Al Michaels blasts critics of Chargers-Jaguars call
Legendary play-by-play broadcaster Al Michaels has hit back at those who have criticized his work during this past Saturday’s wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Must have gotten a hundred texts from folks who were very happy to see me back on NBC,” Michaels texted Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. “Read some comments that we didn’t sound excited enough. Internet compost! You know me as well as anyone — no screaming, no yelling, no hollering. It’s TELEVISION! Ellipses and captions are [sufficient] when pictures tell the story. I’m not doing a game for over-the-top YouTube hits.”
As mentioned by Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing, the Barrett Sports Media website, and other outlets, fans and media members alike have blasted Michaels and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy for lacking enthusiasm while calling a game that featured the Jaguars erasing a 27-0 deficit they faced before halftime. Michaels even remained subdued as Jacksonville’s Riley Patterson booted a walk-off game-winning field goal:
