What do you want from your NFL annoucers?

[miami_fan]

There seems to be general hate for NFL announcers on the board. I was wondering who is/are your favorite NFL announcer/s and what do you want from your announcing crew national or local. I enjoy listening to the Fox #1 crew of Buck, Aikman, and Collinsworth. They are not afraid to praise a player when they do something good or rip a guy (usually Collinsworth's dept.) when he screws up. When I am watching a Dolphins game, I will turn down the volume and listen to the local radio commentators. I'll admit it. I like to hear a homer when I am watching my team play. When I am watching football, I like to be entertained and educated. I can see what is going on so too much play by play can be rather irritating For example, with the first down yellow line most of the networks use and the down and distance showing in a box on the side of the screen, I do not need to hear from the PBP guy that it is 4th and 1 ten times. I would rather hear the color guys talk 75% percent of the time as opposed to the PBP guy. Kinda of like sitting around with a buddy who happens to be a former player/coach and having him explain certain intracacies to you

[Hurst2112]

I want people that can speak english.

[Balldog]

Welcome to the internet, there is a general hate for almost anyone.

[Wasabiak]

To be honest, i think Troy Aikman is a fantastic announcer. Is it Dick Stockton that does games with him? If so, that is my favorite team. ESPN's crew wouldn't be bad, but Thiesman is a pompous dick. Then you got guys like Dan Dickdorf, who just go off on meaningless rambles for no apparent reason. He's kinda like the color guy in TPF.......He misses a lot of the action. (Sorry, had to throw that in =) I kinda wish Kirk Herbstreit did NFL pbp.

[panerd]

I don't mind the ESPN guys, I actually find Thiesman and McGwire somewhat entertaining. I can't stand when they switch announcers for my teams. Like I think we had Salamon Wilcots,Don Cricqi, or Steve Tasker doing 99% of the Bengal games the last five years. Now all of a sudden they aren't CBS's last prioirty game so we get some morons who don't know anything about the team except Kitna and Marvin Lewis. Keep the announcers with the teams they usually do and let them enjoy the Bengal ride with the rest of us.

[MrBug708]

Hot girls who talk about football, naked

[Flasch186]

I want when an announcer initially says something like, "you see Jim, the ball was knocked out by the CB coming up from behind." then they show the replay and you can see CLEARLY that the ball actually came out because the damn player smacked the ball against his own knee, The CB wasn't close. Then there is silence in the booth and a comment about something else. PLEASE for christ's sake say something smart like, "Jim I missed that one. The ball obviously hit his own knee." I hate it when they sit there in stone silence leaving me to think, "What is this guy an idiot? I hate him!!!" I dont want to feel that way.

By far the best Football on TV is ESPN's production. Excellent in all facets. Mike is splendid at PBP, Joe gives great insight, The humor comes from the other guy (nameless - in my head right now). And the best part is Suzy Kolber. Why? Because she doesnt glam it up, asks smart questions, knows what the hell she is talking about, never tries to upstage someone, handles adversity well (see Namath) and adds to the game. The Monday night crew could take lessons.

[Hurst2112]

Originally posted by Hurst2112
I want people that can speak english.

NOT Bill Romanowski

He was terrible on Sunday

[Wasabiak]

Who would you rather have.......Suzy Kolber or Lisa Guerrero?

[miami_fan]

Originally posted by Hurst2112
NOT Bill Romanowski

He was terrible on Sunday

I think he might be a better studio guy. I thought he did a good job during the draft last year

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

Who would you rather have.......Suzy Kolber or Lisa Guerrero?

Why not both?

[miami_fan]

Originally posted by Wasabiak
Who would you rather have.......Suzy Kolber or Lisa Guerrero?

Definitely Suzy!She seems to understand game film better than a certain Miami Dolphin head coach!

[Flasch186]

Kolber for sure.....After a while I just wanna rip the cue card from Lisa and watch her flop around like a fish out of water. No worries when it comes to Suzy.


You know what? Ill take back Eric Dickerson over Lisa!! How bout that? Even when he said, "Yeah, Al the weather here in the stadium is bootiful. Its 72 degrees and not a cloud in the.....oh we're in the RCA dome. yeah. uh, go Rams?"


That was awesome!!!

[miami_fan]

Originally posted by Flasch186
Kolber for sure.....After a while I just wanna rip the cue card from Lisa and watch her flop around like a fish out of water. No worries when it comes to Suzy.


You know what? Ill take back Eric Dickerson over Lisa!! How bout that? Even when he said, "Yeah, Al the weather here in the stadium is bootiful. Its 72 degrees and not a cloud in the.....oh we're in the RCA dome. yeah. uh, go Rams?"


