Bryant Gumbel Admits To Bad First Year On NFL Network, Vows To Improve
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I really didn't think Bryant Gumbel was THAT bad last year, well actually yes...yes I did, but I'm hear to tell him and you that I'm giving him a 2nd chance. Just like Kornheiser and Reggie Miller, I'm giving him a 2nd look and hopefully he's learned from his first year on the mic.
First step, admit that you have a problem. Via Watch Dog....
"Quite frankly, if you'd have asked me in January was I going to do it again, I didn't know the answer to that,'' he told WatchDog at an NFL Network luncheon in Manhattan that also was attended by analyst Cris Collinsworth and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones."Quite Frankly Bryant Gumbel....you need more practice! Practice?!?! We talkin' bout practice."
"I really didn't know the answer to that, because I was disappointed. On the other hand, I did feel that Game 8 was a far cry from Game 1 and I didn't want to walk away from something saying, 'Hey, you know what, I really didn't do it very well.'
"I learned a lot from the first year. I think and fully believe this year will be a lot better."
I think it's good to admit mistakes, and when you do admit to them it makes people think you are trying and that you actually care about the Sport you're covering. It's really that easy to get out of my doghouse folks, but the leash is short Mr. Gumbel. I'll see you on Thanksgiving!
(I think I deserve an award for that online portrayal of Stephen A. Iverson. Don't you?)
Bryant Gumbel disappointed with rookie year on NFL Net (Newsday: Watch Dog)
15 Comments:
Well, I guess I have to give him credit for not breaking down and calling all of his critics racists.
I wasn't that impressed at all by Bryant Gumbel or much of anything else about the NFL Network's presentation of the games last season. I thought that at best they came off as good as a CBS or FOX "B" or "C" game.
With all their caterwauling about the major cable operators shutting them out of wider distribution, what I saw didn't lead me to believe I was missing out on much.
Back to Bryant Gumbel, his performance was "regional game" quality and not "national broadcast" quality last year in the games I got to see...
The only thing impressive about Gum-Ball is the size of his ego.
Gumbel admitted his mistake just in time for no one to watch.
Nice!!!! Way to get featured on AOL sports!!! Good Publicity!
Props to Gumbel for calling himself out. It's good to know that a commentator, especially one with as much name recognition as him, wants to actually entertain his audience.
I think a quality analyst would really help. Deion and Marshall should do the trick.
So, this means the end of the shot clock in the NFL?
I won't stand for it.
If he really wanted to improve as a broadcaster he'd replace himself with Dave Chapelle. If they can find him where ever he's keeping it real that is.
WU TANG!!!
Bryant Gumbel doesn't have any more ego than other guys in his position. People hate him for being a black man who takes many of the same liberties that white guys in his position routinly take. (Mike Wallace can certainly attest to this.)
Oh, and that Mike Florio guy who runs profootballtalk.com is practically the most arrogant, "I'm Smarter than Everyone" journalist I've come across. Do I ever hear any backlash against him accusing him of being "arrogant" or having "ego"? I haven't heard any - perhaps because he's viewed as a white guy who's exercising his sovereign right. I've sometimes thought about how Mike would be viewed if he were a black man second-guessing everyone and all but calling them stupid. I think black Mike would garner quite a different response...
he's awful... i'm glad he knows it. As I'm typing this right now he's calling the colts falcons game. Guess what... nothing has changed since last year. God help us all for having to listen to him call games for the coming weeks. Please god NFL network CAN HIM... worst. ever.
Gumbel's main problem is he is uninterested in the game, has no empathy for the audience and thinks he is better than everyone else. He manages to make Collinsworth seem self-deprecating.
Brian Dumble is the worst - what is so hard to figure out? This is amazing that the producers don't realize how difficult it is to listen to him. What are they missing? They are paid to evaluate this and make adjustments. Wake up! This is not a borderline perception, close call, or anything near it - it's obvious!
He gets a very short leash or it's Beach Justice for him.