Joe Buck doesn’t want to hear it.
Not the criticism of Al Michaels this season on Thursday Night Football. Not the suggestions that the 81-year-old broadcaster has lost his fastball. Not the energy police questioning whether he brings enough enthusiasm to big moments.
The voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football appeared on The Sports-Casters podcast with Steven Bennett last week and delivered an unequivocal defense of Michaels.
“It just drives me nuts because I’m such a fan of Al’s,” Buck said. “As I’ve said, all I have to do is hear his voice, him say one word. I’m like, OK, I’m watching that game because it’s important, and if he’s there, it’s an important game. I think he’s phenomenal. I still think he’s phenomenal. I listen to him, and I marvel at what he’s able to do. I just think he’s fantastic.”
Prime Video confirmed earlier this month that Michaels will return to Thursday Night Football for the 2026 NFL season. The announcement came amid mounting criticism from NFL fans over Michaels’ season-long struggles, which reached a fever pitch after several notably flat calls in high-stakes moments.
In October, Michaels struggled through a 49ers-Rams game in which he botched a goal-line call and appeared genuinely confused by a penalty that advanced the ball.
That game was bad. Week 16 was worse.
The Rams and Seahawks played one of the best Thursday Night Football games of the season, trading scores in a game with significant playoff implications before heading to overtime. Matthew Stafford hit Puka Nacua for the go-ahead touchdown in overtime. The moment demanded urgency, energy, and some recognition that this was a crucial play in a crucial game.
Michaels delivered the call with such a flat affect that viewers genuinely thought the play had been called back. The call was so devoid of energy that social media erupted with the same uncomfortable conclusion: that Michaels just doesn’t have it anymore.
Michaels told Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo earlier this month that he doesn’t feel like he needs to step away. The satisfaction test he uses is whether he can call games at a level that satisfies him, and he said he still believes he can.
“I always felt, I’ll go as long as I can, or I’m wanted, but I have to be able to know that I can do the game at the level that satisfies me,” Michaels told Russo. “If I feel not what I have been or the way I perceive myself to have been, that’ll be time to step away, I don’t feel that way right now.”
Buck understands the disconnect between how Michaels views his performance and how many fans view it. But he’s not joining the chorus questioning Michaels’ ability.
“And I’ve said before to others that he and I have become really good friends over the last few years,” Buck said. “He left me this great message before our Steelers game the other night. He’s very supportive of what I do, and I just hold him up as the best to ever do it. So, I don’t get it. I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it’s fair and I don’t think accurate at all.”
Buck has his own history dealing with energy criticism. He spent decades facing complaints that he was too reserved, not excited enough, and didn’t match the moments he was calling. The criticism seemed to reach its peak after his call of David Tyree’s helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII.
“It’s like you want screaming and yelling, but ‘Don’t do it too much’ because then you’re over the line for some people,” Buck said. “You’re trying to thread a certain needle. The needle’s moving, and you’re trying to get the thread through that little hole. I dealt with that forever, and I get it to some degree, but it’s really in the fan’s ear, and I don’t need a broadcaster screaming and yelling to tell me that it was a big moment. I know when a big moment is happening on my television.”
There’s the disconnect. Michaels believes he’s still operating at a level that satisfies him. A growing number of fans believe he’s not. Buck sides with Michaels, and he’s not subtle about it.
Buck never changed his approach to satisfy the energy police. He stayed true to his style through years of complaints. Eventually, the criticism subsided as people either grew accustomed to his delivery or recognized his understated approach had merit. He’s now watching another legendary announcer face constant criticism about energy and enthusiasm.
But there’s a difference between the criticism Buck faced and what Michaels is dealing with now. Buck’s critics complained about his style, his approach, and his choice to be understated rather than exclamatory. Those were things Buck could control, things he chose not to change. Michaels is fighting Father Time, and that’s a different battle entirely.
“I still think he’s phenomenal,” Buck said.
The problem is that fewer people agree with him every week.
