worst nfl commentators 2021
Cole is still by far the best play by play man in WWE and is rewarded by calling the most important matches for the company. But the same ethos that drives the pre-game and mid-game show has seeped into the game broadcasts, too. While there are a handful of suitable replacements ABCs Mike Breen is the first that comes to mind it got us thinking about the art of announcing, and those who never quite mastered it. But with Shanahan running the offense, you never say never. On Monday, Front Office Sports shared the announcers for each network for the 2022-2023 football season. Well, my top worst-to-first candidate is San Francisco -- a team I'd currently predict to finish third in its division, behind the Rams and Cardinals. Jon Gruden This has nothing to do with the horrendous emails that were uncovered that led to the former Las Vegas Raiders coach resigning. The brothers can just watch and react just like fans who happened to have played the game at a high level. Take a listen to the clip below from the final minutes of game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals. Who'll follow suit in 2021? It is a sports television empire that appears to be broadcasting with a 1980s mist hovering wafting through the screen. CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Ja'Marr Chase poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell onstage after being selected fifth by the Cincinnati Bengals during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. The trio is. The Green Bay Packers made headlines when they were unable to retain the best wide receiver in the NFL, Davante Adams, who opted to take a comparable deal from the Las Vegas Raiders in order to . NFL Ranking the 5 Worst NFL Rosters Entering 2021 Season Brent Sobleski June 17, 2021 Paul Sancya/Associated Press Every NFL team is talented. He has dealt with legal issues but has also demanded a trade. But its not just the Burkhardt-Olsen team. The Manning brothers are surely the most surprising duo on our list of the best NFL commentators. The risky move worked out with Pat fitting perfectly into what WWE wanted from the role. 11.6k. I've never seen anything like this. Fox NFL 2021 Cast Sammy Watkins. Joseph heading back to NXT has helped the show a lot with the loss of Mauro Ranallo following his departure from WWE. He has since returned to action but has been unable to get the Seahawks momentum moving in the right direction. They put together a fantastic coaching staff, from top to bottom. Though for some reason, Jackson didnt turn upfield, instead stopping and turning toward the opposite sideline after seeing Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton chasing him down. Charles Davis spotlights six standouts, including a wide receiver who gave his stock a big boost. The first-year NFL tandem between head coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been shaky at best. Then, there was another red-zone shovel pass gone wrong against the 49ers in Week 7. The Greek is . ESPNs second-year MNF broadcast crew of play-by-play announcer Steve Levy, analysts Brian Griese and Louis Riddick and reporter Lisa Salters also garnered fewer plaudits from NFL fans than NBCs Sunday Night Football unit and the A teams at Fox and CBS. The Robert Saleh hire was a slam dunk. But for the most part, hes an intelligent broadcaster who doesnt try too hard or go over the top. They signed top free agent wide receiver Kenny Golladay and selected Kadarius Toney in the first round of the NFL Draft. Thursday Night Football co-lead sideline reporter (2018-2021); co-lead Sunday sideline reporter (2021-present) Adam Amin: play-by-play (2020-present) B. Jason Benetti: play-by-play (2022-present) Check out the full rundown, 1-50. The leagues beacon of consistency continues to chug along. Its impossible to single out just one, so were going to quickly run through the three worst. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. NBCs veteran team of play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, analyst Cris Collinsworth and reporter Michele Tafoya drew favorable reviews from 69 percent of NFL fans who indicated they had heard of the group, including 37 percent who said they had a very favorable opinion of the crew. relinquishing Thursday Night Football to Amazon.com Inc. next season. Senior Coordinating Producer - Sports Betting & Fantasy Sports. 2021 witnessed a few massive changes with new names coming in and out for important slots. Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones have reached the end of their respective rookie contracts. The trio is entering their fifth year of calling the networks top game each week. 16 16. The story surrounding Jaxson Kirkland is unfortunate. Harold Reynolds If you watched the recent World Series, then chances are the monotone voice of Harold Reynolds is still ringing in your ears. Olsen only started broadcasting full-time in 2021 right after retiring and seems like a natural fit. Thats why the TV networks do their best to put the best announcing pairs on the best games that the most people are going to see. In fact, they might have the worst QB1 situation in the league. Smith flips the script, coming from a healthy culture in Tennessee that turned around the Titans in recent years. Until that improves, Smith is at the bottom of the current commentators. It's inevitable. There is none of Michaels self-effacing charm about the state of a dud game. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in late December that the Giantswere planning to bring back Judge next season. CBS top team of play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, Romo and reporter Tracy Wolfson was close behind at 68 percent. 4. Lawrence is going to be special right away. We'll explain why each deal happened and what makes it so toxic for their team. Anytime that Johnson broadcasts a game, its a treat. I love the new regime of general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. NFL Nicknames '22. Their offense scores the third least amount of points while their defense gives up the sixth most. McAfee treats the matches and talents with great importance. ESPN has made a habit of hiring big-name former ballplayers to its ranks in order to boost ratings, but A-Rods dull tone does nothing to get the fans to tune in. While the Detroit Lions finished with the NFLs second-worst record, Dan Campbells group didnt totally embarrass themselves along the way -- minus a few exceptions. Steve Levy on MNF with the stupid jokes makes me switch over to Peyton and Eli. The views expressed in this piece are the authors own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. Bold predictions for 2021 NFL season: Aaron Rodgers lifts Broncos, Julio Jones fuels Titans, State of the 2021 Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones' future weighs heavy as Falcons usher in new era, NFC West projected starters: Top-heavy Rams, Trey Lance-led(?) (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/C6aO5ri2uU. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) And Amazon now has eyes on poaching the Manning brothers for its games next season. Its taken ESPN a little bit of time to get their Monday Night Football booth sorted out, but this one does a solid job. N ow that the NFL is back, I can happily return to my. The worst teams in the NFL ranked #8-#5 so far this year. Gruden paired with Mike Tirico on MNF for several years after ESPN got the rights. Olsen, the former Panthers tight end, is armed with all the knowledge of having just walked off the field. Split him out wide. Thankfully, Stan has left the booth for New Orleans to coach Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, but that doesnt mean we forget what he put us through. Ranking the NFL's worst-to-first candidates in 2021: 49ers, Falcons, Broncos ready to rise? No. This season will be Michaels record 36th on the mic and reportedly the last under his current contract with NBC. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Some names are doing better than others when it comes to consistency and overall impact. Manage Settings They yelled for Talib's attention. After catching the ball, Waddle was immediately tackled by Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward for one of the easiest safeties youll ever see. The leagues longest-tenured on-air duo Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman earned positive reviews from 67 percent of fans for their work with reporter Erin Andrews and rules analyst Mike Pereira. I loveDeVonta Smith, too, and think he will be a star right away. Ranking the 10 best NFL announcers and color analysts, Super Bowl MVP history, list of winners, and more, 10 NFL teams with the most cap space leading into the 2023 offseason, 10 biggest Super Bowl hangovers in NFL history, Preview, format & predictions for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Picking some of the best players in Dallas Cowboys history, Three LeBron records which will never be broken, 10 bold predictions for the 2023 MLS season, Ranking the 10 best players in MLS ahead of the 2023 season, Five things we learned from the 2023 NBA trade deadline. . It's the week of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, and on Tuesday, we had the opportunity to hear from Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He always said, Its not my interest who the backup offensive guard is. But thats the lifeblood to me of a quality football broadcast, and I could never do that with him. There are a lot of fans that dont appreciate Bucks style. Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. ESPNs parent company, Walt Disney Co., also snagged a spot in the Super Bowl rotation and some exclusive regular-season games for its broadcast network, ABC. 1. Levy, the lead announcer, suffers from a strong case of Joe Tessitore-itus. That matters. He has elite potential, if groomed correctly. The NXT stint of Beth Phoenix as a color commentator has given WWE their first relatively long-term commentator. For his efforts, he earned a . In reality, hes been in the game for over 40 years, covering a variety of sporting events, including the famous Miracle on Ice. It has long been understood that no single viewer tunes in to watch the broadcasters of a game. That made some sense in order to gain extra breathing room for third down and a potential upcoming punt. RELATED: 10 Commentators Who Thrived In One Promotion But Flopped In Another. So maybe I have Philly a little low on this list -- especially considering I'm more of a believer in Jalen Hurts than many other folks in this industry. Not so impressive. He threw a massive seven interceptions in his first three games, but just three of them combined over his next eight games. The big four want their production to be the slickest, to encourage people to hang around, to flog adverts, and to stay in the good graces of the leagues head office for the next time rights deals roll around. Worst and Best NFL Commentators (championship, prediction, Champion, how to) User Name: Remember Me: Password Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Make Yahoo Your Homepage Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! The Best Players Who Retired in 2023. He's going to have to do a ton of heavy lifting in 2022, however. This #Texans punt was just weird. Kirk Cousins arguably threw the funniest interception of the season right here. NFL Analyst / MMA Commentator. The Carolina Panthers had a strong start to the 2021 NFL season, winning their first three games. He was a rookie, cut the man some slack. The. Overrated NFL Players. Romo and Nantz at their best remain the games best in-game booth. 72% of NFL fans had a favorable opinion of NBCs Sunday Night Football telecasts, compared to 65% for ESPNs Monday Night Football.. WWE rarely debuts their broadcasters on a major show without any wrestling experience, but they believer in Smiths potential. Sports announcing is subjective. The lack of sheen has given the ManningCast a sort of folksy charm, as if its just another YouTube or Twitch show rather than a sanctioned NFL production from the Walt Disney company, piloted by one of the finest quarterbacks of any generation. . Yes, the Bengals. 1 NFL voice, he recently . Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) August 19, 2020. At age 36, Matt Ryan still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Ranking all eight candidates to go worst to first in 2021 NFL season Published: Feb 19, 2021 at 09:13 AM Gil Brandt NFL.com Senior Analyst Every year, eight teams endeavor to go from. 2021 NFL Draft: Worst pick made by all 32 teams. The beauty of the NFL is the competitive balance and parity. In particular, his defense has been disappointing for a coach that is supposed to be a defensive specialist. JOE BUCK Joe Buck Sucks. He gets the tendencies and schemes. Since divisional realignment back in 2002, we've only experienced two seasons in which at least one team didn't go from worst to first (2014 and '19). 9 Fighting Irish as they visit the Seminoles ( ABC, Sep. 5 7:30 PM ET ). It has been a frustrating season for them as they have been within ten points of victory in seven of their eleven games so far. HEAVES IT. In his second mock of the 2023 NFL Draft, Bucky Brooks has the Raiders taking a quarterback to replace the jettisoned Derek Carr. White also came up with 10 quarterback . Advertisement Sixty-two percent of NFL fans who indicated they had heard of the ESPN crew said they had a favorable opinion of them, which ranked seventh out of the eight national broadcast teams included in the survey. Lined up for a punt against the New England Patriots in Week 5, Houston Texans punter Cameron Johnston ran about 10 yards forward and then brought a gunner in motion, giving the illusion that a trick play could be coming. If the Packers do indeed trade Aaron Rodgers, we can seriously revisit this. If it isn't your team.it can be annoying. The Las Vegas Raiders have question marks at wide receiver, and one outlet feels they are the fourth-worst group in the entire NFL. The Bears' previous regime traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Justin Fields, who battled with Andy Dalton in the 2021 offseason and ultimately struggled when given the chance to actually play last season. 2020 record: 4-11-1 Odds to win AFC North . But that just means its even more special when hes on the call during a Sunday afternoon game. And finally, maybe the most Carson Wentz interception of them all from Week 8: a left-handed prayer while hes being tackled in the end zone by multiple Titans defenders that resulted in a pick-six. The reason for Mark Jacksons awful commentating is in part his other sidekick Jeff Van Gundy. Gymnastics Analyst. In the middle of his second year with . Joe Buck is the worst play by play man, actually the worst announcer over all, on T.V.. Daniel Jeremiah previewed the event on Friday, identifying some intriguing prospect-team fits. If not, the guy on the 7 team would be paid the same as the guy on the number one team, and we know thats not the case.. The return of Nick Bosa, in particular, changes everything for the defense. Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin. The free agency frenzy is a hectic period on the NFL calendar with a language all its own. First of all, the 49ers get a clean bill of health. At some point, the Cowboys are going to have to swallow their pride and absorb an expensive receiver contract. Rome wasn't built in a day. During a Week 4 game against the Chicago Bears, Lions center Frank Ragnow snapped the ball as quarterback Jared Goff was walking toward the offensive line to make a pre-snap call. That officially means that he will be out for the remainder of the season. I thought Buck was the announcer and Aikmen or whatever retired player next to him is the color commentator. Download Fastest Growing Brands 2022 Report, From left: Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Al Michaels from NBC Sports in January 2018. So that made it always challenging.. 11-29-2021, 06:45 PM TheseGoTo11 : Location: Land of the Free. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! It wasn't exactly impressive beating a winless team on the last second field goal. X factor for 2021: Linebacker Devin White recorded an 83.5 coverage grade across his final five games of the 2020 season, three of which were playoff games. They're also staying with Salters on the sideline and officiating analyst John Parry as well. Losing the trio on Sunday nights will be a loss, but it opens up the exciting possibility of a fresh broadcast with new voices backed by the top supporting cast in the industry. Hes accustomed to broadcasting other sports and doing games on the radio, although he adjusts well when hes doing NFL games on TV. NBC's Al . Whether they are missing just a few weeks or the injury turns out . Joey is a writer with a decade of experience writing about sports, entertainment, and pop culture. While that thinking hasnt stopped networks from shelling out millions for top announcers and analysts (led by analyst Tony Romos. Michaels is the leading candidate to be the voice of Thursday Night Football when Amazon takes over the exclusive rights next year. The Texans rank last in the NFL in scoring offense while losing nine of their last ten games. The favorability gap between the top three teams and the rest of the pack wasnt exactly a chasm either. Responses from individuals who indicated they hadnt heard of each team were removed from consideration to avoid giving an advantage to the more well-known teams. Counting Down The Worst Sports Announcers Of All-Time. Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 14 TV Schedule. You know a broadcast is in trouble when a couple of million viewers click over to its own networks companion show. The Media Research Center notes that he once suggested that Obama push through his agenda and tell the opposition . After all, most fans know what its like to feel disappointed when the NFL announcers for a game youre watching make a mistake or say something foolish. His reaction to important plays is always honest and excited, so theres no sense that hes faking it or trying too hard. Head coach David Culley said the blooper had nothing to do with Johnstons proximity to the line, just that he struck the ball incorrectly. Justin Jefferson blatantly held in the slot and nothing was called.Still not sure why Cousins threw it, as Jefferson was already on the ground pic.twitter.com/LUEXxjgV1l. Joseph currently calls the action for NXT and 205 Live and fits in much better on those programs. Hes one of the few broadcasters who can do all four major American sports, so he brings a quiet consistency to his NFL broadcasts. The following are 15 of the worst offenders. Trevor Lawrence is already showing improvements in his game as his rookie season plays itself out. No broadcast misses more action as it tries to cram in a carefully crafted feature. There's no way a coach with back-to-back Super Bowl titles (1992-93) should have left Dallas. He was driven by story lines and personalities, which all were germane to the game itself, but when we got down to players 30 through 35 hed probably be the first person to tell you this, he didnt have a ton of information on that. Allen Lazard. Baseball is a difficult sport to call there is a ton of time to fill and the sport can be quite dull so we should give Rodriguez a bit of a break, but we wont. 10 Jimmy Smith The Raw commentary team is still finding their chemistry with a few big changes in 2021. ESPNs parent company, Walt Disney Co., also snagged a spot in the Super Bowl rotation and some exclusive regular-season games for its broadcast network, ABC. Seriously. And that something is fun. Mahomes led KC a second straight Super Bowl in February, but was defeated by Tampa