Monday Night Football: the once great NFL show is now the worst on television

[Apache 51]

The NFL has a real problem when the marquee match-up for its most famous broadcast is best enjoyed on mute. This week, Lamar Jackson eviscerated the Rams on Monday Night Football in one of the most impressive individual performances in recent memory. The only problem: the experience of watching Jackson’s genius was made worse, not better, by ESPN’s announcing crew, Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland.

This is the broadcast of Madden and Gruden and Michaels and Cosell. It is the pinnacle of the profession. Such an event broadcast by a company that once styled itself the Worldwide Leader In Sports should not have you wondering every five minutes how this is the best they can offer. Here are just a few doozies from McFarland’s latest Monday night:

• “Tess, in order for Lamar Jackson to win MVP, he will have to convince people he is more valuable than Patrick Mahomes.”

• “If I’m the Rams, I’m gonna force Lamar to have the football. All you gotta do is tackle him!”

• “A false start penalty on second-and-five might actually help the Rams.”

• “The Rams, you know, have yellow uniforms.”

• “America, listen to me now: stop allowing tight ends to block premier pass-rushers one-on-one.”

Related: Lamar Jackson throws five TDs as Ravens rout Rams on the road

That final one is his magnum opus. McFarland addressed the country as if the electorate had voted for an idiotic football strategy and he was here to ignite a revolution. In truth, Monday Night Football has been a mess since Mike Tirico left for NBC in 2016. Jon Gruden’s Jon Gruden-ness papered over the cracks during a shaky two-year affair with Sean McDonough, but the broadcast has been in freefall ever since.

Last season ESPN tried to emulate CBS’s success with Tony Romo by hiring another retired Dallas Cowboy, Jason Witten. One issue: Romo is a once in a generation broadcast talent, smart and funny and natural and unique. Witten was not: to call him wooden would be an insult to pine. ESPN pulled the plug after just one year, and Witten returned to the playing field. Tessitore’s ropey debut was given a pass: Working with Witten would be tough for anyone, became the consensus.

Up stepped McFarland, who had spent much of the season patrolling the sidelines in the now-infamous “Booger Mobile”, one of the most bizarre and pointless inventions in the history of television. McFarland was a decent in-studio college football analyst, but he has been awful as a national NFL voice. He sounds like he’s started a sentence and has no idea where it’s going to end. On Monday, McFarland officially entered the Biden Zone. At this point, you don’t really care what he says, you’re just hoping he can stumble his way to a coherent conclusion. Tessitore is a real problem, too. That booming voice was perfect for the ever-ridiculous world of college football but falls flat in the pros. In the NFL, Tessitore sounds like a condescending try-hard.

 

And then there’s the graphics department, which was subject to a John Oliver scolding a little over a year ago. Things haven’t improved. The network had to update its graphics bar mid-game during its debut broadcast of the season because the new down-and-distance box was bright yellow, causing viewers to think a penalty was being called on every play. Think about that: meetings took place over that decision. People had coffee and sandwiches and showed PowerPoints and shook hands and high-fived.

Related: Is Tony Romo already the greatest TV analyst in US sports?

It often feels like the show’s producers are more interested in their carefully choreographed packages and graphics than the actual game unfolding on the field. No other broadcast misses a play as consistently as Monday Night Football, continuing to prove that there is nothing in media or entertainment that cannot be ruined by more money and time. Spare us dancing 3D models and show us what Patrick Mahomes is doing at the line of scrimmage.

Moving on from one or both of Tessitore and McFarland is inevitable. McFarland’s selection was important because the NFL’s flagship broadcast hadn’t had an African American analyst in the booth in decades, but his performance has become indefensible. ESPN has a bunch of talented people in-house – Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky to name but two – or they could pinch someone away from a rival network.

