Greg Olsen’s rise to announcing stardom is complete, even if his future with Fox might be uncertain.
During Sunday’s epic NFC title game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, Olsen put on a clinic as the color commentator. He was eloquent, patient, and consistently added thoughtful insight to the matchup. Perhaps most importantly, Olsen ensured that his analysis was accessible because he understands that teaching the game to his audience by reaching it where it is is just as important as delivering any essential information. All in all, Olsen’s game might have been the color commentating performance from anyone this entire NFL season.
That’s what makes it so unfortunate he could leave Fox’s top announcing booth when Tom Brady finally steps in. Fox could, of course, elect to have a three-person booth, but plans for that have not yet been announced … if they even will be.
What is assured is that Olsen won’t be calling Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas in two weeks. That task will fall to CBS’s grating Tony Romo, who answers the question, “What if a golden retriever with no concept of object permanence wore a hands-free microphone while announcing a football game?”
We are missing out by not getting someone as bright as Olsen in the booth for the biggest American sporting event of the year. That’s for sure.