AFC Championship Game brings CBS sports experts to Baltimore
BALTIMORE – The first CBS Sports crew members arrived in Baltimore from Buffalo on Tuesday.
Since then, more than 300 others followed in what is expected to be one of the biggest broadcasts of the year.
Sunday's AFC Championship Game is the first time Baltimore has hosted a conference championship game since 1971.
"You come to a city that hasn't had it (a conference championship game) in a while that's hungry to get to a Super Bowl, absolutely, there's an extra layer of enthusiasm and an excitement," Jason Cohen, CBS Sports' Vice President of Remote Technical Operations, said. "We try to attack every angle from every possible site, whether we're up high or down low."
CBS Sports will have 80 cameras on-site Sunday. There will be 15 for the on-location "studio" crew and another 60+ for the game itself. The crew will have 10 4K cameras, allowing the viewer to see zoomed-in video without losing quality.
"With the game with so much importance, so much riding on it, and a trip to go to Las Vegas for a Super Bowl, the referees are relying on us as much as we are for the coverage as much as the fans are at home," Cohen said. "So, we want to make sure we get it right with all the angles so that if there's a true moment with a play in question—Did he fumble the ball? Did he catch the ball? Did he score a touchdown?—we can help definitively give the right looks to make the right call so that the right team advances to Las Vegas."
The same crew broadcast last week's Chiefs-Bills game in Buffalo, which brought in more than 50 million viewers, a record audience for an NFL Divisional Round game.
"Of course, there's extra pressure on a game that's this big, watched by this many people, but the good news is it's not like we're just starting from the ground and waking up with an AFC Championship Game," Cohen said.
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are on the call in the booth, but the game is historic behind the scenes. The additional cameras and playback machines called for an additional technical director. For the first time in an NFL game, there will be two female technical directors—Teri Rozic for the game and Lindsey Ploszaj in the replay truck.
"All of the toys and the gadgets and gizmos are great, but what you need is a great game," Cohen said.
Cohen said the crew is fully aware of the buzz surrounding pop star Taylor Swift, but the game will dictate how often viewers will see her if she is in attendance.
"Of course, if she's in the stands or she's in the suites and she's out there cheering for KC, then we'll show her whenever Travis or the Chiefs does something well, I'm sure," Cohen said.