1. The NFL Network’s Good Morning Football underwent major changes this season with the show moving from New York to Los Angeles.

This caused GMFB to lose Jason McCourty as a cast member, while Jamie Erdahl, Kyle Brandt and Peter Schrager remained with the show. The latter two remain in New York and appear most of the time remotely.

Brandt appeared on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina and discussed the changes to GMFB and if he’s been happy doing the show this season in the new format.

“Very happy,” said Brandt. “I was out there [in Los Angeles] a lot in the beginning launching the show. I get out there everyone once in a while so I can stay through Tuesday so I can do ‘Angry Runs’ there and run around the studio and pretend to break things.”

Brandt explained that while the show currently features a hybrid setup, it’s worked out perfectly for him thanks to one simple matter.

“It’s still me sitting at a table with Peter, messing around and slipping in references we shouldn’t be slipping in and things like that,” said Brandt. “And then we have this great setup of people in Los Angeles that we talk to remotely.

“If you would’ve dropped me in remotely in 2016 or 2017 or 2018, I would’ve been like, what the hell is this? But we’re now four years into remote life in 2024. You turn on any ESPN show, I defy you to find one where someone isn’t remote. I watched [Michael] Wilbon and [Tony] Kornheiser do remote for years and years and years. It wouldn’t have made sense back then. Now, it’s how we are. I actually have the luxury that I’m in the same room as Peter because it could be four different rooms. I still get to sit next to Peter and we still get to mess around. That’s all I show up to work to do.”

Brandt hilariously offered up one downside to the remote setup.

“The only glitches you have are still, even though all of us as humans have four years of practice at this, you’ll still have the “car accident’ where everyone starts talking at once. It’s still the worst. It’s like when you’re in a narrow hallway with someone and you don’t know if you should go right or left and you do this 15-second dance routine. Imagine you’re doing that on live TV, but you’re trying to talk about Dan Campbell at the same time and you have a producer in your ear going, ‘No, no Kyle go. Kyle go. Kyle go. Did you say Kyle don’t go?’ And then we’re just talking. We’ve had very little of that, but it’s full nails-on-a-chalkboard, torture, getting waterboarded. It makes me so mad.”

During the podcast, Brandt also discussed how he puts together his segments for CBS’s NFL Today, writing his own scripts and the full details on how this outstanding bit came about.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

2. In addition to the podcast with Brandt, I released a SECOND podcast this week for my WWE fans. The Only Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, gave his first interview since losing his title at WrestleMania and returning at SummerSlam to SI Media With Jimmy Traina.

Just some of the topics covered with the Reigns during the podcast:

- Bloodline vs. Bloodline this Saturday at the Survivor Series.
- His thoughts on his epic WrestleMania main event with Cody Rhodes.
- Working as a face vs. working as a heel.
- How long will he keep wrestling.
- Why he will always take the opportunity to f--- up Seth Rollins.
- What’s going on with the Wiseman, Paul Heyman

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. “Is this Ghost? Is this Ghost? Is this Ghost?”

That was an incredulous Charles Barkley last night when Inside the NBA turned into a popular Patrick Swayze–Demi Moore movie with Charles, Ernie Johnson, Shaq and Jalen Rose (filling in for Kenny Smith) doing pottery.

4. Aaron Rodgers went on Pat McAfee’s show Tuesday and did his usual thing of trashing the media after a recent report said Rodgers doesn’t want to play for the Jets next season.

Just a quick review since Rodgers said the media never gets it right when it comes to him. The media reported there was friction between him and the Packers when he was Green Bay. That was true. The media reported he would go to the Jets after he parted ways with the Packers. That was true. The media reported that Rodgers wanted to be reunited with Davante Adams. The Jets ended up trading for Adams.

When it comes to football matters, the media seems to have gotten it right more than it's gotten in wrong with Rodgers.

5. Here is this week’s edition of the best weekly segment on sports TV: “Bad Beats.”

6. Good on Lions coach Dan Campbell for calling out the NFL over fining players for celebrations while using those celebrations on their social media channels.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the football and food. I’ll see you on Monday.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kyle Brandt Opens Up About ‘Good Morning Football’ Changes.