[John Corn]

I'm more of an AFC guy but watching CBS often puts me to sleep. The only time I watch CBS is when the Bills are on. (which is the majority of the time) I find that the main guys on CBS (Gumble and Simms) to be quite vanilla and boring.

Overall I watch more FOX as the game coverage is superb in my judgement. I like all the replays and stuff like that as it gives the impression of the game a bigger feel. They also generally have good announcers. I especially liked the Stockton led booth last year. They were much better than the Summeral/Madden booth.

I really liked what I saw on MNF on Monday and I think that Michaels and Madden will have good chemistry. The bad thing is that the Madden solution to MNF's woes in the booth is more like a bandaid as i'm sure big John will retire in a few years.

The ESPN coverage is by far the best for in game and studio. I really love the announcers on SNF as they all have good chemistry and know what they're talking about. The studio coverage is also quite superb as it's intelligent and analytical.

1-ESPN
2-FOX
3-ABC
4-CBS

 

[James_F]

I was very happy to see MNF. I think that is going to be the team to beat. While I like Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire drives me nuts. Tell me again Paul how much you like the Bills...


1-ABC
2-ESPN
3-FOX
4-CBS

 

[BearsFan]

I was also very encouraged by what I saw / heard on MNF. I really think Al Michaels is the #1 sports announcer, bar none...especially with the NFL.

I liked Dick Stockton on FOX, too. Being a BearsFan/NFC Norris Division-guy, I get to know the FOX crews pretty intimately.

Curt Menefee has GOT to go. As does Ron Pitts. Same with Brian Baldinger. Ugh. Gawdawful. I did like the NFL Europe guy, the guy with the English accent. I fergit his name...I wouldn't mind seeing him more often. It was time for Summerall to go.

The new #1 FOX team has me worried. "Joe Buck?" Hmmmm...I'm not so sure he's a long-term answer for the NFL...he seems to be a baseball guy. I am interested to hear what Collinsworth will say from the booth (we already know that Troy Aikman is improving).

John, I agree with you about the NFL on CBS. I think that, even with "Da Coach" on their pregame show, it's the lamest of the bunch. Not a fan of Jim Nantz on the set. He's Vanilla with a capital V. And please...someone PLEASE get rid of Deieon Sanders!!!! He really makes the show unwatchable.

Having NFL Sunday Ticket, I get to hear 'em all. Dick Enberg is long-done...I'd like to hear Don Criqui more often...I used to like him when he was with NBC doing the AFC.

ESPN? Best pre-game show on TV, except for their patented 4-minute segment, then 3 min. of commercials to string out the show for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. ARRRRRRGGGHHHH! ESPN needs to utilize Stuart Scott more with the NFL...he's a close 2nd to Chris Berman in the studio.

The ESPN crew? I'm with JamesF, Paul Maguire is "obnoxious," and that's putting it nicely. For some reason, Joe Theismann gets on my nerves. He starts this in-game "contest" with Maguire, and they keep going back to it throughout the game. Shut the %#[email protected] up, and tell me what's happening on the field! Mike Patrick is great...when he doesn't have a cold.

As a broadcaster, it's easy to tell I'm QUITE opinionated...forgive the length of this post. I'm a borderline fanatic of the NFL.

Of course, my #1 favorite thing to do is to turn DOWN the TV volume, and listen to my own hometown call for the Chicago Bears from AM 780 WBBM-AM for the game call. Now if only there was a way to receive that station down here in Jacksonville...

1) ABC/MNF
2) FOX
3) ESPN
4) CBS

:welcome:

--BearsFan

 

[Mike]

When I was a kid it was CBS, Mushroomburger, Cross, Greek, Kennedy and George from 9:30 to 10 and then NFC football. Rams are/were NFC, so I always watched CBS games as a kid. Only thing I remember about NBC as a kid is Don Criqui and Charlie Jones and Len Berman.

