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Shooting from the lip

What former controversial Bucs player is thinking about retirement? What network had a bad weekend covering the NFL playoffs?

By Tom Jones
Published January 8, 2007

What former controversial Bucs player is thinking about retirement? What network had a bad weekend covering the NFL playoffs? What former college coach is picking the Gators to win tonight? And speaking of Florida, who is the Gators' best basketball player (hint: it's not Joakim Noah)? These questions and more are answered in a look back at the weekend of televised sports.

Best analyst

ESPN's Doug Gottlieb is quickly becoming my favorite college basketball analyst (outside of Dickie V., of course). The former Notre Dame and Oklahoma State player is refreshingly candid. His best line of the weekend: "Duke doesn't have a point guard and are not as good as (people think they are). They won't be until they find a point guard."

Best graphic

Kudos to NBC for its coverage of the U.S. Army All-American high school football game on Saturday. What made it enjoyable was a constant running ticker showing where all the players in the game were going to college.

Best reporting

During the "Satellite Hotstove" segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Eric Duhatschek of the Toronto Globe and Mail said the Penguins will look into Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma City and Hartford, Conn., but ultimately will stay in Pittsburgh.

Best prediction for Gator fans

ESPN's Bob Davie is leaning toward Florida in tonight's showdown against Ohio State, pointing out five of the previous six winners of the BCS title games were underdogs. "Don't ever underestimate a talented, talented team playing with a chip on its shoulder."

Best feature

Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison did a heart-tugging piece on Nashville Predators assistant coach Brent Peterson, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Peterson, 34, has long been considered a future NHL head coach, but it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to give him that chance now.

Give it up already

Author John Feinstein is the latest to beat the dead horse of how Boise State should be playing for the national championship. Feinstein, who was on ESPN's the Sports Reporters, isn't the first and won't be the last to take this stand based on the Broncos beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. And I do get his point that it's a shame Boise State was never going to have a chance at the national title. But let's not get carried away with the Fiesta Bowl result, exciting as it was. Boise State beat a good (but far from great) Oklahoma team that had two losses entering that game. The two best teams in the country are playing tonight.

Funniest commercial

I haven't seen this on American television, but Subway is running a funny commercial on Canadian TV. I caught it during Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada. It has a referee turning on his mike and saying, "I totally blew that call. In fact, it wasn't even close. But don't worry, I'll penalize the other team in the second half ... to even it up."

Most overlooked player

When you think Gators basketball, you immediately think Joakim Noah. But after watching his 19-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist, four-steal performance against Georgia on Saturday, Corey Brewer, above, I've determined, is to the Gators what Kurt Cobain was to Nirvana.

Worst coverage

NBC's coverage of the Cowboys-Seahawks game wasn't nearly as good as the game itself. Ill-timed commercial breaks and not enough replays of critical moments. We had to sit through four commercials before seeing the first replay of the controversial safety. And I would have liked to have seen a replay of Patrick Crayton's TD catch as time was running out in the first half to see if his knee touched the ground before the ball crossed the goal line. But NBC never broke down the play.

Best coverage

CBS gets my vote every time because of one person: Phil Simms. He has overtaken John Madden as pro football's best analyst.

Best scoop

As NBC reminded us with a clip during Football Night in America, analyst Jerome Bettis said with certainty in September that this would be the last season for Bill Cowher, above, with the Steelers.

Strongest comment

On ESPN's the Sports Reporters, Mike Lupica hinted the only reason Heat coach Pat Riley is taking a medical leave now for a bad hip is because Miami is struggling and will continue to struggle until Shaq and Dwyane Wade return from injuries. Riley does seem to come and go depending on how his team is playing. "When the going gets tough," Lupica said, "the tough get going."

Most surprising comment

ESPN's Chris Mortensen hinted former Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson, right, might hang it up. Mortensen said, "Maybe it's a frustrated Keyshawn Johnson who has been telling friends he's seriously thinking about retirement, or that maybe he will exercise an option in his contract to leave the Panthers after one year. Makes you wonder whether he wants to reunite again in Dallas if Bill Parcells comes back for a year and if you-know-who isn't back."

