Al Michaels is looking forward to another year of broadcasting in his legendary career as the Amazon Prime games begin.
The opening Thursday Night game for Amazon sees the Buffalo Bills take on the Miami Dolphins.
Michaels, who has been a familiar voice to US sports fans for half a century, says he is only focusing on the present.
He is entering the last year of his three-year deal with Amazon.
“The reality is, I’ve trained myself to live in the present,” Michaels told the New York Post.
I have for a long period of time. I don’t like to go into the past. People love to hear stories about the old days – I’m bored with it.”
He repeated the same message in another interview with Sports Illustrated.
“I feel great. We signed a three-year deal and then we agreed along the way, let’s see where we are and I’ll see where I am,” he said.
“Right now, I feel great. I want to get into the season. I am living right now, in the present.
“I’m not living in the past. I’m not thinking that much about the future. I want to go week-to-week and just enjoy what I’m doing and savor it and relish it.
“That’s where I am. My mindset is in the moment. So, as we go along down the road, I’ll know how I feel. I’ll know how they feel.”
Michaels admits he draws inspiration from another broadcasting legend who became a friend.
“There’s a lot of simpatico with me and Vin Scully, who was a very, very good friend.
“Vinny did the Dodgers until he was 86 and I got to know him very, very well.
“We belonged to the same golf club and I spent a lot of time with Vinny, especially in his later years.
We had a talk one day and I’ll never forget Vinny saying to me that he’ll go on as long as he enjoys it and as long as he feels that he can do it at the level that he has to do it at.
“That he’s not diminishing, and he still feels as if he can do it the way Vin Scully always did it.
“I can’t put it any more perfectly than that. That’s exactly the way I feel right now.”
The NFL is clearly heading down the road of increasing the number of games being streamed.
Alongside Amazon and its Thursday games, Netflix is joining the fray this season, with games being shown on Christmas Day.
Peacock has already had a piece of the action in the opening week of the new season, showing last Friday’s meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo.
