Was it Just Me, Or...
Dan Ryan
Sunday February 2, 2003
These were still the Predators, the Rush, Aaron Garcia, and John Gregory, after all. Something was different, though. Sorta.
Does a studio show make that much of a difference, even though they have a little ways to go to becoming another “Gameday” or “Sunday Countdown?”
Were the helmets shinier? Were the jerseys more colorful? Do the graphics look better?
Did Jay Gruden seem a little more larger than life just because he spent the last four months breaking down videotape for his brother and spent last Sunday on a sideline in San Diego? All that before delivering a vintage Gruden performance with just three days of practice?
Was it cooler when the switch was made from Orlando-Chicago to the final seconds of New York – Dallas, then catch some highlights of Georgia-Colorado? Was John Elway’s tie kind of boring?
Did Michael Irvin’s suit really look like the seat cover of your father’s station wagon? [This will be the last wardrobe critique, because, as our illustrious founder Kevmo once pointed out, the name of this web site isn’t letsripthetvtalentswardrobefan.com]
Did you feel a little smarter when old Eli Gold explained the one-minute timing rules for the benefit of the new viewers even though you knew it like the back of your hand?
Maybe it was just me. Or maybe this NBC thing just might work, after all.
Dan Ryan has been involved with all forms of arena football since 1988, including writing for ArenaFan when Joe Kauffman and Tim Capper aren’t killing his columns because they don’t get his jokes or perspective. His day job is at Bethune-Cookman University, which has produced both an NFL Hall of Famer (Larry Little) and an Arena Football Hall of Famer (Stevie Thomas) and his hobby is tracking how many f-bombs Adam Markowitz drops in the chat room on game nights.
