BillsFever
07-16-2003, 03:11 AM
As various newspapers, including the New York Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the New York Daily News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Arizona Republic, weigh in on the surprising announcement that Rush Limbaugh will join the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown crew, none of the "real" journalists out there sufficiently have connected the dots on this one.
Oh, they've come close. But you'll only find the real story on the Limbaugh hire right here, as I pound the keys with my currently Oreo-stained fingers.
So here's the truth:
Rush is being groomed for Monday Night Football.
Some of the pundits nearly made the connection, noting that Rush tried (and failed) to secure the spot landed by Dennis Miller three years ago. But none has made the leap to the obvious result of Rush's upcoming tenure in Bristol.
The flaw in ABC's reasoning in 2000 was that the guy whom they hired had no objective broadcasting and/or football credentials -- and it showed, painfully. In contrast, Limbaugh already has the broadcasting thing licked. A stint on ABC's sister network should sufficiently prepare Rush's resume for the scrutiny that necessarily results from each and every personnel decision made at the highest-profile platform in sports. (See Guerrero, Lisa.)
So with John Madden on the high side of 65, and with ratings at MNF stagnant despite the presence of Mr. Boom (especially after he eats a Blooming Onion), we predict (in fact, we guarantee) that Limbaugh will be joining the broadcast booth when Madden decides to pack up the bus for one last road trip back to California. Madden is under contract for three more years, which gives Rush just enough time to lay the foundation for his next big move.
It's no secret that ABC has been searching desperately to replicate the formula that made Monday Night Football a must-see, water-cooler phenomenon in the 1970s. And as each new ho-hum iteration of the MNF broadcast team cements the legacy of Cosell, Meredith, and Gifford, it's becoming more and more clear that the only way to harness the old week-in, week-out buzz is to secure a naturally polarizing personality, and then to team him with one or more partners who will routinely stoke his coals.
Limbaugh clearly is that guy. The broadcast booth has gone too touchy-feely over the past two decades, with guys like Dan Fouts reluctant to tell Dennis Miller that what he just said crossed the line between "outside the box" and "just plain freakin' weird."
Also, former athletes are too reluctant (and, in many cases, insufficiently articulate) to criticize. There's an unspoken code that the guys who used to play the game shouldn't diss those who still strap on the hardware. And the ascension of Matt Millen from talking head to empty-headed G.M. has made color commentators even more wary of slamming coaches and front offices, lest they burn bridges to potential employment in the future.
But Limbaugh doesn't have to worry about any of that. Like Cosell, Rush will tell it like it is.
Actually, Rush will tell it like it should be.
Many people will love it. Many more people will hate it. But, in the end, lots more people will be tuning in on Monday nights.
The only remaining question is who else should be in the booth with Limbaugh? Send us your thoughts. We'll post the best suggestions, and the person who submits the top idea gets a free copy of "Quarterback of the Future." (We've gotta get rid of the damn things somehow.)
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
Oh, they've come close. But you'll only find the real story on the Limbaugh hire right here, as I pound the keys with my currently Oreo-stained fingers.
So here's the truth:
Rush is being groomed for Monday Night Football.
Some of the pundits nearly made the connection, noting that Rush tried (and failed) to secure the spot landed by Dennis Miller three years ago. But none has made the leap to the obvious result of Rush's upcoming tenure in Bristol.
The flaw in ABC's reasoning in 2000 was that the guy whom they hired had no objective broadcasting and/or football credentials -- and it showed, painfully. In contrast, Limbaugh already has the broadcasting thing licked. A stint on ABC's sister network should sufficiently prepare Rush's resume for the scrutiny that necessarily results from each and every personnel decision made at the highest-profile platform in sports. (See Guerrero, Lisa.)
So with John Madden on the high side of 65, and with ratings at MNF stagnant despite the presence of Mr. Boom (especially after he eats a Blooming Onion), we predict (in fact, we guarantee) that Limbaugh will be joining the broadcast booth when Madden decides to pack up the bus for one last road trip back to California. Madden is under contract for three more years, which gives Rush just enough time to lay the foundation for his next big move.
It's no secret that ABC has been searching desperately to replicate the formula that made Monday Night Football a must-see, water-cooler phenomenon in the 1970s. And as each new ho-hum iteration of the MNF broadcast team cements the legacy of Cosell, Meredith, and Gifford, it's becoming more and more clear that the only way to harness the old week-in, week-out buzz is to secure a naturally polarizing personality, and then to team him with one or more partners who will routinely stoke his coals.
Limbaugh clearly is that guy. The broadcast booth has gone too touchy-feely over the past two decades, with guys like Dan Fouts reluctant to tell Dennis Miller that what he just said crossed the line between "outside the box" and "just plain freakin' weird."
Also, former athletes are too reluctant (and, in many cases, insufficiently articulate) to criticize. There's an unspoken code that the guys who used to play the game shouldn't diss those who still strap on the hardware. And the ascension of Matt Millen from talking head to empty-headed G.M. has made color commentators even more wary of slamming coaches and front offices, lest they burn bridges to potential employment in the future.
But Limbaugh doesn't have to worry about any of that. Like Cosell, Rush will tell it like it is.
Actually, Rush will tell it like it should be.
Many people will love it. Many more people will hate it. But, in the end, lots more people will be tuning in on Monday nights.
The only remaining question is who else should be in the booth with Limbaugh? Send us your thoughts. We'll post the best suggestions, and the person who submits the top idea gets a free copy of "Quarterback of the Future." (We've gotta get rid of the damn things somehow.)
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm