Thoughts on Lito, Kornheiser
Colleague John Smallwood wrote an interesting column today about Lito Sheppard's disparaging of the Eagles' front office, which Lito expressed in an interview with Newsday. Part of John's point was that it's really naive for Lito to pine for help from the NFL in attempting to get a valid contract reworked. No quarrel there with me.
Thoughts on Lito, Kornheiser
Les Bowen and Daily News staff
Colleague John Smallwood wrote an interesting column today about Lito Sheppard's disparaging of the Eagles' front office, which Lito expressed in an interview with Newsday. Part of John's point was that it's really naive for Lito to pine for help from the NFL in attempting to get a valid contract reworked. No quarrel there with me.
I was watching John Clark and Howard Eskin discuss the matter Sunday night on "Sports Final," though, and Eskin said something I thought deserved a response. Howard, who can be depended upon to parrot Eagles management's take on any given issue, weighed in on Lito's contention that Sheldon Brown can expect to be demoted, now that Sheldon has expressed dissatisfaction with his contract.
Eskin asked Clark if he really believed that Andy Reid would play a lesser player over a better player because of a contract situation.
That has been the Eagles' response to such charges for a while now, and it's a sure winner. Who in their right mind is going to say, "Yeah, the coaches don't really want to win games, they bench guys based on their contracts"?
Eskin's take is a catchy response, but it really isn't the final word.
First, Eskin's answer assumes players are evaluated completely objectively, that there is no subjective/emotional component to the way coaches look at them. I've been around pro sports, mostly hockey and football, for quite a while now, and I don't think that's true. It's like anything else in life -- if a coach likes the way a guy carries himself, sees him as one of "his guys," the player's faults tend to be viewed as harmless quirks. If a coach thinks a guy is a pain, starts to not really trust him, then every little glitch is viewed much more harshly. Also, as Lito acknowledged at the end of the 2008 season, not liking your situation can affect your play; the player, like the coach, is human.
More important is this: You, me, Howard, John and everyone else watching in Eagle Nation can agree the coaches wouldn't penalize an unhappy guy. What we think really doesn't matter -- if the players in the locker room think otherwise, then management has a problem.
And the players do think otherwise. They think they've seen it in action, from Michael Lewis to Rod Hood to Lito -- some would even toss Jevon Kearse in there. Maybe this is true in every locker room, I don't know. But I have to wonder, in this as in some other issues, if effective communication between management/coaches and the players isn't a big part of the problem.
Lots of guys in that locker room will be looking at what happens with Sheldon Brown this season, and thinking about their own situations. For that reason, if I'm the Eagles, and I really believe in Ellis Hobbs, I trade Sheldon for something before training camp starts, just to eliminate the distraction. I doubt it'll happen, but it should.
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Former Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden will replace Tony Kornheiser in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, ESPN announced today.
Gruden will join Mike Tirico and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski.
Kornheiser spent 3 years with Monday Night Football and will continue in his role on the popular "Pardon the Interruption" and add other ESPN projects, the network said.
Kornheiser's reaction was a reminder from the good old days of the journalism business, back before they just started laying people off willy-nilly because of poor profits. Every now and then, for whatever reason, a prominent columnist or editor would be demoted. Somebody would then post a memo on the bulletin board, and possibly in the newspaper, explaining that good old so-and-so was "returning to his first love," which often turned out to be a much lesser job, the love of which had heretofore gone unexpressed by the columnist or editor.
“I am totally grateful for the MNF opportunity that I truly enjoyed the last three seasons," Kornheiser said in a statement. "I feel we got better each year. My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true. When I looked at the upcoming schedule it was the perfect storm that would've frequently moved me from the bus to the air. I kept looking at the schedule the past month and wanted to find a way to quietly extricate myself. If I could handpick a replacement of a football guy, I would cast a net and drag in Jon Gruden. He is the two things you most want -- smart and funny -- and has the two things I don't -- good hair and a tan. I love PTI and am looking forward to continuing to yammer and yodel with Wilbon until the end of time.”
The thing about the planes is a fresh twist, but otherwise, Tony Kornheiser is "returning to his first love." Or the one that made him a national name, anyhow.
Gruden, a former Eagles assistant coach, served as an NFL head coach the past 11 seasons with the Oakland Raiders (1998-2001) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-08). He compiled a career record of 100-85 and led his teams to five division titles.
