RealGM

Am I getting old and crabby or are these pregame shows getting worse every year? Fox and ESPN are completely unwatchable. At least CBS is talking about football.

I'd rather not watch them, I'd rather take my mind off all the commenating til kickoff. There's been talking all week. If I do see a pregame show I may do the fantasy show.

I don't have a problem with Fox's show, though I rarely watch. None of them ever give half-way decent analysis, but at least the guys on Fox don't drive me crazy like some of the other ones. I'll occasionally catch the last 20 or 30 minutes before kickoff, but that's it.

As mentioned on another thread, I have pretty much become an exclusive NFLN pregame show viewer. ESPN became a schtick-filled parody years ago and I just quit watching them (my last memory of them is Mike Ditka in a detectives costume investigating some stupid POV I can't even remember at this point - changed the channel then and left ESPN for good). NFLN starts at 8:00 AM and goes until kickoff. Not saying they don't have some BS they could cut out but in the end you have players talking plenty of X's and O's along with solid interviews.

And - no Deion Sanders.

BTW - I can't stand Bradshaw. He's a one trick pony and that trick was up about 20 years ago. And as much as I love Jimmy for those Super Bowls... time to move on. Strahan and Howie still have something and Curt Menefee (old Dallas TV and Radio guy) is solid in his job. It wouldn't take much to make that show better.

I have no opinion on CBS' pregame. Just don't watch it. Maybe I'll give it a try in the next few weeks but I'm I'm a solid NFLN guy right now.

RavenMad31 wrote:Am I getting old and crabby or are these pregame shows getting worse every year? Fox and ESPN are completely unwatchable. At least CBS is talking about football.

I used to watch them but they just gradually got worse to where I can't even watch and haven't the last few years. The CBS guys seemed so flat and the Fox guys spent too much time laughing at their own dumb jokes (or sometimes at no jokes at all..they just laugh as if something was funny...it's annoying..you'd think someone had bad gas or something and they were laughing at it).

I used to like espn a long time ago but they gradually got worse too.

The NBC Sunday night pre-game seems pretty good and I like most of those guys and have always liked Dan Patrick.

bwgood77 wrote:

RavenMad31 wrote:Am I getting old and crabby or are these pregame shows getting worse every year? Fox and ESPN are completely unwatchable. At least CBS is talking about football.

I used to watch them but they just gradually got worse to where I can't even watch and haven't the last few years. The CBS guys seemed so flat and the Fox guys spent too much time laughing at their own dumb jokes (or sometimes at no jokes at all..they just laugh as if something was funny...it's annoying..you'd think someone had bad gas or something and they were laughing at it).

I used to like espn a long time ago but they gradually got worse too.

The NBC Sunday night pre-game seems pretty good and I like most of those guys and have always liked Dan Patrick.

Good point on the NBC Pregame. It's well done across the board. Dungy and Harrison work nicely with each other along with Dan Patrick (one of the best in the business) and Tirico is a very solid interviewer as well. That's a good product.

NBC is easily the best in the biz when it comes to NFL broadcasts IMO, but even with them I don't really watch any of the pregame/halftime/postgame stuff unless it's the Super Bowl or a playoff game, maybe. Mostly just because I really don't care what any of them have to say about anything, I just like to watch the games and if I want more info I have internet, so...

While I have no doubt ESPN is still the same utter garbage it's always been, if Berman is no longer a part of it then surely it can only get better. I don't care if a lot of folks think he's a legend, he's been an annoyingly unfunny imbecile forever so good riddance.

RaoulDuke79 wrote:NBC is easily the best in the biz when it comes to NFL broadcasts IMO, but even with them I don't really watch any of the pregame/halftime/postgame stuff unless it's the Super Bowl or a playoff game, maybe. Mostly just because I really don't care what any of them have to say about anything, I just like to watch the games and if I want more info I have internet, so...

While I have no doubt ESPN is still the same utter garbage it's always been, if Berman is no longer a part of it then surely it can only get better. I don't care if a lot of folks think he's a legend, he's been an annoyingly unfunny imbecile forever so good riddance.

Agreed one million percent. Their pregame and halftime shows are better than most, and their overall production is sooooo much better than any other channel. I really love their commentators, and the whole thing is just really well done.

I really wish NBC would pick up more college and NFL games.

