Behind the Scenes with FOX's NFL crew: A long haul for a great game

By Richie Zyontz
FOX NFL Lead Producer

Editor’s Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as the lead producer. He has more than 40 years of experience covering the league and has produced seven Super Bowls. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, he is providing an inside look as FOX’s new No. 1 NFL team, including NFL legend Tom Brady, makes its journey toward Super Bowl LIX. Read more behind-the-scenes stories from Richie Zyontz here.

There is a lot of real estate between Tampa, Florida and Santa Clara, Calif. — 2,800 miles, requiring 41 straight hours of driving, to be exact.

So, before Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady could even settle into the broadcast booth to call Sunday’s game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, our trucks needed to complete that journey safely, on time, and with their cargo intact.

[Related: More from Tom Brady | More from Richie Zyontz]

On the road again …

This is an unappreciated and unheralded side of network sports. After every game, our crew loads 200,000 pounds of equipment onto six semis, loads that include more than 30 cameras and adds up to a total estimated value of $30 million.

Our drivers then have to make lonely cross-country trips, witness countless Cracker Barrel sightings, and cruise through hundreds of miles of nothingness.

FOX Sports has always felt like a family to many of us. On our crew we have the Fabulous Zecca Brothers, which is not a circus act but a brilliant brother act featuring Mario on camera and Paul running replays.

This week another family played a big role. Kip Johnson and his daughter Kaye tag-teamed their way across Interstate 40, hauling some of that expensive gear. The drive was uneventful, and according to Kip, father and daughter are still on speaking terms after spending all those many hours together.

The father-daughter duo of Kip and Kaye Johnson tag-teamed their way across the country last week, hauling equipment from Tampa, Florida to Santa Clara, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Richie Zyontz)

It wasn’t always such a big production, simply moving equipment from one site to the next every week. Prior to FOX joining the NFL landscape in 1994, it was common for networks to use only four cameras on their lesser games. Yes, four cameras!

FOX executives, as part of their sales pitch, guaranteed the league to allocate at least eight cameras on every broadcast.

Now, 30 years later, the lead game on FOX has 20 manned cameras, including the SkyCam, which hovers over the field suspended by cables.

This innovation drew attention during the first iteration of the XFL back in 2001. It was quickly adopted into NFL coverage and has become the analyst’s best friend.

With a view from behind the offense, a former quarterback like Brady can see the game from the booth much like he did on the field. It has quickly become his favorite replay angle, as he can diagram defensive coverages and explain all the quarterback machinations at the line of scrimmage.

This is just a sliver of the 200,000 pounds of equipment that had to be moved across the country. (Photo courtesy of Richie Zyontz)

You never know

Tom obviously knows how to deliver under pressure, having played in many close, exciting games during his illustrious career. But coming into his fifth game as a broadcaster, he had yet to call one.

On paper, Arizona’s prospects against San Francisco appeared to be dim. At our Saturday night production meeting, however, Brady explained how, in divisional games, the best team doesn’t always win. The Miami Dolphins would give Tom’s Patriots fits, despite being the inferior team for many years. So that provided hope for our first close game.

Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt had the opportunity to call their first close game of the season on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Richie Zyontz)

Finally …

Brady proved prophetic. The underdog Cardinals came from behind to defeat the 49ers, 24-23, behind the exciting performance of quarterback Kyler Murray.

His 50-yard TD scamper in the first quarter stunned the sun-baked Levi’s Stadium crowd. It also electrified the rookie analyst in the booth, who named Murray his “LFG Player of the Game.”

Tom watches these games like a fan. Outstanding efforts draw “oohs” and “aahs” from him as if he were watching from his couch. This enthusiasm is refreshing, especially coming from the game’s greatest player.

Brady is forging his own path and his style is still emerging. But it’s clear that he is enjoying his new career.

Now it’s off to Dallas for the third time in six weeks as the Detroit Lions play the Cowboys. Our crew packed up the trucks for the 25-hour drive east on I-40. These teams played a thriller last year. Hopefully they have another one in them.

Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as lead producer. He boasts more than 40 years of experience covering the NFL.