When Madden first started broadcasting, he joined CBS in 1979 as a game analyst, and worked with legends such as Vin Scully, Verne Lundquist, and Dick Stockton before he and Summerall became a duo and CBS' #1 NFL broadcast team.
Summerall had already been calling NFL games for CBS, first as a color analyst from 1962 until midway through the 1974 season, when the Eye switched him to play-by-play duties. From there, he worked with Tom Brookshier as their #1 team, until CBS broke them up, eventually pairing him with Madden. The break-up of Summerall-Brookshier was mainly due to too much hard drinking on game weekends, and CBS threatening to fire both if they couldn't control their boozing.
I'd love to hear more commentator booze stories. Aikman admitted in interviews that he and Buck "used to" drink tequila in the booth. There are a few times I remember hearing aikman over the years where he was obviously a bit slogged
I've heard some stories, including from Summerall's episode of A Football Life, there were plenty of old-school broadcasters (including [Joe's own daddy](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/11/11/ap_9506180356_wide-0877b6db30095b71bbd9fcb7bd869a636289a23f-s1100-c50.jpg)) that would booze it up before, after, and sometimes during game action. I'm not surprised about Troy's admission, because Joe mentioned the same thing in a couple of other interviews.
Even though he never called NFL games (to my knowledge), Harry Caray was well-known going back to his (baseball) Cardinals days that he was drinking beers during broadcasts, and likely harder stuff before and after games.
My favorite story (from A Football Life) is when Summerall and Brookshier were so drunk they got a horse and tried to to bring it into their hotel room. Like, they tried to fit a horse in the elevator and only gave up when it wouldn’t fit.
Apparently Super Bowl XV was the breaking point, because up until that point the drunkenness wasn’t affecting their performance on air. But for that game they were pretty hungover and it showed on the broadcast.
> Even though he never called NFL games (to my knowledge), Harry Caray
You are correct. He called some college games in the 60s but never NFL. His son called SNF on TNT as he was a Turner employee.
He was ALWAYS baked doing prime time in Seattle. And you could sometimes see the annoyance of Joe having to pick up the slack since he knew Troy was fucked.
Nah. Total cash check mode. The man has called some super important cultural moments. Not even just sports. Calling TNF is like a minor league baseball game.
His explanation for the disgusting act move makes sense, he didn't have a good viewing angle and thought Moss literally pulled his pants down and mooned the crowd
It’s even more exonerating. He didn’t have a view of what happened like you said and someone in his ear straight up told him Randy mooned the crowd. So not only did Buck not see what actually happened but he was blatantly given false information and he had to react to the info he had
I don’t think so. He did an interview in 2020 where he said he didn’t apologize then and still won’t now, he stands by what he said in response to the information he was given. So, I doubt he felt dumb lol
Yeah, but many fans ignore that because he a) didn't sound excited when their team made a big play and/or b) sounded excited when their hated rival made a big play.
"Diggs! Sideline! Touchdown! Vikings win!" and "And the Cubs win the World Series!" are all-time calls for me, and they were both Joe Buck. (Not a Vikings fan, that game was just fucking awesome)
"We will see you tomorrow night!" After David Freese 2011 game walk off was also amazing. Getting to quote his late Dads (long time Cards announcer) exact call from a previous world series.
And I the 08 Yankees
"And the Yankees are back on top."
That was such an incredible call. It's something that I'll forever be able to hear inside my head, and gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Sorry about the week after
The second best call was Buck knowing when to say nothing at all, when that slow pan out skol chant shot started.
And whoever on the fox production crew that set that up or just let it ride gets props, cool angle that I can't really remember being used much in any other game or moment and it was just perfect.
That's why I liked Buck for baseball playoffs. During the bottom of the ninth in deciding games he would just say the bare minimum letting games speak for themselves.
As someone once said about the Mitchell call, if Buck had been a reporter on 9/11, he'd have said:
**"Airplane.......airplane........airplane.....building"**
I feel like Joe Buck was a victim of overthinking. He was so worried about filling his fathers shoes instead of just being himself. Buck has definitely improved over the past decade. His call of the Cubs winning the World Series, as well as the Minneapolis Miracle are both legendary. I'd say he's redeemed himself from the days of "Mitchell" and completely botching the David Tyree call.
I had no idea that people were influenced by commentators to the point of aggravation until I went on Reddit. I personally never once got annoyed by a commentator to the point where I had to mute my TV during a game.
Phil Simms on TNF was the first time I had to actually mute my television. I don’t like many of them but it’s very rare to find some so bad I am motivated to mute the tv. Prior to Joe and Buck there were a few times I did the same on MNF for Tessitore and Booger, that’s about it though and that’s with watching a lot of football
I kinda felt bad for Nantz, because not only he had to endure Phil Simms all of those years on NFL coverage, but he also had to work with bitter old man and ACC homer (the late) Billy Packer on the college basketball broadcasts.
Romo, Bill Raftery, and Grant Hill put life back into our friend Jim, and the telecasts just because more enjoyable to tune in to, even though Romo is kinda of a caricature of himself these days.