ESPN’s owners, Disney, handed over $15.2bn to the NFL for the rights to broadcast one game per week and receive the worst of the league’s playoff match-ups. Executives justify that price by saying it allows ESPN to show highlights and game footage throughout the season across its range of channels and talking-head shows. Yet Monday Night Football remains the company’s prestige telecast, despite its flagging ratings. Disney is a market leader and conqueror, it is not in the business of being mocked. There is a real problem when the only enjoyable part of the show is the rules analyst, John Parry. Right now, Monday Night Football is fundamentally broken and remains dead stinking last among national broadcasts.

 

 

[Sarge4Tide]

“America, listen to me now: stop allowing tight ends to block premier pass-rushers one-on-one.” - Booger is right on this one

[Bruce Harper]

Call me crazy but I like Booger.

[Beerfish]

It's pure awful, just turrible.

[De-Jet-Erate/Duane]

In the words of Dandy Don Meredith "Turn out the lights, the party is over". They need some new talent, if the game does not put you to sleep to commentators do.

[Losmeister]

fwiw, i often watch games w/o sound....  HAD TO when I was a kid watching the tail end of MNF in my bedroom.

And when the sound is on I only sorta half listen...   unless its some detail about an injury, something that happened

on one of the different camera angles... I DGAF whatthe hell these dudes are saying.

I cant imagine that Collinsworth is better than anybody....  

[Apache 51]

I can remember when MNF was something to look forward to no matter who was playing. The commentators are terrible, have been for years, it used to be entertaining at the very least. Keep it simple stupid. Less is more. I guess todays audience can't figure things out for themselves or need to be fed bs to keep their attention?

[Jet Nut]

Reporting what we all have said over and over again. 

ESPN just doesnt get it

[Jet Nut]

8 minutes ago, Sarge4Tide said:

“America, listen to me now: stop allowing tight ends to block premier pass-rushers one-on-one.” - Booger is right on this one

I think the point was that the "America, listen to me now" was kind of stupid, we all know this to be true

[joewilly12]

Put Rex Ryan in the Monday Night Football booth. 

[#27TheDominator]

Off the top of my head, people that sucked doing MNF included, but were not limited to:  Meredith, Cosell, Gruden, Dennis Miller, Dierdorf, McFarland. 

This is nothing new.  The issue is that there are games on 4 time periods on Sunday, Thursday night, some will be on Saturday down the stretch.  We used to just get our local game and MNF.  We are oversaturated and all the complaints about the product - weird rules, bad officiating, etc. remain

59 minutes ago, Bruce Harper said:

Call me crazy but I like Booger.

You're crazy.  

[Apache 51]

2 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Put Rex Ryan in the Monday Night Football booth. 

'' And stuff like that''.

[JohnnyLV]

Like I said in the game thread, Booger makes my ears bleed

[Ohio State NY Jets fan]

Thursday, Sunday night and Saturday night games later in season scrubbed the shine off of MNF

it used to be an event, now it's just another night - bad hosts/commentator are everywhere (NFL network is terrible)

ex-players and game show hosts are not the answer

[ChuckkieB]

The problem with Booger and most NFL commentators and "analysts" for that matter is that they have become so hyperbolic that every single play, penalty, touchdown, etc... is "the greatest thing ever."  Just give me straight up play-by-play and some good in-game insight when appropriate and I'm good.  All of these clowns nowadays want to become the story instead of just reporting the story.  

[Larz]

It’s awful. I put music on and mute it. 

[joewilly12]

Rex Ryan and Rob Gronkowski in the booth Monday Night Football. 

[Ken Schroy]

MNF was an event when I was growing up. It was a treat if the Jets were on. Always curious to see and hear what Cosell might say. We would get together with friends and order pizza at halftime. What you see now is glorified trash.

[Scott Dierking]

2 minutes ago, Ken Shroy said:

MNF was an event when I was growing up. It was a treat if the Jets were on. Always curious to see and hear what Cosell might say. We would get together with friends and order pizza at halftime. What you see now is glorified trash.