Best coach of the weekend

No one seemed to care much when USF let basketball coach Seth Greenberg get away, but he has started to put together a decent program at Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 11-4 after going to Duke and knocking off the No. 5 Blue Devils - just the third time in the past 115 games that an unranked team went into Duke and won. And, remember, if it had not been for a Duke desperation 45-footer at the buzzer, Virginia Tech would have won at Cameron Indoor Stadium last season, too.

Funniest comment

Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, an ESPN analyst, took a poke at the Irish football team just before the Notre Dame-Georgetown basketball game. "After the first turnover, we're not going to run a fake punt!" I wondered why the Irish were ranked so low (No. 17) despite the best start (13-1) in the history of the program. I found out when Georgetown beat them by 18.

Best teammate

Hmm, who would've thought that the Cowboys player who would show quarterback Tony Romo the most support after Romo dropped the snap on the potential winning field goal against the Seahawks would be Terrell Owens? And did anyone else notice how Dallas coach Bill Parcells, at least after the game, seemed to go out of his way not to back Romo?

Conflict of interest?

John Saunders, the solid host of ESPN's the Sports Reporters, gave a funny and dead-on commentary, wondering how in the world Lions president Matt Millen still has a job after his teams have gone 24-72. The show always closes with a "Parting Shots" segment with the three guests (normally newspaper columnists Mike Lupica, Mitch Albom, Bob Ryan and the like) giving their opinions. But should ESPN have its host giving an opinion? It's not that Saunders isn't qualified or good at it. I'm just wondering if someone who is considered a moderator (not unlike, say, Tim Russert or Bob Schieffer on the Sunday morning news programs) should be giving opinions.

Shooting from the lip

What former controversial Bucs player is thinking about retirement? What network had a bad weekend covering the NFL playoffs? What former college coach is picking the Gators to win tonight? And speaking of Florida, who is the Gators best basketball player (hint: it's not Joakim Noah)? These questions and more are answered in a look back at the weekend of televised sports.

Strongest comment

On ESPN's The Sports Reporters, Mike Lupica hinted the only reason Heat coach Pat Riley is taking a medical leave now for a bad hip is because Miami is struggling and will continue to struggle until Shaq and Dwyane Wade return from injuries. Riley does seem to come and go depending on how his team is playing. "When the going gets tough," Lupica said, "the tough get going."

Worst coverage

NBC's coverage of the Cowboys-Seahawks game wasn't nearly as good as the game itself. Ill-timed commercials breaks and not enough replays of critical moments. We had to sit through four commercials before seeing the first replay of the controversial safety. And I would have liked to have seen a replay of Patrick Crayton's TD catch as time was running out in the first half to see if his knee touched the ground before the ball crossed the goal line. But NBC never broke down the play.

Best coverage

CBS gets my vote every time because of one person: Phil Simms. He has overtaken John Madden as pro football's best analyst.

Explain this

How in the world did Titans coach Jeff Fisher, whose team went 8-8, get a vote for coach of the year?

Best scoop

As NBC reminded us with a clip during Football Night in America, analyst Jerome Bettis said with certainty in September that this would be Bill Cowher's last season with the Steelers.

Best analyst

ESPN's Doug Gottlieb is quickly becoming my favorite college basketball analyst (outside of Dickie V. of course). The former Notre Dame and Oklahoma State player is refreshingly candid. His best line of the weekend: "Duke doesn't have a point guard and are not as good as (people think they are). They won't be until they find a point guard."

Best graphic

Kudos to NBC for its coverage of the U.S. Army All-American high school football game on Saturday. What made it enjoyable was a constant running ticker that stated where all the players in the game were going to college.

Best reporting

During the "Satellite Hotstove" segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Eric Duhatschek of the Toronto Globe and Mail said the Penguins will look into Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Hartford, but ultimately will stay in Pittsburgh.

Most surprising comment

ESPN's Chris Mortensen hinted that former Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson might hang it up. Mortensen said, "Maybe it's a frustrated Keyshawn Johnson who has been telling friends he's seriously thinking about retirement or that maybe he will exercise an option in his contract to leave the Panthers after one year. Makes you wonder whether he wants to reunite again in Dallas if Bill Parcells comes back for a year and if you-know-who isn't back."

Best prediction for Gator fans

ESPN's Bob Davie is leaning toward Florida in tonight's showdown against Ohio State, pointing out that five of the previous six winners of the BCS title games were underdogs. "Don't ever underestimate a talented, talented team playing with a chip on its shoulder."

