Monday Night Football's Next Color Commentator
In early to late December,
a rumor was going around that Jon Gruden was making his return to coaching. As the days went on, it appeared this rumor was the real deal. Many people (including myself) were probably thinking this was all talk. This rumor seemed to re-appear around this every year for the past three to four years, but not this time. IT WAS FOR REAL! On January 6th the Oakland Raiders made it official: Jon Gruden was their next Head Coach.
Being a Raider fan I am just going to leave my thoughts on that hire out of this piece because this isn’t about the Silver and Black’s new HC, this is about Monday Night Football. Who will be the one to take over for Chuckie? I feel like there are so many levels to this decision that need to be explored, so let’s do that.
First things first let’s talk about MNF in recent history. What used to be a cultural phenomenon and the most anticipated game of every week has now become the worst. They have the lowest ratings of all the national televised games. The game almost seems to be forgotten about at times from the fans. Because of that, they seem to get these awful match ups. Why is that? Why has MNF gone so down hill in recent years? Could it be it’s move from ABC to ESPN? Maybe it just couldn’t recover from losing broadcasting legends Al Michaels and John Madden. Either way, ESPN needs to make a move to try and bring it back from the ashes in which it sits now.
At first everybody loved the combo of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, but as the years went on we started to see more and more how that dynamic REALLY worked and that became obvious when Tirico left for NBC. Now I will admit, I am a big fan of Tirico’s play-by-play so maybe I’m a bit biased, but in my opinion he carried that booth. Sean McDonough, though very good in his own right, just doesn’t have the excitement and personality that Tirico had. But that isn’t McDonough’s fault. He has just had a weak partner the past 2 years. Tirico could carry a weak partner, McDonough just doesn’t have it in him.
ESPN needs someone exciting, but someone who can break down the game in a way that the common fan can understand. Someone like Tony Romo! Romo has been phenomenal for CBS this year and has really shed a new light on the way in which we watch a football game
On that note, I’d like to remind you of some of the legendary broadcast teams that held the mic in the past. This will give you a reference of the history of this weekly prime time NFL event. Here are a few: Frank Gifford Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf. Last but not least one of the best pairs in broadcast history Al again and the Hall of Famer John Madden.
With that, here is my list in order:
Louis Riddick
This guy fucking knows football! In my opinion he is the best NFL analyst ESPN has now and maybe has ever had. He takes you into the front office way of evaluating players and talent. Watching him during draft coverage is the most entertaining part of the draft. Listening to Gruden talk about player evaluation is rough to get through but then Riddick comes in and you almost forget about Gruden.
Not only does he evaluate well, but he is exciting! Fast talking, very well spoken, articulate, and energetic. You can tell he loves football and that work is not just work for him, it’s a passion. One of my worries was if this can translate over to in game color commentating, well it does! If you don’t believe me just watch!
Riddick provided color alongside Matt Hasselbeck for the Pro Bowl this year. I know what you are thinking, “Who the hell watches the Pro Bowl?” Well I watch the Pro Bowl. At least this year I did. I woke up hung over as hell Sunday morning on the 28th and walked into my kitchen to get a much needed glass of water and some breakfast. I made my breakfast and sat down to turn on the TV. Only thing on? You guessed it, the Pro Bowl. So I tuned in. Riddick was fantastic! He had the same energy and analysis he brings to the draft coverage that really gets you excited about the game.
Peyton Manning
Someone brought this up recently and I have to say, it would be an exciting move and word on the street is that this is becoming more of a reality then rumor. It definitely would interest people and get them to watch, at least at first. Everyone knows Manning eats, sleeps, and dreams football so there is no doubt the knowledge is there, but does he have that personality to match what we have seen in Tony Romo this season? That is the big question surrounding this move.
Also, is broadcasting something Manning wants to do? He is a household name, on almost every TV commercial on Sunday, and I just feel like he is above this. If ESPN were to do this, I’m sure it would not be cheap. We are talking probably the biggest ESPN talent contact ever.
Randy Moss and Charles Woodson
Now I personally am not a fan of a three-man booth, but with these guys there is potential. The question is, is it the right potential? Moss and Woodson are the entire Sunday NFL Countdown show. They’re back and forth along with their Randy and Charles segments are hilarious and it’s no secret that these two know the game of football (being one of the best of all time at their position). But how much of that will translate over? These guys are jokesters, so yes they would be entertaining, but the idea nowadays is to entertainment with in-depth analysis of the game.
My worry is if they get into a rant where they are teasing back and forth and not paying attention to the game it could be very distracting for a viewer. This tends to happen with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy on NBA games and I can definitely see this happening more with Moss and Woodson.
No matter which way you slice it ESPN has a big decision to make and it’s one that could potentially make or break their future with NFL coverage. They need to make a comeback in the ratings and that starts with crushing this hire. There is too much history with MNF to let it continue to die like this. MNF needs this to move forward and not be the forgotten game every week.