The Draw Play

I’ve softened on Joe Buck and Troy Aikman over the years. Both have loosened up significantly from their mid-2000’s days when Buck was a big stick in the mud and Aikman a humorless parrot. They’ve reached a more likable state of being these days, bantering together as old friends and just shooting the shit. It doesn’t make them the best announcer combo, but they work similar to how Al Michaels still works: they just don’t fucking care anymore. They got that big bag, they are better than anything else ESPN has trotted out for MNF, and their only competition is the Manningcast, which tends to be a mixed bag and is less structured.

But I’ve always maintained the opinion that color commentators should be rotated out much more frequently than they are. Play-by-Play guys are fine. Their job is to just describe what is happening in the moment, and most of them are trained media personalities who did not play the sports. The color commentator is the context, the details, and the enhancement. They bring the knowledge and the experience. But, as time goes on, the game they played changes. The color commentator becomes more generic with their commentary because they are seeing things they didn’t see firsthand. The time gap between their knowledge and the current product expands, and the color commentator just sort of becomes annoying. It happens with all of them. Phil Simms was a pretty decent commentator in the late 90’s, but by the time Tony Romo showed up he barely seemed to know anything, and Romo was instantly a genius. Now that Romo has been doing this for a decade, he’s not as good at it anymore. Collinsworth, a guy who took pride in details, has also devolved and simply doesn’t seem to put the level of analysis into it that he was at least good at for a while. Now everything is just compared to fuckin Mahomes. By the time John Madden retired, he was mostly a punchline that we all loved rather than a quality commentator.

Aikman was cliché and out of date by 2010, but is still going, and the turn into “gives no fucks” Troy has also come with some consequences. This past MNF slugfest (derogatory) between the Eagles and Packers was maybe the worst case of “old man yells at cloud” I’ve heard in a booth. Aikman got started on the subject of analytics and how modern data analysis has changed how coaches make decisions and he just wouldn’t stop. It was barely veiled contempt for one of the biggest innovations in the modern game. He used to be hip and with it, but then they changed what it was, and what’s hip and with it now seems weird and scary to him.

All it really did was highlight how much Aikman needs to retire. The game has long passed Aikman by and he clearly just doesn’t get or like what teams are doing now. He doesn’t provide interesting analysis on plays, or use statistics to enhance his commentary and give himself information, he just yaps. It’s like when you realize that cool older friend you look up to who “tells it like it is” is actually just an asshole ranting. I still like Joe Buck. He has good chemistry with Aikman. But Aikman brings nothing else to the table anymore. I typically end up on the Manningcast despite the Manningcast being awkward and cringe a lot of the time due to them never being in the same room and having little chemistry with half of their special guests. At least I’m getting something new out of the good bits. If I’m going to listen to two old friends bicker together, I prefer it when it’s those two brothers taking cheap potshots at each other.

Especially if the game sucks. Packers/Eagles was a real dumper. The worst combination of stifling defenses playing against inept and sloppy offense.

That’s probably why Aikman talked about how much he loved it before anybody had scored.