Report: ESPN Eliminating 'BoogerMobile' on MNF After Jason Witten Departure
March 8, 2019
ESPN's Monday Night Football coverage may undergo another change after losing lead analyst Jason Witten, who resumed his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys.
Sporting News' Michael McCarthy reported Thursday that ESPN is abandoning the crane that carried Booger McFarland along the sideline during games.
Dubbed the "BoogerMobile," the crane wasn't well-received by fans in attendance at Monday night games.
The crane was initially outfitted with a television that showed the ESPN broadcast because it obstructed the view for anybody in the first few rows of the stadium. The network subsequently removed the TV and replaced it with a piece of plexiglass.
McCarthy explained the problems expanded beyond that as McFarland's distance from Witten and play-by-play announcer Joe Tessitore in the booth made it difficult for the three to form a cohesive broadcast unit.
ESPN seemed to acknowledge a change was necessary toward the end of the 2018 season.
McFarland moved into the booth for the Christmas Eve broadcast of the Oakland Raiders' Week 16 victory over the Denver Broncos. He remained there for ESPN's coverage of the Indianapolis Colts' AFC Wild Card Round win over the Houston Texans.
