Witten (l) has been praised for his likability, but some pundits feel he is not a natural in the boothESPN IMAGES
A "significant slice" of the "Monday Night Football" audience "believes the broadcast has taken a major step backwards" this season -- the first with the booth of Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten and Booger McFarland, according to Ben Koo of AWFUL ANNOUNCING. The "constant and loud negative feedback has to be troubling for ESPN." Fans "aren’t picking at the edges, they’re saying it’s flatly a bad broadcast." That is "not what you want to hear" if you are ESPN, which has a nearly $2B annual investment in the NFL (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 10/23). SI.com's Jimmy Traina wrote the "biggest problem" is the broadcast is "not getting better each week." Witten has "struggled and there is no chemistry between the three men." Giants-Falcons on Monday was "borderline unwatchable." ESPN's "reliance on showing Tessitore and Witten in the booth and McFarland on his contraption instead of the field is out of control." It seems ESPN's priority is to "make you care in some way, shape or form about its announcers" vs. the on-the-field action (SI.com, 10/24). Former NFLer Rob Ninkovich tweeted, "Anyone else turn down volume on Monday Night Football?" (TWITTER.com, 10/22).
PUT THAT THING BACK IN THE GARAGE: NBCSN's Chris Simms said the Booger mobile "has to go." Simms: "I really like Booger and what he's doing. ... But how can you be the NFL and have a mobile tripod going up and down the sidelines and you're blocking people who are paying the most expensive price for tickets?" PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio said ESPN should put McFarland "in the booth" with Witten and Tessitore. The Booger mobile is "adding nothing to the broadcast other than, 'Hey, we're doing something different here'" ("PFT," NBCSN, 10/24).
ROOKIE MENTALITY: SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy wrote after seven weeks, Witten is a "work in progress, at best." He has "improved since his first few games," but still "stumbles and repeats himself on the air, and he's reluctant to rip players and coaches." Witten has "potential" as he is "likable and, by all accounts, working hard to be better." He has the "knowledge, instincts and insights to make him a good watch." But Witten "doesn't have the natural elan" of CBS' Tony Romo or NBC's Cris Collinsworth, or the "easy brevity" of Fox' Troy Aikman. He comes off "sometimes like a humorless, earnest Boy Scout who's studied too hard." Overall, Witten's "on-the-job training struggles are over-shadowing the rest of the 'MNF' team" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 10/24). Comedian Frank Caliendo: "When Jason Witten explains something, I become more confused about whatever it is he’s trying to explain." N.Y.-based WFAN-AM's Gregg Giannotti: "Witten is like a high school football player who tries out for the school play and has no talent but tries really hard so they give him a role anyway." SB Nation's Jon Bois: "Witten often says stuff as a commentator that isn’t smart at all, but he loves to watch football and gets excited about it. a lot of times we’re watching football by ourselves and it’s nice to have a buddy" (TWITTER.com, 10/22).
