Is Mike Patrick gone?
 

Just watching Countdown, and Pat "Uh...Beg Your Pardon!" Summerall is the PBP man. So, is Mike Patrick gone? Seems rather foolish for ESPN to break up the best announce team in football, but then again...it's ESPN.

I think he had some surgury... maybe a heart bypass or something?

I think he had some kind of surgery recently, and Pat is just filling in until he returns.

Summerall is filling in for Patrick who was scheduled for heart bypass surgery earlier this month.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1850658

Ah, okay.

So uh...I BEG YOUR PARDON!!

Hmm... no comment. But if it is, thats really a terrible assessment of where the announcing profession is today. Nothing against Patrick, he's very professional, but McGwire and Thiesman are terrible.

No superstars around anymore in the announcing arena.

Theismann is bearable these days, and I've always found Maguire to be funny, in a "comic relief but no substantive football knowledge" way. They're kinda the Abbott and Costello of football announcing teams.

Or maybe Maguire is Hardy, Patrick is Laurel, and Theismann is Abbott. Or maybe one of them is Marx brother. Or Mike Martz mother.

What were we discussing again?

agreed 100%.
I can't watch SNF. McGuire and Thiesman are completely unbearable. Especially when they start bickering at each other. And even more so when they start kissing each other's ass after they've been bickering at each other.

McGuire should never, ever, ever be allowed to say the words "now watch this right here. did you see that?" during replays again. ever.

Really? I love that. Because usually I'm just staring at the clock or whacking off when the replays come on and he helps me focus.

I watched some of the game and it sounded like ole Pat was more like himself now that he had the liver transplant. He sounded very strong and it was good to know that he is getting better.

The chemistry was horrendous. I felt that Pat was left out of the commentary much of the time by Theisman and MacGuire. I got the impression that maybe Pat wasn't welcomed.

Just my .02

I agree as well. It is almost as if ESPN collaborated to find the worst announcers, then combined them. I hate it when McGuire tries to call every single ball spot and whether it is a first or not. He is an annoying ass tool.

hands down the worst football announcing team ever assembled. Any other combination involving Theisman in any form would be #2. #3 Would almost certainly involve Dan Dierdorf.

I usually watch sunday night football with the sound turned way down. Unless the steelers are on, then i begrudingly turn it up. These douches bring a good case for close captioning.

Actual exchange between me and my roommate last night:

Me: Where's Mike Patrick?
RM: I think he's having surgery ... it's pretty sad. Maybe brain surgery?
Me: I don't care if he's being lobotomized. He'd still be better than Pat Summerall.

I'm an insensitive bastard, but it's true.

Dierdorf and Theisman together would be the final sign of the apocalypse.

I know we're talking about horrible football announcers, but it doesn't get any worse than McCarver and Buck on FOX.

Exactly! I absolutely love 'em! They are by far my favorite announcing team.

I think the Sunday night team is a bit annoying, but I'm weird because I like Theissman. McGuire is the guy I think ruins it for me.

Oh and regarding Summerall. I don't think they were ignoring him or resenting his presence. I think they were just going too fast for him. Pat can barely keep track of which team has the ball, let alone keep up with all that chatter going on. Summerall has been the most overrated sportscaster for at least half a dozen years.

and, of course, they are my favorites.

throw in Jerry Glanville or Phil Simms and we are all...












...DOOMED....

DOOOMMMED!!!!!

I think you and I are in the minority.

Although I didn't see/hear the broadcast, I suspect you aren't far from the truth with that observation. Theisman & the other idiot have always seemed to me like they were announcing a game that they were watching on fast-forward. And even if they weren't trying to set a land-speed record, there's definitely a point where the game becomes faster than your brain synopses can fire.

Unfortunately for me, at the age of 37, I know that I've already lost a good bit of whatever announcing skill I once had. And a big part of that loss is in the ability to consider 6 things at once, plus follow the ball, plus maintain peripheral vision, and then manage to not have all of that impact whatever the hell was coming out of my mouth at the time. And that's freakin' high school football, with at most one color commentator & one spotter with me.

I cannot imagine being in my 60's, trying to absorb all of the various inputs that go with a network NFL broadcast and not sound like a complete babbling idiot.

BRILLIANT!

They fucking suck.

I guess I am in the minority then in that I like the SNF crew and the dynamic they have going on. Um, when Patrick is there of course.