To me the issue with Denton and Kesling is competency

[Volznut]

These guys are paid to do what they do, and should be competent professionals. Bob Kesling's issues are well documented. He mispronounces names, doesn't give down and distance properly, is pretty bland to listen to. With Denton, I think he's probably getting old and not reading properly. He was better 15 years ago. When you are being paid a lot of money to do a job, you need to do it properly. If you can't, why should you have that job?

[VinnieVOL]

I enjoy Denton.  But to each his own.

[tnflower]

I enjoy Denton.

Vinnie, have you listened to him lately? He's calling stuff that even I can see is wrong. 

[Hollerboy]

Kessling drives me crazy.  I listen to most of the game on the radio and I count on a good broadcast from him....still waiting.  He cannot paint an accurate picture of what is going on.

Example....." Its first down and Poole is in the backfield...he gets the ball.....AND IS HIT AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE for a short gain....looks like it will be second and one.....Check that, it was Neal with the carry.    Second down and Neal gets the ball....AND HE BREAKS A TACKLE...AND DRAGS AN OPPONENT FOR A BIG GAIN......looks like it will be......third and one.   Check that....Poole was back in the game to make that carry."   

I CANNOT STAND IT ANYMORE!!!!!       Bob is a nice man...a great Tennessee guy....but he sucks at calling a game.  I have been tired of him for many years. 

[ReVOLver]

Bob is a nice man...a great Tennessee guy....but he sucks at calling a game.  I have been tired of him for many years. 

This last line sums it up nicely.

[VinnieVOL]

Agree totally on Kessling.  He strikes me as someone who doesn't follow football or watch much of it away from the games he's working.  You can just tell.

[Volznut]

Agree totally on Kessling.  He strikes me as someone who doesn't follow football or watch much of it away from the games he's working.  You can just tell.

I think Bob was a pretty good sports reporter when he did that. He got the play by play job probably because of his connections (I don't know that as fact, but I have heard that). That just isn't what he is good at. Some say people expect too much because he follows John Ward. I don't think expecting someone to be competent at his job is too much.

[Stogie Vol]

I ran into Kessling years ago at the Varsity in Atlanta. We were in separate lines and I did a double take at him as I was looking around. He noticed I recognized him. Then I heard "What'll ya have?" and the encounter ended.

[10EC]

I think Bob was a pretty good sports reporter when he did that. He got the play by play job probably because of his connections (I don't know that as fact, but I have heard that). That just isn't what he is good at. Some say people expect too much because he follows John Ward. I don't think expecting someone to be competent at his job is too much.

Should have been Mike Keith.  Period... Yet another gaff by UT admin...

[SpringLizard]

Listening to Kesling, especially in a close game, can be a maddening experience. Listen, I have never asked Bob to be John Ward. And I can excuse the occasional gaffe with player's names. But what is inexcusible is his sloppiness in play by play.

Too many times a running back goes for "a couple" or a "short gain"...then before the next play runs he'll say something like "2nd and 5." Well, a five yard gain is NOT a "short gain." Or say, Bama, according to BK runs for two on first down, three on second down. So you think we've got them 3rd and 5...a good chance to stop the drive. Only to have Bob announce "3rd and a short-two." HUH? It's frustrating trying to decypher what the situation is if you're following by radio broadcast.

[VoLynteer]

Should have been Mike Keith.  Period... Yet another gaff by UT admin...

Was Bob chosen before Keith became the Titans' play by play guy?

[ReVOLver]

Was Bob chosen before Keith became the Titans' play by play guy?

No. Mike left the year before Ward retired.

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[Memphisvolunteer]

I hear what everyone is saying about Kesling and agree that you can't follow the game.  However, I have listened to other SEC play by play guys and they are just as bad.  The Alabama guy drives me crazy..."they gain 4 yards on first down" and then "it is 2nd and 8".  Huh!?  The LSU guys you can't even follow what is happening because they are talking about things that aren't happening on the field.  UGA is awful as is UF.

[Volznut]

I hear what everyone is saying about Kesling and agree that you can't follow the game.  However, I have listened to other SEC play by play guys and they are just as bad.  The Alabama guy drives me crazy..."they gain 4 yards on first down" and then "it is 2nd and 8".  Huh!?  The LSU guys you can't even follow what is happening because they are talking about things that aren't happening on the field.  UGA is awful as is UF.

The UF guy is annoying as hell with his "Ooooh my!" every 2 seconds.

[BanditVol]

I hear what everyone is saying about Kesling and agree that you can't follow the game.  However, I have listened to other SEC play by play guys and they are just as bad.  The Alabama guy drives me crazy..."they gain 4 yards on first down" and then "it is 2nd and 8".  Huh!?  The LSU guys you can't even follow what is happening because they are talking about things that aren't happening on the field.  UGA is awful as is UF.

Eli Gold, the bammer announcer, is about the worst in the biz IMO.  I recall years of listening on my car radio while running errands, (since it was the only game on), of dialing into it in the middle of the game, listening 5, 7, 15, one time even 20(!) minutes, and having no idea of what the score was and often even who had the ball!  Seriously, I have heard him describe 4 consecutive plays and had no idea who HAD THE BALL!  And forget down and distance.  Just forget it.  It does not exist.   

[BigOrange Maniac]

By all accounts, Bob is a good guy. And I suspect that whether or not we're consciously comparing him to John Ward, if Ward hadn't been the play-by-play guy for 30 years, or hadn't been as good as he was, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now.

