I fear the shitstorm I’m about to bring upon myself for this post, but, nevertheless, I must ask the question: are Gary and Verne that bad?

I appreciate that Verne is a bumbling doofus who doesn’t know anything about football. Yes, he misspeaks a lot, and from time to time makes some pretty bad mistakes (I recall a Terry Grant comment which incorrectly cast him in a pejorative light). But he’s a lovable doofus who calls a decent game, at least in my opinion. I would much prefer him to one of the random lower tier ESPN commendators or (God forbid) a commentatrix.

As for Gary, I've considered him a very good commentator. For me, whose understanding of x's and o's isn't to the level of Chris Brown, his real-time insights have been very revealing. My biggest complaint with him hasn't been his Tebow-love (a love well-enough deserved: no matter how annoying, Tebow was an incredible player and a model citizen) or any anti-Alabama bias (which I have never really perceived), but his slight “look how smart I am” smugness. But I think he's pretty smart and knows what he's talking about, so I give him a pass on that.

So what’s with the rabid Gary/Verne hatred?

/cringes and cowers