That was awesome!!!

Okay when I have to choose between incompetant reporters I will choose beauty over funny any day!

[Flasch186]

ah, but must we settle for one or the other? Suzy, Jill Arrington, im sure there are more in regional games i dont know about.

[Draft Dodger]

I really like Buck - I think he does a tremendous job. I dig that whole crew - Collinsworth is much better in the booth than the studio.

I like Stockton and I like Enberg. I guess I go for more of the "classic" broadcasters. It strikes me though that Enberg works with a color guy I don't like - Dierdorf perhaps? I also like Gumbel, but Simms has got to go.

Al Michaels, of course, is fantastic - even if he does sound like he has a betting problem (he can't call a game without bringing up the point spread at some time). I like Madden more than most.

I think, in general, I'm not too fond of the color commentators. They just talk way, way too much. I don't need to have them weigh in after every play. I'd much rather hear them when they have something interesting to say, and just keep quiet for the rest of the time so that I can watch the game. I don't NEED in-depth analysis on a 2-yard run on 2nd down every single time.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

I am glad this post came around to what is really important - Lisa G. or Suzy K. I believe the question was who would you rather "have", not talk football with. Lisa G is the obvious choice for everyone except Joe Namath.

And absolutely by far and without a doubt, Paul Macguire on ESPN is dreadful. At the start of every game, every player on the field is an all star and he showers them with compliments over the simplest of plays (especially MLBs). After that he fails to point during the rest of the game how the player sucks or is missing plays.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

And Aikman is clearly the best color guy. Darryl Johnson is not bad either.

[Flasch186]

See i love Patrick Theisman and the whole analysis so there you go. You knwo what they say about opinions, everyone's got one and some are stinky. like a**holes or armpits. well i guess you got two. unless you lost an arm in a war or sumtin. or feet!! but wait, you got two dem too......uh, yeah. Go Rams.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by Vinatieri for Prez
And absolutely by far and without a doubt, Paul Macguire on ESPN is dreadful. At the start of every game, every player on the field is an all star and he showers them with compliments over the simplest of plays (especially MLBs). After that he fails to point during the rest of the game how the player sucks or is missing plays.

that whole ESPN team is terrible.
I can't even handle Patrick, who is the most acceptable of the bunch (I don't like his attempt to make every single play into a game-hinging play - he'll get ridiculously excited over the smallest thing).
Maguire is simply useless. He never was very good, and he's a parody of himself now. "now watch this replay...you see that? there!". blech.
Theisman I think I could handle in a different situation - again, he's another one who falls into that "I feel a need to say something here, no matter what". His cockiness, a great attribute for a QB, really shows through too much - you could call him Morganesque.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by Vinatieri for Prez
And Aikman is clearly the best color guy. Darryl Johnson is not bad either.

Moose is much better having gotten away from the 3 man booth, where he seemed too shy to break in. He's much improved.

I like Aikman too - I like that he's not afraid to be critical of players/coaches, which must be hard considering he's not very far removed from the game. A lot of guys sound like they are afraid to piss someone off.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Vinatieri for Prez
Lisa G is the obvious choice for everyone except Joe Namath.

Absolutely. NOT!

My feelngs about Lisa Guerrero are well-known. She is Fugly, with her big-ass head and cheeks that stretch for miles. Yuck. I'll take the petite cutie anyday over a 40-something woman who cakes on makeup to desperately pretend like she's still 29. And, she doesn't really know football.

Drunk or not, I'm with Namath on this one.

Aikman's the best color guy, hands down.

I actually like the ESPN crew, although I can see where people would hate them. Patrick, who is good at what he does, throws out way too many superlatives about ordinary players and/or plays, Theismann talks just to hear himself and gets off on tangents (like Vick's greatness) that he just can't stop, and Maguire is the guy everyone is parodying now - Sports Guy, Peter King, etc. - with his "I want you to watch this play, see how he does that, and then BAM!" commentary. Still, I find him funny and I think he and Theismann play off of one another very well, and Patrick is good as the straight man for their little act. Overall, the crew is good, but if you take each one on his own, you might be forced to commit murder.

[Kevin]

I don't like announcers very much because they won't let you watch the damn game. Just tell me who did what after the play and shut up until the next play is underway. Television sports is becoming more intolerable to watch each year because all the announcers do is scream in my ear for the whole telecast. I don't want to mute the broadcast because I still want the basic play by play. If I want excessive meaningless verbage, I'll watch one of the asinine pre-game shows that are targeted to your average thirteen year old.

