Are Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman the best announcing team?

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

I say yes. I can't get to the game tomorrow but I feel good knowing those guys are doing it. I think Sean is much better than Chris Fowler (who I loved on Ganeday but don't think is better than average doing play by play) and at least as good as any other announcer out there (I like Vern Lundquist and a couple others equally as well). And I think Spielman is the best for me at analysis, pointing out interesting schematic things, and I am a big fan of his ad hoc comments about tackling technique and other fundamental points. Those that don't like Spielman often point to his roots as a buckeye, but IMO that is homer-blindness, he has demonstrated quite often the respect he has for Michigan, and does a great job being impartial IMO. 

What do you think? Any better announcing team?

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BornSinner

September 26th, 2015 at 12:15 AM ^

Except he said that about the offense... and well... he's right. Nobody on Michigan's offense would start for OSU except Butt and maybe Glasgow? 

I guess Darboh and Chesson could too since OSU is kinda depleted in their WR corps this year. 

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Red is Blue

September 26th, 2015 at 7:30 AM ^

I think the question was in poor taste and was trolling. Why on a MI broadcast are they talking about OSU given the rivalry and the fact that Speilman is a buckeye. If the question was about overall talent on MI ask it more generically - "who on this team would be starting for a top rated team?"

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Mgodiscgolfer

September 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^

That was the most discusting display of homerism I have EVER heard. After saying the great Ben Braden (might) make the buckeyes roster. We all know if anyone leaves UM disgruntled of course they are almost immediatly picked up by the Botteyes. During the RR fiasco I forgot the linemans name that ran over there crying to his mama, saying how evil UM is not being a family atmosphere here.

It doesn't matter if you think he is right. Griese had so much class he would call his own son by his last name and not Brian  Do you think he would pick out a OSU player and say he could never make the UM roster. Let us say we want to debate the point, I can easily think of probably ten players that could make their roster. It does not matter because the point is he said it and lost a lot of credibility in doing so although I am sure some bloggers here agree with him as well as all OSU fans. Are you trying to say OSU did not want any of our four and five star recruits? If they did they could never have made the team. Is that it. Their is no telling if Green could be their starting tailback today had he went to OSU two years ago.         

Edit: I believe the linemans name was Boren......

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ppudge

September 25th, 2015 at 11:11 PM ^

They are near the top. Spielman is terrific. I like Herbie as an analyst but don't care much for Fowler as a PBP guy - he was better as GameDay host. Underrated analyst - Brian Griese. I think he does a very good job as well. And I may be one of the few, but I liked Bob Davie when he was an analyst. A much better analyst than coach, for sure. Keith Jackson is the GOAT, but I miss those late 80s/early 90s games with Musberger and Dick Vermeil. And going further back when NBC broadcast the Rose Bowls, I loved Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen. Their voices were New Year's Day for me as a kid.

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Stu Daco

September 25th, 2015 at 11:16 PM ^

It's really surprising to me that networks don't hire more people like Spielman who have actual, in-depth knowledge of the game.  It makes such a huge difference.

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xtramelanin

September 25th, 2015 at 11:18 PM ^

spielman.  i remember what a great detroit lion he was (after ohio), and have respect for that, but he isn't the most articulate guy you'd ever meet. i actually greatly prefer herbie who is awfully good and i've never heard throw michigan under the bus. 

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DenverRob

September 25th, 2015 at 11:23 PM ^

Keith Jackson and Bob Griese were my favorite.

 

I'll never forget the time when Spielman was calling a Michigan game and a WR caught a ball jumping very high in the air and he said "the receiver showed great verticallness."

 

Then Sean McD said "verticallness?" ... Chris replied "leaping ability.".. then Sean says enthusiastically "NO, lets go with verticallness."

Great exchange by them, but Speilman makes up words. I believe he is the person responsible for creating the word "physicallity." This word drives me nuts every time I hear it.

