CBS Confirms 2011 Broadcast Teams

[Senser81]

1. Jim Nantz & Phil Simms - Nantz has a nice enough delivery, but he's not really a football guy. As you said, Simms is not only unclear about the rules, he is usually wrong. If Nantz knew football, he could correct Simms on his typical cluelessness ("Why is the clock still running? Didn't they get a first down??"). Simms is TERRIBLE. If he had started out as a #8 guy, he would have been fired after two years.

2. Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf - Gumbel is great. Dierdork is intolerable. He gets excited about stupid stuff, but then ignores the most important play of the game.

3. Ian Eagle & Dan Fouts - Echoing what W2B said, Eagle is great in any sport, and Fouts is one of the few guys who will criticize coaches and officials. And Fouts always knows what he's talking about, too.

4. Marv Albert & Rich Gannon - I like this team. Albert has the best voice, and Gannon isn't really annoying or excitable. A good pairing.

5. Kevin Harlan & Solomon Wilcots - I like Wilcots a lot because I don't have to turn down the volume every time he talks. Harlan kind of sucks, though.

6. Bill Macatee & Steve Tasker -Don't know much about Manatee, but I find Tasker to be annoying.

7. Spero Dedes & Steve Beuerlin - Agree with W2B, Beuerlein has no business being a broadcaster.

8. Don Criqui & Randy Cross - I never liked Criqui back in the heyday of the Criqui/Trumpy team. I've ALWAYS hated Randy Cross. The guy comes off as a douche, and the information he gives is usually incorrect or based on some faulty memory of his. I'd rather have Todd Christensen announcing American Gladiators than this shit team.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

I'd rather have Todd Christensen announcing American Gladiators than this shit team.

bwahahaha


I havent even looked at Fox but I dont think theres ever been a time where Fox has better voices than CBS.
I always thought Fox voices were redskins/cardinals week 16 quality.
Madden was the exception of course. I like Buck Aikman except Buck is too baseball sounding for me.

Maybe Fox has dusty microphones or hire guys with more bass.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

bwahahaha


I havent even looked at Fox but I dont think theres ever been a time where Fox has better voices than CBS.
I always thought Fox voices were redskins/cardinals week 16 quality.
Madden was the exception of course. I like Buck Aikman except Buck is too baseball sounding for me.

Maybe Fox has dusty microphones or hire guys with more bass.

Here is FOX:

I love this time of year, fuck free agency, the new announcer lineups always gets my nipples hard.

Here are my breakdowns:

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver - Buck swears he's the shit, with his cool, calm delivery and steady audible level. He comes off cocky. Aikman is good, but not great. Star power over substance. They aren't as bad as people make them out to be, but FOX has better. Oliver is useless, like most sideline "reporters".

Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa - I hate Albert's voice. Not as much as CBS's Kevin Harlan, who has the world's worst voice, but it's close. Moose is Moose. Says some dumb shit and would be nowhere near a #2 crew if he had played for the Cardinals or Seahawks instead of the Cowboys. Goose is ok for what he is. He knows when to do shtick and when to be serious. This was a fine line he crossed way too much a few years ago.

Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin - The best crew on FOX, and probably the best crew in all of football. Brennnaman is a pro's pro, calls the game like a classic play by play man, and chimes in on analysis when appropriate (like Al Michaels). Billick is FUCKING AWESOME. I can't rave about him enough. Great insight, and gives you angles nobody else does, like a more cerebral version of John Madden. The best analyst in the biz today. I'm not familiar with the ho, but nobody cares.

Dick Stockton & John Lynch - Stockton is a drunken fool who keeps slipping down the ladder. He has been abysmal for years, butchering names, taking off entire plays without saying a word, and making weird hyperbolic proclamations ("And the Giants are in full control at the Meadowlands! Three nothing, 13:45 to go in the first."). Lynch is hit or miss. He was shaky his rookie year, but has gotten better. He talks out of his ass sometimes, which they all do, but he is pretty obvious about it.. He has potential.

Chris Myers & Tim Ryan - If this list is in the correct order, I am shocked and disgusted that Chris Myers is now on the #5 team. He is, by far, the worst play by play man in the biz. He is usually on the #8 or "swing" team. How he was promoted is beyond my understanding. Tim Ryan is one of those Madden clones that were all the rage about ten years ago (Bill Maas, Matt Millen before he was emasculated in Detroit, etc). He's just a guy. Combined with Myers, this might be the worst crew of the year.

Ron Pitts & Jim Mora - I like Ron Pitts a lot. He's usually on the 6/7/8 team, but he is easily better than the two guys directly ahead of him. As a former player, can jump in and analyze with no problem. He deserves better than doing the NFC West and Lions vs. Buccaneers every week. He used to work with Lynch. Mora is pretty good, too. Not afraid to say bold things and call people out. This will be a good team that causal fans never hear because they will do bad games.

Sam Rosen & Chad Pennington - Rosen is like a sober Stockton. Old, senile, losing it, but does not make nearly as many errors. Pennington is obviously new.

Gus Johnson, Charles Davis & Tim Brewster - Gus is on the swing team? What the hell is happening here? I guess this crew is doing college football, and will not be full time. I suspect when they do work games, it will be in the #4 slot.

Brenneman/Billick is a Grade A, top notch crew. Probably the best listen in football. The rest is trash. Dick Stockton is drunk and Chris Myers is the worst around.