Give it up already

Author John Feinstein is the latest to beat the dead horse of how Boise State should be playing for the national championship. Feinstein, who was on ESPN's The Sports Reporters, isn't the first and won't be the last to take this stand based on the Broncos beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. And I do get his point that it's a shame Boise State was never going to have a chance at the national title. But let's not get carried away with the Fiesta Bowl result, as exciting as it was. Boise State beat a good (but far from great) Oklahoma team that had two losses entering that game. The two best teams in the country are playing tonight.

Most overlooked player

When you think Gators basketball, you immediately think of Joakim Noah. But after watching his 19-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist, four-steal performance against Georgia on Saturday, Corey Brewer, I've determined, is to the Gators what Kurt Cobain was to Nirvana.

Best coach of the weekend

No one seemed to care very much when USF let basketball coach Seth Greenberg get away, but he has gone to Virginia Tech and has started to put together a decent program. The Hokies are 11-4 after going to Duke and knocking off the Blue Devils - just the third time in the past 115 games that an unranked team went into Duke and won. And, remember, if it had not been for a Duke desperation 45-footer at the buzzer, Virginia Tech would have won at Cameron Indoor Stadium last season, too.

Funniest comment

Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, now an ESPN analyst, took a poke at the Irish football team just before the Notre Dame-Georgetown basketball game. "After the first turnover, we're not going to run a fake punt!" I wondered why the Irish were ranked so low (No. 17) despite the best start (13-1) in the history of the program. Then I found out why when Georgetown beat them by 18.

Best feature

Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison did a heart-tugging piece on Nashville Predators assistant coach Brent Peterson, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Peterson has long been considered a future NHL head coach, but it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to give him that chance now.

Funniest commercial

I haven't seen this on American television yet, but Subway is running a funny commercial on Canadian television. I caught it during Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada. It has a referee turning on his mike and saying, "I totally blew that call. In fact, it wasn't even close. But don't worry, I'll penalize the other team in the second half ... to even it up."

Best teammate

Hmm, who would've thought that the Cowboys player who showed quarterback Tony Romo the most support after Romo dropped the snap on the potential winning field goal against the Seahawks would have been Terrell Owens? And did anyone else notice how Dallas coach Bill Parcells, at least after the game, seemed to go out of his way to not back Romo?

Conflict of interest?

John Saunders, the solid host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters, gave a funny and dead-on commentary, wondering how in the world Lions president Matt Millen still has a job after his teams have gone 24-72. The show always closes with a "Parting Shots" segment with the three guests (normally newspaper columnists like Mike Lupica, Mitch Albom, Bob Ryan and the like) giving their opinions. But should ESPN have its host giving an opinion? It's not that Saunders isn't qualified or good at it. I'm just wondering if someone who is considered a moderator (not unlike, say, Tim Russert or Bob Schieffer on the Sunday morning news programs) should be giving opinions.

Shooting from the lip

What former controversial Bucs player is thinking about retirement? What network had a bad weekend covering the NFL playoffs? What former college coach is picking the Gators to win tonight? And speaking of Florida, who is the Gators best basketball player (hint: it's not Joakim Noah)? These questions and more are answered in a look back at the weekend of televised sports.

Strongest comment

On ESPN's The Sports Reporters, Mike Lupica hinted the only reason Heat coach Pat Riley is taking a medical leave now for a bad hip is because Miami is struggling and will continue to struggle until Shaq and Dwyane Wade return from injuries. Riley does seem to come and go depending on how his team is playing. "When the going gets tough," Lupica said, "the tough get going."

Worst coverage

NBC's coverage of the Cowboys-Seahawks game wasn't nearly as good as the game itself. Ill-timed commercials breaks and not enough replays of critical moments. We had to sit through four commercials before seeing the first replay of the controversial safety. And I would have liked to have seen a replay of Patrick Crayton's TD catch as time was running out in the first half to see if his knee touched the ground before the ball crossed the goal line. But NBC never broke down the play.

Best coverage

CBS gets my vote every time because of one person: Phil Simms. He has overtaken John Madden as pro football's best analyst.

Explain this

How in the world did Titans coach Jeff Fisher, whose team went 8-8, get a vote for coach of the year?

Best scoop

As NBC reminded us with a clip during Football Night in America, analyst Jerome Bettis said with certainty in September that this would be Bill Cowher's last season with the Steelers.

