Monday, January 29, 2001
Super TV only so-so
Game well done, but pregame hype was wearing
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Calling a Super Bowl is akin to being an offensive lineman: No one really notices you unless you screw up.
Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms, the CBS announcing team for Super Bowl XXXV, were not guilty of any holding penalties or of jumping offside.
Gumbel called a nice, crisp game — not too wordy or flashy. He is content to let the pictures tell the story.
A sample of Gumbel's work: “Picked off. Duane Starks is going to take it to the end zone for a touchdown.”
After Jamal Lewis' touchdown gave Baltimore a 31-7 lead, Gumbel probably should have declared the game over.
Simms does his best work by instantly analyzing replays. He also was a step ahead recognizing plays about to be run.
But he could have been more critical of Kerry Collins. On CBS Radio, Boomer Esiason called Collins' interception just before halftime “inexcusable.”
Simms mixes in some humor and has a nice, down-home style.
The pictures were all there. CBS had nearly every angle covered. The one time it came up short was on the play when Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead intercepted a pass and ran it in for a touchdown — only to have it nullified by a holding penalty on Keith Hamilton. CBS didn't spend enough time analyzing or showing the replay.
The game's big innovation was EyeVision, a 33-camera, computer-assisted, 270-angle look at the whole field. It's very cool; something you'll see at other big productions that can afford to use it. But it seemed CBS underused it a bit Sunday.
EyeVision was particularly good on Lewis' TD. It showed the ball broke the plane of the goal line just before he fumbled.
Armen Keteyian may be the best sideline reporter working. He was all over the Trent Dilfer injury.
PREGAME: By the
time the kickoff rolled around at 6:27 Sunday night, the average viewer had to be numbed by the pregame hype.
It's hard to imagine any man, woman or child watched all of the CBS buildup to the game.
CBS' day started badly with Simms' All-Iron Team. The show tried too hard to be funny and as a result was very unfunny.
“Extreme Super Bowl,” an hour-long look at matchups, was a little too heavy on Xs and Os.
“The Super Bowl Today” had its moments. Keteyian's piece on Kerry Collins was very good, as was Dick Enberg's story on Jeff Hostetler and his son Tyler.
But the pregame panel of Jim Nantz, Mike Ditka, Randy Cross and Jerry Glanville still is short on chemistry.
Glanville needs to cut down on the coffee a bit. He nearly jumps out of his chair every time he speaks.
John Fay covers radio/TV sports for The Enquirer. He can be reached at (513) 768-8445.
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