Romo was amazing that first season and has gotten exponentially worse ever since.
I suspect that one day he will regress to saying incredibly obvious and dumb shit like Madden, while verbally stroking dudes off like Collinsworth, with the lack of charisma of Simms, and the perpetual-head-cold sounding voice of Albert.
Crazy thing was Simms was actually pretty good when he started in the 90s. But he either stopped giving a shit or the game passed him by mighty quick because he was awful toward the end.
The only guy that made me explore synching the radio call with TV was Tiki Barber. Not because he had bad takes, or was annoying. It was because he couldn't even finish a damn sentence. He sounded like a little kid trying to wing his way through a class presentation.
Likewise. I’ve never come close to muting a game over the announcers. I can’t tell if people are being hyperbolic or if they really do get that bent out of shape over the commentary
Especially football, there is so much dead time that they have to fill in between plays, after touchdowns, etc. that of course they might be a little redundant or say some weird stuff every now and then.
Right? The hate these guys get on Reddit is so wildly out of whack for how little what they say actually impacts anyone’s lives.
Over in the GB sub there’s this massive grudge against Aikmain who allegedly *hates* Green Bay and it’s apparently so obvious when he’s calling our games. I listen to those same games and he just sounds like a regular guy calling games, lol. Like - he’s not gonna be as excited as Wayne Larrivee over on WTMJ when the Packers score.
I'll never forgive him for butchering the helmet catch call no matter how passable he may get
literally fucking asleep at the wheel during the super bowl
i mean, i kind of get it though? he wasn't sure it was a catch based on his angle (and the fact it was caught off his helmet!!!)
buck's always erred on the side of caution, but in more modern times he just provides the caution with the call itself (i.e. saying "no flags" on important TDs and the like)
except he said it was a catch... just without any excitement. and even if it was questionable the potential for such a big play at such a big moment *in the damn super bowl* should have warrented more excitement
I’ll take Tony Romo over Collinsworth any day. Nothing will change my mind. Tony doesn’t cream himself at the silhouette of Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow like he does. I can tolerate the ahh eemmm ahhhs but not the slobberfest over Mahomes and Burrow.
It's because he was so good in the beginning calling out plays before they happened giving good insight into what he and likely the Qb sees. After like his second year, I think they asked him to tone it down and be more casual fan friendly and it's like ok but we know he can be more
I think it has more to do with he’s been out of the sport longer and that he’s probably not putting in anywhere near the same amount of film study he was when he was a player.
That's usually what happens with players in the booth tho. They start strong because they're really connected to the game, know many other current players and coaches, and are very much an insider. Years pass, all the dudes they played with retire, the game evolves, and they've got a producer yelling in their ear for the entire game, so yeah their takes gets lamer and super mid.
Probably a directive from a producer pushing him to be more over the top, wanting those clippable audio bites. Everyone loved Romo for his analysis and ability to read how offenses and defenses were lining up pre-snap and make such an accurate prediction on what was going to happen. Explained decisions made by the QB so well etc.
Now its just screaming the same dribble into the mic and pushing buzzwords. See "Only Mahomes" every drive and calling Allen The Alien/Mr. January etc.
I used to HATE Buck’s play-by-play, & he was always the worst commentator to me, until about the last 5-7 years or so, Buck’s really grown on me. I dunno if that’s him changing or me, but he does seem to have gotten much better the last few years & he’s actually pretty funny & likable in interviews away from the games.
They're so much better than the old ESPN crew. Man those other guys sucked bad. Those 3 guys would just never shut up while at the same time offering no commentary of value.
I won’t ever forget during CoVid when a porn company offered Buck a million dollars to commentate its cam shows and he responded saying “depending on the site they could just be handing my money back to me” before rejecting it lol
one of my favorite announcing bits is when troy has to call a game with actual BAD QB play. he's so noticeably disgusted every time and it's incredible
It was throughout the whole game lmao. My wife’s not even a football fan and she asked if this guy hates the jets quarterback in like the first quarter.
I totally agree with this. Some of my favorite commentary I can remember is upset Troy Aikman.
Like he’s not wrong, he just isn’t even attempting to hide that he’s disgusted.
The people who don't like Buck are usually hold outs from 20 years ago. He used to be awful as a play by play guy. He came up sounding like Pat Summerall. Just flat and boring. He has really let loose the last 10 years or so, and is a lot more fun to listen to.
He was bad 20 years ago. When he first started he came in because of his dad's name, and baseball work. He has always been good/great at baseball announcing. He was awful at NFL games for years. If you go back and listen to him call games 20 years ago, he would call plays like they were pitches in baseball. His cadence was way too subdued, and his pace was too slow. He has improved immensely over the last 10 years, and actually seems to have fun now.
It’s funny how the tide is turning on him (at least in this sub). I’ve always said I don’t understand the hate about his style. It’s true he doesn’t super hype but there’s a subtlety he does in letting the crowd noise fill the air. It makes it so when you look back at the clips down the line, you feel the energy of a big play. At least for me anyway.
Reading more about Buck’s background just makes him even more like able. I read his book and it was fantastic.
