A great play-by-play announcer can significantly boost the excitement of a huge NFL moment
On Sunday, the legendary NYJ Matt shared a tweet that got me thinking.
Garrett Wilson’s touchdown catch Week 1 still lives rent free in my head
Given the stakes of the moment, what happened earlier, making this play to tie the game with 4 minutes to go in primetime vs a division rival is pure scenes pic.twitter.com/6oX2lq0R53
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) August 4, 2024
We’ve all seen this play quite literally over one thousand times by now. From Garrett Wilson’s acrobatics, to the deafening crowd pop, to the context of everything that happened leading up to the catch, it is one of the most cinematic moments in recent Jets history.
But there’s one aspect of this moment that does not get enough credit: Joe Buck’s call for ESPN.
“Garrett Wilson… WOW! WHAT A CATCH! TOUCHDOWN, JETS! That kid’s amazing!”
Buck’s pure awe perfectly matches the energy felt in MetLife Stadium at that moment. The palpable euphoria in Buck’s voice adds so much more life to a moment that already had plenty of it, only further strengthening its immortality as we rewatch it over and over again.
This clip highlights the play-by-play announcer’s role in determining the long-term memorability of a play. As amazing as that play was, it would be at least slightly less fun to rewatch if Buck had given an average call.
With that in mind… who are the best play-by-play announcers in the NFL today?
Here’s my Big Three of television play-by-play announcers entering the 2024 NFL season.
1. Joe Buck
I would not have had Joe Buck in my Big Three a few years ago, but he’s shown tremendous improvement in recent years. Not only does that put him in my Big Three, but he is now my No. 1 announcer going into 2024.
Buck has been calling major NFL games for a long time, and for good reason. He has a “big game voice” that makes any game feel like it’s must-see television. Few other sports announcers can match the presence that Buck commands on the mic. Not to mention, he’s the most established voice in the game right now (calling games since 1994), which further adds to the “bigness” that he brings to a game.
However, during his years with FOX, Buck fell short of his potential by calling games with a low-energy style that would have been a better fit for baseball. Just listen to how he called David Tyree’s “Helmet Catch” in Super Bowl XLII, which might be the most memorable play in Super Bowl history.
The July 11 Chuckle answer was…The New York Giants! Here's "The Helmet Catch", Eli Manning to David Tyree.
🏈⚾🏀🏒 Play today's Chuckle at https://t.co/PX03ihgCmY#chuckle #playchuckle #mlb #nhl #nba #nfl #trivia #wordle #newyorkgiants #giants #nyg pic.twitter.com/9L3GO1vyK0
— Chuck (@ChuckSportsApp) July 12, 2022
That’s the type of energy you should use for a 15-yard catch by Deontay Burnett in an October game between the Jets and the Bears.
Buck also had an “old man yells at cloud” reputation, perhaps most famously when he chastised Randy Moss’s “disgusting act” in Green Bay.
“That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss”
The Randy Moss Mooning Celebration 🌝pic.twitter.com/eMT9O6oUFe
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) July 8, 2024
However, since moving from FOX to ESPN in 2022, Buck has flipped the script. No longer does he sound like he’s calling golf. Any time you tune into a Monday Night Football broadcast, Buck seems to be having the time of his life. Couple his newfound energy with his experience, poise, established pedigree, and big-game voice, and you get the best play-by-play announcer in the NFL.
You would have never heard a sequence like this from Buck before he moved to ESPN.
Joe Buck gotta be drunk pic.twitter.com/WDJz5PlKiP
— sports announcers with no context (@nocontxtanncr) December 6, 2022
Here’s another exciting call from Buck in 2023.
Deebo Samuel says he’s in his best shape since the 2019 season.
Given Samuel was still capable of this last year, that’s an ominous statement for the rest of the league.
Also this call from Joe Buck *chef’s kiss*https://t.co/FiIUUWmFKz
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) July 27, 2023
As long as Buck maintains the same enthusiasm he’s had over the last two years, he will be difficult to unseat.
2. Ian Eagle
Perhaps there’s some bias here, as Ian Eagle finds himself calling a lot of Jets games. In addition to calling Jets preseason games, Eagle ends up calling a lot of regular season Jets games as the No. 2 play-by-play announcer for CBS. He is also a New York native who graduated from Syracuse.