 

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stephenrjking

September 25th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^

I think they might be. McDonough is very good, and he seems to genuinely enjoy the sport. He has a good feel for when to express excitement, produces great calls of the best moments, and respects the viewer's intelligence. Spielman may be a Buckeye but he's also a Lion, and he is both classy and insightful. He is one of the best at actually seeing what is really happening on the field and communicating that to the viewer, rather than just repeating catchphrases and platitudes. I still like Fowler, but like others I think he's only decent at PbP, whereas on Gameday he was, possibly, the best studio anchor of all time. I like Herbstreit, too. Lundquist is good, but he has lost his fastball. A lot of people liked his calls of the two Auburn miracles a couple years ago, but I thought they were subpar. Not bad, but not his best stuff. It very much reminds me of late Keith Jackson, who like Verne now was still good to listen to but didn't always catch everything as sharply as he had in the past. I do like Danielson more than most. What I like about all of these guys is that they are good college football announcers; Dan Hicks on NBC is skilled and does a fine job on the Notre Dame games, but like Hammond before him he really seems to be a professional staff announced for NBC that happens to be assigned to football. One thing that Fowler and Lundquist both have are top-notch production crews. The top CBS and ESPN games are so crisp on a regular basis that they are a pleasure to watch.

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Mr. Yost

September 26th, 2015 at 1:24 AM ^

They actually kind of overrated in the midwest just because of questions like this, not because they're not good - which they are. They're a very solid duo. But people gas them like they're the greatest of all time.

Really, IMO, people just like Spielman says stuff that many other guys won't and he represents the "toughness" in the booth.

My biggest issue is that they frequently make mistakes on what they're seeing and call the wrong thing - those types of things that make you scream back at the TV and yell things to correct them. For example, a QB throws a pass away and Speilman calls it a bad throw. Or even his comment about Braden starting for OSU - it's like, come on...he's been widely regarded as our worst starting OL and he's having the best game of his life right now - let's be serious.

But I'd still take them over just about everyone else, they do a very solid job each week.

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DomIngerson

September 26th, 2015 at 6:11 AM ^

Pretty surprised at the Verne Lundquist love in this thread. That dude has no clue what's happening around him and is generally 5-10 seconds late on every call.

He's the Brady Hoke of play-by-play.



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Sauce Castillo

September 26th, 2015 at 6:18 AM ^

This is fucking ludicrous. This tandem is the worst, especially spielman. Guy can't get through one broadcast without talking about osu. He said on the Oregon state broadcast that Ben Braden was the only Michigan offensive starter that could start for osu. He can go sit on a pole



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Avant's Hands

September 26th, 2015 at 8:21 AM ^

I only wish Brady Quinn and Joey Harrington could call a game with Mack Brown. That would be the best announcing team of all time.

But seriously, I really like McDonough and Spielman is alright. I prefer Herbie honestly.

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Frequency

September 26th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^

When I was watching the Oregon State game, my fiance said she thought the announcers (McDonough and Speilman) were terrible. I didn't notice anything until she said that, then I thought they had some off-topic moments that weren't the greatest. Part of that was likely because the game was decided at that point and there wasn't much to talk about. When I think McDonough, I always think about the Tate Forcier Notre dame game.

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Puget Sound Blue

September 26th, 2015 at 1:18 PM ^

I mean, Keith Jackson is Keith Jackson, but if we're talking active announcing teams, I think both McDonough and Spielman are pretty good. They're both knowledgeable and don't have too much idle chatter. Spielman explains things really well and I don't think that he is biased against Michigan at all - in fact, I think he shows remarkable respect and fairness toward Michigan. I know some people are miffed with him because of his remark about who on the M offense would start for OSU, but 1) I'm not sure what he said was that much of an exaggeration right now and 2) even if it were, he more than makes up for it for his knowledge and the good things he has said about Michigan.

Some of the other teams here folks have mentioned are good too. I like Nessler and Blackledge. Fowler isn't bad, but I liked him better on College GameDay. Herbstreit's decent.

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