“Jon is one of the best football minds in the game, he has a natural ability to communicate that knowledge and he brings great enthusiasm – everything you want in an analyst,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production. “Combining Mike, one of the top play-by-play commentators in TV and radio, and Jaws, arguably the NFL’s best X’s and O’s analyst, with Jon, a Super Bowl-winning head coach, will create a must-watch Monday Night Football booth during the 40th season and in the years ahead.”
Said Jaws of his new partner: "I first got to know Jon when he was a coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was young, bright and energetic. He has a tremendous football mind and his career speaks for itself. He will bring a unique perspective to Monday Night Football and I am excited to work with him."
Thank god Kornholehieser got the boot!!! Is chuck really that personable though…— Laudereagle- Finally someone to compliment Jaws with football knowledge; could potentially be the next "Maddon" in the booth.— M60tanker
Comment removed.- When will MNF and the rest of the networks understand that the 3 man booth doesn't work.— rodnougat
- I might actually start watching MNF again........— joeolive
- Good. Someone convinced the powers that be that the Kornheiser hype/gripe machine sucks. And someone finally convinced Chucky that his Super Bowl ring is compliments of Coach Dungy, so he can stop pretending to be a head coach.— Sparerib
- Am I the only one that isnt buying this story about Korni being scared to fly..... ESPN gave him the polite shove out of the booth....... I would buy the 'to spend more time with the family' story before falling for the fear of flying excuse.— joeolive
- FINALLY! I hated watching MNF with him in the booth. Next, maybe (hopefully) the Phils will dump Wheeler and Matthews and make their TV broadcasts tolerable.— jH
- I don't know how Kornheiser lasted this long- he sucked.— justablogger99
- I can finally watch MNF without muting the t.v. again, and that is not to disrespect Jaws or Tirico. Kornheiser is just that intolerable, along with the long list of fools that preceded him. Gruden is a football mind and a good personality.— rwright611
- Now if they would only find a replacement for Jaws.— V7110
- It's about time! Kornholer was just terrible in that role.— hobbit
- Comment removed.
- Jaws and Vermiel...lineup solved— rothstein12
- Can FOX please get rid of Joe Buck next? I heard the idiot has a fear of Philly fans.— Philly Jinx
- Thank God, no more Kornhole. That guy was the definition of a jocksniffer and he tried way too hard to try and be cute. I can't believe he got that gig to begin with. Jaworski must be thrilled. As far as Gruden, I'd like to see him as the Eagles coach if Reid ever realizes his weight and family are out of control.— friedmozzarella
- Thank God, no more Kornhole. That guy was the definition of a jocksniffer and he tried way too hard to try and be cute. I can't believe he got that gig to begin with. Jaworski must be thrilled. As far as Gruden, I'd like to see him as the Eagles coach if Reid ever realizes his weight and family are out of control.— friedmozzarella
- Now to get rid of Tirico, oh who the heck am I kidding I can't stand any sports announcers, that's why I mute the tv!— MICKDONAHUE
- all announcers stink, that's why I mute the tv!— MICKDONAHUE
- I would rather have kept Dennis Miller than deal with another season of Kornhole.— Echo
- I liked Dennis Miller but I would have enjoyed seeing Gruden "going Chuckie" on him after some Sartre/glum pudding/Jerry Lewis film festival comment. Good riddance to Kornholer.— Joe Funk
- Best news i've heard in a long time. I watch PTI every now and again, generally in the background while i'm getting home and doing other things, and always in small doses. But I generally watched MNF with the sound off, if at all, because Kornheiser is just plain obnoxious in that format. Though I'll say that sometimes it was fun just to take bets on how long it would take Jaws to have to restrain himself from tossing the little guy out of the booth.— K,M
- yes Buck is next! also get rid of that stupid NBC set up for Sunday night.— losteagle
- Bah. I don't care if it's Charles Nelson Reilly and Lambchop calling the game next year. If the Eagles are playing, the TV sound is muted and Merrill is cranked up. If they aren't playing, I've got better things to do on a Monday night. GO BIRDS!!!— Coniglio101
- Joeolive, you are not alone. Everyone knows the 'fear of flying' thing is bogus so there isn't any point discussing it. Madden never flew and he did just fine. They couldn't use the 'spend more time with the family' excuse because Kornheiser himself has bashed coaches who use that one so it really would have looked bad. I'm not one of those people who bash everybody, but Kornheiser really added nothing to MNF. I don't even know why he's on PTI, either. It's so much better when he's not there and it's Wilbon and Lebetard.— smfree31
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- Nobody is ever good in that role. Like the Herd said this morning, youre trying to be clever or funny in 7 second spots, not easy. He was way better than Dennis Miller. As another post said, maybe its the 3 man booth that just doesnt work. Also with any color guy, youre gonna have a ton of critics but dont act like someone else will do that much better.— peteike
