1. We live in a really weird time now when it’s somehow considered a bad thing to criticize players and teams.
People have this odd belief that broadcasters or people in the media should celebrate athletes, point out only the positives and promote sports and leagues.
But here’s the thing about sports: Some teams win, and some teams lose. Some players play well, and other players don’t play well. And all of that should be covered.
It's absurd to believe anyone in the media should ignore the bad teams and subpar players and just focus on the winners and good players.
ESPN’s Troy Aikman has become the best analyst in the NFL for many reasons. At the top of the list is his straightforward way of talking about players. Aikman doesn’t say inflammatory things just to say inflammatory things. He isn’t disrespectful. He doesn’t try to embarrass anyone. He just calls things the way he sees them. He is honest with his viewing audience, something that’s not exactly prevalent among NFL broadcasters.
Every single person associated with the NFL can see that the Jets’ offense is completely inept and that quarterback Zach Wilson isn’t a good player. There is nothing wrong with saying that during a game in which the Jets’ offense scores six points.
And Aikman just did that Monday. Repeatedly.
"For as good as this group is, for them not to get a chance to do some really special things with this team because an offense can't score a touchdown? Pretty maddening."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 7, 2023
Troy Aikman goes in on the Jets offense during New York's final offensive series in Monday's 27-6 loss. pic.twitter.com/485yF9rAcg
Here’s what Troy Aikman said about Zach Wilson’s first pass attempt out the gate on MNF vs LAC (video below):
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 7, 2023
“When you evaluate Zach Wilson and the things where he’s got to be better, this is it: First throw of the game and this is a layup, and you’ve got to hit these… https://t.co/6XpIQwAMEE pic.twitter.com/Gj4uHdn0VQ
There was no “Oh, that pass was close.” Or “Wilson tried his hardest on that play.” Or “The Jets’ offense just needs to catch a break.”
The Jets stunk, Wilson didn’t play well and Aikman conveyed that.
Contrast this with the way NBC’s Cris Collinsworth spoke about Wilson when the Jets played the Chiefs earlier this season to a 23–20 loss, and it was night and day.
Here's what I wrote in Traina Thoughts the day after that game:
The way Cris Collisworth ‘analyzed’ Zach Wilson was truly absurd. Collinsworth spoke about Wilson the way a parent speaks about a toddler when they first use the toilet on their own after being potty-trained. Anytime Wilson completed a pass, Collinsworth was effusive in his praise. Did Wilson play well? Sure. Did he play out of this world? Not even close. He was 28-of-39 for 245 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Solid game. But by the end, Collinsworth tried to have you think Wilson was Tom Brady. Here’s what Wilson did: He led his team to 18 points and a loss.
You’ll recall that was the game that prompted Bill Simmons to say, “Cris Collinsworth—I didn’t know somebody could have a live orgasm for an hour and a half on the air.”
At one point, Collinsworth lost his mind over a simple touchdown pass.
"You can't play quarterback better than this! All these throws are perfect... Wow, what a drive!"- Cris Collinsworth as Zach Wilson throws a TD and gets a game-tying 2-point conversion. #SNF pic.twitter.com/VkKQW8RsY4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 2, 2023
There are two ways an analyst can go when calling an NFL game: try to tell your audience they’re seeing something they aren’t and go full hype machine, or just call it like you see it.
We prefer the latter, which is what makes Aikman the best analyst in the NFL.
2. I’m a huge LeBron James fan. I’ve loved watching him on the court and have massive respect for what he’s done off the court.
So I’m not here to embarrass or disparage The King, but he came into my lane Monday night with this tweet:
Why does YouTube TV be buffering so damn much!!??!!?? 🤦🏾♂️. Very frustrating
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 7, 2023
I need an investigation into some things here. For starters, why doesn’t James have cable over YouTube TV? Given his salary, he doesn’t need to cut the cord to save money. He should have the top-tier cable package offered.
Also, what internet speed does LeBron have? He should have the most gigabytes—or whatever the speed is called—that money can buy.
There have been stories for years about LeBron being tight with cash. The most famous being that he wouldn’t pay for Wi-Fi on team flights.
We have to wonder whether LeBron’s YouTube TV problems are his own fault. We need answers.
3. The story of quarterback Joshua Dobbs getting a win with the Vikings just days after being traded to Minnesota was wild enough, with coach Kevin O’Connell explaining plays to him in his headset against the Falcons after Dobbs didn’t take one snap with the first team after being dealt from Arizona last Tuesday.
But Dobbs had to fill in for the injured Jared Hall, who was filling in the for the injured Kirk Cousins, and led the Vikings to a 31–28 win over the Falcons.
Dobbs capped off the surreal win with a surreal celebratory TikTok video.
View the original article to see embedded media.
4. This week’s “Bad Beats” hit hard because I had Michigan at -32.
Bad Beats
— Stanford Steve (@StanfordSteve82) November 7, 2023
Week 10 pic.twitter.com/koV474VFoB
5. I don’t normally highlight gimmicky promotions in the column, but I have a feeling most of you will be interested in this one:
Shake Shack will offer FREE chicken sandwiches if a football player celebrates a touchdown with the “Chicken Dance” in the end zone Sunday. If any player does the dance during any of the games Sunday, you can get a free Chicken Shack sandwich that day through the following Sunday.
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast features two interviews.
First up is Robert Griffin III, who is a college football color commentator for ESPN, one of the analysts of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown and the host of a new podcast, RG3 and the Ones.
Griffin discusses his various roles in broadcasting, how and why he decided to get into sports media after having no interest in it during his playing days, and what the ultimate goal is for his media career. He also talks about navigating social media and handling all his own social media, finding himself in the middle of a controversy, what NFL players are saying about the league’s officiating problem, a surreal Halloween moment and much more.
Following RGIII, Peter Schrager from Good Morning Football and Fox joins the podcast to talk about his recent appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy!
Was he nervous? Did he practice? How did he stick to his NDA? Was the experience everything he hoped it would be? He also discusses how Jeopardy! led to a connection with Debbie Gibson.
Following Schrager, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss my day at Sal’s house for an NFL Sunday that was filled with Sunday Ticket glitches on YouTube, the terrible World Series ratings and the death of Matthew Perry.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