One of the first things that I looked when schedules were published is if the Jets got a Monday night date. Now I dread it if they do.

[Apache 51]

6 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Rex and Rob Ryan in the booth Monday Night Football. 

After Rob is done, would be interesting.

[Untouchable]

F*cking Disney owns ESPN

Go throw the bank at Al Michaels and Tony Romo and get them together in the booth.

[Scoop24]

Boomer is hands down one of the worst 

[ZachEY]

10 minutes ago, Scott Dierking said:

One of the first things that I looked when schedules were published is if the Jets got a Monday night date. Now I dread it if they do.

I mean, I attribute this to the fact that 15-years-ago, I watched Monday Night Football with two 40z duct-taped to our hands, and could roll out of bed at 11am.  Now I have a two kids, a career, and want to be asleep by 11pm.  But, yeah, lets say it was the announcers that changed.

[Irktusk1957]

1 hour ago, Apache 51 said:

to call him wooden would be an insult to pine

Friggen priceless...

[Jetmech]

I can’t stand Boogers side kick! It almost felt like he was getting satisfaction out of the whole ghost thing and Sam looking bad.

 

 

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[Joe W. Namath]

Boogers terrible.  And the fact he speaks as if every watching does not understand any aspect of football is insulting to the fan.

[#27TheDominator]

51 minutes ago, Ohio State NY Jets fan said:

Thursday, Sunday night and Saturday night games later in season scrubbed the shine off of MNF

it used to be an event, now it's just another night - bad hosts/commentator are everywhere (NFL network is terrible)

ex-players and game show hosts are not the answer

To be fair, didn't MNF always try to make the announcing team part of the story?  Cosell basically invented that.  Three guys in the booth!  If two are good, three must be better!  Dennis Miller?  I mean he is snarky doing the news on SNL.  He'll be perfect! 

I think that hanging on to it being an event is part of what is killing it.  Just show the game.  It's nationally televised, enough wacky sh*t happens that it is still often an event.  Like the Garrett - Rudolph thing last week.  

[Gastineau Lives]

1 hour ago, Sarge4Tide said:

“America, listen to me now: stop allowing tight ends to block premier pass-rushers one-on-one.” - Booger is right on this one

I did it this morning just to spite him.

[dbatesman]

McFarland is bad, but Tessitore is worse. Total clown show.

[CSNY]

I think overall the announcers on all the networks have gone tremendously downhill not just MNF ( with some exceptions ala Romo) They talk incessant gibberish without giving real insight to what is going on down on the field. Bring back the likes of Curt Gowdy Don Criqui Marty Glickman and we wouldn’t be having this discussion cause these guys were true professionals 

[joewilly12]

53 minutes ago, Apache 51 said:

After Rob is done, would be interesting.

ROB GRONKOWSKI edited by you to read Rob Ryan. 

[Irish Jet]

The “once great” NFL show that had Tony f*cking Kornheiser commentating not long ago.

It’s bad now. It’s been worse.

[#27TheDominator]

57 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

I mean, I attribute this to the fact that 15-years-ago, I watched Monday Night Football with two 40z duct-taped to our hands, and could roll out of bed at 11am.  Now I have a two kids, a career, and want to be asleep by 11pm.  But, yeah, lets say it was the announcers that changed.

Now your kids bring you the 40's so you don't need the duct tape?

[Scott Dierking]

1 hour ago, TeddEY said:

I mean, I attribute this to the fact that 15-years-ago, I watched Monday Night Football with two 40z duct-taped to our hands, and could roll out of bed at 11am.  Now I have a two kids, a career, and want to be asleep by 11pm.  But, yeah, lets say it was the announcers that changed.

I am retired, have my 2 kids in college and I still cant make it through the games.

[Jetsfan80]

2 hours ago, Apache 51 said:

And then there’s the graphics department, which was subject to a John Oliver scolding a little over a year ago.

 

 

Omg.  These were hilarious.