| | Summerall's 21 years with Madden 'terrific'
Associated Press
On the first big play of the Super Bowl, it was undeniably clear
why Pat Summerall became the quintessential play-by-play man -- and
why his time as Fox's lead NFL announcer was up.
"Picked off," Summerall intoned midway through the second
quarter of his last game alongside boothmate John Madden. "Ty Law
down the sideline. ... Touchdown. ... What the Patriots were
waiting for."
Sparse, exciting, perfect: just 14 words to tell viewers
everything they needed to know.
Unfortunately, in the next breath, Summerall added: "The rush
by (Willie) McGinest is what caused it."
Actually, it was linebacker Mike Vrabel pressuring Rams
quarterback Kurt Warner on the play, as Madden noted when a replay
was shown immediately.
This season was the last on Summerall's Fox contract. He
announced Jan. 22 that this Super Bowl would be his final telecast
with Madden, ending a 21-year partnership that started at CBS and
evolved into the signature sound for pro football on TV. Summerall
left open the possibility he will work with another partner at Fox
or for another network.
Fox's broadcast of the New England Patriots' 20-17 victory over
the St. Louis Rams was the announcing pair's eighth Super Bowl
together. Their first was the 1982 NFL championship, which remains
the highest-rated sports telecast ever.
And once again, Summerall and Madden -- who moved to Fox in 1994
-- reprised the roles millions of viewers have heard on Sunday after
Sunday: Summerall providing the short, steady stream to Madden's
babbling brook.
Right to the end, Madden filled the air with his insights and
opinions, including insisting the Patriots should run out the clock
and head to overtime instead of trying to get into position for
what turned out to be Adam Vinatieri's winning 48-yard field goal.
It's a good thing for Summerall he didn't get paid by the word --
and a good thing for Fox that Madden doesn't.
A typical exchange, and the one real in-game acknowledgment of
the 71-year-old Summerall's swan song:
Madden: "Well, as we start our fourth quarter, Pat, it's our
last fourth quarter together, and I just want to say thanks for all
the memories of a lot of great quarters."
Summerall: "They have really been terrific."
Madden: "Twenty-one years. Then you multiply all those years by
all those games. Then you multiply that by all those quarters. It's
been very, very special, and you've made it very special."
Summerall: "So have you, and I appreciate it."
In addition to the Vrabel-McGinest mistake, Summerall had some
minor slip-ups -- missing a snap to the Patriots' up-back in the
third quarter, referring to Warner as "Faulk" on one play -- but
nothing out of the ordinary on a live broadcast.
Otherwise, he was right on the mark throughout, repeatedly
teeing it up with comments that cued Madden for adroit analysis.
And while Madden, who coached the Oakland Raiders to victory in
the 1977 Super Bowl, is the one known for his sense of humor and
outlandish comments, Summerall came through with their best
one-liner Sunday.
At the end of the first half, Fox went to a shot of U.S. troops
watching the game in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Fox's reporter said,
"They want to see the winning team right here in Afghanistan. And,
at the very least, bring the cheerleaders, right?"
After a seemingly awkward pause and chuckle, Summerall flashed
textbook comedic timing, saying, "What a wholesome thought."
Summerall's generally understated manner was contrasted just a
few minutes later during the halftime break by Fox studio analyst
Terry Bradshaw's buffoonery.
Bradshaw asked Paul McCartney to join him in singing the
Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night." Bradshaw was too loud, too
tone-deaf, and he butchered the lyrics, to boot.
The best line of the day actually came from someone not being
paid by Fox to speak to viewers.
Perhaps mindful of last year's Super Bowl, when overeager CBS
audio equipment picked up more than one obscenity during intros,
someone admonished Rams players who were whooping it up: "Hold on!
Hold on! We've got mikes on!"
Summerall's NFL career spans half a century: The former New York
Giants star kicked 100 field goals in 10 seasons, then broadcast
more than 1,000 games in the next 40.
He became a play-by-play announcer in 1974 -- and it was strictly
by accident. He was working with Jack Buck, and CBS boss Bob
Wussler thought the two commentators sounded too much alike.
"I said, 'As long as you want to make a change, I'd like to do
play-by-play,"' Summerall recalled. "He said, 'OK.' It was a
Wednesday. I did a game the next Sunday with Tom Brookshier."
Buck's son Joe -- Fox's lead baseball announcer, who also has
called football for the network -- is considered the leading
contender to replace Summerall as Madden's partner.
Summerall's succinctness shone through on the field goal that
ended the game.
His final play-by-play words beside Madden: "It's right down
the pipe. Adam Vinatieri. No time on the clock. And the Patriots
have won Super Bowl XXXVI. Unbelievable."
Sparse, exciting, perfect.
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SB XXXVI Over/Under
