NFL playoffs.

[The Sultan]

I could see him replacing Herbstreit at Amazon.  Al Michaels pushed for Herbstreit and Michaels is phoning it in.  I could see them restructure the team and bring Olsen in

I'd rather be on the #2 Fox team than working on games that no one watches.

[Uncle Rico]

I'd rather be on the #2 Fox team than working on games that no one watches.

He has to take a $7million pay cut at Fox.  If Amazon offers a big raise, I'd be fine with that. 

[MU82]

Yeah Fox really painted themselves in a corner. They didn't want to pay big money for Buck and Aikman, but then paid big money for a big name because they felt they had to have an answer for Romo, only to have someone really good emerge from within. They better hope that Brady doesn't turn into anther milquetoast like Romo though.

I never thought the Brady deal was a good one and this is why. Not that I thought Olson would be good, but good announcers and analysts emerge. They don't come in great.

Good post.

I truly will be surprised if Brady is any good. And I seriously doubt he'll be anywhere near as good as Olsen.

[Pakuni]

Understanding I'm in the minority here, but I find Olsen's commentary to be pretty bland and uninteresting. He's overrated, IMO,  and at least some of that stems from the fact a) he's the anti-Romo and b) people think he's getting a raw deal (a deal he willingly signed up for).

[MU82]

Understanding I'm in the minority here, but I find Olsen's commentary to be pretty bland and uninteresting. He's overrated, IMO,  and at least some of that stems from the fact a) he's the anti-Romo and b) people think he's getting a raw deal (a deal he willingly signed up for).

Diff'rent strokes. I think he's outstanding. He has a way to do pretty deep football-ese analysis without making it too complex for most casual viewers. I'm always impressed with how quickly he's able to see what happens on the field and then explain it in intricate detail to the viewer. I also like that he's not overly verbose most of the time.

[jficke13]

I was surprised by how good Olsen was when he first started. Nothing has made me think he's gotten worse.

My opinion on announcing teams is that they're only even vaguely noticeable if they are astounding or atrocious. Most teams are just white noise, forgettable, part of the audio scenery at best. Given my bias, the fact that I have good things to say about Olsen at all are a sign how good I think he is.

I hope he (and expect him to) land on his feet in a primetime team for someone.

(I have pretty low expectations of Brady, but we'll see what he brings)

[jesmu84]

Whomever neutered Romo should be fired

[The Sultan]

I think Romo neutered Romo. From reading between the lines, people think his early success was because he was went right to the booth from playing, and now doesn't put in the work.

I know a lot of people don't like Buck and Aikman, but Aikman puts in the work and it shows.

[Pakuni]

I think Romo neutered Romo. From reading between the lines, people think his early success was because he was went right to the booth from playing, and now doesn't put in the work.

That +1 handicap isn't going to maintain itself.

[Uncle Rico]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-has-its-most-watched-playoffs-ever-with-average-of-38-5-million-viewers-per-game

How much higher would ratings be if the league wasn't in bed with Bud Lighg???

#nflisntgunnabeallright

#gowokegobroke

[tower912]

The Taylor Swift effect.

[RJax55]

I think Romo neutered Romo. From reading between the lines, people think his early success was because he was went right to the booth from playing, and now doesn't put in the work.

I know a lot of people don't like Buck and Aikman, but Aikman puts in the work and it shows.

Buck and Aikman are pretty damn good these days. They have come a long way and have developed a solid chemistry, which most other booths lack.

A guy I really enjoyed this season was Matt Ryan. Too bad he's buried on CBS 5th crew.

[Uncle Rico]

Buck and Aikman are pretty damn good these days. They have come a long way and have developed a solid chemistry, which most other booths lack.

A guy I really enjoyed this season was Matt Ryan. Too bad he's buried on CBS 5th crew.

I thought he was good as well.  I suspect he'll be moving up the ranks

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Buck and Aikman are pretty damn good these days. They have come a long way and have developed a solid chemistry, which most other booths lack.

A guy I really enjoyed this season was Matt Ryan. Too bad he's buried on CBS 5th crew.

I never understood the hate for them. Aikman can be a little dry I suppose but puts in the work, and I think Buck is excellent on play-by-play. *shrug*

[cheebs09]

I never understood the hate for them. Aikman can be a little dry I suppose but puts in the work, and I think Buck is excellent on play-by-play. *shrug*

I think if Aikman quarterbacked the Bengals, it would be a different view of him.

[MU82]

Cute item from Yahoo Sports:

What do the 2014 World Series and 2024 Super Bowl have in common? A lot, actually.

‌2014 World Series: Kansas City vs. San Francisco. The Royals hadn't won a championship in exactly 29 years (1985), and the Giants were going for their third title in five years.

