The CBS play call and commentary during the Raiders/Titans game. I'm hoping I've found something we can all, at last, agree on when it comes to embarrassments in the NFL. It's one thing when two announcers don't get along, have no chemistry at all, and even yell stupidly at one another. It's another to mix up "offense" and "defense," and similarly confuse "Raiders" with "Titans" at least once per quarter. It was a complete relief each time the REFEREE spoke, because he sounded so eloquent by comparison.
I was telling Refman the other day on the phone...it's not the bad calls that get me...it's the lack of confidence in the calls that you can see in the referees' eyes and in their body language. Everyone blows calls now and then...but when you stand up to say what happened, try to avoid looking like deer in headlights. It diminishes your credibility the next time around...always look like you're damn certain you got the call right, even if you're not so certain on the inside.
I agree with you guys concerning the refs, but I'm talking about the horrible announcing. Simms is one of the worst I've ever heard at any level in the business, including local college radio sports announcers. "He was really flailing the ball around in traffic, not taking care of it at all. You'll see it here on the replay... ... Well, I'm wrong. He was carrying it with two arms the whole time... But if you run that tape at full speed, it looks like he's being careless." That is almost a direct quotation.
Yup Simms is horrible. Is he supposed to be the color commentator? Because he adds nothing. Bland as hell. What's really funny is how often he waffles. "Refs made the right call. The ball never hit the ground." *replay* "You sure? looks like ..." *replay* "Nope, the reciever had his hands under the ball the whole time." *coach challenge* "Good challenge by the coach, it looks like the ball might have hit the ground at the end." "?" *watches replay again* "This will be overturned and ruled incomplete." *coach loses challenge, was a reception* "Good call by the refs." wtf?
{Rant on} Lot of ex-players are just horrible announcers. I hope Phil Simms and Dan Fouts both get excused for next year. THe more times I hear Fouts's call of the Fiesta Bowl the more I know Fouts has no business ever doing another game. Miami is faster, Miami is good, blah, blah, blah. Commentate the game you f-ing idiot noone cares about your Relationship to Winslow Sr. or any other crap that you spew out. {Rant off} Yeah I tiotally agree there are some bad announcers out there. I will say the one new color guy who I do like is Aikman.
I could just see Phil doing this while watching a Texas game a few years back "C'mon Chris, that guy is wide open in the end zone" "Good throw, Chris!" "Oh man, picked off" "Wait, that was touchdown, the guy with horns on his helmet caught it" "No it wasn't" "No, he didn't catch that, He only had 1 foot in bounds!" "Wait, this is college" "Show the replay" "Wow, great throw Chris, great catch too" "Wait a second, thats Major Applewhite"
Overall I cannot stand CBS Sports coverage of the NFL. I think that Fox and ABC do a much better job of announcing and presenting the game. Thank god the Super Bowl isnt on CBS.
simms IS awful. my favorite part of every NFL season is his "iron man awards" show, or whatever they call that television version of anthrax. actually, in a nod toward truth in advertising, they should really call it, "phil simms' desperate attempt to prove he has a personality." he's horrible. his cantakerous relationship with gumble, which feels about as real as pam anderson's left breast, is painful; his seeming inability to listen (last night, after the official announced they would be reviewing a fumble, and gumble repeated such, simms shouted, "no! they're going to review where to spot the ball.") is stunning and, of course, his shockingly sparse staple of actual knowlege about how and why the game is played floors me. also bad, aikman and collinsworth; aikman because he adds ZERO insight, choosing instead to spout cliches, and collinsworth because he's confused insight with braying, asinine opinions. i don't want my color commentators to be opinionated -- anyone can do that -- i want them to be knowledgeable. there was a play in sunday's eagle game, i think it was johnson's early interception -- clearly, an eagle defender prevented johnson from finishing his folow-through on the throw, and, predictably, the pass sailed and was picked off. anyone mention this? aikman, the former QB? nope. he talked about what a big momentum swing the pick was, which a) isn't always true (iirc, philly went three and out); b) is a no-brainer if true.
Now you know how I feel when ex players walk right in and get broadcasting jobs because of their names. Being a student majoring in this field at the University of Texas, it angers me greatly when ESPN hires Tim Hardaway or these NFL fools. Btw, the NBA2Night is terrible. However, NFL2Night, EdgeNflMatchup and College Hoops 2Night are very good, so I realize these guys aren't all bad. It is a slap in the face of many broadcasters who have worked their butt off(not for money I might add) to succeed and then these beacons of our profession hire an ex player because it sells figuring they can teach him broadcasting. It almost makes your degree worthless, and for the amount of effort it takes to earn it, that is a shame. I know people at our student run(yes completely run by students) TV station at UT who could do a better job than a lot of these ex athletes, including myself if I was given a chance. As long as it sells though, it will never change, and that is the reality of the industry I am faced with.