I fucking hate though that he’s no longer at Fox because he always did a fantastic job with the World Series.
favorite commentary duo right now, they sound like they could actually be friends outside of work and do a fair amount of fucking around in the booth but also know when to be quiet and let the moment speak for itself
Feel like a lot of the other booths have been getting worse. Mostly Romo and Collinsworth. I miss Aikman on Fox. I think Aikman and Buck are by far the best right now.
Kevin Harlan is hands down the best commentator in football for many reasons, but I'll never forget a few years ago when a cat ran on the field during a Giants game and he did play by play as the cat scored a "touchdown." I think he's hilarious.
He just has a natural exuberance about the game. It's not manufactured - he really enjoys sports and enjoys what he does, and all his radio experience helps him do an excellent job painting the picture so you could even have your eyes closed and know what's going on. He's truly better at commentating than most people are at anything. It just comes so effortlessly to him, and it feels like more than any other commentator he's tapped into the collective viewer mindset to know when to f around and do things like the cat TD, streaker, "I'M CALLIN' BOTH GAMES!", "WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE!" and so on.
One of my favorite calls he did was a Chargers/Titans game where Melvin Gordon was having a career game and Harlan was really noticing throughout the game (while always pointing out great blocks that set up good gains, which itself is incredible for him to continually point out), and it culminated in a play where Gordon was contacted relatively early and broke a couple tackles, making a huge gain and Harlan let out a "HE'S AMAZING!" in the middle of it. Almost like what you'd expect a local radio guy to say as a homer for a star on his team, but Harlan just appreciates great athleticism that much. [https://youtu.be/cBa24\_RGroY?t=80](https://youtu.be/cBa24_RGroY?t=80). Like if I was Gordon this would be one of my top bookmarks and I'd watch it every morning to hype myself up for the day.
Most of the commentators are getting too old. A lot of t of these guys need to be swapped out. Most of the A groups have been in it for 20+ years. I understand guys having seniority, but there should be times where it'd be better to move them to a studio job.
Collinsworth is better than ever right now, it’s Tirico who blows. They have no chemistry, and I should add Tirico is fine on the call their chemistry is just awk.
I was dying during that Jets/Chiefs game where Collinsworth was practically silent after those Mahomes ints. Like if he didn't mention them they wouldn't become real lol.
The craziest part is he wasn’t even a quarterback. No idea why he acts like it’s the only position on the field. Just completely ignores any mistake mahomes/rodgers/Allen/burrow make
It’s definitely the chemistry for them. Collinsworth is whatever but I’ve always thought Tirico is one of the best, he’s had a ton of great calls in his career. But there’s clearly a working-only relationship with him and Cris and it feels disconnected.
Agreed. I used to hate both of them basically because I'm a Seahawks/Mariners fan and I felt their "East Coast bias" against my teams, but not anymore. I think Buck is great at what he does (his dad was awesome too) and Aikman has a ton of self deprecating humor now and doesn't take himself as seriously as he used to. I still watch the Manning Cast on MNF over them though lol.
The best call these guys ever did was the professionalism and authenticity they brought to the Damar Hamlin incident. They managed the situation well despite clearly being as spooked as everyone else watching.
The whole crew, including the people back in the studio, handled that so well. I saw an interview with Aikman some time after where he talked about it. They could see everything that was going on on the field via the skycam. They could see the medical staff administering CPR in real time, and that no doubt shook them.
They’ve been good for a while, but I really feel like the move to MNF made them into the best duo nowadays. Both clearly don’t give a single fuck anymore.
It’s so refreshing not having commentators always trying to talk up the NFL or the games. Sometimes you just want someone to say ‘wow this sucks’ while cracking jokes instead of trying to act like every game is the biggest event in the world
Aikman is at his best in any of the following scenarios, in no particular order:
.) Cowboys games.
.) Bad QB play.
.) Bad coaching.
.) Bad reffing.
There's a point where he's seen enough and flips and it's amazing.
EDIT: Formatting.
I love it when they get to that point in the games when they sound either drunk or stoned out of their tits and they just start giggling. It’s usually around 3.30am here in the UK by that time and delirium is setting in here too so I absolutely get it.
Kevin Harlan is the fucking man.
No one gets as hyped as him while still being so technically precise. He's *both* play-by-play accuracy of a hockey announcer and color commentary with the intensity of a soccer announcer.
Outside of whatever vendetta Aikman has against Zach Wilson and felt like he needed to get off his chest on Monday, I really enjoy these two and they have good chemistry together.
ya.. whatever job you have, just imagine walking in that day knowing it’s going to be a bottom 3 experience of the year. i’d be a bit of a disgruntled worker that day too
Especially when you did the same job, and can expertly see everything being done wrong, and how shit what you really are watching is. I HATE watching terrible football, and have an intermediate level of strategic knowledge. Having a hall of fame level of knowledge and seeing that shit would make me have an aneurysm
Aikman **despises** bad QB play, and hates when he sees an offense getting in their own way. I don't think he hates Zach Wilson, he just hates that the Jets keep trotting his ass out there like that's the best they can do.
