I was unfortunate this morning and flipped the channel to ESPN’s “First Take.” I was lucky enough to only deal with a few moments of Skip Bayless trolling America. He is one of the reasons why ESPN programming is no longer viewed as being elite. Bayless drains an ounce of what’s left of their journalist integrity every day that he is on the air. Can a write-in campaign stop his madness? Here’s some of what I witnessed today and why ESPN needs to get rid of Skip Bayless.
The few moments that I witnessed of today’s show blew my mind. It wasn’t the kind of mind-blowing television that I enjoy, it blew my mind that someone can make such stupid uninformative opinions on a mainstream outlet. The single thing that he said was that “the best place for Tim Tebow is Cleveland. Bayless added, “he would flourish there because they don’t have any decent quarterbacks on their roster.” Lets analyze this insane comment and dissect it.
First, he believes that Tebow has a shot in Cleveland. If you look at the Browns roster, they lack a running game and have been adding parts in their receiving corps for the last few season. Greg Little has a shot at being an elite wide receiver, but not with Tebow at quarterback. I understand that Colt McCoy isn’t the long-term answer there, but Tebow would be taking a step backward. Also, the Browns have two first-rounds picks this year, their early pick won’t likely be a QB, but there will a few nice options with their later pick. Ryan Tennehill may still be available or they could trade down, gain some other picks, and pick either Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, or Kirk Cousins.
Secondly, he’s assuming that Tim Tebow is more than a system quarterback. John Fox helped design a system that fit Tebow’s strengths. They relied on their defense to generate favorable field position, which the Browns currently lack. The Broncos would be asking for a high draft pick for Tebow, which I don’t see that happening.
I know that
Skip Bayless says nothing but contrarian statements in hopes of drawing ratings. From all accounts from people who have met him, they have nothing but positive things to say about his personality. It sounds like the exact same thing that you hear about
Glenn Beck. They both go on television & radio and say things to cause a stir. Once the microphone is off, they put their characters away and become sane people.
I don’t agree with ESPN changing their “First Take” format. I don’t enjoy hearing Stephen A. Smith yell over Skip Bayless for a few hours. ESPN needs more programming like “Outside The Lines,” “E:60,” & “The Sports Reporters.” I understand that those shows aren’t exactly ratings monsters, but they need more of those shows to bolster their image. I’m saying that ESPN should feature a guy like Bob Ley over Colin Cowherd (no offense Michelle Beadle, you’re still my girl).
I don’t want “First Take” very often, because it just raises my blood pressure. More sports radio shows are getting their own morning/afternoon television shows, so there are more options to watch. I’m a big fan of
“The Dan Patrick Show” and have been a listener since before they took the show to DirecTV. I would rather hear a guy be honest, who tells both sides of the story, and have guests on who are knowledgeable about specific topics (Chris Mannix, Bruce Feldman, Tony Dungy, etc). Don’t even get me started on “Mike & Mike In the Morning,” that is an entirely different post.
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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.
If you’re a sports fan, you know Bill Simmons. He started as a blogger in Boston as ‘the voice of the common sports fan’ and then somehow morphed into an occasional blowhard and talking head on ESPN. He’s also the creator of the 30 for 30 documentary series and is the editor at Grantland.
