Dan Fouts' Charger slobbering was funny

**Cj34** · 11-25-2012, 10:28 PM

Ha! I thought we were rough on Fouts on this board. Take a look at this article by David Zurawik at the Sun. It's very rare you see an entire network being lambasted by a major media outlet....well if you can consider the Sun a major media outlet.

I would just mute it and listen to the radio but my father told me he turned the radio on during the delay when they reviewed Rice's amazing play and from then until the Ravens kicked the game winning FG Sandusky NEVER gave the score. Not one time. Lol. That's flat out terrible.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...,2785457.story

**Ravenous1** · 11-25-2012, 10:31 PM

Maybe Fouts should take a gander at Ripken during the AL playoffs if he needs a clue on how to act impartial. Cal went to far IMO to be impartial. Fouts never even pretended to try. The only satisfaction for me is knowing he got to witness that team blow yet another game

**Ravens75** · 11-25-2012, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by GOTA

I thought Fouts was fine. He called Ray Rice 4 and 29 the best play he'd seen all season.

Are you serious? Fouts was terrible with his partiality towards the Chargers. There was very uneven calls (no one is talking about the Torrey Smith non PI call in OT that was so egregious that even Fouts said that should've been a PI) but Dan seemed to shut up when Jacoby Jones was tackled well out of bounds as well as some other obvious homer comments.

Also anybody with two eyes would make the comment Fouts stated on the 4th and 29 run.

**itsernst** · 11-26-2012, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenboy2003

I would love to know what the GATE attendance was today.. the mezzanine and upper decks looked half empty, even at midfield. That place had to be more than 10,000 below capacity. Pretty sad

I was at the game and it was announced as 56k. It was quite full at one point.

Originally Posted by Corey

Lot of Ravens fans in the place. I swear there was one point that I heard a defense chant, while the Chargers were on offense.

You definitely did hear this as the Ravens contingency made sure to get loud when the Ravens were on defense. Even better, Ravens players were playing up the crowd when they were on defense too as to make the crowd even louder.

**GOTA** · 11-26-2012, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by Ravens75

Are you serious? Fouts was terrible with his partiality towards the Chargers. There was very uneven calls (no one is talking about the Torrey Smith non PI call in OT that was so egregious that even Fouts said that should've been a PI) but Dan seemed to shut up when Jacoby Jones was tackled well out of bounds as well as some other obvious homer comments.

Also anybody with two eyes would make the comment Fouts stated on the 4th and 29 run.

He praised the Ravens multiple times for their 3rd down conversions at the same time saying how the Chargers offense did nothing in the 2nd half. I really never thought about any bias during the game but obviously I'm alone in this since it sounds like everyone else did.

**Lee Van Cleef** · 11-26-2012, 04:55 AM

http://walterfootball.com/nflreview.php?1=1&p=1&id=6

This guy is clearly pissed! lol.

**moose10101** · 11-26-2012, 05:41 AM

Originally Posted by Cj34

Ha! I thought we were rough on Fouts on this board. Take a look at this article by David Zurawik at the Sun. It's very rare you see an entire network being lambasted by a major media outlet....well if you can consider the Sun a major media outlet.

I didn't trust my ears when I heard him say "I hope"; I had to ask someone if I had misheard him say "They hope". Nope. Here's the exact quote, for those fortunate enough to miss it:

“They may call pass interference on the Ravens. The fans are booing now, but they’re going to be clapping real soon. I hope.”

I've never heard anyone make such a biased statement on a network broadcast of a game. Dierdorf may ball-wash certain players, but even he's never stooped as low as Fouts.

On the bright side, I wonder if Norv would be interested in an OC job?

**JAB1985** · 11-26-2012, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by Lee Van Cleef

http://walterfootball.com/nflreview.php?1=1&p=1&id=6

This guy is clearly pissed! lol.

wow. thats a lot of homerism there. I thought it was pretty one sided commentary. I didnt much care though.

**HoustonRaven** · 11-26-2012, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

He praised the Ravens multiple times for their 3rd down conversions at the same time saying how the Chargers offense did nothing in the 2nd half. I really never thought about any bias during the game but obviously I'm alone in this since it sounds like everyone else did.

I'm with you. You're not alone.

But if you say otherwise, this group tends to shout you down when it comes to any perceived bias the broadcast team may have.

**Dade** · 11-26-2012, 07:00 AM

Fouts wasn't really bad at all. The only thing that sticks out in my memory is one time a flag was thrown and he said he hoped it was against the Ravens. I can forgive one slip up.

Most commentators will talk good about a team that's playing good. And bad about a team that's playing bad. And the Ravens did play one bad half of football.

**JohnBKistler** · 11-26-2012, 07:04 AM

“They may call pass interference on the Ravens. The fans are booing now, but they’re going to be clapping real soon. I hope.”

