Len Dawson is a legend. A Super Bowl champion. A Hall of Fame quarterback. And a rude color commentator.
Dawson's broadcasting career began when he was an active player. He has worked the radio side of Chiefs games since in 1985. But besides star power, there's not a lot he brings to the booth. "What do we say every game about penalties and turnovers?" Dawson asked during yesterday's 10-6 win over the Broncos. "They are killers."
Turnovers and penalties are harmful to a football team's success. Got it.
Of course, it's not just the clichés or the throat clearing. Late-period Dawson also has a terrible habit of interjecting before his partner, Mitch Holthus, has finished calling the play.
Dawson's interruptions are often just noises that leave the listener baffled as to what's taking place on the field. His Oooh! of praise or excitement is not far from his Oooh! of worry or dissatisfaction. At other times, Dawson speaks an actual word and beats Holthus to the money line -- "Sack!" -- of each play. It must drive Holthus crazy, but what's he going to do? Quit in protest? Ask for Bill Kenney to take Len's chair?
Here is a sampling of Dawson's work from Sunday's game.
Mitch: Second and five. Cassel with time, fires high ...Len: Oooh!
Mitch: ... Wants Verran Tucker. Tucker was well covered from behind. Cassel might have been throwing that away.
Mitch: Arenas just had the sack. He'll get the punt at the 22...Len: Oooh!
Mitch: ... And it's a short return to the 31. And he's frustrated, thinking he should have had more.
Mitch: First and goal. Kansas City at the 5. Bowe in motion right to left. Handoff Charles, right up the gut...Len: Yes!
Mitch: ... Hit and driven down by D.J. Williams. He gains three yards to the 2.
Mitch: Lead play, left Moreno...Len: Oh, yes!
Mitch: ... This time, better. Belcher puts a smacking on him.
Mitch: Cassel throws left...Len: Oooh!
Mitch: ... And it's broken up. Well covered. Joe Mays jumps in front of Tony Moeaki and deflects the pass, incomplete.
Mitch: Yes, it's going to be illegal...Len: You know, throwing it to Pope, dumping it off, isn't exactly like dumping it off to Charles or McCluster. Because he did the right thing. He wrapped both arms around that football and making sure he didn't cough it up.
Mitch: ... Illegal shift on Kansas City.
Mitch: Denver, first-and-10 and its own 7 after a field-position punt by Dustin Colquitt. Kyle Orton out of the I-set gives it off to Moreno....Len: Uh-oh.
MItch: ... He's got a nice gain up across the 15.
Mitch: Shotgun snap...Len: Now they'll throw. Screen.
Mitch: ... Orton wants to run a screen. Being pressured. Fired it late. Overthrows Moreno.
MItch: On second-and-12, Orton to throw...Len: Oh, man.
Mitch: ... All kinds of time. High on the throw to the tight end, right side, Daniel Graham. Incomplete.
Mitch: Just under way, third quarter. Handoff, Thomas Jones, off-tackle, right...Len: Uh-oh!
Mitch: ... Across the 45 and nearly gets out the gate. But he gains 11 as it is, make to 12, to the Denver 40-yard-line.
Mitch: Fullback behind the left tackle Branden Albert. Tight right, play-action fake....Len: Unintelligible distress call
MItch: ... A blitz and Cassel is going to get buried on a corner blitz by Champ Bailey. Only the third sack of Bailey's 12-year career. He's been shadowing Bowe all day, and you talk about guessing right...
Len: He did.
Mitch: ... Here came Bailey, and a loss of nine.
Mitch: Cassel, under trouble again, and he throws over the middle...Len: Oh, man.
Mitch: ... Incomplete. He was trying to thread it into Dexter McCluster.
Mitch: Charles to the left of Cassel. Bowe to the near side, Champ Bailey trying to clamp down on him. No catches for Bowe. Here comes...Len: Blitz!
MItch: ... The Blitz by Denver. Cassel reads it, fires it. It is high and incomplete.
Mitch: Handoff Moreno. Chiefs try to run-blitz. Moreno breaks a couple tackles and has a couple tackles, now three. Stays on his feet...Len: Ah, boy. I'll tell you.
Mitch: ... And he's got a 12-yard gain to the 48, actually a 14-yard gain.
Mitch: [Referee] Carl Cheffers is saying that Orton was down before he got rid of the football. Huge call here...Len: Oh, man.
Mitch: ... For Kansas City. Hali and Arenas. The ball was coming loose when he spun the ball around.
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I agree with the above posters. I have been a Dawson fan since 1969. Since we lost Grigs No way do we loose my buddy Lenard.
LAY OFF!
Have to agree with Mr. Martin-whatever his creds as a player, he's terrible in the booth.
Wow, we all know that the Pitch is a terrible publication, but you're going to talk trash on Dawson? Can't you think of anything better to write about? Worst article I've ever read.
If you people need some writers down there at the Pitch, email me. I'll write this fool under the table.
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