[JimboJ]

By far the best team is the ESPN guys. Patrick does a great job with the PBP. And Theisman and Maguire add a lot to the broadcast, and they have great chemistry together. And they keep each other honest. If one says something stupid, the other isn't afraid to call him on the carpet (in a good natured way). Are they the most knowlegable football guys on the planet? I don't know, but for me they make the game enjoyable to watch.

On the other side of the coin, you have the MNF guys. I like Michaels, but they really need to find him a new partner. He and Madden have no chemistry together, and Michaels seems afraid to disagree with anything Madden says. I would rather see Madden on one of the studio pre-game shows on Sunday.

I also like Buck, Aikman and Collinsworth. They will only get better as they do more games together.

The guy I can't stand is Bill Maas. He tries so hard to be the next Madden, and ends up sounding like a bufoon.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by JimboJ
The guy I can't stand is Bill Maas. He tries so hard to be the next Madden, and ends up sounding like a bufoon.

Yes, someone had to step into Matt Millen's "I'm the next Madden" role and Maas has gladly accepted the challenge.

[ISiddiqui]

Chaulk another for the ESPN Crew. Jeez, and I thought I was the only one (in those football Week XX threads ). I love how Maguire and Theismann interact. Both are so arrogant and they argue all the time with each other. Much better than the announcers that always agree, even if the other guy was dead wrong. They'll call each other on dumb statements they make. Patrick is good PBP, and I love the emotion he gets. Other announcers are a bit too non-excited even on plays they should be. You can tell Patrick loves the game.

Give me the ESPN guys, they entertain me every time.

[Raiders Army]

Again, I will go with the Pro Wrestling team of say...

Heel Announcer: Keyshawn Johnson
Face Announcer: Howie Long

Here's how it would go down:

KJ : Welcome to Tampa Bay, the place where Chucky rules with an iron fist. The players who make millions don't get a say whatsoever in what goes on.

HL : It's great to be here as Oakland revisits for a Superbowl rematch. Unfortunately for them, they haven't been playing so well this year, and I think a lot of it is because of the selfish players like Charles Woodson.

KJ : Howie, I can't believe you'd say that! Obviously, the Buccs have been doing poorly because of the coaching staff. How would you deactivate one of the best receivers in the league for the final half of the season?

HL : Well, Keyshawn, I think you have to have order in the locker room, and the coach has to set the right tone. Take the Raiders for example...uh...nevermind.

KJ : Exactly! Let the players run the team, and you'll get results. Take a look at all the coaches who were once players that are doing well or have done well: Jeff Fisher, Bill Cowher, even John Madden, remember him?

HL : Sure, I concede that's true, but what about Mike Tice?

KJ : Mike Tice doesn't count as a player! He was a tight end in the 80s! They never threw him the damn ball!

HL : Okay, moving on to other things, how about those celebrations? It seems as if the league is cracking down hard on players like your cousin, Chad. I think it's the right thing to do, since I got fewer chances since I played defense.

KJ : Sure, sure! Look, Howie, the league needs to understand that NFL doesn't stand for No Fun League. When I'm 60 and watching Superbowl 59, I wanna see some playas celebrate. If the kids growing up now can't have role models like cousin Chad, then who else can they look up to?

HL : You should never end your sentences in prepositions. That's what's wrong with you. They can look up to great players like Peyton Manning, who's never won a big game in his life, or Dan Marino, who never won the Superbowl, or just watch basketball, how about that LeBron James?

Just a little snippet of what it would be like. I think it'd be much better, especially when there's a blowout.

[gstelmack]

What do I want in an announcer? I want someone who:

• Spends the broadcast watching and calling the game, not congratulating each other on some milestone or anniversary or whatever. I want to see the field, not the guys sitting around in the booth chatting to each other. I'm watching because I'm interested in the game, the least they can do is pretend they are interested in the game. The worst is when you miss a play or barely get to see the play because of the story being told by the guys in the booth or the reporter on the sidelines. Sometimes it feels like the game is getting in the way of their good time.
• Actually WATCHES the game. John Madden is one of the worst for this. I swear he isn't watching the same game I am. He gets more penalties or other calls completely wrong and clearly isn't watching the replay. Get him out of the booth, will you?
• As mentioned above, be a man and admit when you are wrong. There actually are a handful out there that do this, and we need more of them.
• Study the rulebook. We sure don't have time to, but this is your fulltime job. I shouldn't have to wait for Total Access on NFL network to find out what the rule really is. Waiting for that to get the NFL interpretation of the rule is fine, but you guys ought to be able to talk intelligently about the rule when the call is being made. I ought to be learning from you.