2024 Super Bowl: Kansas City vs. San Francisco. The 49ers haven't won a championship in exactly 29 years (1995), and the Chiefs are going for their third title in five years.

Will history repeat itself? The Giants won in 2014, then the Royals won in 2015 over the Mets. The NFL version of that? The Chiefs win this year, then the 49ers win next year... over the Jets.

[Jockey]

Regarding the asinine Taylor Swift psyops, here is the comment from Colin Cowherd:


The fact that a pop star, the world's biggest pop star, is dating a star tight end who had one of his greatest games ever, and a network puts them on the air briefly? That it bothers you? What does that say about your life? Judge people sometimes on the silly stuff that bothers them. It'll tell you a lot about them.

When I hear this whole thing about Taylor Swift... "I just want to watch football!" liar. You're lying. That's not true. A football telecast is not just football. In fact, the commercials for four hours before the Super Bowl will be widely watched. Did you know statistically in a three and a half hour NFL playoff broadcast or regular season broadcast just 18 minutes are actual football? And we have the data; we have the numbers. You don't turn away. There's coaches, cutaways, they show fans in Buffalo on fire, commercials, reviews. Eighteen minutes of real football. For the record, about the length of five Taylor Swift songs. Listen to this: the New York Times measured how long she was actually on the broadcast: do you know how long it is? On average, 25 seconds. In three and a half hours. Against the Ravens, it was up to a whopping 32 seconds. It was 14 Chiefs and Raiders on Christmas, 12 Chiefs and Bengals, 24 seconds Buffalo. Kansas City she was on for a minute against the Dolphins but it was an absolutely awful broadcast -- they should have had a concert in the middle of it, that would have been more interesting.

And why wouldn't CBS, which you know, has the Grammys, cross-promote the world's biggest pop star?

Hey listen I worked at the other network, I work at Fox. I've seen us jam people on TV shows I would never watch during football games and sporting events. "Don't forget to watch this right after the game!" I've already forgot about it. Let's get back to the game. But I don't have to rush to social media. I'm okay with it.

Here's the other thing that strikes me: Matthew McConaughey 'all right all right all Eminem, Michigan sporting events, we celebrated 80s 90s Jack Nicholson, Laker games. "It's cool! Saw Jack!" But a talented and beautiful woman is on the air, one who would never pay attention to lonely men, and it bothers them.

There's a stat out there: it's kind of uncomfortable for you, sad guys, that 50% of men never have real intimacy with a woman. That means the other 50% have multiple intimate relationships with women, and those ones that don't are angry and sad and lonely, and they are often misogynistic and resent women who didn't give them the time they think they deserve. We celebrate all these goofballs jumping on tables in Buffalo and cheese hats and men, and men and Matthew McConaughey and Drake and Jack Nicholson, men, and Eminem, and it's cool and 'can I get a selfie? And I can't believe I saw!' and the young, attractive, beautiful, talented woman comes on for 25 seconds, and you're bothered.

Again, judge people by the silly things that bother them.

[The Sultan]

Someone on Twitter asked what the 1980s equivalent of Swift and Kelce would be.  The best answer I saw was Whitney Houston and The Fridge.

[tower912]

I always root for happiness. 

[Pakuni]

I always root for happiness.

Happiness is woke.

[JWags85]

Regarding the asinine Taylor Swift psyops, here is the comment from Colin Cowherd:


The fact that a pop star, the world's biggest pop star, is dating a star tight end who had one of his greatest games ever, and a network puts them on the air briefly? That it bothers you? What does that say about your life? Judge people sometimes on the silly stuff that bothers them. It'll tell you a lot about them.

When I hear this whole thing about Taylor Swift... "I just want to watch football!" liar. You're lying. That's not true. A football telecast is not just football. In fact, the commercials for four hours before the Super Bowl will be widely watched. Did you know statistically in a three and a half hour NFL playoff broadcast or regular season broadcast just 18 minutes are actual football? And we have the data; we have the numbers. You don't turn away. There's coaches, cutaways, they show fans in Buffalo on fire, commercials, reviews. Eighteen minutes of real football. For the record, about the length of five Taylor Swift songs. Listen to this: the New York Times measured how long she was actually on the broadcast: do you know how long it is? On average, 25 seconds. In three and a half hours. Against the Ravens, it was up to a whopping 32 seconds. It was 14 Chiefs and Raiders on Christmas, 12 Chiefs and Bengals, 24 seconds Buffalo. Kansas City she was on for a minute against the Dolphins but it was an absolutely awful broadcast -- they should have had a concert in the middle of it, that would have been more interesting.

And why wouldn't CBS, which you know, has the Grammys, cross-promote the world's biggest pop star?

Hey listen I worked at the other network, I work at Fox. I've seen us jam people on TV shows I would never watch during football games and sporting events. "Don't forget to watch this right after the game!" I've already forgot about it. Let's get back to the game. But I don't have to rush to social media. I'm okay with it.

