2011 Orange Bowl: ESPN Monday Night Football Crew Will Call Virginia Tech vs. Stanford

by furrer4heisman on Dec 7, 2010 1:25 PM EST in Virginia Tech Football

ESPN has released its announcing schedule for the 2010-11 bowl season. It includes either a pleasant or unpleasant surprise for fans of Virginia Tech and Stanford, depending on how you feel about ESPN's Monday Night Football crew.

Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the game while Michele Tafoya will be the sideline reporter. To me, this is good news for fans because it means the network holds the Hokies-Cardinal matchup in high regard to put assign its MNF crew to it.

People are always going to be polarized by announcing teams, but I like ESPN's current MNF crew, especially Tirico and Gruden. The one concern I have is how well quickly they'll be able to prepare for calling a game between two college teams. Regardless, they're sure to do a better job than the guys Fox trotted out for previous BCS games.

Also, Gruden and Jaws being NFL analysts, I expect them to salivate over Andrew Luck throughout the entire broadcast.

Tirico and Gruden will also call the Hall of Fame Bowl on Jan. 1 on ABC and the BCSCG on Jan. 10 for ESPN Radio.

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I'll take Roth and Burnop

Boo…this is no better than Fox’s crappy, never-seen-college-football-before, broadcasting crew.

I don’t watch MNF because this crew is so bad, I’d take Kornheiser over Gruden. At least Kornheiser didn’t have a future coaching job to worry about and could criticize player’s.

Tirico was much better back in the days when he used to call college football, he seemed to love the game, now he seems to want to explain the game to us as if we are at one of those women-only football camps.

At least it’s not Musburger/Herbstreit

by RigorCo on Dec 7, 2010 1:46 PM EST reply actions

what

gruden is the best thing to happen to MNF in a long time.

by VT89 on Dec 7, 2010 2:46 PM EST up reply actions

agree

It’s nice to have someone who actually knows something more than the typical fan (Kornheiser, Dennis Miller) and he’s actually got a personality. I’ve always liked Tirico too. I’m pretty sure Jaws beats to QB game film, but he’s alright too.

by VTinACC on Dec 7, 2010 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

the best part about gruden

is that he know his stuff. A lot of times you see color commentators talking out of their ass during a replay. I’m pretty sure Gruden spends 15 hours a day watching film. There’s been a few times this season he’s called the impending play after seeing the formation and situation. Most vividly I remember him calling the reverse in the Eagles/Skins game as soon as they were lined up.

Gruden makes even bad games like the Cards and Niners a joy to watch.

by VT89 on Dec 7, 2010 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

wow, a former coach able to predict one of the most obvious play calls in the game…is there a broadcasting hall of fame? We should name it for him…

Please, you are naming off common attributes. The only reason they stand out is because the last couple MNF crews have been there for their comedy skills or whatever.

by RigorCo on Dec 7, 2010 4:59 PM EST up reply actions

like al michaels & john madden

its not like madden was there because he was a super bowl winning coach or anything.

by VT89 on Dec 7, 2010 6:32 PM EST up reply actions

I was actually talking about the Dennis Miller travesty (context clue: comedy skills).

by RigorCo on Dec 7, 2010 6:58 PM EST up reply actions

I was actually comparing them to today’s other crappy broadcasting crews, not just previous MNF crews. But your sarcasm is very original and quite humorous at the same time.

by VTinACC on Dec 7, 2010 6:54 PM EST up reply actions

Coaches talk to him before the game

I like Gruden, but coaches do talk to people like Gruden before game and give them a peek at some of their plays and strategies. Gruden will go out of his way to try to look smart.

by HokieRob on Dec 8, 2010 4:11 PM EST up reply actions

I also liked Dennis Miller calling the games

and the explanation posted the next day to explain his obscure references. Maybe it’s because you can’t be an idiot and follow anything Miller has to day. I also find Dennis Miller absolutely hilarious, as well as Monty Python, and would never waste my time, much less my money, on some of what other people find funny, i.e., Will Farrell, Jim Carey, etc.

