Al Michaels responded to critics of his call of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
Michaels and analyst Tony Dungy were criticized by some for their low-key call of the Jaguars’ dramatic comeback. Critics said the broadcast lacked energy and felt far too muted considering the Jaguars staged one of the biggest playoff comebacks in NFL history.
On Monday, Michaels dismissed the criticism as “internet compost” and pointed out that yelling and noise had never been his trademark.
“Read some comments that we didn’t sound excited enough. Internet compost!” Michaels wrote in a text message to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. “You know me as well as anyone — no screaming, no yelling, no hollering. It’s TELEVISION! Ellipses and captions are [sufficient] when pictures tell the story. I’m not doing a game for over-the-top YouTube hits.”
Stylistically, you know what you are getting with Michaels. NBC did not do him any favors by pairing him with Dungy, who is also more quiet and lacking in emotion. As Marchand himself points out, Michaels’ calm, steady style fits much better with a more emotive analyst like Cris Collinsworth, his longtime partner on “Sunday Night Football” until this season.
Maybe Michaels was just not used to getting a game with such drama, as many fans joked during the first half.
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