Best analyst

ESPN's Doug Gottlieb is quickly becoming my favorite college basketball analyst (outside of Dickie V. of course). The former Notre Dame and Oklahoma State player is refreshingly candid. His best line of the weekend: "Duke doesn't have a point guard and are not as good as (people think they are). They won't be until they find a point guard."

Best graphic

Kudos to NBC for its coverage of the U.S. Army All-American high school football game on Saturday. What made it enjoyable was a constant running ticker that stated where all the players in the game were going to college.

Best reporting

During the "Satellite Hotstove" segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Eric Duhatschek of the Toronto Globe and Mail said the Penguins will look into Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Hartford, but ultimately will stay in Pittsburgh.

Most surprising comment

ESPN's Chris Mortensen hinted that former Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson might hang it up. Mortensen said, "Maybe it's a frustrated Keyshawn Johnson who has been telling friends he's seriously thinking about retirement or that maybe he will exercise an option in his contract to leave the Panthers after one year. Makes you wonder whether he wants to reunite again in Dallas if Bill Parcells comes back for a year and if you-know-who isn't back."

Best prediction for Gator fans

ESPN's Bob Davie is leaning toward Florida in tonight's showdown against Ohio State, pointing out that five of the previous six winners of the BCS title games were underdogs. "Don't ever underestimate a talented, talented team playing with a chip on its shoulder."

Give it up already

Author John Feinstein is the latest to beat the dead horse of how Boise State should be playing for the national championship. Feinstein, who was on ESPN's The Sports Reporters, isn't the first and won't be the last to take this stand based on the Broncos beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. And I do get his point that it's a shame Boise State was never going to have a chance at the national title. But let's not get carried away with the Fiesta Bowl result, as exciting as it was. Boise State beat a good (but far from great) Oklahoma team that had two losses entering that game. The two best teams in the country are playing tonight.

Most overlooked player

When you think Gators basketball, you immediately think of Joakim Noah. But after watching his 19-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist, four-steal performance against Georgia on Saturday, Corey Brewer, I've determined, is to the Gators what Kurt Cobain was to Nirvana.

Best coach of the weekend

No one seemed to care very much when USF let basketball coach Seth Greenberg get away, but he has gone to Virginia Tech and has started to put together a decent program. The Hokies are 11-4 after going to Duke and knocking off the Blue Devils - just the third time in the past 115 games that an unranked team went into Duke and won. And, remember, if it had not been for a Duke desperation 45-footer at the buzzer, Virginia Tech would have won at Cameron Indoor Stadium last season, too.

Funniest comment

Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, now an ESPN analyst, took a poke at the Irish football team just before the Notre Dame-Georgetown basketball game. "After the first turnover, we're not going to run a fake punt!" I wondered why the Irish were ranked so low (No. 17) despite the best start (13-1) in the history of the program. Then I found out why when Georgetown beat them by 18.

Best feature

Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison did a heart-tugging piece on Nashville Predators assistant coach Brent Peterson, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Peterson has long been considered a future NHL head coach, but it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to give him that chance now.

Funniest commercial

I haven't seen this on American television yet, but Subway is running a funny commercial on Canadian television. I caught it during Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada. It has a referee turning on his mike and saying, "I totally blew that call. In fact, it wasn't even close. But don't worry, I'll penalize the other team in the second half ... to even it up."

Best teammate

Hmm, who would've thought that the Cowboys player who showed quarterback Tony Romo the most support after Romo dropped the snap on the potential winning field goal against the Seahawks would have been Terrell Owens? And did anyone else notice how Dallas coach Bill Parcells, at least after the game, seemed to go out of his way to not back Romo?

Conflict of interest?

John Saunders, the solid host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters, gave a funny and dead-on commentary, wondering how in the world Lions president Matt Millen still has a job after his teams have gone 24-72. The show always closes with a "Parting Shots" segment with the three guests (normally newspaper columnists like Mike Lupica, Mitch Albom, Bob Ryan and the like) giving their opinions. But should ESPN have its host giving an opinion? It's not that Saunders isn't qualified or good at it. I'm just wondering if someone who is considered a moderator (not unlike, say, Tim Russert or Bob Schieffer on the Sunday morning news programs) should be giving opinions.

[Last modified January 7, 2007, 23:42:55]