TV: Official Petition To Bring Back Bobby "The Chief" Taylor / Fire Brian Engblom

[ArmaHedman]

It's apples and oranges. While I can appreciate Eng's in-depth analysis, it does come off rather clinical and sterile after listening to Chief for so many years. I'm close on this, but if I had my choice, I'd bring Chief back. He had his negative points to be sure, but he had some personality on him. His missteps were part of Lightning lore and I miss that.

And man, oh, man, can I get sick of Engblom gushing about the other team sometimes. That's my big sticking point with him. I swear, he wouldn't shut the ***** up about the Hawks players when they were in town. I was on the verge of breaking out the mute button on his ass. If he tones that down, I will come around. I don't need an out-and-out 100% homer for color commentary, but I don't want to have to hear about how amazing and wonderful the opposing team is all the time, either. Sheesh.

So as things stand now, I vote Chief. Feels like we sold our souls in getting Engblom.

I think you said it better then I could have. I feel the same. I miss the homerism of chief, it makes it all that much harder of a transition when Brian spends half the broadcast praising the other team and man crushing on their players.

After all his time in a national broadcasting role it would be difficult to get out of that neutral position as a broadcaster. It will be impossible for him to do so if he continues to do games in between. Don't want to stop the guy from making some money but after this season I am ready for someone new already! makes we really wish we would have picked Kevin Weekes.

 

[Hoek]

I didn't catch this.

Said he did a good job occupying the defenseman on Tyler Johnson's first goal. Then you heard Coburn yell, "Are you just saying that because I'm sitting here?" or something similar because he was at the end of the bench next to Engblom and could hear it.

 

[These Are The Days]

Can you all imagine what it would've been like listening to him in the playoffs last year when Detroit was kicking our ass? Oh mercy!

 

[FDfranklin]

He said something along the lines of "Vasi hasn't let in a single goal" a few seconds before Toronto scored.

Get rid of him.

 

[berlin]

Can you all imagine what it would've been like listening to him in the playoffs last year when Detroit was kicking our ass? Oh mercy!

It was great!

 

[CarpeNoctem]

I think you said it better then I could have. I feel the same. I miss the homerism of chief, it makes it all that much harder of a transition when Brian spends half the broadcast praising the other team and man crushing on their players.

After all his time in a national broadcasting role it would be difficult to get out of that neutral position as a broadcaster. It will be impossible for him to do so if he continues to do games in between. Don't want to stop the guy from making some money but after this season I am ready for someone new already! makes we really wish we would have picked Kevin Weekes.

I think that'd be a good pick. He's not a homer like Chief but he's not super sterile like Engblom.

 

[BohemianRhandomly]

I think that'd be a good pick. He's not a homer like Chief but he's not super sterile like Engblom.

Weekes would have been great. He has just the right balance of personality and analytical ability, and he praised the Lightning long before other commentators were willing to pretend we existed. I heard that he really wanted the job to come here. Too bad he didn't get it.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

Weekes would have been great. He has just the right balance of personality and analytical ability, and he praised the Lightning long before other commentators were willing to pretend we existed. I heard that he really wanted the job to come here. Too bad he didn't get it.

I did not know that. Who the eff picked Engblom over him? Worst decision ever!!

 

[CarpeNoctem]

Seriously, ENGBLOM has to go. He was doing his best to convince Peckham that the refs didn't just blow that no-goal call. Wow, dude, wow. Root against your own f***ing team, you f***ing piece of f***ing crap. I'm going to start a petition, maybe a full site, to get his a$$ gone asap. RIDICULOUS, shut up, Engblom.

 

[Coopers Gum]

It was annoying how he kept yakking, I will say that. I'm a defender though. As much as I prefer Chief.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

Seriously, ENGBLOM has to go. He was doing his best to convince Peckham that the refs didn't just blow that no-goal call. Wow, dude, wow. Root against your own f***ing team, you f***ing piece of f***ing crap. I'm going to start a petition, maybe a full site, to get his a$$ gone asap. RIDICULOUS, shut up, Engblom.

Yes. Being a blind homer who is unable to see the other side of the situation is preferred. That's going to benefit everyone listening to him, huh?

He's not paid to be a fan of the team. If they wanted that, either Chief would've never been replaced or they would've found someone else.

 

[DFC]

Seriously, ENGBLOM has to go. He was doing his best to convince Peckham that the refs didn't just blow that no-goal call. Wow, dude, wow. Root against your own f***ing team, you f***ing piece of f***ing crap. I'm going to start a petition, maybe a full site, to get his a$$ gone asap. RIDICULOUS, shut up, Engblom.

He wasn't wrong.

I get that having a stone cold homer in the booth is a good thing. But there's a line where emotional responses get overblown. Even if your guy is a homer, he should have some amount of objectivity. Engblom probably goes overboard with it, but that goal was not clear-cut one way or the other.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

Yes. Being a blind homer who is unable to see the other side of the situation is preferred. That's going to benefit everyone listening to him, huh?

He's not paid to be a fan of the team. If they wanted that, either Chief would've never been replaced or they would've found someone else.

When it's borderline at best, don't root against your own team, ffs. I don't think that's a lot to ask. Moreover, Engblom is the most practical definition of vanilla out of all broadcasters I can recall, off-hand. He's just bad, despite often having reasonably good analysis. That alone does not a good broadcaster make. He's doing color commentary, not devoid of giving a damn, objective analysis for 3 hours.

