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Hot air: If only they could talk ...
[SIZE=-1]09:29 PM CST on Friday, November 16, 2007[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_bhorn_new.jpg
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It's not such a small world when you are a lead NFL analyst for a television network. Fox's Troy Aikman and CBS' Phil Simms never run into each other. They've never had a meal together. They've never sat down to exchange thoughts or stories about football or past Super Bowl glories.
Sundays, their primary workdays, are always spent at different stadiums. They rarely get to hear each other work.
Aikman will be at Texas Stadium for the Commanders-Cowboys game on Sunday while Simms will work the Steelers-Jets. Simms will be in the Texas Stadium booth Thursday for the Jets-Cowboys; Aikman calls the Packers-Lions that day.
Hot Air decided it was time to finally get them on the same page, posing a series of questions to each in separate interviews.
Do blonds have more fun?
Aikman: Natural blonds do. I was once a blond. I don't know what color my hair is now. It has gotten darker as I have gotten older.
Simms: I'm a true blond. Life is good. What do I have to complain about?
Was football a tougher game in the 1980s or 1990s?
Simms: I truly believe it was tougher in the 1980s. It was a different game. Quarterbacks had to hold on to the ball longer. Everything was down the field more. We took more hits.
Aikman: Football was pretty damn tough in the 1980s. The one year I played that decade – in 1989 – I got killed. I think the players have gotten better today than when I played. They get better every year. I think the toughness of the game has changed. You can't get away with as much. When I played, the rules favored the offense; now they do even more. I think the rules have taken a lot of the toughness out of the game.
How many hours of prep work do you do before every Sunday game?
Aikman: I spend time at it each day. Different things come to mind. I make notes. A game like Dallas-Washington, I know these teams well. I don't have to go quite as deep. Next week, I have Detroit. I have not had them in two years. I will have to spend more time. I do as much work as I need to feel comfortable when I go on the air.
Simms: I have a rough life. I watch a couple of games on tape. Then I watch coaches' tapes. Then I call people from the teams. Hours? I don't know. I tell people I work hard. It really is nothing. I have to go hang out at the Cowboys' facility for two days and then go to dinner. It takes time, but it is enjoyable time.
You've both worked in a three-man booth and hated it. If your network said you had to work in a three-man booth, but it would acquiesce to one demand, what would ask for? Remember, Marcel Marceau is dead. The third person has to speak.
Simms: I'm going to ask, "Is this going to be all about personality? Do we have to have a good time, rock and roll and be different?" I would start looking for my next job.
Aikman: I would not work in a three-man booth again. I learned a lot being in a three-man booth. It was a good experience working with Cris [Collinsworth]. But I would never agree to do that.
You're starting a franchise from scratch. All the players and coaches in the league are free agents. Whom do you hire as your head coach?
Aikman: I would probably hire Jason Garrett. How much longer is a guy like Bill Belichick going to go? Of the current head coaches, my choice would be Mike Holmgren or Mike Shanahan. But if we're talking about someone for the future, I'd hire Jason. He is the only guy I have ever met who, no matter what business I was involved in, I'd hire. By the way, he will be a head coach somewhere next year.
Simms: I have to hire Bill Belichick.
You also have first pick from a pool of all current players. Whom do you take?
Simms: I'm going to start with Peyton Manning.
Aikman: I'd take the younger one between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. I think Tom is younger. [He is, by 16 months.] And he'd be around more in the off-season because he wouldn't be off shooting all those commercials like Peyton.
When you were playing, did you ever learn anything from a TV analyst?
Aikman: No. I never watched my own games. As for other games, no.
Simms: That is funny. That is really funny. I'm sure as heck not kidding myself that I am teaching anybody in the NFL anything.
Complete this sentence. "I watch Tony Romo and I think ..."
Simms: ... there is no doubt he is a franchise NFL quarterback. Jerry Jones should have signed him earlier and saved himself some money.
Aikman: ...he has good parents.
You and the other guy here are headed to dinner and can each bring one other person. Whom are you bringing? Whom do you hope the other guy is bringing?
Simms: I'm bringing the president of the United States. I just hope Troy brings somebody who is really, really pretty.
Aikman: I would bring my wife. I'd probably hope he'd bring Bill Parcells.
Your regular partner comes down with laryngitis on the eve of the Super Bowl. Whom would you want to call the play-by-play?
Aikman: Joe Buck with laryngitis? That is my fantasy. I'll take Al Michaels.
Simms: You mean I can't do it by myself? I don't want Howard Cosell. I'd like to do it with Pat Summerall. I can still hear his calls in my sleep: "Simms ... Bavaro ... Touchdown."
What would it take for you to leave the booth and return to the sideline as a head coach?
