While I do not think it would be an easy job AT ALL to sit in an announcers chair and talk insightfully about football for three hours back and forth with two other guys, in a manner that kept the chatting interesting for millions of viewers, someone has to have the job of letting people who do do that sort of thing know what it is that they need to stop doing.
Jon Gruden is not a bad announcer by any stretch of the imagination. At least that statement is true when you consider the absolute verbal defecation we’ve recently had to endure thanks to the likes of Dennis Miller, Joe Theismann and *shudder* Tony Kornholer, who came into the booth and actually was worse than Theismann – something I did not even think could be possible. Having the two of them on at the same time was the Dark Age of MNF for me, as I would watch the games while listening to something more relaxing, like Bison BC.
Someone, however, has to tell Gruden that, even if he is simply and utterly amazed at the things that happen in a football game – a state that seems impossible given his coaching career in the NFL – he needs to stop with the exclamation, “Unbelievable!” every time there is a good play on the field, or a bad or good call by a coach.
"Believe in all things equally and prosper." - Dalai Lama to Jon Gruden, circa today.
During last night’s MNF game in New Orleans, I actually became very annoyed at Gruden because whenever something good or bad, but slightly more good or more bad than is normal, occurred, he just could not help letting us all know that what he was seeing occur was “Unbelievable!” to him. How can that be?
The obvious answer is that these things that happen on the field are not unbelievable in any sense of the word. In fact, many happen every single damned game. What is unbelievable is that no one within the network has the balls to tell him just that. Otherwise, his asinine exclamatories will soon render him just another in a growing line of Monday Night Verbal Eunichs.
No related posts.
Oh there are enough Grudenisms that I’m sick of listening to:
” [INSERT NAME HERE] may be the best [INSERT POSITION HERE] in the National Football League” – you hear that at least 6-8 yimes a game.
“I’m not going to wasn’t going to tell you that [INSERT PREDICTION HERE] but I will”. – shut your face Gruden.
“Wildcat” – repeat as many times as you want anytime the subject arises. Makes me want to punch my TV.
Haha! Nice!
If I were an owner, he’d be talking himself right out of my soon-to-be-open head coaching position.