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Pam Oliver's been working with the No. 1 FOX NFL for team for as long as many folks can remember, but that run will come to an end in 2014, Oliver's 20th season on the sideline.
Oliver will be replaced by Erin Andrews on the No. 1 team in 2014 and will be removed from the sideline completely after this coming season.
A "stunned" Oliver will join John Lynch and Kevin Burkhardt on FOX's No. 2 broadcast team next year before being shown the door.
“To go from the lead crew to no crew was a little shocking,” Oliver told Richard Deitsch of SI.com. “I said I wanted to do a 20th year [on the sidelines]. I expressed to them that I was not done and had something to offer. Again, I think it was predetermined coming in. Not at that meeting, but two years ago it was determined that no matter what I did or did not do, a change would be made for this year.”
Andrews, meanwhile, ascends to the No. 1 slot, where she'll join Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in covering FOX's top broadcast game.
Aside from her previous celebrity, Andrews drew plenty of attention while interviewing Richard Sherman after the NFC Championship Game between the Seahawks and 49ers. Sherman went bananas, Andrews held her composure (and managed the interview quite well) and enjoyed a significant bump in media coverage as a result.
FOX Sports president Eric Shanks told Deitsch the network makes changes to keep things "fresh."
“I think in the last five years we have made a lot of changes with the NFL crews,” Shanks said. “We have made changes to keep our coverage across the board fresh, including the addition of Burkhardt and Lynch -– which has been one of the more exciting pairings we have put together. This is kind of the next move in that evolution.”
And Oliver acknowledged she isn't upset about being put on the No. 2 team either.
“The No. 2 team is not chopped liver,” Oliver said. “It is an up-and-coming crew and a really good group of guys. They called me the other day and we had some laughs. So I will savor this year. I will get my goodbyes to the security guys and the fans I’ve known for years. It is not even remotely bad, not even anything remotely like ‘Poor me.’ I feel like I have landed in a pot of gold at this stage and how it could have gone. My role has changed.
"Sideline reporting is being phased out and I’m fortunate enough to get this year. I am lucky. I do know that."