- Kornheiser - good columnist but lousy booth guy. Came off as too Ivy League and pompous IMO, sort of like Dennis Miller but without so many unfunny jokes.— PhillyPhantastico
- There is a God. More than once over the past few years, I turned off the sound because Kornheiser bored me to tears. He was almost as bad as the insufferable Dennis Miller was when he was on the show. At least Gruden, hopefully, will talk about FOOTBALL.— sherry37
- Les, maybe you can get the NFL to compel coaches/GM's to be more objective. Use your own complete objectivity as an example. The gold standard.— ahab
- I find it interesting, the concern over poisonous dissension within the Eagles' lockerroom. There will never be a collection of 53 athletes who are totally satisfied with their salaries/respect. According to the many opinions posted thru the years, the Eagles don't draft All-Pro players. Somehow, their teams keep rising toward the top, despite Reid's "arrogance", Banner's "cheapness", and Lurie's "ineptness". I think Andy knows how to aquire high-character guys and put a great product on the field. We've been knockin' on the door for quite some and I am very optimistic about breaking on through this year. Go Eagles!!!— tommy_the_k
- Another yapper.— AirForceBlue
- Another yapper.— AirForceBlue
- Thanks, God, for removing TK from MNF. He was an irritating, ill-mannered, and scary looking gas bag, much more so than Dennis Miller. Now, I can turn the audio up on the games. MNF really only needs two experienced analysts, not a third wheel. MNF should also get rid of the stupid half-time celebrity chat.— schwerveness
- mr.tony's great on pti;wishing coach johnson all the best.— oz
- Great point rodnugat. On the Lito issue, Lito just needs to shut his mouth before he sounds any dumber. I picture him walking around with that dopey look on his face, asking strangers if they can help him find his bus stop.— mikerainey82
- i thought when ESPN put jaws + vermeil together it was gold.— joeb
- MNF just got a whole lot more interesting....— Grazman
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I can't wait to see Gruden scowl at Jaws the first time he says Gruden's wrong......
Kornheiser was annoying but Gruden will be worse.— Richard Saunders- Not a fan of Korny at all, and will be happy not to hear him again. I will reserve judgement about Gruden, but I wish him success. Very interesting thought by 'rothstein12' about Jaws and Vermiel.....works for me, as I have the utmost respect for Vermiel. Has there ever been a booth combo of retired coach and retired QB from that coach's past team or teams??— TBear
- Comment removed.
- Great move. Jaws, Mike and Jon, a winning combination. I don't really like the three person booth, but if it has to be this is a good combination. At least Jaws won't have to teach Jon the game of football and I can watch MNF without having to turn the sound off.— obergruber
- Thank God Kornheiser is gone. Can't believe he stepped down on his own, the guy was literally painful to watch as he tried so desperately to out-talk everyone else in the booth, and act like he had some sort of knowledge on the game. He was like the geeky kid that got invited to the cool kid's party and was doing backflips trying to impress everyone with his knowledge. I can finally watch MNF with the sound turned on again.— BosoxJohnny
- Kornheiser is a boob. Thank God he's gone.— chasing history
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- John Gruden will not be a yes man, thats for sure. Wat to go John.— CURTCASH30N
Joe Buck should have a Fear of Philly with all the bashing of us and completely biased anti Phillies/Eagles Rhetoric. Hell I would love lay him out.— KINGOFZED- When I think of Tony Kornheiser, I think of his common description of fellow Long Islander John McEnroe: Mad genius. Kornheiser has his flaws-not least are his thin skin and massive ego. But as a sports journalist, he is unparalleled. Few columnists have ever been able to combine a sharp wit with such trenchant commentary and erudite prose. Still fewer have been able to take those skills and translate them to other media, as Kornheiser has with radio, television, and the Web. I don't know if MNF was the right fit for him--I never watched it enough to form a sound opinion--but he is a franchise pick, a Hall of Famer. To see him reduced to some juvenile, playground epithet as "Kornholer" says nothing about Tony, and absolutely everything about the knuckle-dragging troglodyte that is the stereotypical Philadelphia sports fan. Nice job; keep embarrassing our city, because you haven't done enough of that already. Pathetic.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- Hallelujah! I can finally watch MNF with the sound on again. Actually, he promised his job to Charles Barkley in 2006. With the Cardinals leading 20-0, Barkley perceptively noted a change in momentum. Kornholer replied that if the Bears won, Barkley could have his job. The final- Bears 24, Arizona 23. He should have left Charles in Charge.— hallux
- Brooklyn has a mancrusher, or worse. All I hear on PTI is weak analysis on volume setting 11.— Joe Funk
- This blog posted twitter updates from a FAKE account by Trent Cole and Asanted Samuel....This blog has ZERO credibility, get off the computer and actually TALK to someone, HACKS!!!
