"A lot of my peers in the movie and TV industry ask me if I'm bored
with being in the same job for so long," he says. "No way. Every
week is different, and I control all of the action. It's a constant
challenge to come up with a new angle, a new way to tell the story
of a game. We only get one shot. There are no extra takes. And
we're all competitive, so it's always a challenge to see which guy
can bring the shot that has everyone back at headquarters
talking."
Andrich has scored his share of kudos, but he's yet to etch his
name in the hallowed halls for that once-in-a-lifetime shot - shots
like "The Catch" by Bob Smith, "The Immaculate Reception" by Ernie
Ernst, and "The Holy Roller" by Tom Karlo. For
NFL neophytes, those
plays, in order, represent
Joe Montana to Dwight Clark to beat
Dallas in the 1981 NFC title game, Franco Harris' amazing catch off
a deflection to beat Oakland in the 1972 AFC playoffs, and the
Raiders' unlikely fumble recovery for the winning touchdown to
shock
San Diego in 1978.
But not only is Films' influence on the game seen during every NFL
telecast and nightly on ESPN's SportsCenter. It's also influential
in other ways.
"NFL Films has made a real impact on how movies get made,
particularly with montages and using slow motion combined with live
action," says
Ron Howard, director of blockbuster movies such as
Apollo 13 and
A Beautiful Mind. "They use hard-hitting sound
effects juxtaposed with incredible, powerful music, creating a
really emotional experience for the viewer."
Rapper
Snoop Dogg sums it up in simpler terms: "Everybody watched
NFL Films growing up. If you didn't, you were some kind of
square."
Nicely put, Mr. Dogg.