But, man oh man, is Kesling hard to listen to. And I agree with those who say that other SEC radio guys are just as bad. Radio has become a lost art. Guys who could paint a vivid picture of the game with words alone are long gone. The inaccuracies aside, the biggest difference between Kesling and Ward is how fluid John Ward was, compared to how choppy Kesling is. Ward could talk in a smooth, continuous manner, describing the formation as the team broke the huddle, the defense's blitz, the way the quarterback went through his progression, etc. His voice could excite you and soothe you at the same time. He had a special knack for consistently calling the action without trying to keep up with the action. It didn't matter if the guy was skipping into the end zone and the crowd gave away the fact that he had scored, Ward would still go through his progression of describing the guy's cutback at the 40, broken tackle at the 35, etc. Kesling doesn't have the ability to do any of that. He just isn't a natural radio guy. As a television play-by-play guy, he wasn't too bad. And, as has already been stated, he was pretty good as a sports anchor and narrator for highlight films. On the radio...bleh. (Although he is much better at basketball than football.)

Another area where Kesling has struggled is his struggles to develop a catch phrase. He just hasn't been able to pull it off. The "Touchdown Travis Stephens, Touchdown Tennessee" wasn't bad; it just sounded a little too rehearsed. He needs to lose the "checkerboards" reference and never use it again.

Although I think Mike Keith is a little too over-the-top sometimes, I'd like to see UT replace Kesling with Keith.

Although this is getting off-topic, another difference between Kesling and Ward is that Kesling just isn't much of a people person. His interaction with fans at the Kickoff Call-In Show appears strained. Ward was a people person first. I have chatted with Kesling before and almost felt like he was having to keep his hand in his pocket to avoid glancing at his watch. Ward, on the other hand, has never been like that. A few years ago we were standing outside the top level entrance at the northwest entrance to Thompson-Boling waiting for the gates to open. It was colder than heck. John and his wife happened to walk up and slip into line. I introduced myself to him and he took the time to ask where we were from, what I did for a living, etc. Then more people began to gather around, some wanting photos, some wanting an autograph. He took the time to interact with each one of them. Here's a guy who can enter any gate he wants at any time he wants, and sit anywhere he wants, but he's standing outside in the bone-chilling cold with the rest of us, waiting for the public entrances to open with the rest of us, waiting to go sit in the seats with the rest of us. I seriously doubt you'd ever see Kesling in a similar situation.

[10EC]

No. Mike left the year before Ward retired.

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You can't tell me that he didn't know that John Ward was retiring the next year and that UT alreday said it was Bob.  He had sooo much more experience as a play caller.  I think he would have wanted the UT job more and would have waited for UT over the Titans offer if he knew he was going to be the UT guy.  It was one of the worst decisions by the UT Admin imo.

[ReVOLver]

You can't tell me that he didn't know that John Ward was retiring the next year and that UT alreday said it was Bob.  He had sooo much more experience as a play caller.  I think he would have wanted the UT job more and would have waited for UT over the Titans offer if he knew he was going to be the UT guy.  It was one of the worst decisions by the UT Admin imo.

No, he was already gone by the time Ward announced his retirement.

I have heard rumors that Ward wanted Kesling and didn't like Keith, but those are unsubstantiated.

I do not think that Keith would've taken the UT job over the Titans. He makes more money for less work (no basketball) and he's a midstate guy ... he went to UT but he was born and raised in the midstate. I think Keith also found it important to blaze his own trail rather than follow a legend.

[ReVOLver]

You can't tell me that he didn't know that John Ward was retiring the next year and that UT alreday said it was Bob.  He had sooo much more experience as a play caller.  I think he would have wanted the UT job more and would have waited for UT over the Titans offer if he knew he was going to be the UT guy.  It was one of the worst decisions by the UT Admin imo.

The timeline for clarification... the Titans hired him as Director of Broadcasting in 1997 when they moved to Tennessee and played their one season in Memphis. The next year he did color when they played at Vandy and he took over as the play by play guy in 1999.

Ward announced he was retiring in the summer of 1998.

[10EC]

No, he was already gone by the time Ward announced his retirement.

I have heard rumors that Ward wanted Kesling and didn't like Keith, but those are unsubstantiated.

I do not think that Keith would've taken the UT job over the Titans. He makes more money for less work (no basketball) and he's a midstate guy ... he went to UT but he was born and raised in the midstate. I think Keith also found it important to blaze his own trail rather than follow a legend.

I still say what John Ward announced publically was know inside much earlier.  I have also heard about a ward/Keith riff as well.

I still say he would have wanted the UT job more.  I mean come on, the Titans???   

[ReVOLver]

I still say what John Ward announced publically was know inside much earlier.  I have also heard about a ward/Keith riff as well.

I still say he would have wanted the UT job more.  I mean come on, the Titans???   

Did you miss the part where I said he makes more money for less work and gets to live in his hometown?

[10EC]

Did you miss the part where I said he makes more money for less work and gets to live in his hometown?

Did you miss the part where he is the play by play caller for the Titans... 

Seriously, I have stepped down in money for a better gig before.  Money doesn't always equal more happiness. 

[VoLynteer]

Did you miss the part where I said he makes more money for less work and gets to live in his hometown?

That is no excuse for aligning yourself with hooligans and ne'er do wells when you can associate with choir boys like the Vols.

[10EC]

That is no excuse for aligning yourself with hooligans and ne'er do wells when you can associate with choir boys like the Vols.

Dang, I was starting to wonder what kinda bait I had to use to drag you into this....

[VoLynteer]

Dang, I was starting to wonder what kinda bait I had to use to drag you into this....

I have 5 games of words with friends going and my battery is getting low. I gotta pick and choose when to post.