I took his comment not as being biased towards San Diego, but towards himself. He clearly predicted that the call would go against the Ravens the instant it happened, the "I hope" was said in terms of "I hope the officials make me look like I know what I was talking about."

....but Dan seemed to shut up when Jacoby Jones was tackled well out of bounds as well as some other obvious homer comments.

No he didn't!! On the first hit, by the Ravens on the Chargers, I thought it was clearly out-of-bounds and should have been called. Fouts said so as well.

On the second play, when the Chargers hit Jones-out-of-bounds, he made the "soccer field" statement and commented that the officials were letting the out-of-bounds hits by both teams go un-flagged.

**JohnBKistler** · 11-26-2012, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

I'm with you. You're not alone.

I am in as well. Much to do about nothing, imo.

**Dade** · 11-26-2012, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by JohnBKistler

I took his comment not as being biased towards San Diego, but towards himself. He clearly predicted that the call would go against the Ravens the instant it happened, the "I hope" was said in terms of "I hope they make me look like I know what I was talking about."

That makes sense.

**JAB1985** · 11-26-2012, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

Fouts wasn't really bad at all. The only thing that sticks out in my memory is one time a flag was thrown and he said he hoped it was against the Ravens. I can forgive one slip up.

Most commentators will talk good about a team that's playing good. And bad about a team that's playing bad. And the Ravens did play one bad half of football.

i think that one "slip-up" makes his commentary seem to have more of a bias. so even when hes merely commentating on what hes seeing during our bad half, it just comes off more one sided than maybe intended. Id agree its probably more how its interpreted than what hes actually saying. I didnt have a problem with it because we get similar treatment from time to time as well. it should be expected when he obviously has ties to the team.

**ravenjoe** · 11-26-2012, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenboy2003

Did anyone else catch Fouts say, "I sure hope so!" when the announcer said, "this penalty will probably go against the Ravens"???

I certainly heard that comment, and my buddy went balistic - he is going to write a letter to CBS and blast them for this totally unprofessional pattern of announcing games!!!

**RavnFreek** · 11-26-2012, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by Corey

Lot of Ravens fans in the place. I swear there was one point that I heard a defense chant, while the Chargers were on offense.

Indeed.. My Cousin was at the game. He said Ravens fans owned the place. Bolts fans left in the 4th thinking they won the game. Evidently there is a Ravens roost in LA and SD and they both get together for when the Ravens go West.

**NCRAVEN** · 11-26-2012, 09:31 AM

Fouts wasn't one sided. But his favoritism of the Chargers clearly showed.

For gods sake, he praised Rivers for throwing the ball away, every. single. time. he did. Hell he kept count of how many times he throw the ball away and praised him for each individual time and for the total.

**JohnBKistler** · 11-26-2012, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

For gods sake, he praised Rivers for throwing the ball away, every. single. time. he did. Hell he kept count of how many times he throw the ball away and praised him for each individual time and for the total.

Have you seen Rivers play this year? Throwing it away is a good play for him.

**JohnBKistler** · 11-26-2012, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by RavnFreek

Indeed.. My Cousin was at the game. He said Ravens fans owned the place. Bolts fans left in the 4th thinking they won the game. Evidently there is a Ravens roost in LA and SD and they both get together for when the Ravens go West.

The West Wing: http://thewestwingla.com/

Here are their tailgating pictures from yesterday (Adam Jones made an appearance): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...4285985&type=1

A couple of cool pictures at the end of the game showing the Ravens fans: http://instagram.com/p/SfAjvvFbJ1/

**lobachevsky** · 11-26-2012, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Dade

Most commentators will talk good about a team that's playing good. And bad about a team that's playing bad. And the Ravens did play one bad half of football.

There is a degree of bandwagon riding--it's amusing to listen to them grind the commentary gears into reverse as soon as a team that seems to be on a roll goes south.

But in fact, if you listen to the broadcast of a game between two teams without national followings, you tend to get a horse-race commentary, i.e., straining to emphasize how the team getting smeared can always come back, even four scores down with 5 minutes to go. And I am sure that is by design, for the same reason the networks will play up a presidential race as "too close to call" when it's anything but: to keep those sets on that channel so that the late-game advertisers get the looks they've paid for.

And speaking of "eyes on the tube," there's customarily also a degree of antihomerism as well--since the broadcasts are usually aimed at the visiting team's viewing audience. No matter how badly the visitors play the broadcast teams moves heaven & earth to find some reason for optimism. And this should have been even more prevalent last Sunday, since not only do the Bolts not have a huge national following, the game was blacked out in SD, so there was no home TV audience. (Last I heard anyway.) Which would make any pro-Charger bias on Fouts' part not only unprofessional but arguably unprofitable as well. Wonder if he hears from the Network Gods about it?