- thank god no more corn ball talk alot...now jaws can finish his comments w/o being interupted...mnf is not pti he didnt adjust and it made lots of people cringe and turn the volume down...— dsoul
- All readers deserve an apology immediately... I come to this site for news so i don't have to read all that rumor/twitter BS that is on the internet. YOU FAILED!! FAILED!!! MISERABLY!! FAILED!!! Time to look for a new job KNEWB!!!!
- eat this : http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/05/18/asante-samuel-trent-cole-twitter-accounts-are-fake/
- why do Les and Paul have goatees? So they can tickle each others balls while blowing each other.
- friggin losers these guys are
- agree with philly jinx, joe must go. all fans agree kornheiser was a make 'believe there's a controversy' and talk it to death while everyone around him was bored to tears.— JACK V
- I can finally turn the volume back up for MNF.— amblereagles
- Rod Hood never got less playing time. He wasn't better than Lito or Sheldon at the time so there was no room for him except nickleback. Rod got a lot of playing time and the coaches always spoke glowingly about him. Michael Lewis couldn't cover the pass to save his life and everyone saw his glaring deficiencies in pass coverage which kept getting exploited more and more. What has Lewis done since he was gone? What has Kearse done since he left? The guy was always hurt and didn't produce anything his last few seasons here. Lito played like garbage last season because he was always pouting and he fell behind 3 other guys on the depth chart who consistently outplayed him. Not one of those guys got shafted in playing time because of contracts...their playing time was gradually reduced because they weren't performing well.— JimG
- I look forward to working with Coach Gruden in the booth. Kornheiser is a tool.— JAWS#7
- Kornheiser was given the boot. He can say all he want about being afraid to fly. He took that from John Madden. Anyway he was like Dennis Miller in the booth, with all the inane comments.— poppie
- The good news about Tony quitting MNF is that he will go back and do his radio show, which is the best. Anyone that ever listened to his radio show going way back knows he has a big fear of flying. There is no need to bash him.His radio show was the most entertaining show I have ever listened to. I am looking forward to his return to radio.— dagipe
- I live in DC and can tell you that for years everyone has known about TKs real fear of flying...he tried to deal with it for three years for the sake of MNF but it certainly could be a factor in this departure...however, I have to agree with many that he was awful in this venue...and although I am sure it's a minority view this on-going shout-fest aka PTI is beyond stupid and put out of its misery...Wilbon is a blow-hard know-it-all...and TK is a prototypical whiner/complainer with a horrific regional nasality...TK was best in his morning sports talk show that for most of the time did not get out of DC (perhaps that was a good thing)...as for Gruden...he really is "Chuckie"...he looks like, talks like and has the thought process of a puppet whose strings are all tangled up with cliches...UGH!!— jachanin
- Kornheiser is the only announcer that DIDN'T give Conlin the bends.— stoky
- Good riddance! He kept trying to turn a football game into "The View".— holmesburgexpat
- PTI...KORHEISER,DENNIS MILLER....WHO'S YANKIN WHO ?! THIS NEW LINE UP SOUNDS GOOD,2 FORMER EAGLES W/KNOWLEDGE & A DECENT PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN...NUFF SAID !!! ROLL THE MUSIC.— SAL@KENSINGTON