Here's the other thing that strikes me: Matthew McConaughey 'all right all right all Eminem, Michigan sporting events, we celebrated 80s 90s Jack Nicholson, Laker games. "It's cool! Saw Jack!" But a talented and beautiful woman is on the air, one who would never pay attention to lonely men, and it bothers them.

There's a stat out there: it's kind of uncomfortable for you, sad guys, that 50% of men never have real intimacy with a woman. That means the other 50% have multiple intimate relationships with women, and those ones that don't are angry and sad and lonely, and they are often misogynistic and resent women who didn't give them the time they think they deserve. We celebrate all these goofballs jumping on tables in Buffalo and cheese hats and men, and men and Matthew McConaughey and Drake and Jack Nicholson, men, and Eminem, and it's cool and 'can I get a selfie? And I can't believe I saw!' and the young, attractive, beautiful, talented woman comes on for 25 seconds, and you're bothered.

Again, judge people by the silly things that bother them.

I think he was on a good roll and then went off the rails about incels at the end.  There are plenty of reasons to not want to see Taylor Swift all over the place that don't involve resentment that she's what Cowherd is gushing about at the end.  The snap conclusion that any time someone bags on an attractive female celebrity its cause they are jealous celibate losers is as annoying as people getting pressed over this sort of nonsense to begin with.

That being said, I think its just carry over from earlier in the season.  The coverage of her in the playoffs was actually pretty muted.  It was the insanity of the first few games that created the narrative of her being overdone.  There is some Mandela effect with the actual broadcasts I think.  Incessant Swift/Kelce coverage and speculation surrounding the game makes you think/feel that she's shown every commercial break.  The irony is he mentions Drake...but people were bitching about him being constantly shown and inserted into everything Raptors during their run too.

I can't stand Tay Tay, I think most everything she does is an inauthentic and calculated , and her legion of fans is terrifying and delusional. That being said, I can't fathom being that bothered by her "impact" on the playoffs.  Get a damn grip.

[Pakuni]

I think he was on a good roll and then went off the rails about incels at the end.  There are plenty of reasons to not want to see Taylor Swift all over the place that don't involve resentment that she's what Cowherd is gushing about at the end.  The snap conclusion that any time someone bags on an attractive female celebrity its cause they are jealous celibate losers is as annoying as people getting pressed over this sort of nonsense to begin with.

That being said, I think its just carry over from earlier in the season.  The coverage of her in the playoffs was actually pretty muted.  It was the insanity of the first few games that created the narrative of her being overdone.  There is some Mandela effect with the actual broadcasts I think.  Incessant Swift/Kelce coverage and speculation surrounding the game makes you think/feel that she's shown every commercial break.  The irony is he mentions Drake...but people were bitching about him being constantly shown and inserted into everything Raptors during their run too.

I can't stand Tay Tay, I think most everything she does is an inauthentic and calculated , and her legion of fans is terrifying and delusional. That being said, I can't fathom being that bothered by her "impact" on the playoffs.  Get a damn grip.

Cowherd is right. If seeing Taylor Swift on TV for five seconds here and there bothers you, you're the problem.

I'm not really a fan because she's not my style, but I've found her to be about the most authentic major pop star of the past 40 years. She came up organically, wasn't invented by a studio, writes her own songs, actually sings during her live performances and seems pretty widely respected by her fellow musicians.

As for her fans, are they really any more terrifying or delusional as these people?


Or these people?

[tower912]

I am not generally a Cowherd fan.   In this case, I agree with every word he said.  I feel he pulled his punch a little.   I say this, not as a fan of Taylor Swift (I echo Pakuni), but as a fan of get a grip and get over yourself.

[Uncle Rico]

I am not generally a Cowherd fan.   InThis case, I agree with every word he said.  I feel he pulled his punch a little.   I say this, not as a fan of Taylor Swift (I echo Pakuni), but as a fan of get a grip and get over yourself.

Culture wars always need new battlegrounds.  Plus, people believe this nonsense about the NFL being fixed.  Imagine fixing it so Brock Purdy is starting at QB for one of the teams.

[Hards Alumni]

Cowherd is right. If seeing Taylor Swift on TV for five seconds here and there bothers you, you're the problem.

I'm not really a fan because she's not my style, but I've found her to be about the most authentic major pop star of the past 40 years. She came up organically, wasn't invented by a studio, writes her own songs, actually sings during her live performances and seems pretty widely respected by her fellow musicians.

As for her fans, are they really any more terrifying or delusional as these people?

LOL she's a child of rich parents who had all the tools to be successful.  She writes good songs, but is only an okay singer.  I find her to be completely contrived by a PR firm and as inauthentic as they come.  I totally agree with JWags here.