Fouts is out

Phil Plantier

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Reports from Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand that CBS has fired Dan Fouts.

I've always liked Fouts, first as a player and then as a broadcaster. I think he has a gift of treating the game like a game, without getting campy about it (like Paul McGuire used to do).

View: https://twitter.com/richarddeitsch/status/1248627259029647368


Tweet text from Deitsch: "Significant news in NFL broadcasting below from Andrew Marchand. Not that my confirm means anything but I've leaned it is true. Fouts is out. CBS Sports declines comment on this. I really liked this team and will miss them together. Humor is v. underrated in game broadcasting."
 

TFP

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I've always liked Fouts, first as a player and then as a broadcaster. I think he has a gift of treating the game like a game, without getting campy about it (like Paul McGuire used to do).
I've literally never heard anyone say this about him (as a broadcaster). He's easily the worst color commentator in all of professional sports and this is long overdue.

Seems like he's a nice guy though.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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Yes, not to kick a man when he's down, but Dan Fouts and Don Criqui made many a Patriots victory less enjoyable than they should've been. Ian Eagle would be an improvement on Criqui, but Fouts was, shall we say, consistent.

I'm guessing there's a decent chance I'll get laid off in the next few weeks, and I hope none of you start a thread that turns quickly to "Mugsy's Jock sucks anyway".
 

CoffeeNerdness

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Having a complete grasp of the rules is a basic requirement for any announcer. Dan Fouts didn't meet that basic requirement. I'm pretty sure he still doesn't get that all scoring plays are reviewed.

Rough time for anyone to lose a job though. I'm sure he'll get picked up in some capacity because he's got a name and has the whole 'guy I'd drink a beer with and watch the game' relatability thing going for him.
 

tims4wins

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Terrible announcer, seemingly nice guy. Had an awful habit of completely ignoring what the replays actually showed.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Having a complete grasp of the rules is a basic requirement for any announcer. Dan Fouts didn't meet that basic requirement. I'm pretty sure he still doesn't get that all scoring plays are reviewed.

Rough time for anyone to lose a job though. I'm sure he'll get picked up in some capacity because he's got a name and has the whole 'guy I'd drink a beer with and watch the game' relatability thing going for him.
You're not going to miss things like "Look here, the Cornerback clearly hit the WR after the ball was in the air, so that's not pass interference!"?

The only shocking thing in this thread is some people like Fouts.
 

ifmanis5

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Fouts started out pretty well and was actually good, which is hard to remember now. Then the long downslope began and he's been a disaster for a long time. Should have been fired years ago but sports announcing provides a level of job security like few other occupations. Will not be missed.
 

E5 Yaz

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When Fouts first started, he was really good. Honestly. But, as the game evolved, he didn't ... and as time went on, he sounded less and less connected with how the game was being played and it seeped into his demeanor.

He's a prime example of a guy who thought what he brought to the table would be enough for his entire career. The ones who last are the ones who accept that the game isn't the same today as it was when they played or coached, and they adapt.
 

ifmanis5

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When Fouts first started, he was really good. Honestly. But, as the game evolved, he didn't ... and as time went on, he sounded less and less connected with how the game was being played and it seeped into his demeanor.

He's a prime example of a guy who thought what he brought to the table would be enough for his entire career. The ones who last are the ones who accept that the game isn't the same today as it was when they played or coached, and they adapt.
This is the correct take. Once upon a time Fouts was good but he never bothered to keep up and the results became very obvious.
It's not as egregious an example of Packer, McCarver or Simms but it's hard to stay at high level and not become a pompous ass and/or an out of touch diminished version of yourself.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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I've had other announcers that were more grating, in my opinion, but I can't remember any other announcer who was guaranteed to tell me at least half-a-dozen wrong things every single game they worked. Not questionable opinions, or old-timey "I wish it was still the way it used to be" talk, but just flat out objectively false statements about what we were watching and/or why it happened.

Last game of the career, hope he didn't hold anything back.
 

Fishercat

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I am guessing that some of our board's opinion is skewed by getting the A-Team for so many weeks and very rarely getting the C or D teamers. Looking at last year, we had

Harlan/Gannon
Eagle/Fouts (2)
Tessitore/McFarland
Buck/Aikman (2)
Michaels/Collinsworth (3)
Nantz/Romo (3)
Catalon/Lofton
Tirico/Warner
Gumbel/Green (2)

So for half of the regular season, we got the networks' respective A-Teams or sole announcing team. Outside of that, there's "one-timers", and then Eagle/Fouts and Gumbel/Green. I feel like we usually got them for 2-3 games a year which is enough to be annoyed by them (it's easier to overlook mediocre or bad announcing if you only see them like once a year or once every couple years), especially when you're usually seeing the best the networks are offering otherwise.

I'd still rather listen to nearly everyone on this list over Fouts specifically but it's gonna be harsher here I think.

(Disclaimer: I dreaded hearing Fouts on commentary for the reasons everyone else is saying though and I think Eagle was really good, so I'm pretty happy about this as a fan)

Edit: based on the Reddit thread my theory may be...well..wrong. View: https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/fyh1fa/cbs_dumps_dan_fouts_eyes_charles_davis_in_nfl/
 
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Cotillion

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That's just it though. Fouts was considered one of the top tier announcers to get one of the best games of the week (below Nantz/Romo), and he was objectively bad at his job. I always felt bad that Eagle got stuck with him. As Fouts was so often blindingly wrong on what just happened. Even as the replay was showing the exact opposite had just happened. He also didn't have any grasp at all on what the rules often were. He was very set in his mind as to what the rules were at one point, and he just keeps saying that rule even though it had probably changed like 10 times since he locked it in.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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Kliq

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McFarland gets his bad rep from that horrible Booger on the Couch stuff. He was actually pretty, pretty, pretty good in the booth this year and will only improve.
I never quite got the Booger meme stuff from this year. He wasn't great, and I probably watched less MNF this year than any other year, but I thought he was okay. He talked a lot of about line play, which even if he is pointing out obvious stuff in the trenches, it is stuff 95 percent of fans don't know.
 