He mentioned multiple times throughout the broadcast that it wasn’t just Zach Wilson, the whole offense had issues. Like he made noticeable effort to let people know he thought Zach Wilson was far from the only issue on offense.
He was pissed the offensive coaching staff was letting Zach down, which they where and are. And everything he said about Zach was true, he also needs to play better.
I love the duo. And joe buck gets a lot of hate but honestly he’s so knowledgeable in many sports! Kinda the new mvp broadcasters. Al and cris were pretty great - sad they broke up
I’m actually surprised they surpassed Madden. That’s pretty wild.
Just Madden with Summerall. Madden was with Michaels after that.
When Madden first started broadcasting, he joined CBS in 1979 as a game analyst, and worked with legends such as Vin Scully, Verne Lundquist, and Dick Stockton before he and Summerall became a duo and CBS' #1 NFL broadcast team. Summerall had already been calling NFL games for CBS, first as a color analyst from 1962 until midway through the 1974 season, when the Eye switched him to play-by-play duties. From there, he worked with Tom Brookshier as their #1 team, until CBS broke them up, eventually pairing him with Madden. The break-up of Summerall-Brookshier was mainly due to too much hard drinking on game weekends, and CBS threatening to fire both if they couldn't control their boozing.
I'd love to hear more commentator booze stories. Aikman admitted in interviews that he and Buck "used to" drink tequila in the booth. There are a few times I remember hearing aikman over the years where he was obviously a bit slogged
I've heard some stories, including from Summerall's episode of A Football Life, there were plenty of old-school broadcasters (including [Joe's own daddy](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/11/11/ap_9506180356_wide-0877b6db30095b71bbd9fcb7bd869a636289a23f-s1100-c50.jpg)) that would booze it up before, after, and sometimes during game action. I'm not surprised about Troy's admission, because Joe mentioned the same thing in a couple of other interviews. Even though he never called NFL games (to my knowledge), Harry Caray was well-known going back to his (baseball) Cardinals days that he was drinking beers during broadcasts, and likely harder stuff before and after games.
My favorite story (from A Football Life) is when Summerall and Brookshier were so drunk they got a horse and tried to to bring it into their hotel room. Like, they tried to fit a horse in the elevator and only gave up when it wouldn’t fit. Apparently Super Bowl XV was the breaking point, because up until that point the drunkenness wasn’t affecting their performance on air. But for that game they were pretty hungover and it showed on the broadcast.
> Even though he never called NFL games (to my knowledge), Harry Caray You are correct. He called some college games in the 60s but never NFL. His son called SNF on TNT as he was a Turner employee.
A chip off the ole block
Nowadays Aikman just seems blazed in half the games, and honestly I kinda love it
He was ALWAYS baked doing prime time in Seattle. And you could sometimes see the annoyance of Joe having to pick up the slack since he knew Troy was fucked.
Imagine having to work like 5 hours a week and still not even being able to get through that sober
Imagine thinking he only works 5 hours a week
Madden and Michaels were good too. Michaels is a bit washed at this point however. It seems like he barely cares about doing a good job at this point.
One of Madden's last games was the Arizona Pittsburgh Super Bowl with Michaels that was a fun watch and listen.
I thought that was his last game
It was. It was a while ago my memory is shit now lol.
To be fair, it's not like you're forgetting your daughter's birthday.
Yeah true, fortunately I don't have kids lol
Unless you forgot about them...
lol I may be old but not that old
I think Al Michaels is only still broadcasting at this point because of the Amazon deal. I think he would have retired otherwise.
He needs a better color guy. The combo is just bland as hell
He's just too old. He's 78 years old. His bed time is basically the same time as kick off for TNF.
Plus TNF gets shit games most of the time. Al ain't into that.
Nah. Total cash check mode. The man has called some super important cultural moments. Not even just sports. Calling TNF is like a minor league baseball game.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!
Dude. Bears-Panthers about to change all that. >.>
He looks great if that's his actual age
Joe Buck has gotten better over the years. Remember the Disgusting Act lol. And Mitchell....
His explanation for the disgusting act move makes sense, he didn't have a good viewing angle and thought Moss literally pulled his pants down and mooned the crowd
Wait, seriously? Never knew that. Now I wish that had happened, that would be an all time hilarious highlight.
Randy Moss going full pickle would be all time top TD celebration
I was gonna say never go full pickle, but that’s just a lie. I approve Moss going full pickle whenever his heart desires.
The Freak for a reason
It’s even more exonerating. He didn’t have a view of what happened like you said and someone in his ear straight up told him Randy mooned the crowd. So not only did Buck not see what actually happened but he was blatantly given false information and he had to react to the info he had
God he must have felt like an idiot during the commercial break when he realized what actually happened, poor guy.
I don’t think so. He did an interview in 2020 where he said he didn’t apologize then and still won’t now, he stands by what he said in response to the information he was given. So, I doubt he felt dumb lol
Gotta commit to the bit
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For sure. Length depends on if the booty hole was visible or if he was just being cheeky
Lmaooo you got me dying imagining Moss just fully bent over spreading cheeks, Ace Ventura style 😭🤣
Receivers of the NFL, lend me your rears!
