Al Michaels was the target of significant ridicule following Saturday night’s thrilling AFC wild-card playoff game between the Chargers and the Jaguars, as numerous viewers found themselves disappointed with the longtime play-by-play broadcaster’s perceived lack of excitement during the game’s most pivotal moments.
The bulk of the backlash directed at Michaels came after Jacksonville kicker Riley Patterson drilled a 36-yard field goal as time expired for the win and the NBC announcer gave a rather subdued call. However, Michaels found no issue with his call, instead saying that he was “very happy” with his performance in a text to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.
“Must have gotten a hundred texts from folks who were very happy to see me back on NBC,” Michaels said. “Read some comments that we didn’t sound excited enough. Internet compost! You know me as well as anyone—no screaming, no yelling, no hollering. It’s TELEVISION! Ellipses and captions are [sufficient] when pictures tell the story.”
