Hines Ward to Join NBC and Football Night in America

For the past few seasons, Football Night in America on NBC, which has preceded the network's Sunday Night Football telecasts, has been my favorite football pregame show. Unfortunately, instead of leaving Hines Ward and his obnoxious grin off of television after his retirement, NBC Sports hired the former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver. His primary gig will be as an analyst for Football Night in America. Sam Flood, the executive producer of NBC Sports and NBCSN, explained that Ward will sometimes be an on-site analyst, while other times being an in-studio analyst.

"Opening Sunday, it makes sense to have him in Denver for the Steelers-Broncos, and in Week 3 in Baltimore for New England-Baltimore," Flood said. He added that it will also be intriguing to have Ward in the studio with Harrison, a former safety, to break down the receiver-defensive back matchup.

For those who are familiar with Football Night in America, as a Browns fan, does this hiring mean that you will turn off the tube whenever he appears on your screen?