Al Michaels & Tony Dungy dragged out the Jaguars’ lifeless comeback call

Al Michaels & Tony Dungy dragged out the Jaguars’ lifeless comeback call

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Al Michaels he recently talked about what it was like to call Prime Video Thursday night football games this season, which were often uninteresting or extremely boring. One would imagine that the broadcasting legend was trying to call an exciting game with stakes. However, despite the testimony of Fr Jacksonville Jaguars epic comeback against Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday night, it sounded like Michaels and teammate Tony Dungy wanted to be anywhere else.

In case you didn’t watch the game, the Jaguars looked miserable early on, thanks to Trevor Lawrence throwing four interceptions. Down 27-0 in the first half, they were able to come back for good in the second half (paired with a collapse for the ages by the Chargers) to win the game in the final moments, 31-30.

The fourth quarter itself marked a series of exciting and tense games. A shout-out like Gus Johnson wouldn’t be out of place at least three or four different times. However, the 78-year-old Michaels and a 67-year-old Dungy it sounded like it was past their bedtime and they were just waiting for the game to end.

For example, here’s Michaels calling Jaguars‘ touchdown pass with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter, making it a one-score game. Al has a brief moment of excitement, but it’s fleeting. It’s a call that hardly fits the moment given the context.

Immediately afterward, a Joey Bosa penalty gave Jacksonville the ball at the one-yard line on a two-point conversion, leading to an easy score. The Jaguars were now all the way back from down 27 and within a field goal, and Michaels sounded like he was reading the script of what happened.

With 1:28 left in the game and the Jaguars driving, they found themselves on 4th and 1 Chargers‘ The 40-yard line. That was it, the play that could end the comeback or help the Jaguars make history. Travis Etienne not only brought the ball first, but also received the ball deep in LA territory, helping to set up the game-winning field goal. Michaels calls it a nice little play in the first quarter.

Finally, this brings us to the game-winning field goal that cements the historic comeback and is one of those moments that will live in Jaguars and NFL playoff lore for decades to come. It was the moment that probably prompted Michaels to utter his iconic “Do you believe in miracles? YES!” call. Instead, he nearly missed the shot himself and then barely registered a field goal, assuming a penalty flag would negate it, killing the entire moment.

Contrast that with the Jacksonville Jaguars radio call from Frank Frangie.

It was a confusing night for Michaels and even more so for the crowd. While NFL fans have long known Al to have a moment during exciting games or game-defining plays, his clear disinterest in returning to this storybook left many viewers cold.

“It was truly one of the worst, low-energy broadcasts of an absolutely amazing game I can remember. Not even the noise of the crowd was heard,” told Yahoo! Sport’ Dan Wetzel.

“Al Michaels was too bored to call the match over. Come on man,” said Dan Wolken of USA Today.

“I’m really surprised at how dry it is [Al Michaels and Tony Dungy] are now after witnessing the team come back from a 27-0 deficit to win a playoff game. Viewers cheated, man,” said Mavs Moneyball’s Mike Taddow.

“Al Michaels is a goddamn legend, but he and Tony Dungy were just awful on this call, right up until the end. Not befitting of an epic comeback,” ESPN Syracuse’s Brent Ax said.

“Al Michaels called the Jags winning FG like he put money on the Chargers,” said Andreas Hale of Sporting News.

“I’ve never heard a more comatose call at a big show, get these guys a coffee, this is a totally BOSHING booth,” Warren Sharp said.

“Al Michaels had no idea what was going on for 90 seconds. Dungy talks like he’s in the library during a 4-TD return. Put this recording of the broadcast in Canton for the worst ever, indeed the WORST of all time I have ever heard to the point of being beyond ridiculous,” said sports gambling expert Joey Knish.

“Can someone please inform Al Michaels that this drive is the third greatest comeback in NFL history? Give the man coffee!” said 670 The Score host Danny Parkins.

The pairing of Michaels and Dungy clearly didn’t work out. Dungy’s low-key demeanor may have sapped the energy from the booth, leaving Michaels to be the energy guy in the booth, which is no longer his ideal role.

However, whatever the reason, it was an unfortunate broadcast experience for what should have been a second half full of cheers, whoops and celebrations. Instead, viewers wondered which game Michaels and Dungy were watching.

[The Comeback, The Comeback on Twitter]

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