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Neil Reynolds’s NFLUK and Sky TV Diary
by Michael E Lawrence
18/12/2007
Ever wonder what it’s really like to work at the NFLUK in London? Or exactly what happens on set when the cameras aren’t rolling during Sky’s live TV coverage? Of course you have, and it just so happens we know the one man who can actually tell you.
 Across a rollercoaster 24 hours that saw him put in a full day in the NFLUK’s London HQ writing, editing, and researching til the cows came home and then work up a further seven hours as a studio guest on Sky’s live Monday night game, none other than writer, Sky guest and NFLUK consultant Neil Reynolds recorded his every action, thought and whim in a diary exclusive to Football Diner.
Check out and marvel at the day that was: Neil Reynolds’s Monday 10th December…
Monday 10th
6:30am With Sunday’s games sure to be a hot topic on the Sky studio later in the day, Neil has had to stay up the night before to catch as many of them as he can. Says Neil on rising at around the same time as several native species of bird and most milkmen: “The alarm clock always goes off way too early on Monday mornings. With New England’s dismantling of Pittsburgh fresh in my mind, I wearily drag myself into action. At least it’s only another 24 hours before I can sleep again!”
7:30am While Neil officially works from home as a freelance writer, his Mondays are always hectic, spent in the NFLUK offices, Oxford Street. A true friend of the earth, he does try and offset some carbon on the way in: “Doing my bit for the environment, I hop on my bike for a five-mile ride to the train station. As I bomb it downhill most of the way, trying to forget about the uphill journey home, tears freeze on my face and I quickly realise cycling in the winter is for madmen and those training for the Tour de France. I make a promise to myself to take the bus from now until April.”
8:01am Neil’s status as Sky TV pundit doesn’t help when it comes to getting a seat on rush hour trains into the city: “I begin writing up my research notes on the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons while sitting on the floor. I cannot imagine Nick Halling has the same problem when he ventures into London!” We presume Nick charters a private jet.
9:30am Neil’s regular NFLUK readers will know that Monday is the day his ‘By the Numbers’ column is written. Of today’s piece, Neil says: “I get myself into a bit of a frenzy and become a tad too harsh on Steelers’ safety Anthony Smith. I blame the coffee at the NFL’s office. The guy made a simple guarantee that his team would defeat the Patriots and I somehow make him sound like Saddam Hussein’s little brother.” The Diner wonders if that’s why Smith played so badly. Fuelled by an endless supply of caffeine, Neil is boasting, by lunch-time “the mother of all headaches.”
1:00pm As well as writing regular columns, Neil is also involved in producing NFLUK TV segments not least his excellent mini-tours around the hallowed Hall of Fame, and BAFL features. But they don’t make themselves you know: “It’s my job to edit the pieces into useable content for nfluk.com. I really find the nflukTV work a great deal of fun. I am still new to the broadcasting business as Nick Halling and Mike Carlson remind me constantly (and in good fun) when we do our weekly Inside the Huddle chats.”
Having edited the material for this week, he passes along the finished product to nfluk.com head honcho Hank. But wait who is this Hank we hear so much about? “I feel extremely privileged to be one of the few people in the western world to know the true identity of Hank the man (or woman) who patrols the nfluk.com forum at all hours of the day and night and who also knows how to predict a football game or two (although not enough to beat me, ha!). After much wrestling with the far-too-complicated computer system, which often leaves Hank wondering if it would be quicker to train a chimp to handle the editing, the finished pieces for the week are in the bag and I can focus on the upcoming Monday Night thriller between the Falcons and Saints.”
3:00pm Neil spends the next couple of hours finalising his preparations for the Saints-Falcons game on Sky, and make no mistake, he’s as thorough as Bill Belicheck: “I tend to leave no stone unturned when it comes to researching the two teams I am covering that week. I will make notes on the strengths and weaknesses of every starter on offense and defense. I also make notes on the latest news items from each club, other talking points of interest and general headline notes from around the league. Add in rosters, depth charts and statistics, and I take quite a stack of paperwork with me when I leave the NFL office.”
5:15pm At the end of the regular working day, Neil heads home, still preparing as he goes: “I manage to get a seat on the train and make notes on the keys to tonight’s Sky game, including the X’s and O’s that each team will use to defeat the other.” Note to Arthur Blank: this might be your man to replace Petrino. Just don’t mention the uphill bike ride waiting for him at the other end.
7:00pm A committed family man, Neil throws himself into his fatherly duties before leaving for Sky. As he puts it: “There’s no rest for the wicked! With an energetic six-year-old boy and a hyperactive three-year-old girl, there is no chance to get home and immediately put my feet up. My wife is currently seven months pregnant so after a day battling with the kids, I take over bath-time and book-reading duties while she takes a much needed time out. I wouldn’t want it any other way. There is nothing more important in the world to me than my kids and I relish spending time with them after work each day, even if it is only for an hour before bed-time.”
And anyway, they’ve got to be impressed Dad’s on telly right? “They couldn’t be less impressed. My son usually moans “We know, Dad. But everyone will be asleep when you are on” while my little girl responds by delivering a double-handed slap to both sides of the face or a double-knee smash into my ribs. I think she may have anger management issues!” Best to keep the Sky email address away from them at this stage.
