WBZ-TV's Dan Roche Joins Patriots Preseason Coverage
BOSTON (CBS) - The New England Patriots will have a new format for the three locally televised preseason games this season, and with that, announced a new broadcast team on Tuesday.
WBZ-TV's Dan Roche will have the play-by-play call for the Patriots' preseason games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and New York Giants, and will be joined by former New England tight end Christian Fauria in the booth.
Roche and Fauria have been paired together before, providing postgame reaction and analysis on WBZ-TV's Patriots 5th Quarter following each of the Patriots regular season and playoff games last year.
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
WBZ-TV's Steve Burton will continue to report from the sidelines for the three games, but will be joined by former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham. Chatham had a nine-year NFL career with the Patriots and the New York Jets, winning three Super Bowl championships with the Patriots.
Kraft Sports Productions, who puts together the Patriots' preseason telecasts, says this season's preseason games will be less of a traditional football broadcast and include more discussion and analysis.
"We are looking at the preseason games as an opportunity to try something different and find innovative ways to engage our fans in the discussion," said Matt Smith, the executive producer of Kraft Sports Productions. "We are not looking for just a down-and-distance approach to calling the game. We want voices and opinions on what happened during the week of practice and how it relates to what fans are seeing on the field. We want a conversational, talk-radio approach on the important issues and roster battles that are going on throughout practice as well as in the game. We want our viewers to hear the opinions of the people watching every detail of the practice sessions during the week and how it relates to what is happening in the game."
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
Patriots Football Weekly's Paul Perillo and Andy Hart will also be a part of the telecast, giving insight and observations throughout the game and engaging viewers on social media.
The Patriots preseason schedule begins on Friday, August 9 in Philadelphia. You can see that game on WBZ-TV or listen to the radio broadcast on 98.5 The Sports Hub at 7:30 p.m..
