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Reviews
from past weeks: 1
2 3
4
5 6
7
8 9 10
11 12
13 14
15
Reviews from
this week: Randy,
his father review 5 New Year's Day bowls
ABC
Adds No Spice
To Sugar Bowl Coverage
By
George Stahl
Thoughts,
notes and observations while watching ABC's Sugar Bowl telecast...
Overall
opinion:
The broadcast was choppy as ABC cluttered the time between
plays with promos, graphics and highlights from either this game
or other games. It was hard for announcers Brent Musberger and Dan
Fouts to develop any game themes or start any lengthy discussions
because ABC too often used the time between plays to promote an
upcoming game/program, display a graphic, or show pregame interviews.
ABC deviated from the customary discussion of the play, drive or
game at nearly every other occasion for a huddle. I became increasingly
annoyed at this lack of attention to events on the field, although
I wasn't always happy with what I heard from the booth...
The
Performers
play-by-play Brent Musberger - is a solid announcer
when he doesn't try to be Keith Jackson. Maybe my memory is deceiving
me, but I don't remember Musberger trying to be so folksy
at CBS. He use of phrases like "And I'm here to tell you..."
or "The Buckeyes better strap it up real tight" come off
sounding insincere and phony. Only a select few, such as a Jackson
or ESPN's Ron Franklin, can pull off talk like that.
I
also find his use of nicknames annoying, such as "Wingin"
Wayne Morgan for the gentleman who had a chance to win a million
dollars by throwing a football through a hole in a Nokia contest
at halftime. (For the record, he deferred the throw to Hall of Famer
Roger Staubach, who won $100,000 for Morgan)
But
while Musberger is hard to take at times, he still announces
a game very well and has great voice control, which allows his
call to match the play on the field. Grade: B-
color
analyst Dan Fouts - probably would be better in the studio
where he can pick and choose what he wants to analyze. In the studio,
he also will have time to prepare what he will say. At games, he
seems to have difficulty offering quick insight on anything that
isn't a quarterback-related event.
For
example, after Ohio State blocked a second quarter punt and ran
it in for a touchdown, Fouts did not comment on the play until after
the extra point - even though Musberger paused at one point to give
Fouts the opportunity to say something. Then, when Fouts did speak,
he offered nothing but a redescription of the play. His unfamiliarity
with the mechanics of the special teams prevented him from saying
anything constructive about the block.
In
a studio, Fouts could focus on the offense, which the Hall of Fame
quarterback is better at analyzing. For example, he gave a nice
analysis on Texas A&M's second touchdown, when he showed how
and why the receiver was open.
However,
there are too many moments when Fouts needs to offer his opinion,
such as on a controversial penalty on a third-and-21 in the first
half, when he says nothing.
A
studio
gig also would give Fouts time to prepare his comments. Fouts' comments
early in the game, many of which seem written before the event,
are often better than those as the game continues. Grade: C+
sideline
reporter Jack Arute - had one of the best games that
I have seen from a sideline reporter this year. He had news on every
injury, talked to both coaches at halftime and provided insightful
tidbits from the sidelines, such as when he reported that a Texas
A&M coach threatened to replace the whole defensive line if
they didn't start playing like they should. Great stuff and great
work by Arute. Grade: A+
Good
points:
1. Fouts said the 41-day layoff between games may have been
the reason for Ohio State's sluggish start.
Good shot:
1. ABC showed Ohio State coach John Cooper showing officials,
with the help of a Buckeye player, what he saw happened on a controversial
penalty call.
Hype award:
1. Instead of waiting until after the next play or two, ABC
promoted Saturday's telecast of the Orange Bowl before an Ohio State
fourth-and-one at Texas A&M's 24. It wasn't until Musberger
finished the promo and the camera showed the Buckeyes at the line
of scrimmage that viewers realized Ohio State was going for it.
Concentrate on this game, ABC, before hyping upcoming broadcasts.
ABC and Fox are the worst at this.
2. Continuing a trick NBC did during the baseball playoffs,
ABC showed a commercial for a February miniseries between
plays at one point.
New addition:
1. ABC used more video of interviews with players and coaches
throughout the game than it does normally. This feature worked because
either the questions were provocative (such as how a team was going
to accomplish a certain goal during the game) or the subject matter
was interesting (such as Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine and
his new fiancee talking about how he proposed earlier in the week).
This shouldn't be done with every game, but it worked well in this
broadcast.
Glitches:
1. The broadcast included some camera missteps, especially from
the field-level camera behind one of the end zones. That cameraperson
had a tough time focusing on anything relevant on the field. At
one point, Musberger appeared to be trying to cover up for the ugly
camerawork from that angle by saying after a poor replay that he
wished the camermen a lot of luck trying to cover the speedy players
on the field. However,
overall, the telecast wasn't as bad as ABC has been at times
during its lockout, considering the network is covering six football
games in four days.
2. Musberger said how Ohio State "ran into a buzzsaw"
for its only loss in late October. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan
State on Nov. 7.
3. Near the end of the first half, the time on the screen
often didn't match the time that Musberger was announcing.
Things
that make you go hmm:
1. Musberger said no other college football team has recruited
any better than Ohio State has this decade. That statement is hard
to argue, considering the number of wins and NFL players that the
Buckeyes have produced in the 1990s. However, coach John Cooper
and his Buckeyes have not won a national title in that span. So
is Musberger's statement still fair? If so, then why no national
titles? Of course, Musberger and Fouts did not dare debate this
on television because it may come off as criticism of media-friendly
Cooper.
2. Fouts predicted that Arizona would beat Dallas in the
NFC playoffs Saturday. [He
was right.]
Unanswered
questions:
1. Why is a blimp needed for dome games?
Grade: B-.
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To see
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Selections.
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