 10:00pm And so Neil’s second full work day in succession begins! He leaves home for the Sky studios around 10pm every Monday night, arriving at 11:30pm. And then? “Upon arrival, I usually hang around with Nick and Kev for a few minutes before we head off to get made up for the show. Kev spends these final few moments researching the Falcons and Saints while Nick usually begins his quest to drink as much tea in one night as is humanly possible.”
Tuesday 11th
12:15am Time for a bit of beautification: “It’s into makeup and it is worrying how, as the season has progressed, I have needed to spend longer and longer in there. The first thing applied to my boat race each week is the anti-shine in order to reduce the glare off my ever-increasing forehead.” And is there any tomfoolery with Nick and Kev? “The first time I appeared on Sky last December I fell, like a true rookie, for their favourite trick. Just as the makeup lady began spraying her foundation-spray around my mouth, they asked me a question and, like a fool, I answered. A coughing fit ensued and I looked awful for the next hour. But at least my tonsils had a nice bronzed look to them.”
12:45am With the live broadcast 45 minutes away, Neil, Nick and Kev take their place in the studio and begin rehearsals. “This involves Kev and Nick reading their autocue links for the top of the show and the cameramen via instruction from the producer (Karl Baumann) and director (David Spence) working out the best angle to make me look dashingly handsome! The rehearsal plots out what we are going to talk about and when at the top of the show, but we don’t actually go through the motions of talking about the subjects. We will also be shown the results and standings graphics we will talk over and action footage of the likes of Reggie Bush and Joey Harrington. My involvement is basically to count to 10 so the sound men can set the right levels for my microphone. For someone who only got an F in maths at school, even that can prove to be a challenge from time to time.”
1:30am It’s all systems go as Sky commences its live Monday night coverage. Says Neil: “We go on air and I kick off the show talking about the 23-month sentence handed down to Michael Vick earlier that day. Nick takes everyone through the results and standings and before we know it, the game is kicking off. It is amazing how quickly that opening 10 minutes of the show flies by. As soon as the game begins, our runner, Lloyd, comes into the studio to take food and drink orders. Myself and Nick are easy. Nick will be on his fourth or fifth cup of tea and I will either have a tea or a coffee. Kev is another matter. As soon as Lloyd enters the studio, a wolfish grin appears on Kev’s face and I swear he is thinking of the most outlandish requests possible. This week, he settles for a hot chocolate and some cookies, but I have heard him ask for a host of different sandwiches, crisps (ready salted, not flavoured), fruit-flavoured water and even maltesers. You never know what he is going to ask for next but it certainly keeps things interesting.”
And what’s happening in the studio when the cameras aren’t running? “Watching games with Nick and Kev is a lot of fun and we will sit around and shoot the breeze when the cameras are not on. We are just how you would imagine a group of guys at home to be watching the game. We drink our tea and hot chocolate (instead of beers and pizza) and we will munch away on a seemingly-endless supply of cookies (Kev), chocolate bars (me) and fruit (goody-two-shoes Halling!).”
Inevitably, Neil’s ‘By the Numbers’ Anthony Smith column comes back to haunt him via Steelers’ fan Nick: “Nick announces I may have been a tad harsh! It’s all in good fun and we have a real giggle throughout the show but I admit he might be right. By the end of the night I almost feel sorry for Smith. Almost, but not quite.”
With the game quickly out of hand as New Orleans ease past Atlanta, Neil and Nick move away from the X’s and O’s, preferring to get a little Mystic Meg on us, wondering aloud about Bobby Petrino’s future just days before he resigns: “We speak at length about how he has never won the respect and admiration of his players and is in danger of joining the likes of Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban as coaches who fail to jump from college to the NFL ranks.” Any thoughts on the lottery numbers?
 4:45am Time to wrap the show up: “The game ends, we make our final comments and Kev wishes the viewers a good night (or should that be good morning?). Nick shows more explosion and athletic ability than Reggie Bush as he races out of the studio. I am convinced Nick Halling could beat the NFL’s fastest man in a foot-race, providing it took place at close to five in the morning and the starting point was a studio desk and the finish line was Nick’s car.” We like those odds.
5:00am With his 24 hour marathon nearly complete, Neil picks up a DVD of the show for further review (“it’s something to show the grandchildren!”) and begins the drive home. “You tend to have quite a buzz at the end of a live TV show so the first hour or so of the journey home passes without any problem. The last half an hour doesn’t quite see me falling asleep at the wheel or resorting to slapping my own face every five minutes, but I am ready for my bed and counting down the final few miles.”
6:30am And at last he’s back where it all began. “The day is over and I throw myself into bed, complete with ear plugs as I know the kids are going to be waking up in half an hour and creating merry hell for a couple of hours before they head off to school. I am content with my dreams of Nick Halling, Kevin Cadle and Joey Harrington. Do I need therapy?” Uh
10:30am But hang on, he’s up again, just four hours later! What gives? “As a freelance, I am currently forced to burn the candle at both ends and that means a 10:30am alarm call after just four hours sleep. I work from home on Tuesdays and by the end of the day, I am always ready for an early night. That might be the biggest understatement of all time!”
Check out Neil’s By the Numbers column and NFLUK TV pieces at www.nfluk.com, as if you didn’t already.
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