No announcer matches Eagle’s pure love for football. He truly sounds like a fan in the booth – but not in a distracting way. You don’t necessarily want the announcer acting like a fanatical buffoon, flipping over tables and throwing coffee mugs for every 10-yard screen pass. But Eagle strikes an admirable balance. While his voice conveys immense joy and untethered admiration for the feats he is witnessing, he is still a consummate professional, maintaining a smooth flow as he guides you throughout the game.
🧵 LONG THREAD 🧵
Ian Eagle calling #Titans playspic.twitter.com/MHGGhcez7v
— No Context Tennessee Titans (@NoContextTitans) June 1, 2024
Eagle also offers an elite one-liner game.
“Kelce finds a blank space and scores!”
Legendary Ian Eagle call. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/CTf3i8qTUE
— Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__) September 17, 2023
I also admire Eagle’s preparation. He always brings a handful of fascinating stories and factoids to the broadcast.
Eagle was excellent with Dan Fouts and has continued to be highly enjoyable alongside Charles Davis. His banter with both partners is enjoyable and humorous without distracting you from the game.
When the Jets were last a somewhat good team in 2015, it seemed like Eagle was calling their games on a weekly basis. Since then, the Jets haven’t gotten much of Eagle since they’re typically buried at the bottom of the CBS pecking order. Hopefully, the Jets can draw some more Eagle games in 2024.
3. Joe Davis
There are a lot of contenders for this final spot, but I ultimately settled with Joe Davis.
Only 36 years old, Davis is already one of the premier voices in American sports. Davis doubles as FOX’s lead man for MLB and is the network’s No. 2 man for the NFL.
It’s well-earned; when it comes to the “big-game voice” that I mentioned earlier with Buck, Davis is probably the next-best when it comes to football. It will take some time for him to build up the pedigree that Buck has – part of being a big-name announcer is amassing many years of calling memorable moments – but he certainly has the voice of a future iconic announcer.
Davis’s call of Justin Jefferson’s legendary catch against the Bills was appropriately awe-stricken.
Ok. Wrap it up. This is the catch of the year. Justin Jefferson. WOW.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 13, 2022
Davis might not pop out as much as some of the honorable mentions I am about to bring up. But his execution and show-running are pristine. Davis rarely makes a mistake when it comes to relaying information (something Eagle is also elite at) and is fantastic at setting the stage for each moment. He maintains a baseball-style approach for much of the game, keeping the energy calm yet lighthearted and fun, but he will get excited when the time is right. It is a wonderful balance that makes for a cinematic football-watching experience.
Davis was previously working alongside Daryl Johnston, who is not one of my favorite color commentators. However, with Tom Brady unseating Greg Olsen as FOX’s No. 1 color commentator in 2024, Olsen will slide down to the No. 2 team alongside Davis.
Olsen is one of my favorite color guys. He brings some of the most detailed analysis of anybody at the position, and he combines it with a sense of humor that I think will work well alongside Davis. This should be one of the league’s best pairings.
Honorable mentions
4. Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan is by far the most energetic play-by-play announcer in the sport (save for Gus Johnson’s rare appearances). His best calls are always thrilling and often utterly hilarious.
It was a tough decision between Harlan and Davis for my third spot. However, I gave Davis the nod because I feel like he is more solid and consistent throughout the duration of a game. When he’s called Jets games, I’ve felt like Harlan tends to slip up occasionally, whether it’s botching a name or conveying key information about the game situation. So, that pushed me toward Davis. I wanted to consider full-game performance in this ranking, not just the highlights.
Still, Harlan is a legend and remains in my top four. Because of his prowess in basketball as well, he is one of the best all-around play-by-play announcers in sports, period.
5. Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz is in second behind Buck when it comes to the “bigness” that comes with his pedigree, as he has called seven Super Bowls for CBS and has been their No. 1 play-by-play announcer for a long time now. It’s hard not to think of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning when you hear Nantz’s voice, and as time goes on, his calls of classic duels between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will be just as iconic.
Personally, I prefer the voices of the other four announcers over Nantz, so that’s why he lands here, but I can’t argue if anyone includes Nantz in their Big Three.
