If you’re going to be a professional broadcaster, you shouldn’t advertise that you don’t know essential information about a game you’re analyzing. Taken a step further, you shouldn’t use an awful excuse for your specific lack of knowledge.
Evidently, no one passed this message on to Terry Bradshaw on Sunday.
As the NFL on Fox pregame crew offered some quick words about the Atlanta Falcons’ matchup with the Detroit Lions, Bradshaw started complimenting Atlanta amid its early-season success. He even said he “liked their quarterback out of Cincinnati.” But, crucially, he didn’t say Desmond Ridder’s name. Hmm. And when Bradshaw tried to clarify who Ridder is, he excused his knowledge gap by jokingly saying Ridder isn’t good enough to justify knowing his name yet.
Hmm, maybe don’t compliment Ridder on live air then, if that’s the case?
"I like [Atlanta's] quarterback out of Cincinnati. What’s his name?… I'll learn his name when he gets good." – Terry Bradshaw on Desmond Ridder pic.twitter.com/ZAzfRusknQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 24, 2023
Look, covering and discussing an entire league of 32 different teams can be challenging. There’s a lot to digest on any given week. But if you’re going to put yourself out there and say something (read: anything) about one of them, you should at least know the names of the important players. It doesn’t matter if Ridder isn’t “good” yet. He deserves enough respect — like anyone — to actually be called by his name when highlighted. There has to be some kind of baseline standard for quality analysis.
This was a terrible on-air moment for Bradshaw, to say the least.
