Witten And MNF

[Silly]

I don't mind a three person booth. I just wish they wouldn't analyze every play. I also wish they would stop talking when the QB steps up for the snap so I can hear the crowd noise and the cadence. I mostly wish announcers would just talk less.

 

[CouchCoach]

What's often overlooked is that Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland were just as bad as Witten was last year.

MNF needs an overhaul. It's bad enough it's no longer the "event" that it was when I was younger. I recall being at school on Mondays reminding myself there's a game on tonight. Now, it's like, "meh".

The reason they were there was because they were already under contract. Decisions at ESPN are made with the bean counters' blessings now. They are an expense control broadcast operation because they tried to sew everything up and set up their defense when the competition started showing up. And they've cut all they can cut, no fat left. At some point, ABC has got to tell them their on their own to support themselves. They are bleeding badly.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Naaah, he just pulled a rabbit out his head like magic and disappeared.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

The reason they were there was because they were already under contract. Decisions at ESPN are made with the bean counters' blessings now. They are an expense control broadcast operation because they tried to sew everything up and set up their defense when the competition started showing up. And they've cut all they can cut, no fat left. At some point, ABC has got to tell them their on their own to support themselves. They are bleeding badly.

Exactly. The only time I watch ESPN now is for MNF and college football.

NFL Network and the internet (two things that did not exist for ESPN's first two dominant decades on TV) is where I get my football news now.

 

[millennial_legend]

they should just 86 MNF altogether. People are football'd out by Sunday night. just let everyone rest until TNF

 

[eternaljester81]

What's often overlooked is that Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland were just as bad as Witten was last year.

MNF needs an overhaul. It's bad enough it's no longer the "event" that it was when I was younger. I recall being at school on Mondays reminding myself there's a game on tonight. Now, it's like, "meh".

MNF announcing has been awful since ESPN took over. Shoot, I'd say MNF in general has been.

 

[SSoup]

MNF needs an overhaul. It's bad enough it's no longer the "event" that it was when I was younger. I recall being at school on Mondays reminding myself there's a game on tonight. Now, it's like, "meh".

They should honestly just re-brand the broadcast and drop the "Monday Night Football" name.

MNF can never go back to what it used to be. The NFL made the switch to make Sunday Night games the premium showcase for a very deliberate reason, because it allowed them to flex the schedule as needed to avoid late-season stinkers on the premium national broadcast (because they're able to move start times around so long as they remain on the same day, but flexing games from Sundays to Mondays would require too many logistical impossibilities).

That being the case, with MNF no longer being the crown jewel of the schedule, they should just change the name and stop trying to be what they can never be again. Give it a new brand name and let it start fresh as its own thing. It's still NFL football so it'll still make money and get good enough ratings to justify the expense. But constantly bending over backwards to call to mind what MNF used to be before it was terrible, setting the bar that high, is a recipe for the constant perception of failure and the stink of disappointment.

 

[JayFord]

they should just 86 MNF altogether. People are football'd out by Sunday night. just let everyone rest until TNF

I’m with this

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

Anybody else think that just maybe, sometime shortly before he announced his return to playing, the folks at ESPN sat Jason Witten down and told him the brutal truth about his future with MNF?

He wasn't bad like some people here made him out to be. He just isn't on the same level as Romo. But who knows if he could've grown into the role. I mean who here remembers Jimmy Johnson's first year on Fox? Jimmy grew into that role.

 

[GenoT]

He wasn't bad like some people here made him out to be. He just isn't on the same level as Romo. But who knows if he could've grown into the role. I mean who here remembers Jimmy Johnson's first year on Fox? Jimmy grew into that role.

True.

Madden’s first two seasons (CBS, I believe?) we’re atrocious.

 

[Corso]

I hope he comes back and either gets back in the booth, or does an underground color commentary and completely embraces his Witten-ness.
That would be so cool!

 

[dallasdave]

I liked him.
He was like a backwoods Yogi Berra.

Yeah his side kick was Boo Boo Oh wait that's the cartoon.

 

[Corso]

Yeah his side kick was Boo Boo Oh wait that's the cartoon.

Where's the ball going to go, Yogi?

I don't know, but I see a pic-a-nic basket!

 

[EST_1986]

He was signed to a another one year contract with ESPN....

he probably misspelled his name making the contract void. Guy came off as a complete dolt in the booth.

 

[TheCount]

He wasn't bad like some people here made him out to be. He just isn't on the same level as Romo. But who knows if he could've grown into the role. I mean who here remembers Jimmy Johnson's first year on Fox? Jimmy grew into that role.

He was completely generic, even if you ignore the goofs.

I have no idea what he could have done in auditions that made people think, this is the guy, get him in there over everybody else.

 

[GenoT]

Just checked...

Witten’s initial MNF contract was for 4yrs, guaranteed. He wasn’t “just signed to a second year”, as some are saying.

Therefore, in fact, he did ESPN a huge favor by quitting.

 

[conner01]

Anybody else think that just maybe, sometime shortly before he announced his return to playing, the folks at ESPN sat Jason Witten down and told him the brutal truth about his future with MNF?

Maybe he came here and found out the sad truth he is terrible as a broadcaster

 

[conner01]

Just checked...

Witten’s initial MNF contract was for 4yrs, guaranteed. He wasn’t “just signed to a second year”, as some are saying.

Therefore, in fact, he did ESPN a huge favor by quitting.

May have got tired of embarrassing himself

 

[cern]

The reason they were there was because they were already under contract. Decisions at ESPN are made with the bean counters' blessings now. They are an expense control broadcast operation because they tried to sew everything up and set up their defense when the competition started showing up. And they've cut all they can cut, no fat left. At some point, ABC has got to tell them their on their own to support themselves. They are bleeding badly.

ESPN has aligned itself with the fastest growing sport on the planet. Mma. It will be hosting UFC fights plus now has espn+ which will show UFC fights not on ESPN. There's gold in them thar hills.

 

[ClintDagger]

At a minimum he was probably told or given the impression that next year would be his last in the booth. He probably didn’t want to squander his last year of football ability on a lame duck job. If he had the job security of Romo I doubt he does this.