Showtime Fields New Team For ‘Inside The NFL’

Showtime’s weekly sports series Inside The NFL on Showtime will feature a new lineup when it debuts Sept. 2.

The weekly series, which is moving to Tuesdays from Wednesdays, will be hosted by Greg Gumbel, who replaces longtime host James Brown. Also new to the broadcast team are current Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall, former Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed and former All Pro quarterback Boomer Esiason.

Last season the show featured several rotating Hall Of Fame analysts as well as veteran NFL commentator Cris Collinsworth. Phil Simms will return to the show, said network officials.

“We’ve assembled, perhaps, the most dynamic cast in this show’s long history,” Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, said in a statement. “Of course, the program will continue to deliver breath-taking highlights and exclusive features. And now, we are coupling the respected and accomplished personalities of Simms, Boomer and Greg Gumbel with a defensive perspective from Ed Reed and Brandon Marshall’s perspective directly from the field. We are as excited as ever for the new season.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.