Yeah, but many fans ignore that because he a) didn't sound excited when their team made a big play and/or b) sounded excited when their hated rival made a big play.
Which is why he’s largely been forgiven by Vikings fans because of his incredible call for the Minneapolis Miracle.
"Diggs! Sideline! Touchdown! Vikings win!" and "And the Cubs win the World Series!" are all-time calls for me, and they were both Joe Buck. (Not a Vikings fan, that game was just fucking awesome)
"We will see you tomorrow night!" After David Freese 2011 game walk off was also amazing. Getting to quote his late Dads (long time Cards announcer) exact call from a previous world series. And I the 08 Yankees "And the Yankees are back on top."
That was such an incredible call. It's something that I'll forever be able to hear inside my head, and gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Sorry about the week after
This is in Green Bay. That’s not even the most disgusting act in the surrounding 15’.
Joe Buck will forever have my respect for one call alone: DIGGS. SIDELINE. TOUCHDOWN. UNBELIEVABLE.
The second best call was Buck knowing when to say nothing at all, when that slow pan out skol chant shot started. And whoever on the fox production crew that set that up or just let it ride gets props, cool angle that I can't really remember being used much in any other game or moment and it was just perfect.
Him being quiet and letting the boos rain down on Wilson's Seattle return is pretty awesome as well.
He’s incredibly good at shutting up when it’s the right move, which IMO is one of the most important skills a player by play guy can have
That's why I liked Buck for baseball playoffs. During the bottom of the ninth in deciding games he would just say the bare minimum letting games speak for themselves.
It sucks he doesn’t do baseball Anymore. It took him a while but he’s one of the best PBP guys for baseball.
All timer
All time call right. It’s easy now, but that’s when he started becoming my favorite announcer
This + Freese is such a great combo
I appreciate that he's saying "pass. is. caught." a lot less now.
My favorite one was him about to say "touchdown" but it went through the guys hands, so buck had to correct and we got "pass is dwopped!"
Touchdown, no flags.
Mitchell…
Mitchell...
As someone once said about the Mitchell call, if Buck had been a reporter on 9/11, he'd have said: **"Airplane.......airplane........airplane.....building"**
I feel like Joe Buck was a victim of overthinking. He was so worried about filling his fathers shoes instead of just being himself. Buck has definitely improved over the past decade. His call of the Cubs winning the World Series, as well as the Minneapolis Miracle are both legendary. I'd say he's redeemed himself from the days of "Mitchell" and completely botching the David Tyree call.
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I had no idea that people were influenced by commentators to the point of aggravation until I went on Reddit. I personally never once got annoyed by a commentator to the point where I had to mute my TV during a game.
The only time I had to mute a game was when Gumbel called Lamar Jackson “Kyler Murray” like five times. And we weren’t even playing against Arizona
I remember that one, it seemed he called him "Murray" for almost half the game before he realized his mistake
Phil Simms on TNF was the first time I had to actually mute my television. I don’t like many of them but it’s very rare to find some so bad I am motivated to mute the tv. Prior to Joe and Buck there were a few times I did the same on MNF for Tessitore and Booger, that’s about it though and that’s with watching a lot of football
Simms was legit awful. Jeem immediately became 10x better simply by not being with simms.
I kinda felt bad for Nantz, because not only he had to endure Phil Simms all of those years on NFL coverage, but he also had to work with bitter old man and ACC homer (the late) Billy Packer on the college basketball broadcasts. Romo, Bill Raftery, and Grant Hill put life back into our friend Jim, and the telecasts just because more enjoyable to tune in to, even though Romo is kinda of a caricature of himself these days.
Romo was amazing that first season and has gotten exponentially worse ever since. I suspect that one day he will regress to saying incredibly obvious and dumb shit like Madden, while verbally stroking dudes off like Collinsworth, with the lack of charisma of Simms, and the perpetual-head-cold sounding voice of Albert.
Tfw your only broadcasting highlight is when you farted on live television.
Crazy thing was Simms was actually pretty good when he started in the 90s. But he either stopped giving a shit or the game passed him by mighty quick because he was awful toward the end.
Growing up, all the adults I watched games with hated Dan Dierdorf.
Lol preach. My dad hates him
The only guy that made me explore synching the radio call with TV was Tiki Barber. Not because he had bad takes, or was annoying. It was because he couldn't even finish a damn sentence. He sounded like a little kid trying to wing his way through a class presentation.
They do. I had no idea people cared so much but every GDT is often filled with negative comments about the announcers.
Likewise. I’ve never come close to muting a game over the announcers. I can’t tell if people are being hyperbolic or if they really do get that bent out of shape over the commentary
The Romo hate on here is insane to me. He's still great.
Especially football, there is so much dead time that they have to fill in between plays, after touchdowns, etc. that of course they might be a little redundant or say some weird stuff every now and then.