CTOB
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But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

by McDammit on Dec 7, 2010 6:38 PM EST up reply actions

Gruden is the funniest guy I have heard so far calling games.

by stefko on Dec 7, 2010 3:18 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed...almost

Definitely agree about Musburger/Herbstreit. They’ve called the last three Hokie devastating losses – LSU, Alabama, and BSU. I am certain that they had something to do with the JMU loss as well, but I can’t prove it in court.

I definitely think the MNF crew will be better than the Fox crew. Those guys really sucked. Fox needs to stick with American Idol. The MNF crew will be an interesting take, and Tirico will be our pro-Hokie guy. He and Fowler have always been fond of VT.

We’ll see. Again, just thank the football gods that it isn’t Musburger Herstreit.

by Leonard Thompson on Dec 7, 2010 4:13 PM EST up reply actions

Musburger

Also has announced some devastating VT bball losses recently. This year against KSU, Purdue, that Clemson blackout game 2 years ago when we gave up that 20+ point lead. He’s a curse.

by Jodoma on Dec 7, 2010 4:37 PM EST up reply actions

Not exactly thrilled...

I’m not really a fan of the MNF announcers, but when I really think about it I’m not sure there are a lot of announcers that I am thrilled with. Most aren’t that familiar with the teams playing unless you get the regional guys and will spout out nonsense that is typically a few years past prime. At least it shows that ESPN cares…

by VTHokiEE06 on Dec 7, 2010 2:15 PM EST reply actions

this is somewhat funny

because the last time the MNF crew had the “opportunity” to call a Va Tech Bowl game, the collective response was “who the fuck is Va Tech” and “No, I won’t do it.” Therefore, I imagine a Stanford bias from the group.

CTOB
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But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

by McDammit on Dec 7, 2010 2:55 PM EST reply actions

you just told us they do not know who Michael Vick is and never have heard of DeAngelo Hall?
c’mon man.

by stefko on Dec 7, 2010 3:20 PM EST up reply actions

This has absolutely nothing to do with whether they then (or now) know who Michael Vick or DeAngelo Hall is/was

Note that I don’t recall exactly when this occurred. I do know that it was between 1997 and 2005 (1997 being when I moved to Mississippi . . and 2005 being my benchmark date because that is the year that I survived Hurricane Katrina). I know that I was living in Mississippi and know that my mother told me about this. Note also that because I was living in Mississippi, all sports stories were dominated by what was happening in the SEC. Therefore, my mother, who was living in VA, kept me up to date on what the “local” media was reporting about the Hokies. I know that my mother boycotted MNF for the next year or two because Al Michaels and the rest of the MNF crew flat out refused to call a bowl game in which Va Tech was participating because they said (paraphrasing here) that Va Tech was nobody in college football and calling the game was basically beneath them. ABC acquiesced and found a different crew to call the Va Tech bowl game.

CTOB
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But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

by McDammit on Dec 7, 2010 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

this also does not mean they feel the same about this VT team ,obviously they are going to call the game.
Apart from that I am curious how Gruden will break down TT, RMFW and the rest during the game. Hope they are not going to kiss Andrew Luck’s ass all night long.

by stefko on Dec 7, 2010 6:50 PM EST up reply actions

Spoiler Alert

Gruden will rave about TT, RMFW, Darren Evans, David Wilson, Andrew Luck, Marecic (sp?), and whoever else is playing well. That’s just his style. He may draft these guys one day.

by RigorCo on Dec 7, 2010 7:03 PM EST up reply actions

I was actually mocking the irony of the situation . .

that being. . . ah hell, if I have to explain the irony to you, then I have to locate my thesaurus so that I can find small enough words . . . .

As far as the announcer’s drooling all over Luck, I expect no less. Luck is one of the invitees to NYC for the Heisman presentation. When is the last time the announcers didn’t drool all over a Heisman candidate?

Finally, you must be watching Va Tech broadcasts in another language if you are able to listen to announcers who are favorable for Va Tech. My experience is that 95% of the time, the announcers are full of “oohs” and “aahhs” for the other team and full of “well, shucks that could have been something” for Tech. I long ago learned to accept this as a mere fact of life. I have taught myself to tune out the announcers and simply watch the game.

CTOB
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But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

by McDammit on Dec 7, 2010 7:06 PM EST up reply actions