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Monday, October 15, 2001

Kordell Stewart was mentioned in the same breath as -- no kidding -- Brett Favre. Plaxico Burress was praised for his football attributes one moment, then dressed down for his football comportment the next: "You haven't done anything in this league yet." The officials were criticized for making "a cheap holding call." The Steelers' Mike Logan, after his toreador play on the snuffed punt for a safety, was criticized for blandly applying an "excuse-me block."

You bet CBS color commentator Brett Jones was at his carping best yesterday.

Jones, working beside Gus Johnson on the Chiefs-Steelers telecast, showed why his opinion-spewing, reputation-chewing oratory skills were sought by none other than former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as a potential Republican congressional candidate in California. Good thing for us that CBS wooed the retired tight end into television.

Right about now, Steelers fans might be fretting over a possible curse by the onetime Chuck Noll draftee, who was cut loose in 1986 by the Hall of Fame coach, only to embark on a superb career with the San Francisco 49ers. The Jones jinx? Late in the game yesterday, he announced his pick to win the AFC Central: your Steelers.

Jones usually is right on when it comes to Steelers stuff.

Last year, he was dead solid perfect in his analysis of their clock mismanagement in the Cleveland loss in Week 2. Yesterday, he was as accurate as ... well, the oft-maligned Stewart.

Stewart completed a cross-field pass -- off his back foot, no less -- and met with this way-too-hip assessment from Johnson: "I tell you what, Kordell Stewart is pitching the rock today."

That was when Jones offered: "He has been as accurate as I've ever seen him. He's got a strong arm. But that's a tough throw. There are only two guys who can back up and make that throw. That's very Brett Favre-like. You see Brett Favre making that toss all the time."

Jones soon after sharpened his tongue on a certain second-year Steelers receiver. In the first half, after a Burress catch, Jones opined: "I actually like what I see in Plaxico Burress. ... But Burress has to make some things happen. He's too good physically not to be a dominant player in this league."

In the second half, after another Burress catch, the color commentator dissed the receiver for yapping at a Chiefs cornerback he just beat: "You come in the game with seven [total] catches. ... You know, get the ball, drop it and run back to the huddle. You don't need to trash talk the defense. You haven't done anything in this league yet. Make the plays. Prove yourself. Then you can trash talk if you want."

Finally, Jones on the first of the officiating crew's three holding penalties against Steelers' receivers, this one against Hines Ward: "That's rarely called in the league. It's holding 15 yards down the field. And you know what? Jerome Bettis, whether [Ward] held or not, clearly had the first down."

The broadcast wasn't word-picture perfect, though. Of Steelers kicker Kris Brown, Johnson said, "This young man is on fire" -- a sports cliche badly in need of extinguishing. He and Steelers radio announcer Tunch Ilkin also spoke about the same time in the third quarter that the Steelers were "smelling blood" -- another nasty canker on sports announcing.

And, if you were listening to the Steelers' radio broadcast and watching CBS' telecast, you twice caught the network tossing in an extra commercial and falling one play behind the real-time game at the start of the third and fourth quarters. CBS, thanks to a digitally compressed TV signal, was able to catch up during timeouts moments later.

Still and all, the football politically incorrect Jones gets the vote here. He makes the calls. He proves himself.

Program notes

The scariest part about the "1st and Ten Yellow Line" absent from Fox NFL broadcasts this season is that, at a roughly $25,000 cost per game, Rupert Murdoch's minions have for the first time in their sportscasting history cut back somewhere. Fox viewers certainly are perturbed. Catch their comments at www.lovetheline.com.

Lesley Visser tonight on CBS-Westwood One radio apparently becomes the first female analyst on an NFL broadcast. Meanwhile, Cowboys-Redskins presents Dennis Miller with his best chance at Monday night booth stand-up yet.

KDKA-TV bosses extended the post-Steelers Sunday "Nightly Sports Call" another 30 minutes, meaning the now one-hour show on sister station WNPA-TV will compete directly with the KD 11 p.m. newscast those nights.

In addition to The Big Picture, Chuck Finder writes a general-sports column exclusive to the http://www.post-gazette.com/ every Tuesday. He can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com