DAVID BARRON
CBS’ Danielson on A&M vs. Alabama; NFL ratings talk.
Although he doesn’t get all theatrical about it, CBS Sports analyst Gary Danielson’s description of the Alabama Crimson Tide brings to mind the Terminator T-1000 — able to change shapes and guises as circumstances warrant, usually with lethal results.
Danielson, who will join Verne Lundquist to call the Texas A&MAlabama game from Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday afternoon on CBS, said the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban is the very model of an NFL team, able to remake itself from week to week.
“They’re like an NFL team, which is (coach Nick Saban’s) background,” Danielson said. “They are uniquely designed to take advantage of your weakness. They can expose your weakness, whatever it is. One week they will be a power running team. The next, they will win with a blitzing defense because running backs can’t pick up pass rushes. The next week, they will win with the quarterback running play action. Like the Patriots, they can morph themselves into what they need to be.”
One thing, though, is constant, Danielson said: To beat Alabama, Texas A&M must match Alabama’s physical presence on the line of scrimmage, Without that ability, he said, “your strategies don’t matter.”
Teams that have beaten Alabama, Danielson added, have brought an extra element to the table. Trevor Knight at Oklahoma was able to throw deep on the Tide. LSU has beaten Alabama with a running game that was able to control the pace of play. Despite the attention paid to his mobility, it was Johnny Manziel’s ability to throw from the pocket that lifted A&M over Alabama in 2012, Danielson said.
So what of the Aggies’ chances on Saturday, you ask? Danielson said A&M has made great progress toward the balance on both sides of the ball that is a necessity against Alabama, and that A&M’s line play has improved.
But he sees red flags for the Aggies in Tennessee’s ability to run up the middle (for 282 yards) two weeks ago, and he thinks Alabama may be able to take advantage of A&M’s cornerbacks — “They’re not difference-makers,” Danielson said — and to catch the Aggies’ safeties betwixt and between stopping the run and having to help out on pass coverage.
“If they can stop the inside run, and if Trevor Knight throws the deep ball, the matchup with the (A&M) wide receivers is where Alabama is most vulnerable,” Danielson said. “If A&M has a good day on 50-50 balls, they could
disturb Alabama’s balance.”
As for the Alabama offense under quarterback Jalen Hurts, the former Channelview star, Danielson once again goes back to the Alabama mantra of balance and adjustments.
“They have taken advantage of his two great skills, which are his ability to run and his composure,” Danielson said. “They know that because of their defense, there is no need to take risks on offense. They have built an offense that protects him and uses his skills.”
McDonough clarifies remark
In his first season as the play by play announcer for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” Sean McDonough got a taste this week of how much weight one simple sentence can garner when uttered in prime time.
During the Jets-Cardinals game, which featured, if that’s the word, 19 penalties, McDonough said, “If we’re looking for reasons why TV ratings for the NFL are down all over the place, this doesn’t help. The way this game has been officiated is not something anybody wants to watch.”
Wednesday, from his home in the Phoenix area before traveling to Denver for the Texans-Broncos game on Monday night, McDonough said he was surprised by the attention that his comment received.
“My point was about officiating in a broader sense,” he said. “I did say in the next breath that the games we’ve done have been so well-officiated that Gerry Austin (the former NFL official who works as an analyst for ESPN) hasn’t gotten on the air.
“A lot of penalties that we saw (in the Jets-Cardinals game), people see them as ticky-tack kind of penalties. From time to time you get a game like that, and there are too many flags that don’t need to be thrown.”
McDonough said he doesn’t think that officiating is a central reason that Nielsen ratings are down for NFL games; the Sept. 27 Monday night game, for example, had the lowest overnight rating in series history opposite the first presidential debate, and the ColtsTexans game on Sunday night managed just a 9.0 Nielsen overnight rating on NBC.
Like many others, McDonough believes the election campaign is the biggest reason for the ratings slump thus far, along with the absence of marquee names such as Peyton Manning (retired), Tom Brady (suspended) and J.J. Watt (injured).
So while he is somewhat chagrined that his comment has been singled out for so much attention, McDonough said it reflects his philosophy of trying to say on television what he thinks the fan at home is thinking.
“If I were watching the game at home, what would I be thinking about or saying to the people in the room? I try to tailor my comments to that,” he said. “When I made that comment, a lot of people were thinking the same thing, ‘Oh, my gosh, another flag.’ ”
Every game, though, has unique storylines. The Texans-Broncos game offers an obvious one with the return of Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler to Denver, where he started seven games for the Broncos last year. Others, McDonough said, will include Broncos coach Gary Kubiak’s health, the Broncos’ recent struggles and the relative success of the Texans’ defense in Watt’s absence.
If the officiating dictates it, McDonough and analyst Jon Gruden may even discuss officiating. In the meantime, he looks forward to Election Day and, afterward, an upturn in NFL ratings.
“I think there will be a noticeable bounce back up,” he said. “I know I’ll be ready for it.”
Hall out on 610’s midday show
Dante Hall, the former NFL player who starred at Texas A&M and Aldine Nimitz, has left KILT (610 AM) after less than five months as co-host of the station’s midday show with Cody Stoots and John Lopez.
Ryan McCredden, the station’s program director, said Hall will not be replaced.
“I’m disappointed that things didn’t work out, but Dante told me this just wasn’t for him,” McCredden said. “He’s been trying to make it work, and he just had to move on.”
Four DVRs, no waiting
Brett Favre will be the next subject of NFL Films’ “A Football Life” at 8 p.m. Friday on NFL Network. … ESPN drew a 2.1 Nielsen on Tuesday night in Houston for its airing of the “Phi Slama Jama” documentary. That’s upwards of 40,000 households in the 20-county area, which is better than most college football games draw in this area. … As “Pardon the Interruption,” the only authentically worthwhile chat show on sports cable, celebrates its 15th anniversary this week, co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have signed contract extensions with ESPN.