Tony Kornheiser Sucks on MNF

[bd11]

I know this will **** off the Tony worshipers on this board, but he is awful. He brings nothing to the table. He is like the old uncle who makes dumb jokes that you politely laugh at. Maybe 1 time out of 10 his comment is either funny or useful. "That's not his area code, it's his weight." Painful. They would be better off just paring Theisman and Whitlock, I mean Tirico.

 

[heyabbott]

He's not funny.
He's not particularly well informed.
He doesn't offer an interesting perspective.

You can acyually feel embarrassed for the man during the show. There are moments during the game when you think "there's an obvious spot for something humerous or off the wall that Tony could hit out" but only dead air followed by an inane comment from Theissman

 

[poindexter]

I've only caught a little bit of the games thus far, so it's a small sample size. But the first thought I had while listening to him was was Dennis Miller. Not because of using big words, or silly sayings. But he just seems out of place. Asking questions, instead of giving insight.

He's not horrible, and no amount of lipstick is going to gloss up a 9-0 pig. But so far, the Tony Kornheiser experience has totally re-defined "Much ado about nothing".

 

[slappy4428]

He is pretty unspectacular

 

[Kato]

I wonder how much Tony's holding back because of ABC/ESPN and/or the NFL. I love Tony on PTI, but I just can't see him getting away with calling a coach or a player "a dope," as he so often does or used to do on his radio show and PTI. The network can make a big splash saying they have a Cosell-like guy now in Kornheiser who's going to shake up the booth. But how far will they actually let him go? I'd like to see him at least push the envelope a little more and find out instead of saying, "It's 0-0 at the two-minute warning. I'd bet the under."

I always thought Dennis Miller's downfall wasn't that his witty comments sucked, it was that he pretty much quit making those comments in favor of name dropping. Almost every week, he'd say something like, "We got to have lunch with Art Modell Friday. What a great guy. He's done so much for the NFL." Yeah, as if Dennis didn't have a notebook full of lines ripping Modell's treatment of Cleveland before ABC made him chuck it in the incinerator.

 

[outofplace]

I was wondering how long it would take to start this thread. No, no announcer can make a game like that more interesting, but he actually made the viewing experience worse. Dennis Miller may have been out of place, but he was better than Kornheiser.

Then again, I hated Kornheiser's radio show, too. He's just much better with the written word.

 

[lantaur]

All three of them are horrible. Bring back Nessler-Vermeil-Jaworski.

That trio didn't help make a 9-0 game even close to being bearable to watch.

 

[Bubbler]

I wonder how much Tony's holding back because of ABC/ESPN and/or the NFL. I love Tony on PTI, but I just can't see him getting away with calling a coach or a player "a dope," as he so often does or used to do on his radio show and PTI.

He so often does that because he doesn't have to face the "dope" down the line. Not so on MNF, when he could be facing the "dope" in a later-scheduled game.

I've never been enamored by his particular brand of humor, so I'm not surprised that much of stuff is falling flat. For me, much of it fell flat in print, so what's the difference now?

 

[Lugnuts]

I love Tony on PTI, but I just can't see him getting away with calling a coach or a player "a dope," as he so often does or used to do on his radio show and PTI. The network can make a big splash saying they have a Cosell-like guy now in Kornheiser who's going to shake up the booth. But how far will they actually let him go?

Interesting thought, but I think it's more a case of: Live game telecasts are hard.

So many people who do taped or simply 'guest' on shows without having to be 'the authority' are quickly exposed for their lack of broadcasting skills when put on a live game.

Plus--- as hard as doing color on a live game is... play-by-play is about 50 times harder.

There was a point late in the game where Tony did a 'trend' stat. It was fine, but I was like: "They needed Kornheiser to point that out?" It was so obviously fed to him so he'd have something meaningful to say.

You know, I think the sooner we stop trying to bring back Cosell, the better off viewers will be. There was only one Cosell.

 

[thebiglead]

It's not like he's getting any help from Tirico and Joey T.
You have to figure there's some resentment from those two. ABC/ESPN wants you to hear MNF and think Tony K. I bet Tirico and Joe love the 'Ask Tony!' segment.

Tirico needs to stop dominating the 'cross-promotional' interviews.

 

[mpcincal]

I worked as a grunt on a studio show in the 90s, and one day a two-sentence memo came out from the boss to the anchors: "No more discussing your personal golf game on the air. Nobody cares about your golf game."

Fantasy is the golf of the 90s.

Somebody needs to tell TK it doesn't make him sound "hip" or "cool" to discuss his fantasy team on the air. Nobody cares.