Switch to satellite TV, became a NBC fan because the backhauls were not scrambled then and the mics were opened during the commercial breaks. Lamps, Enberg, Olsen, Criqui, Trumpy were my favorites and loads of fun to listen to even when the pictures became leitch scrambled and you just had the sound to listen too in the early days of the Sunday Ticket. CBS backhauls were unscrambled, but they invented the mics being cut during the commercial breaks, so I watched NBC games for years and years.

Backhauls are mostly fiber and/or digital now, so now I my allegiance has switched back to the NFC for noise. I watch every game on the 9TV's, but I usually listen to the NFC games because of the Rams and other NFC games and Madden.

I always watch the FOX pre-game show now. Terry came over from CBS as did JB and they are good. Cris is from NBC, so he's a favorite from my backhaul NBC live pre-game shows. Jillian and Jimmy are the best. I will miss Cris on the pre-game show. He does his golf tourney every year for WXIX on FOX 19 in Ohio, so he is quite good in the booth. Joe Buck stinks! He used to do Rams pre-season games with Tim Green and was awful except for the Gordon Elliott interview in Seattle, but that's another story in itself.

CBS only had Glanville on the pre-game show and he is gone somewhere, so that cuts out CBS from the loop now. Nantz is Vanilla on golf and NFL, so I agree with that statement. Deion, well....catch him on the taped bits on Stern's show. All you need to know about him. I don't like most of the CBS announcers except for Enberg and Criqui. I can put up with Dierdorf in spurts. Bonnie's cute and so is Jill, but that's about it for CBS.

ESPN has way too many talking heads on the pre-game show. I get confused. I watch them mostly from 8 to 9 and then it's FOX all the way until 10. If Mort and TJ get turns to talk then I'll listen more closely. ESPN Sunday night crew is good. I grew to like Joe after several years, Mike if he doesn't smoke those cigars is real interesting and Maguire is from NBC and someone I liked there with Enberg and Trumpy, so I'll listen to him because he's funny. Not much on the analysis side though like a Madden.

I look at things from a backhaul standpoint. No 'hauls then forget it. I do that in most sports, but I think FOX is really good with the NFL coverage. Much better then CBS was in the 80's.

ABC coverage now on Monday nights is the best. Mics weren't cut on Monday's telecast (rare rare rare event for ABC), so I enjoyed Melissa with the slip of the tongue between the 3rd and 4th quarters and the upteen we don't want any OT comments. Having Al timing to use the bathrooms is always a riot too.

Right now, I vote an A for FOX, A minus for ABC, B minus for ESPN and a D for CBS.

 

[James_F]

What about Merlin Olsen? He was the man at NBC... :goodjob:

 

[Mike]

Originally posted by BearsFan
Mike Patrick is great...when he doesn't have a cold.

Of course, my #1 favorite thing to do is to turn DOWN the TV volume, and listen to my own hometown call for the Chicago Bears from AM 780 WBBM-AM for the game call. Now if only there was a way to receive that station down here in Jacksonville...

Mike's problem is the cigars. He lights up like a chimney at Big Bear in January. When he puffs, the voice sounds different afterwards. I've noticed this for years.

NFL WBBM feeds should be available on the Bears and NFL.com website. The NFL doesn't charge to listen to the radio feeds like the NLB and NBA leagues. Sound won't match the video on the Sunday Ticket, but it's an option if it's Curt or Brian on the TV call.

 

[BearsFan]

Originally posted by Mike
NFL WBBM feeds should be available on the Bears and NFL.com website. The NFL doesn't charge to listen to the radio feeds like the NLB and NBA leagues. Sound won't match the video on the Sunday Ticket, but it's an option if it's Curt or Brian on the TV call.

Problem is, at home I have a S-L-O-W dial-up connection (can't afford better right now), and I've tried that...watching the game/listening online.

The delay is either REALLY bad, or because of heavy traffic, it cuts me out.

*Sigh* If only there was a way to pick up distant AM stations...

--BearsFan