NEW ORLEANS – Zach Strief, the former Saints offensive lineman and Drew Brees protector who was part of the best season in team history, has been chosen as the successor to the legendary Jim Henderson as Saints play-by-play man, WWL Radio announced Wednesday.
Strief will be making the extremely rare move from on-the-field to in-the-booth in a single season. Most of those who make that move have plied their trade at some lower levels before making the move.
"The whole reason this position sounds enticing to me is the respect that I had for (former Saints play-by-play man) Jim Henderson," said Strief. "When I think of the biggest moments of my career... I think of Jim's call."
"We are setting a precedent that hasn't been done too much in the National Football League," said WWL Radio Analyst Bobby Hebert. "(Having) two former players in the booth."
“When we set the criteria for the new ‘Voice of the Saints’ we were looking for someone who would make the professional play calls, as well as someone who has a deep connection to the team, the fans and our community,” said Chris Wegmann, senior vice president and market manager of Entercom New Orleans, which owns WWL Radio. “Zach possesses all of those qualities, knows the game firsthand and is a fixture in the New Orleans community. We’re very excited about adding him to the team.”
As Jim Henderson once said, there are only 32 people who have this job.
And, Strief will be taking the “road less traveled” in bypassing the ‘analyst’ job for the one that sometimes takes the deftness of a quarterback surveying the field – though without the oncoming rush of the world’s greatest athletes intent on doing major harm.
Strief was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 draft and backed up Jon Stinchcomb for five years before taking over the job for the past 8. His emotional good-bye press conference left many, including Brees, in tears.
The pairing of Strief with former Saints Pro Bowl running back Deuce McAllister will give the club two former players in the booth.
“I kind of tried to reach out to any resource I could that had experience in it,” Strief said during a recent interview with the New Orleans Advocate. “Obviously, it’s a difficult job. I have a ton of respect for the people that do it, and you quickly become enamored with a few guys that you listen to. It’s something that I’d certainly have to grow into.”