Most of these shows would be well served to trim down to two, maybe three studio guys at the most, one sports journalist guy and one ex-player or coach is really all these shows have ever needed. After that, I like highly informed guys to do commentary or features that can teach me something, such as Sal Paolantonio, John Clayton or, back in the day, Jimmy the Greek. The formula these days is trying to be the network with at least one dope more than the others. These shows are going to have ten hosts before long.

RavenMad31 wrote:Most of these shows would be well served to trim down to two, maybe three studio guys at the most, one sports journalist guy and one ex-player or coach is really all these shows have ever needed. After that, I like highly informed guys to do commentary or features that can teach me something, such as Sal Paolantonio, John Clayton or, back in the day, Jimmy the Greek. The formula these days is trying to be the network with at least one dope more than the others. These shows are going to have ten hosts before long.

Yeah, it's all so strange. These shows about real games have a bunch of clowns sitting around laughing at stupid jokes and then you flip to the fantasy show and it's two guys dressed in suits talking as if it's serious business.

Used to love watching the pregame shows. Now I just try to tune in to fantasy football live on ESPN. Just to see if they make a point that I haven't thought of, hear about injuries and see their rankings, which I'll sometimes use as a tiebreaker if I'm torn between two players.

bmurph128 wrote:Used to love watching the pregame shows. Now I just try to tune in to fantasy football live on ESPN. Just to see if they make a point that I haven't thought of, hear about injuries and see their rankings, which I'll sometimes use as a tiebreaker if I'm torn between two players.

Looks like I'm playing you this week.

Cactus Jack wrote:

bmurph128 wrote:Used to love watching the pregame shows. Now I just try to tune in to fantasy football live on ESPN. Just to see if they make a point that I haven't thought of, hear about injuries and see their rankings, which I'll sometimes use as a tiebreaker if I'm torn between two players.

Looks like I'm playing you this week.

....and you were trying to make a trade with me...smh.

Should be a good match up though, and in another league I have Brees and Fournette (and David Johnson) - so in some ways I'll have to be rooting for you

bmurph128 wrote:

Cactus Jack wrote:

bmurph128 wrote:Used to love watching the pregame shows. Now I just try to tune in to fantasy football live on ESPN. Just to see if they make a point that I haven't thought of, hear about injuries and see their rankings, which I'll sometimes use as a tiebreaker if I'm torn between two players.

Looks like I'm playing you this week.

....and you were trying to make a trade with me...smh.

Should be a good match up though, and in another league I have Brees and Fournette (and David Johnson) - so in some ways I'll have to be rooting for you

Losing DJ is a killer!!!

Cactus Jack wrote:

bmurph128 wrote:

Cactus Jack wrote:Looks like I'm playing you this week.

....and you were trying to make a trade with me...smh.

Should be a good match up though, and in another league I have Brees and Fournette (and David Johnson) - so in some ways I'll have to be rooting for you

Losing DJ is a killer!!!

Lol I was torn between him and Leveon...my first round picks always get injured. Always. So my brother talked me into DJ because if it goes bad for fantasy that means it's probably good for the Rams this year. Win/win. But I can't believe he got injured in the FIRST game of the season like that. I'm pretty sure it's because I drafted him.

bmurph128 wrote:

Cactus Jack wrote:

bmurph128 wrote:

....and you were trying to make a trade with me...smh.

Should be a good match up though, and in another league I have Brees and Fournette (and David Johnson) - so in some ways I'll have to be rooting for you

Losing DJ is a killer!!!

Lol I was torn between him and Leveon...my first round picks always get injured. Always. So my brother talked me into DJ because if it goes bad for fantasy that means it's probably good for the Rams this year. Win/win. But I can't believe he got injured in the FIRST game of the season like that. I'm pretty sure it's because I drafted him.

I drafted AP last year. Then traded him for Antonio Brown just before he went down. Dodged a bullet on that one! I think the fantasy gods have decided to exact revenge on me this time.

Otis Driftwood wrote:BTW - I can't stand Bradshaw. He's a one trick pony and that trick was up about 20 years ago. And as much as I love Jimmy for those Super Bowls... time to move on. Strahan and Howie still have something and Curt Menefee (old Dallas TV and Radio guy) is solid in his job. It wouldn't take much to make that show better.

I have no opinion on CBS' pregame. Just don't watch it. Maybe I'll give it a try in the next few weeks but I'm I'm a solid NFLN guy right now.

BTW, did Bradshaw ever figure out how to spell cat after Hollywood Henderson spotted him the C and the T in 1978?