From Mike
You wrote earlier this week, “really good NFL analysts on ESPN” and that got me thinking: who do you rank as the top five NFL analysts out there and who would be on your Rushmore of currently employed ESPN people (you, Wells and David are certainly on it — ha ha ha).
Thanks and keep up the great work.
Mike –
Interesting question.
If we had to go top five of NFL analysts – remember that’s different than news-breakers like Schefter and Mort and the like; it also is not the play-by-play guys like Buck and Michaels and Tirico, who is excellent – we’d go here:
1. Chris Collinsworth, NBC. He’s equal parts praising and critical. Yes, it’s in a polite ways, but he comes across as the most honest out there.
2. Louis Riddick, ESPN. Dude is simply aces, especially on front office details and locker issues.
3. Tony Romo, CBS. Yes, this is a meteoric rise considering he’s been doing this for half a season. His insight to play-calling has been a revelation and will positively affect how the next generation of color commentators do the job.
4. Mel Kiper/Todd McShay, ESPN. Yes, these two almost exclusively are NFL draft related, but we love the draft. You know this.
5. Jon Gruden, ESPN. Yes, at times he gets cartoony, but you also have to give credit to his quarterback camps, which may be the best inside-sports show ESPN has delivered in a long time.
As for my personal Rushmore of people employed by ESPN, we’d go here:
The entire crew of the LeBatard Show, which is something completely unique and different in a medium that is almost impossible to come up with anything unique and different; Jay Bilas, who I don’t always agree with, but he almost always makes me think; SVP because he’s funny, and the Kiper/McShay tandem because, well, we love the draft – you know this.
That leads us to this week’s Rushmores
Rushmore of movies with a city in the title: Hey, let’s go sports and non-sports shall we? Bull Durham (non-negotiable and visor tip to John M. for the quick thinking), North Dallas Forty; The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh; and Talladega Nights; non-sports – L.A. Confidential; Gangs of New York; Fargo; Tomstone. (And that last one was harder than you may have guessed, because that’s without Escape from New York, Beverly Hills Cop and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and several others)
Rushmore of old-school coaches who could not make it today: Bobby Knight, Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Ty Cobb.
Rushmore of modern-day Fall Classic moments. Gibson is a no-brainer; the ball through Buckner’s legs; Joe Carter’s walk-off series clincher for the Blue Jays; Cubs winning Game 7 last year.
Rushmore of singers’/musicians’ acting performances in a movie (and this one was tough as all get-up too, considering we left Dwight Yoakam off and Dolly Parton too in 9-to-5 as well as Courntey Love in “The People vs. Larry Flynt”): Ice Cube in Boyz N The Hood; Sinatra in Manchurian Candidate; Kristofferson in Aloce Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; and Cher.
On this day:
In 1858, Thoedore Roosevelt was born, and yes, dude us actually on the Rushmore, so SAL-loot.
In 1872, internationally famous etiquette author Emily Post was born.
In 1938, DuPont announced a new synthetic fiber it called nylon. That may work out.
In 1904, the first section of the New York subway was opened.
In 1941, Dick Trickle, the former NASCAR driver and SportsCenter fav, was born.
John Cleese is 78 today. John Gotti would have been 77. Lee Greenwood is 75.
Dalton’s Marla Maples is 54 today. Brady Quinn is 33, and man we thought he was was going to be so much better in the NFL than he was.
From Benny
UAB, Florida State, West Virginia, and Iowa all let you down.
Oh well, let Coach O buy you a chicken-on-a-stick to help you get over it.
Wait, more bad news, Coach O says chicken-on-a-stick is for winners. So much for extra motivation for Ole Miss.
Benny –
Yes, this is not a question, but it’s a completely fair analysis of last week’s dreadful 1-4 week.
And yes, Coach O has been a thorn in my side both on the gambling ledger and the prediction ledger. Tell ’em bout it Jo-Jo.
We included this as way to get to our NFL picks, which were amazing last year – better than 70 percent – and have been exceedingly mediocre this year.
Pittsburgh minus-3 over Detroit. Buy the half to be safe and here’s a thought that the distractions around the receiver turmoil being behind the Steelers could lead to Pittsburgh’s best game of the season. Want a sneaky matchup strength for the Steelers that may surprise you? Pittsburgh’s defense leads the NFL in passing yards allowed and is fourth in passer rating against; Detroit is 26th in total passing yards and completion percentage.
Chargers-Patriots over the 48.5. Points a plenty from these two. New England, which lost its defensive captain for the season with news that Dont’a Hightower tore his pectoral, is completely happy outscoring folks. And with the way the Chargers offense has been playing, the Pats will have to do that very thing.
Dallas minus-2 over Washington. Short week for the Redskins, who lost on Monday night at Philadelphia. Now they get a Cowboys group that is starting to look like the dominant offensive front from a year ago. Also of note, Ezekiel Elliott has looked the part, too. Each is 3-3, and each is motivated by the rivalry and the need to try to stay within sight of the streaking Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia minus-12 over San Francisco. Yes, the Eagles are playing as well as anyone in the NFL. They are top-10 in the NFL in yards per game (third), points per game (fifth) and turnover margin (seventh). The 49ers are bagel-and-7 and are in the midst of one of the most trying parts of any NFL schedule we can remember. This has been the 49ers’ October: at Arizona, which is a a 750-mile trip one way; at Indianapolis (2,249 miles one way); at Washington (2,810 miles one way); at home against Dallas; at Philadelphia (2,875 miles one way). The 49ers have flown 17,368 miles this month. Now they do it for a 1 p.m. kick against a team playing better than anyone else in the league.
Bonus pick: Atlanta minus-5 over New York Jets. Maybe this is a heart pick because we what the Falcons to be better than this. But here’s what we know: The Falcons are at Carolina, vs. Dallas and at Seattle the next three games, and at 3-3, to view this one as anything other than a must-win is folly. Like Pittsburgh, here’s betting on Sunday being the Falcons best game of the season.
Last week: 2-2 against the spread (50 percent)
This season: 12-13-1 against the spread (48 percent)
And this week’s feedback from, shall we say, not exactly our biggest fans.
“Rocks being thrown by a journalist at other journalists. How cute. I guess it is only “facts” when Mr. Greeson agrees with them. Your column regarding Confederate statues showed your true colors. Clean your own house.”
But wait, there’s more
“How about a memorial to wannabe editorial writers who are at best average sports writers? Comparing apples to oranges in today’s A2 is a waste of several lines that could have been used for another hearing aid advertisement.”
And still more
“Today’s article even worse, does anybody at the paper edit what you write. Middle schoolers could do better. Please tell me you are close to retirement?”
And one more
“You still suck.”
Good talk gang.