Bay. The phrase live to fight another down doesnt seem to be part of Wentzs vocabulary. CBS football analyst Tony Romo re-upped with the network for a reported $17m annually, a figure that will see him earn more than all but four active quarterbacks this season. So why do networks continue to pay top dollar for talent? Compensation for broadcasters is driven by an American business fundamental, demand. The pieces around that the announcer, the play-by-play analyst, the sideline reporter are interchangeable. NFL owners approved a series of new rules Wednesday for the 2021 season, including one that will expand the influence of replay officials amid ongoing demands from . Crosby connected on his next attempt, also a 49-yarder, to end the kicking madness and give Green Bay the Week 5 victory. The only difference is that Romo understands every little detail of the game and can practically predict whats going to happen just based on the pre-snap formation. Jon Heath. The over the top arguments with other members on commentary started to overshadow the match. Lawrence, who won the NCAA National Championship as a freshman at Clemson, was selected first overall by Jacksonville in the 2021 NFL Draft. Webber loved to go on long-winded stories from his playing days right smack in the middle key moments. The three-man booth, Reddick and Griese paired with Steve Levy, feels cramped. Published: Jun 03, 2021 at 02:18 PM Adam Schein NFL.com Contributing Columnist The beauty of. Anything thatcouldgo wrongwouldgo wrong. That proved to be a mistake. That's a herculean task. Joe Buck, a 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and Emmy award play-by-play commentator, returns to work the play-by-play on the lead secondary team alongside longtime colleague and analyst Troy Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback.Buck and Aikman, who currently represents the NFL's longest tenured-duo, will work/celebrate their 20th season together for the . The defense has experienced a bunch of key lossesandsignings this offseason, so it's hard to know what to expect out of Lou Anarumo's unit. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Be the first one to comment on this story. When Jackson caught it inside the Chiefs 25-yard line, there was no one in front of him. Its a little more laid back and informal, which can have its advantages. And he inherits some juicy offensive talent in Atlanta. Yet few shows have more potential. He is a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University and still resides in upstate New York. Saleh and Co. will point this ship in the right direction, but it's not gonna happen overnight. NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs sit atop post-Super Bowl list as three AFC teams land in top four In his final Power Rankings, Pete Prisco says the Chiefs are officially a dynasty -- and there's no . Robert Saleh's first year as the head coach of the New York Jets has been unimpressive. The Houston Texans offense is almost nonexistent without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has not played at all in the 2021 NFL season. If anything, the show is a touch too loose. Really? The Washington Football Team pulled off the feat this past season. Some teams have been solid so far in the 2021 NFL season, while others have fallen short. The Kofi Kingston WWE Championship win would not have felt as special without Saxton calling it. I like Kevin Burkhart, Jonathan Vilma, couple others, but for the most part I don . #8 - Carolina Panthers (5-7) Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton The Carolina Panthers. : #BUFvsTEN on ESPN: https://t.co/Vs5zpZtzd9 pic.twitter.com/7BJUma1dA9. The pieces around that the announcer, the play-by-play analyst, the sideline reporter are interchangeable. Andy Shepherd is the play by play commentator who calls the weekly show and the TakeOver specials whenever WWE books a bigger event. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Taylor didnt do a good enough job of keeping the ball out of harm's way, as linebacker Jerome Baker hauled it in for a pick. But this is still far from one of the best tandems because Buck isnt always well-liked while Aikman can be dry at times despite being an intelligent color analyst. He knows the coaches. I think there are bumper stickers out there with that on it. Van Gundy, former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach, fancies himself as the intellect on every call. Hes not the least bit buttoned up or uptight like a seasoned professional. Mark Sanchez joining Fox as NFL Color Coded Wristband Commentator Now that's a job that would be in his wheel house. The Philadelphia Eagles have been inconsistent all season long, and that starts with quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is trying to win the job as the starting quarterback in 2022. OHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Needless to say, some NFL commentators are better than others. The Detroit Lions are the only winless team in the NFL. In the NFL, all of the attention of fans is usually on the field, and for good reason, but what about the NFL commentators? 