[Fidatelo]

With all this "Suzy vs. Lisa" pondering, I'm left to question... has everyone forgotten about Melissa Stark??? She is tops in my books, by a longshot. She'll be back on MNF next year, right?

[Wasabiak]

Does anyone here remember the little experiment NBC tried back in the early 80's, where they did a game with NO announcers? I remember it, but can't recall why it didn't pan out. It was a very weird game to watch. All you heard the whole game was the crowd cheering and they would put up the down/distance and the score so you knew what the hell was going on. Maybe they should try that again, now that TV graphics and whatnot have advanced?

[Kodos]

I like the ESPN crew, MNF, Joe Buck and crew, and a couple of the classic announcers like Enberg. I can't stand the crew who did the Bears last season (not this season). I think one of them was related to Marv Albert maybe? They were terrible. It's bad enough having to watch boring Bears games, but adding in bad announcers makes it even worse.

As for the women, I like Suzy because she seems to have actual football knowledge. Lisa G is horrible and unattractive. Bring back Melissa Stark!

[kcchief19]

This thread got me to thinking about what I like and dislike about NFL announcers. For play by play, I'm looking for someone who can get everybody's name right and has a vague awareness of football (read: not Don Criqui). On color man, I want someone who knows Xs and Os, not a lot of stories about sandwiches. I agree that Aikman and Johnston are among my favorites these days. I liked Dierforf when he was on MNF, but I think he's awful these days.

For sideline reporters, you can go one of two ways: the smart way (Suzy Kolber) or the hot way (Jill Arrington). Frankly, I don't think Lisa G is either one -- too big a schnoz. These days, I got a bit of a B-Squared (Bonnie Bernstein) thing going.

If you are going to go with a three-man booth, you know who I would love to see as the third person in there? A former NFL ref. At the very least, I think it would be nice if the networks had a former NFL ref in studio they could go to for rules interpretations. Every game has at least a few calls where rules come into play, and it kills me when two guys who have never read the rule book are trying to figure out whether or not a call is reviewable or what exactly the tuck rule is.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Wasabiak
Does anyone here remember the little experiment NBC tried back in the early 80's, where they did a game with NO announcers? I remember it, but can't recall why it didn't pan out. It was a very weird game to watch. All you heard the whole game was the crowd cheering and they would put up the down/distance and the score so you knew what the hell was going on. Maybe they should try that again, now that TV graphics and whatnot have advanced?

I'm hoping that DirecTV will ultimately get to the point where we can choose from the broadcast version of the game or a feed with no announcers and the ability to choose from a number of camera angles to customize our viewing experience. I long for that wide-angle shot that allows you to see the play - including the receiver's routes - develop. Basically, I want to see the kind of camera shots that Jaworski shows every week on NFL Matchup.

[clintl]

I hate the whole ESPN team, except for Suzy. Patrick is the most annoying PBP guy on TV, and Theismann and Maguire are just terrible color guys.

I disagree that Michaels and Madden don't have any chemistry. Michaels is such a great PBP guy that I think he has restrained some of Madden's excesses from the later Summerall years, and brought Madden back to some of the qualities that made him the standard in the first place. Not all the way back, but he's better than he has been in a long time.

I think Buck is good, Aikman is great, and that team would be a lot better if they banished Collinsworth back to Cincinnati.

While not the most entertaining two guys around, I think Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms do a good job overall.

Dick Enberg is one of the all-time greats.

I loved Dan Fouts when he was on MNF - someone should give him another shot on a #1 announcing team.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by kcchief19

For sideline reporters, you can go one of two ways: the smart way (Suzy Kolber) or the hot way (Jill Arrington). Frankly, I don't think Lisa G is either one -- too big a schnoz. These days, I got a bit of a B-Squared (Bonnie Bernstein) thing going.

Yes yes! Thumbs up to Bonnie! And I'd prefer Suzy over Lisa any day.

Lets see....I like the ESPN crew and always have, I like Michaels and Madden though not necessarily together, Joe Buck is fantastic, Aikman has surprised me by being a very good color guy, I like Enberg a lot more now that John Elway is no longer in the league, Dick Stockton is solid, and there is just no excitement with Gumbel and Simms. Bill Maas is just plain bad (I remember a comment someone made a few years ago that its as if he's doing the game with a sandwich in his mouth), but he seems indistinguishable from all the other 2nd tier color guys these days, who all seem to be equally poor.

[clintl]

One color guy who got the boot years ago (and I never understood why, because he was one of the best at the time) was Wayne Walker. He and Dick Stockton used to be the team that covered the 49ers most of the time in the '80s.