InstaFace

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I find Booger completely unlistenable, just shouting-jock-style cliches and idiocy. A few insights about line play don't change his overall impact on making the game less enjoyable for me.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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When Fouts first started, he was really good. Honestly. But, as the game evolved, he didn't ... and as time went on, he sounded less and less connected with how the game was being played and it seeped into his demeanor.

He's a prime example of a guy who thought what he brought to the table would be enough for his entire career. The ones who last are the ones who accept that the game isn't the same today as it was when they played or coached, and they adapt.
I've long said that pretty much all players/coaches-turned-color analysts have a shelf life, particularly national broadcast ones. I put it at 15 years max, though it's probably closer to 10. They're insightful immediately because they're usually fresh out of being in the game, and as they go, they gain the on-air experience that smooths out their style. Then it's peak performance for 3-5 years followed it's a steady decline. The problem is the ones that get to a really high peak (#1/#2 team on a network) end up hanging around on reputation forever, often without facing demotions from the top teams. For every Simms that gets bumped for a Romo before he hits bottom, there's a McCarver who lingers for 5-10 years past expiration. Fouts is in that latter territory.
 

Kliq

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Andrew Marchand is reporting that Drew Brees has already signed with NBC Sports, and that the plan is for him to take over for Collinsworth once Brees retires.
 

Bernie Carbohydrate

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Yes, not to kick a man when he's down, but Dan Fouts and Don Criqui made many a Patriots victory less enjoyable than they should've been. Ian Eagle would be an improvement on Criqui, but Fouts was, shall we say, consistent.

I'm guessing there's a decent chance I'll get laid off in the next few weeks, and I hope none of you start a thread that turns quickly to "Mugsy's Jock sucks anyway".
Humor is v. underrated in SOSH posting.
 

Patriot_Reign

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In a sense this is good timing given the slate of CBS 1pm games the Pats are going to have next year.
 

Harry Hooper

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In a sense this is good timing given the slate of CBS 1pm games the Pats are going to have next year.
optimist


I honestly cannot recall the "Fouts was good" era, but he has been beyond bad (into not-fit-for-consumption territory) for quite some time. His longevity appears to be based more on being a great golfing buddy with the big sponsors than his actual broadcast performances.
 
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Moonlight Graham

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I always had a soft spot for Fouts. He was my favorite QB as a kid. As an announcer he never took the game too seriously, which I also liked. Over the last few years, it definitely seemed like he was mailing it in, so I agree with the change. That said, I enjoy an announcer who doesn't treat this shit likes it's life and death.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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I actually enjoyed the Michaels/Fouts/Dennis Miller team on MNF. I might be the only one, but I liked it. Fouts was pretty good back in the day, but he lost any semblance of a fastball several years ago. It was time.
 

DourDoerr

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I actually enjoyed the Michaels/Fouts/Dennis Miller team on MNF. I might be the only one, but I liked it. Fouts was pretty good back in the day, but he lost any semblance of a fastball several years ago. It was time.
I applaud the effort, but it's curious that they did this with the broadcast that's most likely to get the best teams/matchups. For those games, give me the vanilla and informed. It's the Bengals/Redskins game where I need the diversion.

I agree that early Fouts was a good listen. I also like a mellow approach in the mix.
 

johnmd20

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I actually enjoyed the Michaels/Fouts/Dennis Miller team on MNF. I might be the only one, but I liked it. Fouts was pretty good back in the day, but he lost any semblance of a fastball several years ago. It was time.
No, you weren't the only one. I also enjoyed it. It was different and at least you always knew something weird and/or interesting would be said. Booger is just a bore and completely not interesting.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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''I haven't seen murkier bloodlines than this since the house of Plantagenet.'' I recall Dennis Miller saying that during a Patriots-Jets game. My kingdom for a DVR pause button. I had to write it down to go look up what the hell that meant during a commercial break. But ya, he was fun for a little while. I think his act was pretty tired by the end though.
 

LoweTek

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Fouts played in one of the best football games I ever saw, a 1982 playoff game at Miami. It's considered by many to one of the best NFL games ever. It's even called the Epic in Miami. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for him as a result. He was a damn good quarterback. But you guys are right. He lost his fastball a while ago.
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

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Fouts played in one of the best football games I ever saw, a 1982 playoff game at Miami. It's considered by many to one of the best NFL games ever. It's even called the Epic in Miami. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for him as a result. He was a damn good quarterback. But you guys are right. He lost his fastball a while ago.
Was that the hook and lateral game? If so, I also watched that live as a youngster. He was my favorite non Patriots QB as a kid (Along with Dan Pastorini for some reason), but I can't stand him in the booth.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Wait. Is it hook and lateral? I always thought it was hook and ladder.
Hook and lateral is literally what the play entails...receiver runs a hook, catches the pass, then laterals it to a teammate...makes sense it would be called that. "Hook and ladder" probably began as the (weak) code name, kinda along the lines of calling the middle linebacker "Mike". It just became regular speak for the play.
 

Ferm Sheller

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Fouts played in one of the best football games I ever saw, a 1982 playoff game at Miami. It's considered by many to one of the best NFL games ever. It's even called the Epic in Miami. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for him as a result. He was a damn good quarterback. But you guys are right. He lost his fastball a while ago.
I think that was the best pro game that I've ever seen. The best college game that I've seen came a year or so later, also in Miami.

EDIT: I guess the BC/Miami game was almost 3 years later.