On Thursday, I watched a preview of ESPN’s upcoming The Simpsons Funday Football animated telecast of Monday Night Football. I was blown away. I think viewers will be, too, if they watch the Simpsons-themed version of Bengals-Cowboys on Disney+ and ESPN+.

I’ve watched the various Toy Story and Nickelodeon-themed alt-casts of NFL games in the past couple of years. They were good. But this Simpsons version takes it to the next level, especially if you’re a fan of the long-running show.

Viewers will see Bart and Homer Simpson running and throwing the ball, respectively, for the Bengals and Cowboys (Marge and Lisa will serve as sideline reporters). There will be Simpsons-inspired versions of Peyton and Eli Manning, Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky, and Drew Carter. There will even be a prerecorded bit with Stephen A. Smith taking his usual aim at the Cowboys.

“The Simpsons resonate with fans all around the globe, young and old, and everyone in between,” said ESPN executive vice president Rosalyn Durant. “Audience expansion is a top priority for us at ESPN, and I know it’s a top priority for the NFL, and this is one distinctly Disney way that we’re doing that.”

We got a ton of reactions to our list of the Top 10 Most Annoying NFL TV Clichés. “Tuned In” readers volunteered some of the catchphrases that make them grit their teeth while watching NFL games and studio shows. 

Darren Evans wrote on X/Twitter: “Just missed: ‘You can hear the hit all the way up here!!’ That’s because there’s a worker on the sideline holding a satellite dish with a bunch of mics on it.”  

G-Mang! tweeted his own pet peeves list: “Some old ones I hated ‘Pitch and catch,’ ‘exotic defense,’ ‘hostile environment.’  More annoying is the yelling scream face, the pointing of first downs (every single one) and yelling ‘let’s go!’” 

Jeff writhes when he hears the catchphrase, “The room,” tweeting: “The ‘receiver room’ or ‘tight end room’ etc drives me nuts.” Plus, reader Richard Maloney emailed me to nominate his least favorite football speech: “‘Set the edge.’ There I wrote it–but would prefer not to hear it again.”

• It’s always hard to tell whether Charles Barkley is joking or serious. But he continues to poke at his bosses at TNT Sports for effectively trading his Inside the NBA show to ESPN for a package of Big 12 football and basketball games starting in the 2025–2026 NBA season. “Man, they’ll sell anything around here. I mean, hey, they sold us,” cracked Sir Charles on the show this week. “Who are we working for this week?” joked colleague Kenny “The Jet” Smith. During an appearance on The Bettor Angle podcast, the Chuckster complained TNT didn’t have “the courtesy” to inform him about the ESPN deal that likely saved the show. “Basically, we got traded. If I was going to trade somebody that I had respect for and appreciate, I would at least give them a heads up. I wouldn’t let them hear about it from other people or the internet.”
• Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated wrote a tremendous piece on Adrian Wojnarowski’s life at alma mater St. Bonaventure after leaving ESPN. It’s well worth a click.
• ESPN says Randy Moss will step away from his analyst role on Sunday NFL Countdown for an “extended time” to focus on a “personal health challenge.” The former NFL star, who’s been with ESPN for a decade, briefly addressed the situation during the show’s Dec. 1 episode. Moss said he was “battling” an eye problem, without getting specific.
• The Women’s National Football Conference has signed a media-rights deal with the Victory+ platform. Every matchup of the six-game regular season will stream for free on Victory+, a service primarily known for airing Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks games. The WNFC is also launching a Saturday Night Showcase studio show analyzing matchups and star players in the 17-team league.