I'm in a few fantasy leagues, and I get pissed off when someone starts ripping on those who do fantasy sports, but this is right on. Fantasy discussions need to stay off actual commentary on game telecasts. It's just a line I don't want to see crossed.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

There was a point last night where Theismann proclaimed that Roethlisberger was back. Then, almost instantly, he said that Roethlisberger was really struggling.

Kornheiser said, "Two plays ago you said he was back."

For that alone, he deserves credit.

The problem with Dennis Miller was he had convoluted lines that were obviously scripted and he was hellbent on inserting them whether they were relevant to anything or not.

Not that Kornheiser didn't understand it going in, but this a completely different environment. It's not a three-way PTI because the game is there, too. There are commercial/promo breaks at odd times. You're talking and listening to the truck at the same time. And there is the damnable presence of Theismann completely overwhelming the broadcast.

Anybody who expected this to be smooth from the start is misguided.

 

[poindexter]

Don't many (most) on-air personalities start out working the sticks? Spokane, Tuscaloosa, The Ocho?

This is the problem when you start out working Broadway your first gig. There's still a lot of the little things to work out.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

There was a point last night where Theismann proclaimed that Roethlisberger was back. Then, almost instantly, he said that Roethlisberger was really struggling.

Kornheiser said, "Two plays ago you said he was back."

For that alone, he deserves credit.

Wow - that was his big contribution? To me it still seems like trying to imitate Cosell, but if you say so.

As for having to listen to the truck and talk and the same time... yeah? ;D That's part of it. But since it seems to bother him, what they could do is turn off his earpiece for the stuff that doesn't affect him, I guess. Tirico's the traffic cop of the booth - Tony doesn't have to read promos or toss to break or anything.

You don't think it's ballsy to call bull**** on a boothmate? OK.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Don't many (most) on-air personalities start out working the sticks? Spokane, Tuscaloosa, The Ocho?

This is the problem when you start out working Broadway your first gig. There's still a lot of the little things to work out.

Kornheiser is an experienced on-air personality. That isn't the issue. This is a completely different environment and there aren't a lot of three-man TV football booths to work in Tuscaloosa for practice.

 

[JackS]

The problem with Dennis Miller was he had convoluted lines that were obviously scripted and he was hellbent on inserting them whether they were relevant to anything or not.

Plus, his lines were about three levels beyond the IQ of the average beer swilling, burping football fan. A lot of 'em were way beyond my comprehension, and I'm a friggin' egghead.

I haven't heard Kornheiser yet, but Miller was possibly the worst hire ever.

 

[trounced]

I was wondering how long it would take to start this thread. No, no announcer can make a game like that more interesting, but he actually made the viewing experience worse. Dennis Miller may have been out of place, but he was better than Kornheiser.

Then again, I hated Kornheiser's radio show, too. He's just much better with the written word.

I was wondering how long it would take to start this thread. No, no announcer can make a game like that more interesting, but he actually made the viewing experience worse. Dennis Miller may have been out of place, but he was better than Kornheiser.

Then again, I hated Kornheiser's radio show, too. He's just much better with the written word.

Make a game like that more interesting? It was a great game. If you can't appreciate last night's Jags-Steelers game you don't like football.

 

[Trouser_Buddah]

If you can't appreciate George W. Bush you don't like America.

 

[Oz]

Nessler, Jaws and Vermeil put this team to shame last week. It's a shame the wrong trio got the MNF job.

 

[outofplace]

I was wondering how long it would take to start this thread. No, no announcer can make a game like that more interesting, but he actually made the viewing experience worse. Dennis Miller may have been out of place, but he was better than Kornheiser.

Then again, I hated Kornheiser's radio show, too. He's just much better with the written word.

I was wondering how long it would take to start this thread. No, no announcer can make a game like that more interesting, but he actually made the viewing experience worse. Dennis Miller may have been out of place, but he was better than Kornheiser.

Then again, I hated Kornheiser's radio show, too. He's just much better with the written word.

Make a game like that more interesting? It was a great game. If you can't appreciate last night's Jags-Steelers game you don't like football.

Honestly, I was in no position to judge it objectively because I am a Steelers fan. I was riveted from kickoff to final gun, but there are plenty of fans out there who don't care for puntfests like that.

I was following off a previous poster's comment, saying that the game didn't give the announcers much to talk about. Not sure I agree, but again, I'm not objective in this case.

My point was Kornheiser not only failed to enhance the viewers' experience, he detracted from it. Apparently, you found it difficult to follow. And of course, your opinion on what makes good football is the incontrovertible truth. :)