Great announcers can turn a good game into an instant classic. They are the voice of the sport and are in charge of building up its players along with explaining controversial rulings. They are a much larger part of the game than many of us even realize.
Former duo Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland were so bad together it made poor matchups unwatchable. Seriously, Kevin Harlan was calling Monday night games on radio so why not offer him to be on TV? Dan Fouts often caught the ire of Steelers fans, but they’re all out and we’re looking ahead to the duos of 2020.
Lets dive into my power rankings of the 2020 national color commentating pairs!
Note these are only the primary analysts from the major networks
6. Whoever is on ESPN
Monday Night Football
How fun would it have been if ESPN had actually have landed Peyton Manning? His knowledge and experience of the game would instantly put him into elite Color-commentating company. However, he called an Omaha and ESPN still doesn't have a commentating team for Monday nights. Although silence might be better than Tessitore and Booger.
May I suggest Mike Tirico, or Ian Eagle for play-by-play and maybe younger brother Eli Manning for the color commentating spot?
5. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
FOX NFL
Joe Buck has his moments, but his minimalistic approach borders on boring and, lord forbid, if they’re calling a cowboys game because this is one of the most biased pairings for a non-team affiliated commentating teams.
They know there stuff and have their jobs for a reason, but I enjoy a little more energy.
4. Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner
NFL Network
Rich Eisen is still relatively green in his role on play-by-play as sometimes his delivery is clunky but he'll get better every time he calls a game. The passion is clear and the chemistry he displays with co-anchor Kurt Warner is one of the tightest in the game today.
3. Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth
NBC
Al Michaels is a legend in the industry, and one of the greatest play by play announcers in all of sports history.
Now here’s a guy that I believe is criminally underrated in Chris Collinsworth.
They add so much to big matchups, the only thing holding them back from being higher on the list is that Michaels and Collinsworth aren't the best team when a game is a blowout. We have heard most of their stories already, and the random banter during a lopsided affair can get stale.
But I can't stress this enough: they are legends.
2. Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner
Westwood One
Is there a better play-by-play announcer than Kevin Harlan? Seriously if I was an ESPN executive I would have backed up the brinks truck to Harlans door to gain his services. The passion in his voice and his analysis are at an elite level and it’s really easy to listen to a game when he’s on the call.
As talked about before Kurt Warner also shares great chemistry and expert analysis next to Harlan.
1. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo
CBS
I was never a big Jim Nantz guy until the day he was paired with Tony Romo. Nantz almost instantaneously delivered his calls with more energy and seemingly found a new level of passion in the seat beside Romo.
Speaking of Tony, he is the person that puts this duo on top of my list. He calls the game as if he game planned to start at quarterback. He predicts the play-call with such frequency it’s almost laughable that he's not already an offensive coordinator.
If the Steelers aren’t playing in Nantz and Romo’s time slot then rest assured whichever game they're calling is what I'm watching.
Who’s your favorite play-by-play caller, and color-commentator? Who do you want calling Monday night football and do you agree with my rankings? Let us know in the comments below!