Simms: An offer. I am absolutely egotistical enough to do it even though I know I am not qualified. ... I'd take it and try to learn on the job.
Aikman: It would not happen. Now, if someone asked me to leave the booth and become a general manager or be placed on a path to be a general manager ... If someone made me that offer, it wouldn't take too much. I miss the fight. I miss the battles.
You have to complete a pass to win Super Bowl XLII. Whom are you throwing to?
Aikman: One guy from my day, it would be [Michael] Irvin or [Jay] Novacek. Ask me to pick any guy in the league right now and I'd say Reggie Wayne.
Simms: It's hard to go away from an old teammate. I'd go to Mark Bavaro. We had a rule with the Giants: When he was covered, throw it to him anyway.
Your favorite Starbucks concoction is:
Aikman: I go soy latte.
Simms: None. Am I the only guy in the world who doesn't drink Starbucks?
If you could ask the other guy one question, what would it be?
Simms: What was his relationship all those years really like with Jimmy Johnson?
Aikman: There are a few people I have asked for autographs in my life. One is Bill Parcells. In fact, I've asked him twice. ... With that in mind, I would love to hear some of Phil's stories about Parcells.
Radio daze
Ticket reveals only so much: The Ticket sent out a news release ballyhooing the signing of morning guys George Dunham, Craig Miller and Gordon Keith to a new five-year deal. The public contractual mention is a first in the history of the station.
The logical follow-up was to ask about the contractual status of other Ticket personnel.
Ticket program director Jeff Catlin replied that company policy prohibited him from commenting on the "status and/or terms of any of the other guys."
Contradictory? I think so.
On another Ticket nontalker: The Unfair Park blog reports that it made contact this week with the missing Greg Williams, who left The Hardline in mid-show on Oct. 12. The reason for Williams' absence has been the subject of much speculation. The Ticket has declined to comment. "I'm OK," the blog quotes Williams as saying. "I'm doing what I need to be doing. Getting the help I need."
Irvin fills in as ESPN 103.3 co-host: Meanwhile, Michael Irvin sat in as a co-host on Friday's 9 a.m.-to-noon show on ESPN-FM 103.3. Station boss Pete Dits said it was a one-shot deal for Irvin and co-host Kevin Kiley. But "there could be something more to this." Irvin is a natural. His thesis on Terry Glenn's injury being the key to the Cowboys' success was unique, and it made sense when explained. The station has been rotating hosts since Jennifer Engel signed off last month.
LINK
[SIZE=-1]09:29 PM CST on Friday, November 16, 2007[/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_bhorn_new.jpg
It's not such a small world when you are a lead NFL analyst for a television network. Fox's Troy Aikman and CBS' Phil Simms never run into each other. They've never had a meal together. They've never sat down to exchange thoughts or stories about football or past Super Bowl glories.
Sundays, their primary workdays, are always spent at different stadiums. They rarely get to hear each other work.
Aikman will be at Texas Stadium for the Commanders-Cowboys game on Sunday while Simms will work the Steelers-Jets. Simms will be in the Texas Stadium booth Thursday for the Jets-Cowboys; Aikman calls the Packers-Lions that day.
Hot Air decided it was time to finally get them on the same page, posing a series of questions to each in separate interviews.
Do blonds have more fun?
Aikman: Natural blonds do. I was once a blond. I don't know what color my hair is now. It has gotten darker as I have gotten older.
Simms: I'm a true blond. Life is good. What do I have to complain about?
Was football a tougher game in the 1980s or 1990s?
Simms: I truly believe it was tougher in the 1980s. It was a different game. Quarterbacks had to hold on to the ball longer. Everything was down the field more. We took more hits.
Aikman: Football was pretty damn tough in the 1980s. The one year I played that decade – in 1989 – I got killed. I think the players have gotten better today than when I played. They get better every year. I think the toughness of the game has changed. You can't get away with as much. When I played, the rules favored the offense; now they do even more. I think the rules have taken a lot of the toughness out of the game.
How many hours of prep work do you do before every Sunday game?
Aikman: I spend time at it each day. Different things come to mind. I make notes. A game like Dallas-Washington, I know these teams well. I don't have to go quite as deep. Next week, I have Detroit. I have not had them in two years. I will have to spend more time. I do as much work as I need to feel comfortable when I go on the air.
Simms: I have a rough life. I watch a couple of games on tape. Then I watch coaches' tapes. Then I call people from the teams. Hours? I don't know. I tell people I work hard. It really is nothing. I have to go hang out at the Cowboys' facility for two days and then go to dinner. It takes time, but it is enjoyable time.
You've both worked in a three-man booth and hated it. If your network said you had to work in a three-man booth, but it would acquiesce to one demand, what would ask for? Remember, Marcel Marceau is dead. The third person has to speak.