29. And Meyer will make everyone accountable. The Atlanta Falcons have had an up-and-down year. Fox (70 percent), which airs games on Sunday afternoons as well as Thursday Night Football. and CBS (70 percent), which also airs matchups on Sunday afternoons, both fell within the 3-point margin of error for the 1,443 NFL fans surveyed, creating a virtual three-way tie. 5,580 posts, read 5,421,209 times Reputation: 6271. Sure, Romo might be the best in the business right now, but is he really that much more valuable than the average analyst or the second person on CBS bench? While there are a handful of suitable replacements ABC's Mike Breen is the first that comes to mind it . Is James Cook ready to be the Bills' RB1? Alex Silvermanpreviously worked at Morning Consult as a reporter covering the business of sports. Eli looks like a slow kid with a hearing aid in that photo I think it captures his essence quite well. That also includes 20 years on Monday Night Football before moving to NBCs Sunday Night Football game in 2006. If you only saw Bears safety Deon Bush catching this ball on Monday Night Football in Week 15, you would have thought he was fielding a punt. Of course, the bad ones always help us feel grateful for the best NFL announcers. This season will be Michaels record 36th on the mic and reportedly, the last under his current contract with NBC, CBS top team of play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, Romo and reporter Tracy Wolfson was close behind at 68 percent. The 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year tore his ACL in Week 2 of last season. Harlan also has a good partnership going with Green, who doesnt get enough credit for being a smart analyst. Meanwhile, Burkhardt feels like a rising star in the broadcasting world. Phoenix is not ready for a full-time position on Raw or Smackdown just yet if she even does want it, but her voice is an important part of NXT. The news of Pat McAfee receiving the color commentator spot on Smackdown was a huge shock. First there was the Week 2 shovel-pass interception near the goal line against the Los Angeles Rams. The Jets combined for the worst overall points differential in the entire NFL. The signing of Nigel McGuinness from Ring of Honor saw his commentary prioritized for multiple projects. The guy brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the role that no other NFL announcers on our list can match. A different angle shows the intended target, star wideout Justin Jefferson, fell on the play following some contact by a Bears defender, and Cousins said he didnt see that Jefferson went down before releasing the ball. Fans expected McAfee to become a wrestler after his match against Adam Cole delivered and exceeded all expectations. As for Talib, hes new to the broadcasting game, but surely has a wealth of knowledge from his playing days. McGuinness is one of the more respected ex-wrestlers who never worked for WWE. I know new coach Nick Sirianni loves rock-paper-scissors, but don't know much about his potential as a head man. Some former athletes turned announcers really know how to take their athletic expertise and explain it to the viewers Chris Webber is not one of those athletes. So, what's the next move for each quarterback? January 16, 1988: Jimmy Snyder, better known as Jimmy the Greek, was fired by CBS after a 12-year stint on the network as an analyst following a racial comment he made to a reporter. Yet its likely to be the final year for NBCs current crew. With Taylor scrambling toward the sideline, it appeared like he was either going to run out of bounds for a loss or throw the ball away. pic.twitter.com/cHLjHyUPxs. For some reason, Van Gundy feels the need to insert his inane rule suggestions and complaints on the current state of the game at the worst possible times. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. And I love how Saleh brought Mike LaFleur along to run the offense. What is happening right now must be the most important because Levy delivers each call with such volume and force, the moment elevated, perhaps, because it is being called by Mr Levy himself. I do think we could see Cincy split with the Browns and Ravens this season. But it was actually a pass Cousins made from a pretty clean pocket that didnt end up in the same area code of another Vikings player. This time, as he was being pulled to the ground, Wentz tried to flick a pass to a wide-open Zach Pascal in the end zone and came up about eight yards short. If I have to listen to someone talk for 3 hours I will eventually hate them. The underrated work of Byron Saxton is finally being celebrated more as a color commentator. Still, the top talent at each of the three non-ESPN networks came out on top and again within the margin of error of one another.