After two swings and misses at picking a dynamic play-by-play announcer and color commentator since Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden left Monday Night Football a few years ago, ESPN will take another shot at getting its headlining duo right for the upcoming NFL season. Will the third time be a charm?
Dan Dakich thinks ESPN needs it to be.
Dan made his case for former Colts punter and media personality Pat McAfee on Tuesday’s Dan Dakich Show.
“…He should have a good chance,” Dakich said. “I don’t know whether he’s gonna get the job, and I think anybody that tells you they do know, not named Lee Fitting, has absolutely no idea. But I do think Pat [McAfee] would be a good addition.”
“You gotta have somebody in there that can talk football, and Pat can talk football. You gotta have somebody in there with a personality, and I think Pat’s got a personality. You can’t have a clown though. And Pat’s quickly moving up the ranks…I’m interested to see what happens with Pat.”
Easy and safe options: Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick
Outside the box guys: Kirk Herbstreit, Dan Orlovsky, Pat McAfee
Producer Jimmy Stewart’s picks: Dave Pasch and Kurt Warner, perhaps Jay Cutler
So how important is it to Dan that ESPN makes the right choice this time around?
“Doesn’t matter to me…I don’t care enough. I think most, if not all, football broadcasters are terrible. I’m one of the few people that liked having a guy like [Tony] Kornheiser a long time ago cuz that took me back to Howard Cosell where guys had different opinions. But you can’t have different opinions now. You can’t even come close to saying anything that might be controversial.”
“I would love to see [Brent] Musburger on there, you kiddin’ me? Musburger would elevate that bad boy, but he doesn’t work there anymore.”
Fans have come to the consensus that the previous regime of Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, and Booger McFarland was bland, lacked meaningful analysis, and was outright boring.
“I would think whoever the hell is running Monday Night Football, they need to get this right,” Dakich said.
“If you’re gonna listen to fans, then you put McAfee on there. Because fans will tell you McAfee’s the greatest thing ever, so put him on there. If you got rid of Booger because of the fan backlash, then just put McAfee on there. McAfee’s got a big [following].”
ESPN may need to choose a guy like McAfee to rejuvenate the broadcast and, somewhat ironically, create energy for the Monday Night “brand”.
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