Gus Johnson Was Back Calling an NFL Game, and It Was Downright Glorious: TRAINA THOUGHTS
1. Gus Johnson is Fox’s lead college football play-by-play man. Despite the high-profile gig, Gus just hits different when he’s doing an NFL game.
The excitable play-caller was back doing an NFL game for the first time since 2010 on Sunday, calling Vikings-Cardinals with Aqib Talib.
Unfortunately, the duo won’t be working every week this season. They will be around for only select games, since Gus has to call college games every Saturday.
So Gus and Aqib have to make the most of their opportunities, and they sure as hell did Sunday, thanks to the wild shootout in the desert.
First, let’s start by acknowledging Talib and his drip:
Just fantastic.
Now, let’s get to Gus’s best moments:
The Rondale Moore touchdown was just classic Gus going wild for a long touchdown.
Matt Prater booted a 62-yard field goal at the end of the first half, which got a loud “BOOM” out of Gus.
Gus showed off his comedy skills in the fourth quarter, when the Vikings’ Danielle Hunter sacked Kyler Murray.
Murray’s antics on a fourth-and-5 in the fourth quarter generated a vintage Gusgasm.
And the perfect ending to Gus’s day was the Vikings’ missed game-winning field goal, which nearly gave Gus a heart attack.
Sports networks long ago forgot that sports are supposed to be fun and entertaining, especially when it comes to NFL telecasts.
Fans want announcers with personality. Fans want announcers who love the game. Fans want announcers who are as excited as they are about what’s taking place on the field. Gus checks all those boxes.
Gus Johnson is good for the NFL.
Welcome back, Gus.
2. While Gus lost his mind calling the Vikings’ missed game-winning field goal, Minnesota radio announcer Paul Allen had the wrong call, and it was painful to listen to.
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3. Ted Lasso won the Emmy award for Best Comedy, and Jason Sudeikis won the for Best Actor in a Comedy. His speech was excellent.
4. In his 22nd season, at 44 years old, Tom Brady was 24-for-36 with five touchdown and no interceptions in a 48–25 Bucs win over the Falcons.
After the game, the GOAT said the Bucs can do better.
5. Gerrit Cole gave up seven earned runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 11–1 loss to Cleveland on Sunday. The Yankees’ ace, who is 15–8 with a 3.03 ERA, was then booed as he was removed from the game in the sixth inning.
That did not sit well with the Yankees’ radio team of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.
6. This week’s SI Media Podcast dropped early. A brand-new episode with Jimmy Kimmel, who is an executive producer on ESPN's latest 30 for 30 documentary, Once Upon a Time in Queens, is now available for your listening pleasure.
Jimmy’s Cousin Sal is also a producer on the doc and joins the podcast to discuss the best nostalgic moments from the film, why they wanted to tell the story of the 1986 Mets and which former players stood out for their performances in the show.
Kimmel also talks about his time on Fox's NFL pregame show, how much Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long hated him and almost getting voted off the NFL on Fox. Other topics discussed include why the 1980s were the best decade, what Kimmel’s mentality is doing a late-night show during the age of streaming, the one guest he’d like to have on his show, his reaction to going viral and which question he hates being asked.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I brought up this classic TV-anchor-vs.-reporter fight to a friend over the weekend, and he revealed he had never seen it. I've posted this many times over the years in Hot Clicks and Traina Thoughts, so I was disappointed, to say the least. So, once again, for anyone who is unfamiliar with this clip, here is one of the best live TV local news fights you'll ever see.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
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