Whitlock: NBC's cast of thousands is a bad act

[YosemiteSam]

Personally I quit watching NBC's pregame show years ago...just could not stomach it.

Same here.

 

[CowboyWay]

I think saying he is the worst broadcaster in the history of the NFL is a way over the top incorrect especially after 1 season. See this is what I talking about. People like you not giving him a chance to prove himself. I guess you would have given up on Troy Aikman after his first year as a Dallas Cowboy too. Or Peyton Manning for not winning a playoff game his first 4-5 tries. Or Romo for not winning one yet. Some people like a Collingsworth can pick it right up and are a natural. Emmitt is not but let's see what happens this year.

That bolded statement is stupid also. To become an average broadcaster doesn't take that much work. He just needs to be a little bit more polished and comfortable on camera. Some of it could have been laziness, being unprepared. He said in that Lake Tahoe interview that he has a lot of things he needs to improve on. He said he reviewed himself on tape and knows he needs to improve. If Emmitt Smith the football player could review tape and improve. I would like to think Emmitt Smith the broadcaster can do the same. My gosh you act like the guy has no chance and will never be able to do it. If he doesn't improve this year and is still making the same mistakes then I would say this is just not for him and he needs to get out of TV and play golf or something and enjoy his retirement but let's wait and see first before saying he is the worst broadcaster in NFL history.

We will have to agree to disagree then. You should put aside your feelings for Emmitt the player and look at him as a broadcaster. If this was any other NFL player from any other team, you'd be mocking him as well. He is the joke of the broadcasting world. If you took a poll at every message board for every NFL team, he would win "worst broadcaster" award by a country mile. Its not even close.

To compare him to Troys first year is a joke. Troy at least had a grasp of the English language. Emmitt does not.

To compare Emmitt working hard at football to get better and working hard as a broadcaster to do the same is two entirely different worlds. I worked hard in high school at football. Guess what? I still stunk. You're born with an athletic gift or you're not, I'm not saying you can't "work on it" to get better, but if you can't see that these guys are born with athletic ability far beyond the normal human, you're kidding yourself. You simply can't compare that to broadcasting skills.

 

[VACowboy]

You can single out Emmitt if you want, but there are very, very few sports media personalities who use "proper English." Almost every single one of them butchers the language every time s/he opens his/her mouth. Are some worse than others? Heck yeah, but to me there are a lot worse things in sports broadcasting than imperfect speech. I'd much rather listen to a guy with honest, educated views and passion for the game than journalistic agenda, regardless of either's command of grammar and whatnot. To me, someone without knowledge and care for fact sounds a heck of a lot stupider than someone without the ability to put knowledge into words perfectly. I'll take Emmitt any day over an idiot like Theisman, and it has zip to do with who they played for.

 

[CowboyWay]

You can single out Emmitt if you want, but there are very, very few sports media personalities who use "proper English." Almost every single one of them butchers the language every time s/he opens his/her mouth. Are some worse than others? Heck yeah, but to me there are a lot worse things in sports broadcasting than imperfect speech. I'd much rather listen to a guy with honest, educated views and passion for the game than journalistic agenda, regardless of either's command of grammar and whatnot. To me, someone without knowledge and care for fact sounds a heck of a lot stupider than someone without the ability to put knowledge into words perfectly. I'll take Emmitt any day over an idiot like Theisman, and it has zip to do with who they played for.

But there is a happy medium in there somewhere. I don't need Tom Brokaw giving me a play by play, but when you have trouble creating simple sentences, maybe the job isn't for you. There are several ex players who are outstanding. To me, Aikman is head and shoulders above the rest. No agenda, but speaks well, and has great insight to the game.

Emmitt has great insight to the game cause he played, but articulating that into speech is not something he is good at, and its so poor, it takes away from his insight, thereby nullying the purpose of having him on.

 

[bootsy]

We will have to agree to disagree then. You should put aside your feelings for Emmitt the player and look at him as a broadcaster. If this was any other NFL player from any other team, you'd be mocking him as well. He is the joke of the broadcasting world. If you took a poll at every message board for every NFL team, he would win "worst broadcaster" award by a country mile. Its not even close.