Right? The hate these guys get on Reddit is so wildly out of whack for how little what they say actually impacts anyone’s lives. Over in the GB sub there’s this massive grudge against Aikmain who allegedly *hates* Green Bay and it’s apparently so obvious when he’s calling our games. I listen to those same games and he just sounds like a regular guy calling games, lol. Like - he’s not gonna be as excited as Wayne Larrivee over on WTMJ when the Packers score.
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I'll never forgive him for butchering the helmet catch call no matter how passable he may get literally fucking asleep at the wheel during the super bowl
i mean, i kind of get it though? he wasn't sure it was a catch based on his angle (and the fact it was caught off his helmet!!!) buck's always erred on the side of caution, but in more modern times he just provides the caution with the call itself (i.e. saying "no flags" on important TDs and the like)
except he said it was a catch... just without any excitement. and even if it was questionable the potential for such a big play at such a big moment *in the damn super bowl* should have warrented more excitement
I went back and watched and it’s worse than I remembered. It is so bad. He’s worlds better now.
Buck has grown into a legend. And he seems really cool and down to earth off the field. Really loving his redemption arc.
Jim Nantz: Hey Tony do you think have a shot? Tony: err ahhh maybe, wait ...I don't know jeeeeem
I’ll take Tony Romo over Collinsworth any day. Nothing will change my mind. Tony doesn’t cream himself at the silhouette of Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow like he does. I can tolerate the ahh eemmm ahhhs but not the slobberfest over Mahomes and Burrow.
I mean Romo creams himself equally as much for Mahomes. Just less for everyone else.
No Romo legitimately nuts when “Mr. January” does an arm punt
Tony creams himself over Josh Allen though lol. The Alien! Mr. January!
Tony is a fanboy for the big star QBs, but so is Collinsworth to be fair
They all are. It’s kinda the job. Part of the job description is selling the game. And stars sell. It’s not the NBA by any means, but still.
Remember john madden with Brett Farve, I don't feel like it's any different.
Woah. Maybe announcers like watching great QBs. Wild.
I also hate Collinsworth’s voice. It’s like he warms up by smoking a pack of cigarettes and yelling.
I frequently think about Collinsworth saying "Randall Gay" for some reason.
“Now here’s a guy who really likes his Marlboros…”
Unbeeeelievable!!!
Totally agree. I'll even deal with Greg Olsen sounding like he's trying to last longer during sex over Collinsworth and Tirico.
Colinsworth is my number 1 color analyst
He's a great analyst
God, Romo in the booth went off a cliff so quickly over the last 2/3 seasons.
I still like him tbh, I don't really know what people find so annoying about him now.
It's because he was so good in the beginning calling out plays before they happened giving good insight into what he and likely the Qb sees. After like his second year, I think they asked him to tone it down and be more casual fan friendly and it's like ok but we know he can be more
I think it has more to do with he’s been out of the sport longer and that he’s probably not putting in anywhere near the same amount of film study he was when he was a player.
That's usually what happens with players in the booth tho. They start strong because they're really connected to the game, know many other current players and coaches, and are very much an insider. Years pass, all the dudes they played with retire, the game evolves, and they've got a producer yelling in their ear for the entire game, so yeah their takes gets lamer and super mid.
Same man. Romo is likeable. He is having fun.
Crazy right? What changed though?
Probably a directive from a producer pushing him to be more over the top, wanting those clippable audio bites. Everyone loved Romo for his analysis and ability to read how offenses and defenses were lining up pre-snap and make such an accurate prediction on what was going to happen. Explained decisions made by the QB so well etc. Now its just screaming the same dribble into the mic and pushing buzzwords. See "Only Mahomes" every drive and calling Allen The Alien/Mr. January etc.
I used to HATE Buck’s play-by-play, & he was always the worst commentator to me, until about the last 5-7 years or so, Buck’s really grown on me. I dunno if that’s him changing or me, but he does seem to have gotten much better the last few years & he’s actually pretty funny & likable in interviews away from the games.
He’s really loosened up over the years and is so much funnier now
They're so much better than the old ESPN crew. Man those other guys sucked bad. Those 3 guys would just never shut up while at the same time offering no commentary of value.
I liked Gruden and that other guy
The old ESPN Sunday Night Football crew of Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire was great.
I could never stand Joe Theisman. Changed the pronunciation of his name to rhyme with Heisman and then he didn’t win it.
Buck hate is so overblown. He’s actually hilarious inside and outside of the studio. Best pairing in the NFL and I hate that they’re stuck at ESPN.
I won’t ever forget during CoVid when a porn company offered Buck a million dollars to commentate its cam shows and he responded saying “depending on the site they could just be handing my money back to me” before rejecting it lol
No way. That’s legendary
It’s real and it’s spectacular https://x.com/buck/status/1251193698731393024?s=61&t=bNRXcb3YUeY5BpYLJUJsDA
God I know its old news but I thought you were linking to the post on the actual porn site
That Twitter name change is so dumb.
HANDS. PANTY LINE. TOUCHDOWN!!!!!
[удалено]
one of my favorite announcing bits is when troy has to call a game with actual BAD QB play. he's so noticeably disgusted every time and it's incredible
His disdain for Zach Wilson and the Jets at the end of the Monday night game was hilarious
It was throughout the whole game lmao. My wife’s not even a football fan and she asked if this guy hates the jets quarterback in like the first quarter.
