Announcers, refs for Jets-Panthers have been revealed
Sam Darnold and Robby Anderson won’t be the only ones to enjoy a reunion with the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
The officiating and announcing crews have been revealed for the Jets’ 2021 opener against the Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Andrew Catalon will call the game for CBS (per the Panthers’ official website) while Clay Martin will serve as the referee (per Football Zebras).
This marks Catalon’s second straight season calling the Jets’ opener, having likewise served as the play-by-play man for their 27-17 loss in Buffalo last season. Catalon, a New Jersey native, is set to enter his ninth season in an NFL booth and has also called golf and college basketball events for the network.
Catalon will be paired with former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, who also hosts the nationally syndicated Tiki & Tierney alongside Brandon Tierney on CBS Sports Radio. They’ll be joined by sideline reporter Sherree Burruss, who is in the midst of her second season with the network.
Burruss, formerly of WRC-TV (NBC’s Washington DC affiliate), replaces AJ Ross, who joined the Greg Gumbel/Adam Archuleta tandem. That group will call the Jacksonville Jaguars-Houston Texans tilt, which also resides in Sunday’s early window. Burruss is set to serve as a sideline reporter on a rotational basis.
Meanwhile, a Clay Martin-led officiating crew will oversee a Jets game for the first time since the 2019 season opener at MetLife Stadium, also against the Bills. Martin was also on hand for the last tilt between the Jets and Panthers in November 2017, a 35-27 Carolina win in East Rutherford.
The teams united for 17 penalties, with the Jets charged for seven of those infractions, costing them 68 yards. Martin has been a sore sight for the Jets: Gang Green is 1-5 when he is part of an officiating crew, including a 1-3 mark when Martin was previously an umpire. The lone win was a 37-31 triumph over Buffalo in September 2016.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags