Hollywood

I don't really like to bash Rich Eisen as I've really enjoyed his work on NFL Network. He has an incredible rapport with the football players, past and present. When Eisen is with the players they all seem to accept him as one of their own even though he repeatedly proves to be so very nonathletic. His 40-yard dash, in his dashing suit, to close the NFL Scouting Combine is a riot. A tradition that I hope never fades. His sprints are bad. His attempts at throwing and kicking a football are even worse. I've never seen anyone whose life is so centered around sports be so bad at them. Maybe he's terrific at tennis or golf but football clearly is not a sport that he has grasped. It all adds to his goofy appeal. He comes across as a very fun guy. I'd love to hang out with him and all his football friends.

The thing that frustrates me about Eisen is that I fear that he's become too "Hollywood." He's always looking for that big "story." That big scoop. Usually a controversial one. It seems that he's always looking to add a little TMZ to the NFL. When the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl he was more excited about the possibility of Kim Kardashian joining Reggie Bush on the post game set than the big game that he just witnessed. It was ridiculous. Hearing about it was embarrassing as a football fan. The Kardashians are a disaster. I hate seeing any of them walking around the sidelines of football let alone sitting comfortably on a Super Bowl postgame set. Keep it about football, Rich!

People often joked about the way that John Madden fawned over Brett Favre. At least that admiration was entirely due to Favre's often incredible football ability. Eisen has a similar fascination with Tim Tebow. In my opinion, this crush has little to do with football. Right now, Tebow is a horrible quarterback. His passing fundamentals make Philip Rivers and Favre look like Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. Unlike Favre and Rivers, Tebow's passes are all over the place. There's no telling where they might go. Tebow is a lightning rod for conversation and Eisen can't get enough. As a result, this football fan has to suffer through it. I'd rather hear about Jay Cutler and I hate that too. At least it'd be about football. No, Rich Eisen has gone too Hollywood. I wish that he'd come back.