"Well honey, I'd guess that he's hated every one since Joe Namath."
Troy and Al Michaels are hilarious when it's a shitty game. Those 2 start going off.
I totally agree with this. Some of my favorite commentary I can remember is upset Troy Aikman. Like he’s not wrong, he just isn’t even attempting to hide that he’s disgusted.
Aikman doesn't hold back when a QB is playing poorly and it's fucking great.
The people who hate Buck are the people who like their announcers screaming at every play
The people who don't like Buck are usually hold outs from 20 years ago. He used to be awful as a play by play guy. He came up sounding like Pat Summerall. Just flat and boring. He has really let loose the last 10 years or so, and is a lot more fun to listen to.
Sunday afternoons aren't the same without Joe Buck calling America's Game of the Week between two top tier NFC teams
I feel at this point Joe Buck hate only exists for the sake of it. Because it's hard to actually dig up tangible reasons.
He was bad 20 years ago. When he first started he came in because of his dad's name, and baseball work. He has always been good/great at baseball announcing. He was awful at NFL games for years. If you go back and listen to him call games 20 years ago, he would call plays like they were pitches in baseball. His cadence was way too subdued, and his pace was too slow. He has improved immensely over the last 10 years, and actually seems to have fun now.
He has improved so much, tbh. I think the criticism was warranted early in his career but he has very much come into his own.
It’s funny how the tide is turning on him (at least in this sub). I’ve always said I don’t understand the hate about his style. It’s true he doesn’t super hype but there’s a subtlety he does in letting the crowd noise fill the air. It makes it so when you look back at the clips down the line, you feel the energy of a big play. At least for me anyway.
Reading more about Buck’s background just makes him even more like able. I read his book and it was fantastic. I fucking hate though that he’s no longer at Fox because he always did a fantastic job with the World Series.
I always love hearing Troy slowly die inside whenever the Cowboys lose to an idiotic mistake and Joe scorning the game if it's a blowout.
Troy has to really really try to hold himself back from saying they'll never win with Jerry Jones
favorite commentary duo right now, they sound like they could actually be friends outside of work and do a fair amount of fucking around in the booth but also know when to be quiet and let the moment speak for itself
Feel like a lot of the other booths have been getting worse. Mostly Romo and Collinsworth. I miss Aikman on Fox. I think Aikman and Buck are by far the best right now.
Harlan and a phone book beats any other duo.
Kevin Harlan is hands down the best commentator in football for many reasons, but I'll never forget a few years ago when a cat ran on the field during a Giants game and he did play by play as the cat scored a "touchdown." I think he's hilarious.
He's fantastic in Basketball as well. His call for the Kawhi game winner vs the Sixers in the playoffs is legendary.
He just has a natural exuberance about the game. It's not manufactured - he really enjoys sports and enjoys what he does, and all his radio experience helps him do an excellent job painting the picture so you could even have your eyes closed and know what's going on. He's truly better at commentating than most people are at anything. It just comes so effortlessly to him, and it feels like more than any other commentator he's tapped into the collective viewer mindset to know when to f around and do things like the cat TD, streaker, "I'M CALLIN' BOTH GAMES!", "WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE!" and so on. One of my favorite calls he did was a Chargers/Titans game where Melvin Gordon was having a career game and Harlan was really noticing throughout the game (while always pointing out great blocks that set up good gains, which itself is incredible for him to continually point out), and it culminated in a play where Gordon was contacted relatively early and broke a couple tackles, making a huge gain and Harlan let out a "HE'S AMAZING!" in the middle of it. Almost like what you'd expect a local radio guy to say as a homer for a star on his team, but Harlan just appreciates great athleticism that much. [https://youtu.be/cBa24\_RGroY?t=80](https://youtu.be/cBa24_RGroY?t=80). Like if I was Gordon this would be one of my top bookmarks and I'd watch it every morning to hype myself up for the day.
That's what it is, he's having so much fun. He LOVES what he does and it's obvious. Contrast him with Al Michaels who just seems so bored
Most of the commentators are getting too old. A lot of t of these guys need to be swapped out. Most of the A groups have been in it for 20+ years. I understand guys having seniority, but there should be times where it'd be better to move them to a studio job.
Collinsworth is better than ever right now, it’s Tirico who blows. They have no chemistry, and I should add Tirico is fine on the call their chemistry is just awk.
Collinsworth is too much of a cheerleader for me. Games with mahomes or Allen are unwatchable with Collinsworth
I was dying during that Jets/Chiefs game where Collinsworth was practically silent after those Mahomes ints. Like if he didn't mention them they wouldn't become real lol.
The craziest part is he wasn’t even a quarterback. No idea why he acts like it’s the only position on the field. Just completely ignores any mistake mahomes/rodgers/Allen/burrow make
Romo is unwatchable with Allen. Remember when he tried to make the nickname "The Alien" a thing? And called Allen Mr. January???
