Al Michaels was told he is sleepwalking through commentary after his uninspired description of a Josh Jacobs touchdown on ‘Thursday Night Football’.
The Detroit Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in a hotly-anticipated contest with immense NFC North – and playoff – ramifications. The Lions managed to get a 34-31 victory and move to 12-1 with a last-second field goal from Jake Bates.
Detroit went into halftime boasting a 17-7 lead, and Michaels muted reaction to Jacobs second-quarter touchdown frustrated some fans. “Can he get into the end zone? Yes, he can,” Michaels muttered without a trace of enthusiasm. “Jacobs for the touchdown.”
Fans wasted no time in ripping into Michaels on social media. One fan took to X to post: They gotta get Al Michaels off TNF. He be sleepwalking through it.
Another was more detailed, writing: Al Michaels gotta retire man. This the game of the year right now and he calling it with the energy you use when you cant decide what appetizer to order.
Dont get too excited with that touchdown Al Michaels, one fan playfully warned. Another wrote: Al Michaels announced that Josh Jacobs touchdowns like he works at the DMV.
Michaels has been derided for some time over his commentary style on Thursday nights, with fans vehemently criticizing his low-key style of describing the high-octane action. One fan has had enough. I hate to say it, but I think its time for Al Michaels to hang it up, the user posted. Hes so bland and monotone when he calls TNF.
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Josh Jacobs in for the TD!#GBvsDET on Prime VideoAlso streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/UlLyFztdwO
NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2024
Michaels has worked in sports television since 1971 and has been calling NFL games since 1986. The 80-year-old was the voice of ‘Monday Night Football’ on ABC from 1986 to 2005, and switched to NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ in 2006.
In 2021, Michaels stepped aside but then decided to join Amazon Prime after the streaming giant secured an exclusive 10-year rights deal with the NFL to broadcast ‘Thursday Night Football’ from 2023. Amazon is paying a lucrative $1 billion annually for the rights to stream games on Prime Video.
Fans began criticizing Michaels last season, but calls for his retirement have gained momentum as he seemingly stumbles through games. Michaels is aware of the narrative surrounding his play-calling and appeared on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to defend himself last month.
Its a 60-minute game, Michaels said. If you scream your guts out in the first five minutes, where are you going to go? I dont scream the game at you, I dont holler the game at you. You look at Joe Buck and Jim Nantz and myself, we did like 17 of the last 18 Super Bowls, we dont scream the game at you, we dont holler the game at you.
Michaels later added: There’s an appreciation of what you do as your career moves on. My mindset always is that you’ve gotta be as good tonight as you’ve ever been. I know that this isn’t gonna last forever and I’m trying to get as much enjoyment out of it as I can.
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