 

[MattM92]

When it's borderline at best, don't root against your own team, ffs. I don't think that's a lot to ask. Moreover, Engblom is the most practical definition of vanilla out of all broadcasters I can recall, off-hand. He's just bad, despite often having reasonably good analysis. That alone does not a good broadcaster make. He's doing color commentary, not devoid of giving a damn, objective analysis for 3 hours.

Definition of a color commentator according to Wikipedia:

A color commentator is a North American term for a sports commentator who assists the main commentator, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress, in other regions this role is varioulsly referred to as an analyst or summariser.

Nowhere in there does it say he should be a homer of the team he's paid by. Or that he should be rooting for a team. His job is to provide analysis and point out key moments or great plays that most people may not pick up on. He does a damn good job at that.

 

[DFC]

I liked Chief in controlled doses, but I often found myself switching to opposing teams' feeds because of him. The blind homerism and Captain Obvious analysis was too much a lot of the time. I did like the drinking on the job though. That was entertaining.

 

[DFC]

Definition of a color commentator according to Wikipedia:



Nowhere in there does it say he should be a homer of the team he's paid by. Or that he should be rooting for a team. His job is to provide analysis and point out key moments or great plays that most people may not pick up on. He does a damn good job at that.

That's a good point on Engblom. He notices things that I wouldn't have had he not pointed it out. I don't think Chief ever did that. "What we really need to do right now is keep the puck in their end." That was pretty much the extent of Chief's analysis capabilities. That, and misidentifying JT Brown... ...for TWO YEARS (which, admittedly, I loved).

A lot of what was so lovable about Chief was that he was bad at his job. Like, not just "not good," but actually BAD. It made him entertaining as hell, so it was almost like a positive.

 

[MattM92]

That's a good point on Engblom. He notices things that I wouldn't have had he not pointed it out. I don't think Chief ever did that. "What we really need to do right now is keep the puck in their end." That was pretty much the extent of Chief's analysis capabilities. That, and misidentifying JT Brown... ...for TWO YEARS (which, admittedly, I loved).

A lot of what was so lovable about Chief was that he was bad at his job. Like, not just "not good," but actually BAD. It made him entertaining as hell, so it was almost like a positive.

Chief was entertaining and charismatic, but that isn't what he is paid to do. He's not an emcee. A color commentator is such an important job and Engblom is one of the best at it. Most people whinging about him are just unhappy that they don't have someone constantly validating how good we are at all times. Engblom will call it like it is. Get used to it.

 

[The Macho King]

Chief was entertaining and charismatic, but that isn't what he is paid to do. He's not an emcee. A color commentator is such an important job and Engblom is one of the best at it. Most people whinging about him are just unhappy that they don't have someone constantly validating how good we are at all times. Engblom will call it like it is. Get used to it.

Ummm...

Did you even listen to Chief? That wasn't his style at all.

 

[MattM92]

Ummm...

Did you even listen to Chief? That wasn't his style at all.

Yes. I listened to Chief's drunken babbling for over a decade. He was an unbelievable homer.

 

[The Macho King]

Yes. I listened to Chief's drunken babbling for over a decade. He was an unbelievable homer.

Yeah he was a homer. But he wasn't this "Tampa is always great" homer by any stretch.

 

[Rschmitz]

What the Chief brought was an "Us versus Them" mentality that I sorely miss. He wasn't an observational analyst like Engblom, you could feel what was happening out on the ice by both what he said, and how he subcommunicated it. I learned to hate or love certain players through him, or feel the momentum/what was happening in the game by how he acted. I remember coming home, turning on the television, and knowing something was amiss the night Stamkos broke his leg, simply by hearing the tonality of his voice.

I'm not the type of guy who wants to just see a play happen and acknowledge it, I want to experience it through the eyes of the play by play guy and color analyst. It's that type of empathy that Engblom lacks. You don't have to be a blind homer, but I want to experience a full range of emotions during a game from the point of view of my team. Also, I don't want to see Engblom go, he brings a lot of insight and is good, but he needs to add this element.

 

[Hoek]

You've done the best job of capturing the good part of Chief, RSchmitz.

And he definitely ripped our team as much (probably more) than he praised it. He was always griping about our defense not being physical enough or conceding the blue line too easily. His most accurate analysis was mostly saved for whenever we gave up a goal or the goaltending, which he obviously has the personal experience with. The homerism was more reserved for the officiating where he definitely took our side on anything that wasn't blatant.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Solution: Have RP call the game with Engblom but have Chief in the booth with Rick as well. Distant shouting and tsssking is heard via RP's mic.

 

[The Macho King]

Solution: Have RP call the game with Engblom but have Chief in the booth with Rick as well. Distant shouting and tsssking is heard via RP's mic.

I miss the Tsssking more than anything.

 

[Coopers Gum]

What the Chief brought was an "Us versus Them" mentality that I sorely miss. He wasn't an observational analyst like Engblom, you could feel what was happening out on the ice by both what he said, and how he subcommunicated it. I learned to hate or love certain players through him, or feel the momentum/what was happening in the game by how he acted. I remember coming home, turning on the television, and knowing something was amiss the night Stamkos broke his leg, simply by hearing the tonality of his voice.

I'm not the type of guy who wants to just see a play happen and acknowledge it, I want to experience it through the eyes of the play by play guy and color analyst. It's that type of empathy that Engblom lacks. You don't have to be a blind homer, but I want to experience a full range of emotions during a game from the point of view of my team. Also, I don't want to see Engblom go, he brings a lot of insight and is good, but he needs to add this element.

Dude, you nailed it, especially from the very first sentence.