In Buffalo, Alan Pergament writes NBC's Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were "very entertaining, informative and even amusing at times" during their call of Ravens-Bills on Saturday night, with Collinsworth "clearly the TV star." The analyst "did a great job explaining the defensive strategies of the two teams and the offensive adjustments the Bills made on their lone touchdown drive." Michaels "had a strong game with some amusing moments." And while sideline reporters "don’t usually have much to add," NBC's Michele Tafoya "was able to tell viewers after halftime that Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the wind was affecting the team’s shotgun snaps." That remark "became even more noteworthy" after an errant snap led to QB Lamar Jackson exiting the game with an injury in the fourth quarter (BUFFALO NEWS, 1/18).
SHARP ON SATURDAY: THE ATHLETIC's Shaheen Al-Shatti wrote he "really, really enjoyed Saturday’s commentary team of Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Dan Hardy" for the UFC on ABC. So much so, the trio "might’ve just shot into pole position for my favorite groupings in the booth." They showed "tremendous enthusiasm all afternoon, had several memorable riffs of great storytelling, and the combination of Cormier and Hardy led to a constant stream of smart, sharp analysis that gave a fun and professional air to the proceedings" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/16).
SO LONG, FAREWELL: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes colleague Mark Gonzales "left the Chicago Tribune on Friday to begin a new chapter." Gonzales joined the Tribune in '05 as White Sox beat writer and took over the Cubs beat in '13. While change is "part of any news organization," it gets "harder every time we lose a teammate with the professionalism and expertise of a Mark Gonzales or Teddy Greenstein, who recently left the Tribune for a position at a sports betting site" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/17).
