The Colts won tonight, making a good Jaguars team look fairly average. But, the amount of time the clowns on ESPN spent talking about the New England patriots, you would’ve thought Tom Brady put on a Jacksonville uniform for the night. And spending most of the 3rd quarter talking to Russell Crowe? What the hell is that about? It seemed almost rude of the Colts to intrude upon their discussion for a momentum changing safety.
But, over at Stampede Blue, the commentary is more enlightened:
70% of the earth is covered by water. the rest is covered by Bob Sanders!
I noticed that too. Comparing the “A” team on Sunday night to the clowns on Monday was fun.
The main thing I noticed (before the first snap) was that while the NBC crew commented about “Here is team 1’s strong points, here is what team 2 will need to do to try to overcome them”, all I heard from ESPN was “So and so is at some 67.28349% something or other, Joe Blow went to some school, etc”. They spewed a bunch of information but nothing that helped me understand what I was about to see.
Jocks.
Did you see all the unused seats? I’m surprised there aren’t any L.A. Jaguars rumors yet.
I also recall Manning enduring a bit of criticism for his touchdown numbers a few years back. But when Brady does it, it’s the coolest thing ever. I guess it’s also too impolite to mention that Brady needed an entire new receiver corps to be purchased for his use in order to put up those numbers.
I also like the occasional “aw, shucks” reference or two to the Patriots’ cheating, usually in the context of how they’ve overcome the “distraction” that the “controversy” caused.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the game.
Are the guys in the broadcast booth all a bunch of closet cases? “Hey, I love Gladiator movies, and seeing you with your shirt off in that boxing flick got me all hot as well.” Last year we had to endure them talking to Matthew Mcconaughey now Russel Crowe. Seriously fellows spare us your man crushes. These cases of blatant cross marketing of upcoming movie debuts and TV shows by the media conglomerates are extremely distasteful.
Even worse was all the talk about Michael Vick during the Colts pre-season games. Guys like Keith, Dawson, Ed Johnson, Standeford, Hall, Thorpe and others are busting their asses trying to make the team and the broadcasting clowns are going on and on about the idiocy of dog fighting. All of these competitors have family, friends and college days supporters who want to see their guy get a fair chance to make the team. They know it could be the last chance to see these guys in a pro uniform.
If you feel the same way as I do call into the Bill Pollian show and vent. Maybe senior executives like Pollian can talk to the owners who can talk to the networks.
I personally loved how none of the announcers or sideline reporters seemed to notice for a very long time that neither Harrison nor Ugoh were playing in the second half, & then failed to give any info as to why. Annoying!
Turns out, the mute button is a valuable tool.
I was over at my aging parents house last night watching the game with them while my mom propped up in bed. Since the preseason it was the only time I watched the Colts with the network sound instead of the Radio.
Never ever again!!! I swear!!! MNF sucks bigtime!!!
ESPN has something between indifference and contempt for the true sports fan. They do all the human interest and comedy schtick so they can attract casual viewers and teenagers. It’s the NBC Olympics philosophy. The celebrity interviews are just absurd. It’s one thing during a baseball game, which is slower paced and where it’s easy to follow what’s going on. In football, where it’s harder to read numbers on TV and where we can’t hear what referees are saying because Kornheiser and Russell Crowe are yapping about something, it’s really annoying. I have to think that there are people inside ESPN who can’t stand it (Ron Jaworski is probably the most substantive commentator on the network–I wonder what he really thinks of those yahoos in the booth with him), but right now the E seems to be more important than the S.
By the way, the “always tough” Jaguars are now 3-8 against the Colts since the two teams began playing in the same division. The Colts are now 26-7 in AFC South play and have won all three road games this season. I’m sick of hearing about what a great rivalry this is.
Just a disgrace. This was a goddam national game, and they spend an entire scoring drive by the defending Super Bowl champs talking about a friggin’ rugby exhibition? Yes, the game may have been over for all practical purposes, but it’s Monday Night Football and the Jags are still one of the best of the Everybody Else in the League teams. It was not time to be catchin’ flies. Or maybe ESPN should go backt to Monday Night Irish Hurling.
During the Russell Crowe interview, all I could think about that when I was in middle school, in the mid/late 1980s, when I came home from school, ESPN would always be broadcasting “Australian Rules Football.” At the time, ESPN carried no major pro sports. After working its way up the ladder, and now, with the crown jewel, Monday Night Football, on the network, they waste a bunch of time talking about Australian rugby. The whole thing is a travesty. I like Kornheiser and always have enjoyed his radio show. I just don’t like listening to his radio show while I’m trying to watch a football game.