MNF coverage crippled by commentary
September 18th, 2007 1:50 am
by
Pro Set
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Despite Joe Theismann leaving the booth, tonight’s MNF coverage really demonstrated how far matters have deteriorated since Al Michaels departed for NBC.
With a tight, hugely important divisional showdown in play, (yes, actually in play) the long-suffering viewers were treated to a torturous over-indulgence of Charles Barkley followed by a fourth quarter descent into storyline wonderland that was just infuriating.
Barkley entered the booth in the third quarter and made some prescient and insightful remarks on the pressures facing QB Donovan McNabb. This was a really interesting period as McNabb battled to keep PHI within striking distance with the fans on his back.
But the MNF crew just had to begin pontificating on the New England spygate incident. This had been covered, on national television, 24 hours previously when the Patriots were actually playing. The relevance and newsworthiness of the MNF input was negligible, at best. The story of the evening was the game in front of them, and the issue at hand was how PHI would convert its painful but stuttering drives into TD opportunities, whilst getting pressure on WSH QB Jason Campbell on the other side of the ball without letting the Redskins run freely.
Mercifully the enforced conversation created by Barkley departed at the end of the third quarter. I’m not sure that I could have coped if Mike (the Choirboy) Tirico had mentioned again that Barkley covers the NBA for TNT, and that “our (Tirico’s and Barkley’s) paths will cross many times during the (NBA) season.”
We all then suffered as Tony Kornheiser, who tries hard but does not seem to have the patience to appreciate a full game of NFL football, started soliloquising on the future of WSH coach Joe Gibbs. The relevance of this subject matter to the game at hand was zero. It’s Week 2 and the Redskins are 1-0 so the future of the coach is absolutely moot when a 2-0 start is one defensive stop away. My bet is that Joe Gibbs, as well as every interested viewer, was fully focussed on how to contain the threatened PHI comeback.
I felt that Kornehiser had saved this up for a large PHI lead to fill 4th quarter dead time, and refused to allow the game to dictate the storylines. This manufactured storyline is beloved by the MNF crew. It simply gives them an excuse to follow a prepared script and cue up something that gives the aura of preparedness.
I feel ungrateful criticising a crew that has replaced the Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, Suzy Kolber human interest-athon that used to crush my will to breathe.
But Tirico insists on explaining the ultra obvious during the one game of the week that is on cable, and might be expected to draw the most discerning and knowledgeable audience. Kornheiser is a newspaper man and loves to focus on pre-game storylines that can be “followed up” and “developed.”
I yearn for the return of Dick Stockton and Matt Millen, or Ray Bentley and Ron Pitts.
Posted in Al Michaels, Dick Stockton, Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell, Joe Gibbs, Matt Millen, Mike Tirico, Monday Night Football, NFL on NBC, Philadelphia Eagles, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser, Washington Redskins |
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