 Arledge had tried to draw in Curt Gowdy and then Vin Scully to ABC for the "MNF" play-by-play role, but settled for Jackson after they proved unable to break their respective existing contracts with NBC Sports and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Jack Buck was also considered, but when Arledge assistant Chuck Howard telephoned Buck with the job offer, Buck refused to respond due to anger at his treatment by ABC during an earlier stint with the network.Arledge's original choice for the third member of the trio, Frank Gifford, was unavailable since he was still under contract to CBS Sports.