Rejoice: Danny Kannell to draw paychecks again

CBS Sports’ college lineup of play-by-play/color/sideline groupings has been announced for the 2018 season. And, there is a name that is sure to draw the ire of...well, nearly everyone not affiliated with an ACC program.

Danny Kannell.

First, the units:

Play-by-Play/Analyst/Reporter

Carter Blackburn/Aaron Taylor/John Schriffen

Rich Waltz/Aaron Murray/Cassie McKinney or Amanda Balionis

Dave Ryan/Corey Chavous

John Sadak/Randy Cross/Sheehan Stanwick-Burch (Navy)

Ben Holden/Jay Feely/Tina Cervasio (Army)

Jason Horowitz/Danny Kanell or Ross Tucker

Following ESPN’s disastrous personnel moves of the previous 18 months, where Kannell (and then some genuinely talented folks) got exiled away from the sweet narcotic glow of television lights, Danny had to cool his jets online for a season. It was in this capacity, where he specialized in Clay-Travis-without-a-law-degree trolling of the SEC in general, and Alabama specifically. Now, he gets his chance to redeem himself and reemerge into the limelight (of sorts) on CBSSN.

I honestly don’t have a problem with this. First, when Danny actually sticks to in-game analysis, he can be quite erudite. It’s his commentary that dooms him, often to hilarious effect.

You can’t expect that CBS will let Kannell do his usual drive-by hot takes on the network’s premier product either: Danny’s opinions will stay where they belong — moored in the cobwebbed recesses of his fevered mind. CBS does not pay $40 million a week to have their product trolled...of course, that may change in 2022-23, when CBS’ exclusivity agreement with the SEC terminates.

Everyone deserves a second chance, right? So, Mr. Kannell, time to rest those twitter fingers, save up your best material for happy hour with your boys, and play it straight full-time. When you do so, you can actually be pretty good and you can enhance the broadcast experience.

If not? Well, I’m sure you’ll get corrected and fragged — again — as you’re dusting off the resume — again.