The NFL is squarely at that point of the season where contenders are separated from pretenders. As the stakes rise on the field, the level of discourse should do the same among broadcasters.
Four men are doing just that with their work at various media outlets. Louis Riddick, Jason McIntyre, Chris Canty, and Rex Ryan bring varied backgrounds to television, but this quartet shares one trait. The quality of their work has increased as the NFL season has intensified.
ESPN NFL commentator Louis Riddick has an immense knowledge base as both a former player and front-office executive. More than this, he has become the voice of reason in many an otherwise fly-off-the-handle conversation.
In a recent episode of ESPN’s Get Up, the panel discussed the future of Patriots’ czar Bill Belichick. Dominique Foxworthy made a statement that NFL coaches are not hired for what they have done, but instead for what they will do.
Riddick vehemently and astutely disagreed, saying that NFL teams have consistently made hirings based on what candidates have done in the past. In addition to his pigskin acumen, Riddick channels his inner Joe Namath and Jim Brown with immense style. In truth, he might just be the coolest man in pro football.
Female broadcasters often showcase their wardrobes on social media using the vernacular term “fits.” Well, Riddick has fits that would make Clyde Frazier blush. From slick suits to classy coats, this cat just emits an erudite air.
He also one of those rare talents who excels in studio, on the field, and in the broadcast booth working alongside fellow analyst Dan Orlovsky on ESPN Monday Night Football telecasts. Thanks to his experience and sincerity, Riddick possesses an on camera magnetism that is unique in the business.
His NFL playing career spanned seven seasons and his front office experience over a decade holding several positions with Washington and Philadelphia. Even with his success at ESPN, Riddick has continued to apply and interview for general manager and player personnel jobs throughout the NFL the past few years but has not been hired.
Suffice to say that the NFL’s loss is the viewers’ gain. Riddick has risen to the level of being the premiere football analyst talent at ESPN.
Speaking of premiere talents, when co-host/anchor Joy Taylor left The Herd with Colin Cowherd to take over hosting duties for the FS1’s Speak, I was disappointed. The chemistry between Taylor and Cowherd was excellent.
More than that, she was a bright light on the most intelligent sports talk show on TV. Taylor pulled no punches and gave her pointed views on a variety of sports subjects while delivering the Herdline News expertly. She was direct, unflappable, and totally willing to give honest and even controversial takes on issues in and out of sports. In addition, her interjections during Cowherd‘s many dissertations were outstanding.
The choice of Jason McIntyre to replace Taylor seemed boring and safe. I had him pegged as average and saw the Herd degenerating into just a guy talking to another guy about sports. I was wrong. McIntyre has picked up where Taylor left off, pushing the dialogue, creating a wonderful exchange, and often challenging Cowherd’s assertions.
McIntyre gives viewers the headlines, but sprinkles in his unique viewpoints on those headlines. Moreover, he has become an equal to Cowherd in debate and discussion, not just reacting, but initiating topics.
The 34 year-old McIntyre also tends to bring a more contemporary standpoint on sports topics, providing the Yin to Cowherd’s 59 year-old Yang. Like Taylor, McIntyre is unafraid to boldly state his views.
On a recent show, talking about the Broncos, McIntyre said that Denver is winning ugly and provided backup. He related that in his previous three wins, Russell Wilson does not have a 200 yard passing game and Denver has not had 100 yard rusher.
He also had a great debate with Cowherd on whether the Atlanta Falcons’ problems were due to the lack of a great quarterback or head coach Arthur Smith’s play calling. McIntyre has become a perfect sidekick for Cowherd, but he is no Ed McMahon, Vanna White, or Andy Richter.
Cowherd is unquestionably the smartest guy in any sports talk room, but McIntyre does not just go with the flow and follow along. On the contrary, he dares Cowherd to be even better and brings fresh perspectives to the table on a daily basis.
If McIntyre has been a revelation, the same can be said for ESPN’s Chris Canty. The co-host of ESPN Radio’s signature morning show Canty, Cohen, & Smallmon played 11 years in the NFL with the Ravens, Giants, and Cowboys winning Super Bowl XLVI with New York.
Canty was a recent guest on Get Up and pulled no punches in talking about the possibility of the Big 10 suspending Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh over alleged sign-stealing just before a crucial game against Penn State.
He called Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti “gutless” for the decision that eventually resulted in a three game suspension for Harbaugh. Canty also called Petitti’s reaction an overstep and overreaction to a mob mentality against Michigan.
Canty eloquently proclaimed that making such a decision with no proof and based merely on an allegation sets a dangerous precedent for the future. When talking about whether a Michigan national title would be tainted this year, Canty made a great comparison to the New England Patriots’ Spygate and Deflategate controversies.
He averred that neither of those scandals has stopped Bill Belichick from being recognized as the greatest head coach in the modern era and Tom Brady from being recognized as the greatest quarterback in the history of football.
Canty has shown this type of frankness across-the-board in his work at ESPN and ESPN Radio. In fact, I feel that he is an underutilized talent at the network. We should see him more often on the regular rotation of shows such as Get Up, First Take, et al. Canty joins Tony Romo, Jason McCourty, and Julian Edelman as an ex-players who have taken to broadcasting quickly.
Like Canty, former NFL coach Rex Ryan is seemingly a natural for media. This giant personality first came into the American consciousness when he took over as the head coach of the New York Jets in 2009.
Ryan’s braggadocio and boisterous bombast inspired his players as the Jets made legitimate Super Bowl runs in 2009 and 2010. Ryan doubled down on his fame when the Jets were on hard knocks before the 2010 season – in my opinion, the best-ever season of this program.
Ryan’s foul language and high decibels captivated audiences and while his head coaching run ended in 2016 with the Bills, it was pretty much a given that television would be his next stop.
Ryan’s candor and personality is tailor-made for television, and he has blossomed as a panelist on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. His interplay with host Samantha Ponder and panelists Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, and Alex Smith is outstanding.
Not surprisingly, he has openly lambasted quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Mac Jones, and gleefully celebrated the demise of New England Patriots and Bill Belichick, his nemesis as head coach of the Jets.
On this past Sunday’s show, he said that on the eyeball test the Steelers are the worst 5-3 football team he’s ever seen, then proceeded to say that next week they’d be the worst 6-3 football team he had ever seen giving praise to head coach Mike Tomlin.
Ryan has developed an excellent chemistry with co-panelist Tedy Bruschi. The duo has debated several issues, most notably when the Patriots, Bruschi‘s former team, and the Jets play each other. The pair play off each other very well on Countdown’s Film Wall segment where they show their technical mastery of the game by dissecting plays from various teams.
This past week, Ryan looked at how new wrinkles in the Ravens’ offense are confounding defenses, while Bruschi chimed in with his comments. It was excellent. Ryan also had an excellent analysis of the Cowboys breakdown at the end of their loss against the Eagles the week prior, blaming it not on the players, but on the coaching staffs’ game plan.
As the NFL season gets meaty, Riddick, McIntyre, Canty, and Ryan are serving up a filet mignon of analysis – quite rare in this medium and very well done.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