[Fidatelo]

My thoughts:

- The ESPN crew is good as long as Michael Vick isn't playing.
- MNF crew is superb, I might be alone on this but I think Madden is still by far the best colour guy, even if he has almost become a caricature of himself.
- CBS has the worst presentation, announcers, and pregame on earth. I almost find watching games on CBS more painful than it's worth.
- Fox crews seem ok. Buck will always be a baseball announcer in my mind, it feels weird to hear him do football.
- Biggest waste of talent right now is Bob Costas. I guess he must have his own shows on US cable channels or something, but he really should be doing baseball, football, or basketball for a major network.
- 2nd biggest waste of talent right now is Dan Fouts. He was really good on MNF. I actually liked Dennis Miller too, I kind of thought he got the shaft in a way but I do like Madden better so I guess it's all right. But Fouts should be on my TV still, he was really good.

[JimboJ]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
I'm hoping that DirecTV will ultimately get to the point where we can choose from the broadcast version of the game or a feed with no announcers and the ability to choose from a number of camera angles to customize our viewing experience. I long for that wide-angle shot that allows you to see the play - including the receiver's routes - develop. Basically, I want to see the kind of camera shots that Jaworski shows every week on NFL Matchup.

That is an excellent idea. And as an alternative to listening to anouncers, to have an option to listen to on-field mics, so you can hear what the players are saying to each other before during and after the play. I want to hear what goes on down on the field live, foul language and all, not just a few sanitized snippets they put on at half-time. That and a big screen HDTV would really make you feel like you're on the field.

[vtbub]

If I watch Sunday Night Football, it's with the sound down and the radio on. Joel Myers and Bob Trumpy do a good job. Thiesmann irritates the hell out of me, Maguire needs a decent pbp guy (Enberg-Simms-Maguire was a decent crew) and Patrick has sat beside Dickie V too long.

I enjoy Michaels and Madden. John sounds better then he did the last two seasons with Summerall. Madden seems enthused about the game and has made Michaels a better announcer.

Greg Gumbel should stay in the studio. How he's ahead of Enberg and Dierdorf, geesh. Dierdorf has gotten alot out of Enberg, they do very well together. Combine them with Simms as CBS A Crew and put Nantz and Marino as the B crew and flush Deion and Boomer away.

Buck-Aikman-Collinsworth are the best crew in football. They sound great. I think they should use Pam Oliver a bit more. Joe Buck is the best announcer out there. Anybody who makes Tim McCarver sound good has to be great. Stockton and Johnston are excellent too.

I'd take Bonnie and Suzy any day over the airheads of Lisa and Jill. I miss Melissa Stark, like Suzy, she was twice as talented as pretty. Tony Siragusa needs to go, the "Worst" damn sports show is calling.

I enjoy the ESPN Countdown crew and FOX NFL Sunday. Bradshaw, IMO, is underrated. The picks skits aren't great, but the show flows well. Tom Jackson and Ron Jaworski are first class.

[gstelmack]

Originally posted by Fidatelo
I might be alone on this but I think Madden is still by far the best colour guy, even if he has almost become a caricature of himself.

It's not the caricature that I mind, it's that he isn't paying attention to the game. He names the wrong player, he sees things that didn't happen, he misses things that do. He just doesn't have a clue. What he says may be interesting, but rarely has anything to do with what's going on with the game he's calling.

[Fidatelo]

Originally posted by gstelmack
It's not the caricature that I mind, it's that he isn't paying attention to the game. He names the wrong player, he sees things that didn't happen, he misses things that do. He just doesn't have a clue. What he says may be interesting, but rarely has anything to do with what's going on with the game he's calling.

I guess that is all true. I guess it comes down to this: As a viewer, I'd rather be interested than well-informed. Perhaps that is a pretty un-intellectual stance, but it's the truth. Someone who can convey information in an interesting way would be great, but given a guy like Madden vs. someone who knows what they are talking about but has the personality and flair of a rice cake, I'll take Madden.

[Eaglesfan27]

As much as I hate to admit this as an Eagle's fan. I've always admired Troy Aikman as a player because he always appeared to be genuinely classy and decent. He has surprised me by being a great color man and he and that team are by far my favorite announcers. I agree with the earlier poster who noted that Troy is surprisingly honest and not afraid to be critical of players when it is appropriate.

[Flasch186]

And for god sakes someone please take Sportscenter from the guy who hijacked it in front of the camera : Stu!!

And the guy who hijacked it behind the scenes: All the damn side shows. I dont want to see two former players with half a personality play taboo with eachother!! argh.