|
Vikings
26 Oilers 16
By
Randy Williams
I
used to think that Matt Millen was on his way to becoming one of
the top color men in the game. A Super Bowl champion with the Oakland,
San Francisco and Washington, the former linebacker was energetic
and intelligent - a poor man's John Madden. Unfortunately, the
more I listen to Millen, the more I realize he is Madden with the
booms and splats but without the insight.
Millen has his moments and knows his subject matter but he gets
too carried away with style, often ignoring substance. Saturday,
he described Tennessee strong safety Blaine Bishop as "great,"
"good," and "very physical" in one sentence.
Those are all "great" adjectives but the average viewer
doesn't know what separates Bishop from another defensive back unless
Millen tells them what makes him a special player.
That said, I wish Millen, partner Dick Stockton and their families
a joyous holiday season (Yes, even Stockton's wife, the overused
Lesley Visser.)
A summary of Saturday's telecast:
Good points:
1. "Cris Carter is the reason Randy Moss has had the
season (he has had.)" - Millen, talking about the steadying
influence of the veteran wide receiver on his rookie mate.
2. "To be a good center in this league, you've got to
have great eyes." - Millen, talking about Minnesota Pro Bowl
center Jeff Christy and his ability to check the defense before
the play begins.
Bad work:
Tennessee QB Steve McNair was whistled for a safety in the first
quarter after an intentional grounding penalty, but Stockton
and Millen failed to immediately note that he wasn't in the end
zone when he threw the ball. They described the call as "questionable"
but didn't adequately explain the safety rule or criticize the bad
decision to award the Vikings two points.
Question:
1. After several references to Minnesota's new NFL record
for points in a season, why did Stockton and Millen wait so long
to talk about the Washington team that set the mark of 541 points
in 1983? The pair didn't talk about the '83 Skins until the final
minute, which is surprising since Millen's Raiders defeated Washington
in the Super Bowl after that season. A good idea would have been
a sound bite from Redskins CB Darrell Green, who joined Washington
in 1983 and played the Vikings earlier this season.
2. Where was the criticism in the fourth quarter after Minnesota
RB Leroy Hoard committed the cardinal sin of picking up a fumble
and running instead of staying on the ground? Players are taught
not to do that in Pop Warner football.
Best
shot:
Millen's diagram of Randall Cunningham's third-quarter touchdown
pass to Cris Carter.
File this:
Millen said the Jets are the only AFC team that can win in Denver
and Green Bay is the only NFC club that can triumph in Minnesota.
Top
stat:
Tennessee punter Craig Hentrich entered the game averaging
47.5 yards per punt, the highest NFL average since 1963.
Grade:
C (Mediocre).
Back
to the top
Back to the NFL page
To post a comment on this story, go to the Speak
Out page.
To e-mail your opinion to Randy, click
here.
|
