Is It Just Me?
OK...so I am sitting there last night watching the wrap up of the Monday Night Massacre
of the Saints beating up on the Patriots, when suddenly I found my stomach starting to turn. It struck me that this is an occurrence that is starting to become a bit of a trend. Allow me to explain...
It seems to me that ESPN is making a conscious effort to go overboard in their praise of the top QB's in the game right now. I think I was just about to throw up with all the gushing that Steve Young was heaping on Drew Brees after the game. It was as though he just witnessed the second coming of Christ!
Granted, Brees played a great game and if you looked over the stats, it was one of the best statistical performances posted on a Monday Night Game. Yet for anyone who watched the game, did it really strike you as one of the all time great performances in NFL history?
Clearly he was on target, but I did not find myself staring in awe at the TV. Frankly, if you give a top 10 Quarterback in the NFL the kind of time and weapons Brees had last night, he is going to complete the majority of his passes. Then it was up to the New England secondary to make tackles, which they did not seem to have much interest in last night.
But anyway, back to my point. A few weeks back when the Colts came back to beat the Pats, ESPN was doing analysis of the game with Trent Dilfer and he couldn't stop heaping praise on Peyton Manning and constantly indicating that Manning played a game with which he was unfamiliar. The conversation eventually spun to a point where they began discussing if he was the greatest QB of all time.
Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski both seem to have the same tendencies lately. Gruden calls Manning, "The Sheriff". But here is what is annoying. From week to week, these two are becoming somewhat phony in their praise.
Last week as the game rolled on and the topic of Manning and the Colts came up, both commentators indicated they thought he many be the best they have ever seen play the position. Last night, Brady and the Pats get the ball down 14 with plenty of game left, and next thing you know they are both extolling Brady as perhaps the best they had ever seen.
After last night's game with the Saints, they both sit there and say Brees is now one of the best they have ever seen. OK...let's all take a deep breath here.
NFL football is the best sport to watch on TV, hands down, no question. A natural by-product of the game is the energy and drama that plays out over the course of the contest. But professional announcers are supposed to be able to handle these emotions and have the ability to analyze and impartially comment on the occurrences without going bonkers over each and every player.
During last night's game, I swear I caught Gruden calling half of the Saints defense some of the best he had ever seen, while they marched out two DB's who were on the waiver wire two weeks ago! Not sure in all the Monday Night games I have seen this year that Gruden has said a negative word about any players (which if I was going to be going back into coaching at some point, maybe I wouldn't be too critical either, I suppose).
But to me, ESPN seems to be overdoing it lately. Steve Young has never struck me as a guy to kiss any player's you-know-what, but he sure seemed to have a crush on Brees after the game. In fact, I think the camera had to pan back to cover up his tearing as he talked about what he had just witnessed.
I never thought I would say it, but Matt Millen seemed to be the most composed analyst after the game last night and was the most enjoyable to listen to. Poor Teddy Bruschi had to endure commenting on his former team after getting shellacked and you could tell he couldn't wait for that torture to be over. But at least he seemed to be a stand-up guy about it.
My point to ESPN is this...please stop the carney act. We get that the NFL is the greatest game on the planet right now. But please let's not get so caught up in the act that is makes us want to wretch immediately after watching a terrific game on the field.
Am I right, or is it just me?...
by: Tim Barnes
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