 

[Senser81]

Here is FOX:



Brenneman/Billick is a Grade A, top notch crew. Probably the best listen in football. The rest is trash. Dick Stockton is drunk and Chris Myers is the worst around.

Good write-up. I copied and put in my own thoughts.

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver - Sad that Oliver is probably the smartest of the group. Aikman is a moron. Somewhat likable, though. Buck is unlikable.

Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa - I used to like Johnston, but not anymore. He says dumb stuff and picks bad times to go off on tangents. I suggested that Goose has a little box in the corner of the TV screen, and when he talks the box pops up. FOX copied my idea! Not a good team.

Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin - I hated Billick as a coach, but I always thought he'd be a great announcer. His voice is better than nearly all the play-by-play guys. Knows how to make a point without sounding overexcited or condescending (opposite of Gruden & Jaworksi).

Dick Stockton & John Lynch - Thought Stockton was dead. Lynch is too vanilla to be an announcer. Doesn't give you much. He's not over-the-top annoying, but should be paired with a stronger play-by-play guy.

Chris Myers & Tim Ryan - Agree with all of W2B's thoughts. It appears that every football game Myers calls is the first game he's ever seen. Tim Ryan is horrendous. When he, Bill Maas, and Brian Baldinger were doing games, you couldn't tell them apart. I'd rather have Jerry Lawler in the booth than those gorillas.

Ron Pitts & Jim Mora - Pitts is the FOX version of Wilcots (but not as good). Mora is actually pretty funny, but fades in and out of the broadcast.

Sam Rosen & Chad Pennington - Good call on Rosen. I think Pennington could be good, because he has a sense of humor (unlike Steve Beurlein).

Gus Johnson, Charles Davis & Tim Brewster -I don't think I've seen these three guys work together. Should be interesting.

 

[Awesometrax]

I must be the only guy here who actually likes Kevin Harlan... didn't know so many of you guys found his voice annoying. I guess I just don't like boring announcers (which is why I don't like Dick Stockton).

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

There was a game either last year or the year before, where Billick had picked up on the snap count based on something the C was doing to tip it off. Play after play, Billick would correctly predict when the snap was coming. He was going on and on about how he was amazed that the defense had not picked up on this, and also how there needs to be a coach assigned to things like this on the offensive side to make sure that it doesn't happen. It was facinating.

 

[Senser81]

I must be the only guy here who actually likes Kevin Harlan... didn't know so many of you guys found his voice annoying. I guess I just don't like boring announcers (which is why I don't like Dick Stockton).

Harlan reminds me of Gorilla Monsoon from the old WWF. Monsoon was funny because it wasn't real..."AN OPEN HAND SLAP TO THE FACE!! A BLOW TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS!! ANOTHER BLOW TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS!!!!"

Harlan just kind of grates on me after a couple hours. Stop yelling, dude.


As a play-by-play commentator, Monsoon's colorful announcing style proved a perfect fit for the character-based WWF while, at the same time, maintaining the sporting aspect of pro wrestling. Not only would Monsoon call holds but he consistently brought up the athletic competition frequently mentioning his and Jesse's wrestling backgrounds and drawing on that, saying on occasion he was "glad he had retired" after a devastating move. Gorilla would also mention the "winners and losers purse" when it came to match decisions. Monsoon accentuated the storylines surrounding the bouts whilst relying on hyperbole, deadpan humor and unique catchphrases. One such phrase was his ironic use of the word "literally", such as "The Garden just literally exploded!" Another popular catchphrase was, "...and a beauty!", which would usually follow a well-executed wrestling move ("A clothesline and a beauty!"). Another of Monsoon's phrases was "WILL you stop?", usually directed, in frustration, at co-commentator Bobby "The Brain" Heenan after he went off on one of his many heel-backing tangents or other rants. One other popular catchphrase was "This place has gone bananas!", playing off the entrance of a wrestler or a finish where the crowd erupts into cheer or boo. Many times, Monsoon would also substitute simple words with needlessly complex and obscure equivalents, most memorably often using "external occipital protuberance" as an alternative to "back of the head." Heenan often mocked this, once sarcastically calling a move to the "cervial dervial part of the back." However, Monsoon also employed several homegrown substitutes for body parts, describing the mouth as a "kisser" and the abdomen as "the bread basket." While commentating a match where a title changes hands, Monsoon always declared, "History has been made!" Whenever he would be talking about something he didn't believe would happen, he would always say, "Highly unlikely". He would often remark, when speaking to someone about their lack of presence at some event, that they were "conspicuous by their absence". Other common phrases used were "Listen to the ovation (for wrestler)" as a face would be making his way to the ring and "Take a look (at wrestler)" to highlight the impressiveness of a wrestler. He would often declare "the irresistible force meeting the immovable object" when two heavyweights crashed into one another, with the most legendary occurrence being the "Andre vs. Hogan" match at WrestleMania III.

WCW Commentator Tony Schiavone acknowledged Marella's death (at Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's request) on the WCW Monday Nitro taping held after he died, even though Marella never worked for WCW. Afterwards, Heenan broke down in tears and left the announcers' booth.

When Bobby Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004, in his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to Monsoon, saying "I wish Monsoon were here."

 

[Blick]

I like Kevin Harlan because he used to be the radio voice for the Chiefs.

I can understand how his voice might be annoying to some though.