I Wonder If Paid Analysts Actually Watch The Games

…to simply regurgitate common sports thought for a living, instead of actually watching games, reading stats and understanding trends. I’m not the ESPN Hater most people are, but sports media as a whole is far too saturated of a profession. You get more on the blogosphere from writers of one team who work for the enjoyment of it than you do from paid commentators and broadcasters who have to fill a three hour time slot or 1,000 words on the NFL in general.

It’s just another lesson in why the amateur journalist is more powerful than mainstream media want to give them credit for. It’s their own fault, because MSM feel they have to cover a broad spectrum of sports. They feed the beast of ignorance. They’re perfectly content with discussing Terrell Owens and the meltdown of the Cowboys for hours at a time, but they don’t get into how a team is actually playing. They’re out of time, so they rely on what they know to be true; Roethlisberger’s a good quarterback (despite him having one of his poorer seasons), Pittsburgh runs the ball (statistically, their worst rushing performance since 2003), and James Harrison is a beast (true, Harrison is a beast).

I watch/listen to Ron Jaworski, Peter King, Adam Schefter, Mike Florio and Jason Whitlock. I think Troy Aikman is overrated, and Keyshawn Johnson gets ripped on far too much and generally gets lumped in with Michael Irvin due to former position and an ESPN typecasting error.

I was thinking the same thing when I heard that being touted on ESPN. I was watching – not listening, so this must be the mantra from the editorial bullpen. The visuals didn’t show any highlights of our running attack (no suprise there), but rather they were focusing on our tough defense. Now I totally agree that our defense is a “smash you in the mouth” D, but like you I think that term does imply a power running game and not a pass first offense. Not this year.

I was being forced to listen to mangirl and meatball in the morning (mike and mike) Steven A. Smith actually said yesterday that if Larry Johnson was to be cut or be offered in a trade from the Cheifs that Pittsburgh would be one of the teams he thought would be interested.

Does he know that we drafted a running back in the first round last year? He didn’t bother to bring it up if he did.

ESPN stands for Entertainment Sports Programming Network, so while they do cover sports few people actually realize they are an entertainment network too. So all the stuff about the drama with the cowgals is part of the entertainment side of their network. They feel like that helps them sell. ESPN gets dumped on so much for not being sport geniuses and knowing anything and everything about each team. That is not their goal. They want to be entertaining also so that means less substance and more drama. ESPN gets a bad rap from the real sports fans who can remember their teams last 5 draft classes verbatim or their college teams last 10 recruiting classes in football and basketball. Like for instance someone commenting about Steven A Smith, he isn’t even an NFL guy. He is NBA and actually give good insight on the NBA. They needed to fill and hole and he was available and because of his reputation he got to go up there and talk. So I always keep in mind who is talking and the fact that they try to the E! network of sports sometimes. It helps.

you should be on your best behavior at all times, and it kind of insinuates that its ok for an African American player to act out for a caucasian coach. Being an African American myself I think that AAA (African American Athletes) get a bad rap as it is. Most of them are labeled as thugs which they are not. Thugs are guys on the street corner selling drugs and will kill you because you look at them wrong. Those are not these guys they may act hard but many don’t back it up. Most AAA are good guys. I find it amazing that no one speak of hockey players as thugs and they fight so many times more than the other sports and is majority made up of caucasians. I like hockey though and I don’t mind the fighting. I just don’t think that players in the NBA and NFL should be labeled as thugs when they fight. Many of them don’t get in trouble with the law. There are some though. While the ones that do deserve to be punish, I ask my self today how is Adam Jones still playing, the athlete as a whole should not be punish for the mistakes of a few. There are over 1700 players in the nfl and I dare people to name 1% that is 17 athletes that has been in trouble with the law this year in the NFL. Most of us can barely name 10 since the year 2000. Yes the bengals had about 5 one year but there aren’t many after that and that was a rare instance.

As for stephen A. no he isn’t allowed to say anything stupid but don’t expect him to know every bit of information about a sport they don’t mainly cover.

is a basketball analyst and has a fan’s eye view of the NFL. He is often blunt and occasionally controversial in his opinions. I suppose his comments create a buzz (even if they are uneducated) so ESPN got their money’s worth (just count how many times “ESPN” is used in this thread).

Clearly Smith has a foggy view of the Steelers, but there’s some sense in his logic. A runner like Larry Johnson has a place in the Steeler’s offense. Jerome Bettis is proof of that. However when you add a little context to the situation like his off and on the field antics as well as the current running back situation on the Steelers roster it’s a pointless conversation. Nonetheless, I do think the Steelers need to rediscover their bruising running style and that is ultmately what I think Smith had intended.

watching the Dal\Bal (at least I think it was that game) game and the announcer (I think Collingsworth) was saying at the end of the game “This Defense just does not allow late game touchdowns” two things went through my mind – the 1st Steelers game and the 2nd Steelers game – I mean seriously guys do you ever think before you speak. Of course right after he said that Romo threw a TD to Witten – no comments after that.

These guys just talk – most have no clue. If MNF would get rid of Kornhole and get Jaws to stop being so damn dramatic every time he talks – that would be one of my favorite crews. I think Tirico is good and Jaws has some very good insite to the game I enjoy hearing – Kornheiser is useless and extremely annoying, IMO.

Analyst shows I stopped watching several years ago – ESPN Countdown was the first to go, then Fox and CBS. If there are no hot women working out in a info-mercial I will watch CBS (just to see the chin) or NFL pre-game stuff. other than that nada – can’t stand it.

Only stuff I watch is post game highlights on NFL – Deion (however annoying), Coach, and Eisen have good chemistry and make me laugh – when we lose I don’t watch anything.

Not sure why I have gone on like this – not even really sure where i started – oh well….. pass the Jack and have a Happy New Year.

The Steelers are such a storied franchise with such a smashmouth style, who needs to watch the games?

a few weeks ago, and apparently absolutely nothing note-worthy was happening in sports that day, because they decided to have an annoyingly lengthy debate on who the best-looking NFL quarterbacks are. Two interesting notes from this disaster of a segment:

1) Jemele Hill ranked our very own Big Ben as the second hottest NFL QB, trumped only by Thomas “GQ” Brady.

2) Skip Bayless ranked Tony Romo #3 on his list, and then proceeded to call him “very cute.” I then in turn proceeded to throw up in my mouth a little bit, turn off the TV, and attempt to forget that the last ten minutes of my life ever happened.

I didn’t get to watch the Cleveland game. I read that Willie ran behind a fullback most of the game. He’s been compaining about the one back set recently. For those of you who watched the game, was it the lowly Browns, or running behind a fullback that allowed Willie to have success? I sure do miss Kreider opening holes for Willie to break a long run.