 14, 2020

https://twitter.com/ejweeks/status/1305648789324263424?s=20

https://twitter.com/atxxpkrgolf/status/1305650451690516480?s=20

Herbstreit over Booger on MNF everyday of the week and twice on Sunday’s.

— Sean Bock (@SBock247) September 14, 2020

This is so much better than Booger. Herbstreit should do every game on National TV.

— Marq (@MarqsJO) September 14, 2020

Will ESPN expand Herbie and Fowler’s NFL roles in the coming years? It seems fans would be open to it.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.