Bryant "Bumbling" Gumbel

Bryant Gumbel.

I'm really not sure I need a intro sentence for you to understand what this post is about, that is unless you've never heard him as an announcer on the NFL Network.

Bryant Gumbel is the lead play by play announcer on the NFL Networks games and without argue one the worst announcers ever. As I watched the broadcast last night of the Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers game, I couldn't help but wish I was in a market where I could get the radio broadcast so I could mute the TV. Having to listen to Bryant Gumbel is as much fun as getting a root canal, its just really painful on the ears.

Throughout the game last night he would often forget which team is was referring to, calling the Cowboys the Packers several times. He referred to Cowboys RB Marion Barber as "Marion Jones" and RB Julius Jones as "Julius Barber". He also referred to Tony Romo as "Rick Romo", he apparently hasn't been paying any attention to the hype of Romo. And at one point in the first half with Dallas holding possession of the ball with 2:20 left in the first half said that Dallas needs to hurry to get the snap off before the two minute warning, they get the snap off at about 2:15. Also as LB Kevin Burnett limped to the sideline, Bryant, like your elderly grandmother running through the names of her grandchildren, referred to Burnett as Akin Ayodele then Brady James until he could clearly see the name Burnett on his jersey.

The NFL Network is in a tug of war negotiations with cable companies to get their channel available to consumer but are asking for more money than what other channels with more shows typically get. They may have shot themselves in the foot last night in what was arguably the second biggest game of the year and one that had the feel of a playoff game. If you sat and watched and listened to that debacle of a broadcast you're probably not inclined to call your cable company to demand they add the NFL Channel to its lineup. Which is why the NFL Network must make a change with their broadcast team if they expect people to pay higher cable prices or switch to satellites. I've really never heard a worst broadcast than what I heard last night, even the Carolina Panthers, who get the worst announcers around, have better announcers than the NFL Network.

If they are looking for viewership and respectability they must make a change and that change is in the form of type-casted Bryant Gumbel. He needs to stick with his HBO show, it's more suiting of his lame personality.

Dear NFL Network;

This is one fan who won't watch another game until change is made.