To compare him to Troys first year is a joke. Troy at least had a grasp of the English language. Emmitt does not.

To compare Emmitt working hard at football to get better and working hard as a broadcaster to do the same is two entirely different worlds. I worked hard in high school at football. Guess what? I still stunk. You're born with an athletic gift or you're not, I'm not saying you can't "work on it" to get better, but if you can't see that these guys are born with athletic ability far beyond the normal human, you're kidding yourself. You simply can't compare that to broadcasting skills.

My feelings about Emmitt as a football player have nothing to do with this. I am comparing how he worked as a football player can translate to improving as a broadcaster. That's it. Nothing else. You are assuming things.

As for Troy, you didn't read what I said about him. I was comparing if people like you gave up on Troy after his rookie season in the NFL to people lilke you giving up on Emmitt after his first year as broadcaster then we would have been in trouble as Cowboy fans.

You comparing your high school football career to Emmitt is laughable. That's why Emmitt played and excelled in the NFL and you didn't because he had a drive to improve himself to the maximum. You can compare his drive on the football field to broadcasting because he made that comparison himself.

 

[Kangaroo]

I like Collinsworth and yes he can be goofy but like a lot of things in life it is all about personal taste

I like Phill Simms and a lot of people cry about him

 

[VACowboy]

But there is a happy medium in there somewhere. I don't need Tom Brokaw giving me a play by play, but when you have trouble creating simple sentences, maybe the job isn't for you. There are several ex players who are outstanding. To me, Aikman is head and shoulders above the rest. No agenda, but speaks well, and has great insight to the game.

Emmitt has great insight to the game cause he played, but articulating that into speech is not something he is good at, and its so poor, it takes away from his insight, thereby nullying the purpose of having him on.

That's not what you said. You said "Emmitt is the worst broadcaster in the history of the NFL," and on that point I could not more strongly disagree. As I said, in my opinion, there are much worse flaws in sports commentary than imperfect speech.

 

[InmanRoshi]

A reunion of Patrick and Olbermann interests me because I loved when they did Sportscenter, and I like Peter King ... but Bettis and Tiki epitomize ex-jock talking heads who bring nothing to the table as broadcasters.

I might stick with ESPN, solely because of the Emmitt unintentional comedic value. Chris Berman's shtick is prehistoric at this point, but at least they got rid of the "60 minutes of Michael Irvin Yelling Over Everyone Hour" format.

 

[Carl23]

As a broadcaster, he's not ready for the main stage. He's not Emmitt Smiff,

:laugh2:

Just thought that was funny/ironic because when you hear Emmitt speak/butcher the English language...

 

[Doomsday]

Outstanding article.

And I agree with Whitlock about Collinsworth. I've never gotten why people hate him so much.

I agree, I dont always agree with him but I think he does a good job.

That has to be the most painful show on TV to watch.

 

[skinsscalper]

Hey we all love Emmitt don't get us wrong. What he has done with the star on his helmet, none of us will ever forget, but you have to look at this thing objectively. He is the worst broadcaster in the history of the NFL in my eyes. I get stomach cramps from just watching him. He is that foul.

The man doesn't have the speaking skills to work the register at Walmart if you ask me, let alone to be on stage in front of TV cameras.

Can he improve? Absolutely, because there is nowhere else for him to go but up. However, he has a mountain to climb to someday hope he can be an average broadcaster.

Sorry, Emmitt, I love ya, but this gig just ain't for you.

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Hey we all love Emmitt don't get us wrong. What he has done with the star on his helmet, none of us will ever forget, but you have to look at this thing objectively.

That should read...

Hey we all love Emmitt don't get us wrong. What he has done with the star on his helmet, none of us will ever forget, nor will we forget the tremendous anguish he put us through as an analyst for ESPN.

:laugh2:

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

With no disrespect to Costas, who is as good as I have ever witnessed when it comes to Baseball, but having said that; Awesome article, bravo!

I hope this hits the desk of whoever is in charge at NBC so they can restructure that glorified Parade of Donkeys seated around Collinsworth and make it watchable.