Tony Kornheiser replaced by Jon Gruden on MNF

[Deus Irae]

I seem to be in the minority on this one, because I don't like this. Oh, well, time will tell the tale.

 

[LiveShot]

Kornheiser was lousy in the booth and it will give Gruden some pocket change before he replaces Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I like Kornheiser, but not for MNF. I really like him on his show PTI, but I was really getting tired of him talking about Brett Favre. I'm pretty sure he talked about him every week.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I thought the worst guy ever in the booth on MNF was Dennis Miller but I was wrong,Kornheiser was the worst.

yeah, i thought it was a toss-up. on the one hand dennis miller was really obnoxious and didn't know much about football; on the other hand, tony kornheiser was even more obnoxious but knew something about football. "Pick-em!"

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Kornheiser was lousy in the booth and it will give Gruden some pocket change before he replaces Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame.

Therein lies the problem: as soon as Gruden gets a good coaching offer, he's gone from MNF.

 

[denverpatsfan]

I don't think Kornheiser was in the booth to appeal to the die-hard football fans like most here on the board. He was the regular guy that would appeal to the casual fan and casual/rookie FF owner.

Just my opinion.

Is Gruden still bitter about the Snowbowl? Will he hate on the Pats when they play? That's all I am concerned about.

 

[mojocaster.com]

Good riddance.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I like Gruden, he wasn't too bad from what I saw on draft day. Not a huge fan by any means, but he will be music to my ears after Kornheiser and years of the McGuire/Theisman debacle.

 

[DSHoyt]

I seem to be in the minority on this one, because I don't like this. Oh, well, time will tell the tale.

I'm in the minority with you it seems. I like Tony K.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

He was like an unfunny Seinfeld.

Wait. Seinfeld is funny?

 

[NEGoldenAge]

yeah, i thought it was a toss-up. on the one hand dennis miller was really obnoxious and didn't know much about football; on the other hand, tony kornheiser was even more obnoxious but knew something about football. "Pick-em!"

Did you really just say that Kornheiser knows something about football? Well, I guess if you know that football is a sport, you know "something" about, so technically, you are not wrong.

Some observations that Kornholder about games makes me wonder wtf game he's actually watching. He is insanely far off the mark on a regular basis.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Hated Tony K. Like the Grudes move. Folks, it coulda been Dungy! Unwatchable if so.

 

[jmt57]

Personally I got the impression that Kornheiser's schtick was something that espn advised him to do in order to set him apart from others and draw in casual fans. I can remember him on Sports Reporters twenty years ago, and he knew what he was talking about back then - before attempts at humor for entertainment purposes drove higher ratings than serious discussions about sports topics.

The network knows that hardcore fans will watch regardless but their theory has been to add a 'non-expert' for incremental ratings. It's as if espn/abc has been attempting - and failing - to recreate Howard Cosell over and over again on Monday Night Football for years. The fact that they are putting Gruden in the both rather than a Kornheiser, Dennis Miller or Rush Limbaugh says that perhaps they have decided to move on from the strategy of packaging the game as entertainment, and instead shift focus towards the game that is being played.

 

[TrueBeliever]

Absolutely. They've been trying ever since the "glory days" of Cosell and "Dandy Don" Meredith to get another set of announcers who will make people who aren't that into sports to watch. Funny how even as the NFL becomes more and more popular each year, one of their biggest events has been dropping in ratings year after year.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I loved Gruden's commentary during the draft, and I agree with Bill Simmons' statement that the broadcasting booth should always have at least one guy who's coached in the league in the last 5 years or so. Having someone who has coached against the very players that are on the field provides an absolute ton of interesting insight, the likes of which someone who has been out of the game a long time (like Madden) can't necessarily compare to. It's kinda like how Jeff Van Gundy has been awesome for TNT's NBA broadcasts.

 

[N.Eman]

good move on gettin Tony out, I wish they could get someone better than Gruden, but its just temporary. as long as Tirico is there, its all good.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Al Michaels and **** Enberg were always my favorite announcers

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Al Michaels and **** Enberg were always my favorite announcers

I agree about Michaels, but Oh my! on the other one.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

good move on gettin Tony out, I wish they could get someone better than Gruden, but its just temporary. as long as Tirico is there, its all good.

Amazing how different people perceive different announcers. I think Tirico is as out of it WRT football knowledge as Kornheiser, but without the humor. Each to his own, I guess. I liked Michaels and Madden, and then way back to Dandy Don and Cosell, although Cosell could grate on the nerves sometimes.

 

[Urgent]

Huge upgrade.

Gruden is smart, knows the game, knows the current players, has opinions and a personality.
That's what you want.