How Ed Sabol changed the way we watch football

By Gary Gurecki | Feb 10, 2015

Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; General view of the golden NFL shield logo at the entrance to the 4th annual NFL Honors at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mic’d up players and coaches

NFL Films’ “In Their Own Words” and “Sound FX” are two of the more popular programs that NFL Films and the NFL Network have had to offer. These specials present a more personal look at their favorite players and coaches.

On the field sound also helped popularize some of the NFL’s past and present stars. For instance, this innovation gave viewers some of the more light hearted sound bites from Brett Favre over the past 20 years as he carved out the persona of a kidder. While players such as Steve Smith of the Baltimore Ravens has proven he is truly one of the NFL’s best trash talkers.

This of course was also all possible through Sabol’s innovations as he was the first to try using microphones for on-field recordings.

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