National Football League

Behind the Scenes with FOX's NFL crew: Third Tampa trip of 2024 produces history

Updated Jan. 7, 2025 12:12 p.m. ET

By Richie Zyontz
FOX NFL Lead Producer

Editor's Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as the lead producer. He has more than 40 years of experience covering the league and has produced seven Super Bowls. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, he is providing an inside look as FOX's new No. 1 NFL team, including NFL legend Tom Brady, makes its journey toward Super Bowl LIX. Read more behind-the-scenes stories from Richie Zyontz here.

Three trips to Tampa was not on my bingo card when the season began. Yet, as the 2024 NFL campaign concluded, we were back for a game that would help decide the NFC South champion, as the Tampa Bay Bucs battled the injury-depleted New Orleans Saints.

Tampa is a great place to call a game. The city is easy to navigate. Raymond James Stadium is moments away from both the airport and our beloved Cuban restaurant, La Teresita. And a January visit to Florida is always desirable.

A Little History

In September 1998, we covered the first-ever game in this stadium between the Bucs and the Chicago Bears.

Walking around the day before was not encouraging. The place looked like a construction site, with workmen of every stripe. Corridors of swirling dust and the wafting aroma of freshly applied paint filled the air. It was hard to imagine the place would be ready for football, but it was.

The stadium’s unique feature was the replica pirate ship in the north end zone.

Of course now, in the age of glitz and glamor, this seems modest. But 26 years ago the sight of palm trees and tiki huts looming behind the goalposts was pretty radical.

To this day, those fired cannons still startle the unsuspecting player. Just ask Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert!

Eagles' Dallas Goedert startled by cannons in game vs. Buccaneers

Some Ancient History

There were no cannons or gimmicks at the Bucs’ previous home — Tampa Stadium — known as the "Big Sombrero." However, some glitches did exist for broadcast crews. Our trucks were parked inside on a public concourse adjacent to the field. Late in the second quarter, the halftime band would tune up just outside our doors. Needless to say, the deafening sounds of pounding drums and tubas had an effect. You couldn’t think, much less produce or direct. The halftime snack included hot dogs and aspirin.

And the announcers worked in a substandard broadcast booth on the stadium's highest level. You needed the Hubble Telescope to see the players’ numbers. Because of limited space, the only way to show them on camera was to move them to an outside perch just outside the booth. I clearly remember on a windy day, the legendary former head coach and CBS analyst Hank Stram distractedly talking about Tampa’s run game, holding a microphone with one hand, and reaching for his toupee with the other.

The Game Itself

No wind or vulnerable hairpieces on Sunday, just a game hampered by incessant penalty flags that made a well-paced broadcast quite a challenge. One misdiagnosed call resulted in a five-minute delay on the field. Somehow FOX Sports Rules Analyst Dean Blandino had it pegged correctly within seconds. In the end, there were 20 penalties for 167 yards and lots of camera time for head referee Adrian Hill.

But that didn’t detract from the day’s two main storylines. 1. The race for the NFC South title, and 2. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans' race to the record books.

In a nutshell, the Saints showed resilience but couldn't withstand a fourth-quarter comeback by Tampa Bay. So the Bucs are NFC champions for the fourth straight year. Another thing I didn't have on my bingo card.

And that brings us to Evans, Tom Brady's former teammate and future Hall of Fame wide receiver. He came into the game 85 yards shy of 1,000 on the season.

He wound up with 89 on the day, thus tying Jerry Rice's record of 11 consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.

What made this enjoyable was how Brady relished the moment. As Evans got closer and closer to the mark, Brady became an analyst and a fan.

Evans was one of Tom's favorite teammates and the enthusiasm was genuine, both in the booth and on the field.
Once the record-tying catch occurred, Evans was mobbed by teammates. Our director, Rich Russo, showed smart patience by staying with the scene and capturing the unfiltered joy of the moment.

The celebration continued in Tampa's locker room in a raucous scene with Evans as the focal point.

Bucs' locker room celebration after Mike Evans' 11th-straight 1,000-yard season

So the book is now closed on the regular season. The first stop for us on the long and winding road to Super Bowl LIX will be a Sunday wild card game in Philadelphia between the Green Bay Packers and the Eagles. The two teams faced each other in Brazil to open this season, and now with much more on the line, they meet again in the late afternoon chill of Lincoln Financial Field.

Should be another great one!

Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as lead producer. He boasts more than 40 years of experience covering the NFL.