Shake-Up At CBS' "The NFL Today": Marino & Sharpe Out, Tony Gonzalez In

It is always strange to me that these networks place ex-players with zero (or practically zero) experience into their pre-game shows.

 

Tomlin would be great for this in a couple of decades, but these shows can't tell you anything you should not already know other than injury updates. I guess I like Cowher and Boomer the most.

 

Cris Carter is the Joe Morgan of football.

 

CBS needed to make a move. The had no chemistry on that show. You'd have three or four guys trying to talk at once or over one another. They were horrible. Horrible.

I watched all of five minutes of CBS pre-game. I turn on Fox - those guys are entertaining. And I like JJ's coaching insight. I think it's the best pregame on TV. I don't get the NFL Network.

As noted I doubt Marino will be missed. No one will notice. And Sharpe has opinions, but has mushmouth syndrome. Why on earth would he get another job? There are tons of NFL guys with opinions who can actually talk.

The show is bland. I don't think the addition of Gonzalez will change much.

 

All about names. The biggest problem with Sharpe was he doesn't articulate well and when he gets to talking fast, you can't understand him.

 

At least one of these networks allows all the guys, including the ex players, to narrate halftime highlights.

Brilliant, lets get the least understandable guys to do something out of their element.

 

I've always figured Fox having Bradshaw do highlights was some kind of a "bit." Figured this was coming down. CBS is invested with Esiason's radio show so he is safe and Cowher is pretty good.
I'm surprised one of the shows hasn't signed Manning right now for whenever he decides to retire. Figure Phil Simms might be next to go. It's been 20 years since most of these guys have been relevant. In one case (Bradshaw) 30.

 

I'll be curious what Manning does when he retires. I tend to think he'll want to run a team like Elway.

 

I wonder if Marino is blaming his linemen today.

Still surprised that Rex Ryan is getting this much attention for a studio gig. He not only hasn't won a Super Bowl. He hasn't even won a conference championship as a head coach. Some here think there will be a bidding war for him.

Perhaps.

His smartest move, if he's truly serious about it, would have been to quit the Jets and go to the studio before he goes 4-12 next year, gets fired and loses his leverage to the next opinionated coach in the NFL. Oh...wait... there aren't any so maybe he should stay with Gang Green.

The Tony Gonzalez move strikes me as a safe move. I'm not sure about Tony offering strong opinions but he will be the best looking man in all of pre-game television, possibly besting out Curt Menefee. Never discount this angle given that the NFL does have a high female audience for sports.

Shannon Sharpe will land somewhere good, probably NFL Network. He just needs to slow down his delivery about 20% and he will be really strong as a talking head.

 

Manning does so much. I think he'd find running a team to be limiting in his various endeavors, though I also think he would need more of a mental challenge than TV work would provide.

 

Where pregame shows had their cachet is that on TV from Monday night to Sunday morning, there was very little football to be had. Now, the pregame and postgame shows effectively never stop.

 

He's way easier to understand than Michael Irvin, who is somehow still employed as a broadcaster.