Simms: I'm going to ask, "Is this going to be all about personality? Do we have to have a good time, rock and roll and be different?" I would start looking for my next job.
Aikman: I would not work in a three-man booth again. I learned a lot being in a three-man booth. It was a good experience working with Cris [Collinsworth]. But I would never agree to do that.
You're starting a franchise from scratch. All the players and coaches in the league are free agents. Whom do you hire as your head coach?
Aikman: I would probably hire Jason Garrett. How much longer is a guy like Bill Belichick going to go? Of the current head coaches, my choice would be Mike Holmgren or Mike Shanahan. But if we're talking about someone for the future, I'd hire Jason. He is the only guy I have ever met who, no matter what business I was involved in, I'd hire. By the way, he will be a head coach somewhere next year.
Simms: I have to hire Bill Belichick.
You also have first pick from a pool of all current players. Whom do you take?
Simms: I'm going to start with Peyton Manning.
Aikman: I'd take the younger one between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. I think Tom is younger. [He is, by 16 months.] And he'd be around more in the off-season because he wouldn't be off shooting all those commercials like Peyton.
When you were playing, did you ever learn anything from a TV analyst?
Aikman: No. I never watched my own games. As for other games, no.
Simms: That is funny. That is really funny. I'm sure as heck not kidding myself that I am teaching anybody in the NFL anything.
Complete this sentence. "I watch Tony Romo and I think ..."
Simms: ... there is no doubt he is a franchise NFL quarterback. Jerry Jones should have signed him earlier and saved himself some money.
Aikman: ...he has good parents.
You and the other guy here are headed to dinner and can each bring one other person. Whom are you bringing? Whom do you hope the other guy is bringing?
Simms: I'm bringing the president of the United States. I just hope Troy brings somebody who is really, really pretty.
Aikman: I would bring my wife. I'd probably hope he'd bring Bill Parcells.
Your regular partner comes down with laryngitis on the eve of the Super Bowl. Whom would you want to call the play-by-play?
Aikman: Joe Buck with laryngitis? That is my fantasy. I'll take Al Michaels.
Simms: You mean I can't do it by myself? I don't want Howard Cosell. I'd like to do it with Pat Summerall. I can still hear his calls in my sleep: "Simms ... Bavaro ... Touchdown."
What would it take for you to leave the booth and return to the sideline as a head coach?
Simms: An offer. I am absolutely egotistical enough to do it even though I know I am not qualified. ... I'd take it and try to learn on the job.
Aikman: It would not happen. Now, if someone asked me to leave the booth and become a general manager or be placed on a path to be a general manager ... If someone made me that offer, it wouldn't take too much. I miss the fight. I miss the battles.
You have to complete a pass to win Super Bowl XLII. Whom are you throwing to?
Aikman: One guy from my day, it would be [Michael] Irvin or [Jay] Novacek. Ask me to pick any guy in the league right now and I'd say Reggie Wayne.
Simms: It's hard to go away from an old teammate. I'd go to Mark Bavaro. We had a rule with the Giants: When he was covered, throw it to him anyway.
Your favorite Starbucks concoction is:
Aikman: I go soy latte.
Simms: None. Am I the only guy in the world who doesn't drink Starbucks?
If you could ask the other guy one question, what would it be?
Simms: What was his relationship all those years really like with Jimmy Johnson?
Aikman: There are a few people I have asked for autographs in my life. One is Bill Parcells. In fact, I've asked him twice. ... With that in mind, I would love to hear some of Phil's stories about Parcells.
Radio daze
Ticket reveals only so much: The Ticket sent out a news release ballyhooing the signing of morning guys George Dunham, Craig Miller and Gordon Keith to a new five-year deal. The public contractual mention is a first in the history of the station.
The logical follow-up was to ask about the contractual status of other Ticket personnel.
Ticket program director Jeff Catlin replied that company policy prohibited him from commenting on the "status and/or terms of any of the other guys."
Contradictory? I think so.
On another Ticket nontalker: The Unfair Park blog reports that it made contact this week with the missing Greg Williams, who left The Hardline in mid-show on Oct. 12. The reason for Williams' absence has been the subject of much speculation. The Ticket has declined to comment. "I'm OK," the blog quotes Williams as saying. "I'm doing what I need to be doing. Getting the help I need."
Irvin fills in as ESPN 103.3 co-host: Meanwhile, Michael Irvin sat in as a co-host on Friday's 9 a.m.-to-noon show on ESPN-FM 103.3. Station boss Pete Dits said it was a one-shot deal for Irvin and co-host Kevin Kiley. But "there could be something more to this." Irvin is a natural. His thesis on Terry Glenn's injury being the key to the Cowboys' success was unique, and it made sense when explained. The station has been rotating hosts since Jennifer Engel signed off last month.
LINK
