Is Mike Tannenbaum working for the Jets or ESPN? Incredibly, he is working for both. This amounts to a conflict, perceived or otherwise.
The former Jets (GM) and Dolphins (vice president of football operations), who joined ESPN in 2019, is billed as the network’s “NFL Front Office Insider.” In that gig he is paid to deliver, and comment on, breaking news from a GM’s perspective. He provides added texture to ESPN’s NFL coverage.
Recently the Jets announced they had hired Tannenbaum’s Think Tank/consulting firm, “The 33rd Team” to assist Gang Green boss Woody Johnson in his search for a new general manager and coach to replace Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas.
While Tannenbaum is working for Johnson, how can he present, or analyze, on TV, any news concerning the Jets search, a search he is basically in charge of? He can’t. And yet Tannenbaum, who will never be mistaken for Kid Dynamite behind the microphone, is a master of moving his mouth and saying nothing of substance. This is the vanilla approach Derek Jeter made famous while wearing a Yankees uniform.
Evidence of this was presented recently when Tannenbaum, in his role of ESPN “NFL Front Office Insider” was interviewed on 880-ESPN Radio by Ty Butler and Jake Asman. As expected, all their questions (they were good ones) were about Tannenbaum’s role in the Jets search.
And all Tannenbaum did was give similar answers (the interview was 9 minutes 30 seconds) in different ways. For example, there was a lot of “process” talk.
Tannenbaum:
“We’re hoping to be a process-driven search.”
“We’re in very initial stages of a several month process.”
“If you run a great process, you should have a good result.”
“Like I said, we’re running a thoughtful process”
“We’re very early in the process with the candidates.”
Is this the non-informative drivel the Bristol Faculty wants coming out of the mouth of its “Front Office Insider?” On the flip side, if Woody Johnson was grading at home, Tannenbaum would have received an A+ for his mastery of Corporate Mumbo Jumbo.
When an active player joins a studio panel late in the season, or for the playoffs, there’s a built-in skepticism from the viewership. While the player may comment on a play, or how it was or was not executed, he is not going to hammer a guy he might be playing against — or with — next season.
With Tannenbaum it’s different. The expectation of him delivering “inside” insight should not go on holiday, just because he’s decided to work for Mr. Johnson. And as the season’s hourglass runs out of sand, and more coaches are shown the door, or welcomed in, there will be more questions for Tannenbaum.
And many of the inquiries will be about the Jets search and how the movement of other coaches and GM’s impact it. If Tannenbaum continues to talk in process-eeze he will satisfy Johnson, but won’t be helping viewers looking for info.
Now may be the time for ESPN suits to suggest Mr. T take a sabbatical from broadcasting until he finishes up his Jets business.
BLUESHIRT BASHING
The Rangers, one of the more functional franchises in this market, is going through some dysfunction. The D-Funk has apparently heightened the sensitivity level of MSG studio analyst Steve Valiquette.
In the first period of the Devils’ 5-1 win on Garden ice Monday, Jack Hughes, on a breakaway, slowed and attempted a one-handed shot. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin blocked it.
Between the first and second periods Valiquette, on MSG’s studio show, thought Hughes was showboating, and said: “…Hughes set out to embarrass Shesterkin with one hand and that should have sent a shockwave to everybody on the bench…And I’m sort of surprised I didn’t see a response from the team that way.”
Obviously, down 2-0, the Rangers did not hear, or simply ignored, Valiquette’s rallying cry. Not only has losing brought Rangers dysfunction, but hockey-centric notebooks and cameras track the malaise to shortly after GM Chris Drury (like Leon Rose, he doesn’t speak to the media) sent a memo to the rest of the NHL signaling the Rangers’ store is open and he’s ready to wheel, deal and listen to offers, including for some of their veteran stars.
Considering the season has many miles to go, it’s kind of early to panic, right? Early for Valiquette to challenge the Rangers from the studio too. Not if heat is being directed from the top down.
NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek, in a recent FAN interview with Joe Benigno, said he could “only speculate” that Garden boss James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan is getting impatient early and putting “pressure” on his GM.
And does anyone else think Dolan was feeling just like Valiquette when he saw Hughes putting that backhand move on Shesterkin?
Could it be Dolan was playing the role of Valiquette’s ventriloquist?
GOLDEN TALKING POINT
Since MLB’s free agency period began on Nov. 4, it has mostly moved at a glacial pace, which at best meant hearing the same crumbs of Juan Soto “news” presented by a conga line of baseball “insiders” day-after-day.
It did nothing to quell the NFL’s strangle hold on sports media. Then along came Rob Manfred whispering about this Golden At-Bat gimmick. Suddenly that whisper turned into a scream.
Anyone with a tongue, teeth and a set of vocal cords, is talking about an “idea” where a team can bring any player up to bat one time, anytime, in a game. Suddenly, the whole world appeared to be squawking.
The fate of the Golden At-Bat doesn’t matter. Manfred has won already. He’s got Gasbags talking baseball rather than being, as usual, drowned out by the NFL.
AROUND THE DIAL
The speculation over which teams will be selected for the expanded college football playoff has made game telecasts sound more like studio shows. Like Tennessee-Vanderbilt last Saturday. The Vols had to win to secure a playoff bid and got off to a slow start against a squad that defeated Alabama earlier in the season and lost to Texas by three points. Yet analyst Dusty Dvoracek and play-by-play voice Dave Pasch, throughout the game, spent far too much time discussing what might need to happen for a variety of teams to make the tournament. They should have focused more on what was happening in front of them on the field. … Among the International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be Ross Greenburg who, for 33 years, helped make HBO Sports the place to be for boxing on TV. For 12 years Greenburg served as president of HBO Sports and prior to that gig was the executive producer. He enters the Hall in the “observer” category. Also being enshrined is Randy Gordon, the TV boxing analyst who also served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. The induction will take place June 5-8 at the Hall in Canastota, N.Y. … When the Valley of the Stupid reviews the Golden At-Bat debates the “confrontation” featuring Howie Rose and Michael Kay will be near the top of the list. If only because they managed to turn the festivities into a self-serving exercise. Very impressive. … Judging by how it was glorified by football analysts the flag planting “ceremonies” are bound to expand to “meaningless” games. … Just wondering why Gasbags who despise Aaron Rodgers can’t stop talking about him?
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: DEBBIE ANTONELLI
Does not get much sweeter than last Wednesday when the versatile ESPN college hoops analyst got to work a Louisville-Indiana game in which her son, Patrick, played for the Cardinals.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: DEMECO RYANS
For blaming the victim. At his Monday media session, the Texans coach placed the blame for linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s vicious forearm to the head of a defenseless Trevor Lawrence on the Jacksonville QB. “We stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that,” Ryans said. He added Lawrence tried taking “advantage” of the rule by sliding late and trying “to get an extra yard.”
DOUBLE TALK
What Brian Daboll said: “We thought that Drew [Lock] did some good things in Dallas.”
What Brian Daboll meant to say: “I’m not ready to say Drew gives us the best chance to win.”