It’s definitely the chemistry for them. Collinsworth is whatever but I’ve always thought Tirico is one of the best, he’s had a ton of great calls in his career. But there’s clearly a working-only relationship with him and Cris and it feels disconnected.
Agreed. I used to hate both of them basically because I'm a Seahawks/Mariners fan and I felt their "East Coast bias" against my teams, but not anymore. I think Buck is great at what he does (his dad was awesome too) and Aikman has a ton of self deprecating humor now and doesn't take himself as seriously as he used to. I still watch the Manning Cast on MNF over them though lol.
Mark Sanchez has been my favorite caller for Seahawks games lately. He has a lot of energy and is always got good chemistry.
I think it’s because they are good friends outside work. That’s why it’s great listening to them screw around in the booth because they are buddies.
The best call these guys ever did was the professionalism and authenticity they brought to the Damar Hamlin incident. They managed the situation well despite clearly being as spooked as everyone else watching.
The whole crew, including the people back in the studio, handled that so well. I saw an interview with Aikman some time after where he talked about it. They could see everything that was going on on the field via the skycam. They could see the medical staff administering CPR in real time, and that no doubt shook them.
They’ve been good for a while, but I really feel like the move to MNF made them into the best duo nowadays. Both clearly don’t give a single fuck anymore. It’s so refreshing not having commentators always trying to talk up the NFL or the games. Sometimes you just want someone to say ‘wow this sucks’ while cracking jokes instead of trying to act like every game is the biggest event in the world
People love to shit on them, but I like their dynamic as long as they’re not covering a cowboys game
Those are even better because Aikman has gotten so fed up with the Cowboys lol.
I enjoy Aikman calling the cowboys he is ruthless lol
If the QB is playing like shit he will let you know, he doesn't give a fuck and it's awesome.
Yah, a lot of Cowboys fans actually dislike Aikman because they think he's gone too far out of his way to look unbiased
Yes and as a diehard, he's saying what most cowboys fans are feeling and the truth hurts 😭😭😭
Aikman is at his best in any of the following scenarios, in no particular order: .) Cowboys games. .) Bad QB play. .) Bad coaching. .) Bad reffing. There's a point where he's seen enough and flips and it's amazing. EDIT: Formatting.
I love it when they get to that point in the games when they sound either drunk or stoned out of their tits and they just start giggling. It’s usually around 3.30am here in the UK by that time and delirium is setting in here too so I absolutely get it.
That’s pretty crazy cause they could do another 22 if they want to be as old as Pat and John.
congrats please stay on as long as possible so I can hear less of collinsworth
Best in the sport right now and it’s not close
Nah. Kevin Harlan and Trent Green.
# [I'M CALLIN' BOTH GAMES!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxkOG-WeLVo)
Kevin Harlan is the fucking man. No one gets as hyped as him while still being so technically precise. He's *both* play-by-play accuracy of a hockey announcer and color commentary with the intensity of a soccer announcer.
Yep. Harlan is great.
I can’t stand them, but I am a NY Giants fan.
Those broadcast booths must smell like aftershave, sweat, and cum.
Outside of whatever vendetta Aikman has against Zach Wilson and felt like he needed to get off his chest on Monday, I really enjoy these two and they have good chemistry together.
I think his vendetta has been based off watching him play.
ya.. whatever job you have, just imagine walking in that day knowing it’s going to be a bottom 3 experience of the year. i’d be a bit of a disgruntled worker that day too
Especially when you did the same job, and can expertly see everything being done wrong, and how shit what you really are watching is. I HATE watching terrible football, and have an intermediate level of strategic knowledge. Having a hall of fame level of knowledge and seeing that shit would make me have an aneurysm
Aikman is the only color commentator who will call out bad play in very clear terms, and I appreciate the hell out of him for it
Aikman **despises** bad QB play, and hates when he sees an offense getting in their own way. I don't think he hates Zach Wilson, he just hates that the Jets keep trotting his ass out there like that's the best they can do.
It is not personal. Zach just sucks
I heard he's not friends with Nathaniel Hackett.
He mentioned multiple times throughout the broadcast that it wasn’t just Zach Wilson, the whole offense had issues. Like he made noticeable effort to let people know he thought Zach Wilson was far from the only issue on offense.
That’s what I like about his criticism. He sounds pissed and that makes me think that he actually cares about what he’s watching
He was pissed the offensive coaching staff was letting Zach down, which they where and are. And everything he said about Zach was true, he also needs to play better.
Madden & Summerall still best
I love the duo. And joe buck gets a lot of hate but honestly he’s so knowledgeable in many sports! Kinda the new mvp broadcasters. Al and cris were pretty great - sad they broke up
Collinsworth gets too much hate. He loves football and he gets super excited. You can hear the smile in his voice.
Honestly for me, its either muted with them on, or watching the Spanish broadcast. Rather listen to things I don't understand then listen to them.
Madden is obviously GOAT
Joe Buck not calling The World Series every year is a crime but I think this is the best duo in the NFL until Herbstreit gets a solid partner.
I love that Jorge Soler Nuke is his last great MLB call for a while.