“Not that Howard was ever any good.”
Cosell said some goofy things but he was amazingly knowledgeable and a terrific sportscaster. Gifford and Meredith were entertaining but NEVER in his league.
I lived in NY and heard Howard on the air almost every day. He was arrogant, looked down his nose at everyone associated with football and every other sport he covered. His attempts at being a know it all were laughable at times.
Just before John McEnroe turned pro in tennis, Howard made the statement that Mac would never be a great champion. I remember turning to my husband and saying, “How can he ever know that? I think we have to watch this kid. He’s probably going to be great.” Needless to say Howard is not always right.
Howard’s mouth either succeeded fabulously or failed horribly. There was no middle ground for him and he seemed to succeed and fail equally. Of the three in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, he was the one who never played football. He was a pompous, overbearing commentator with a whiny annoying voice. God rest his soul. Thank the Lord there will never be anyone else in “his” league.