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Favorite Beat Writer For Your Team? (1 Viewer)

Sigmund Bloom

Sigmund Bloom

Footballguy
Staff member
As some of you may remember, we are planning on getting one beat writer from every team on the audible this offseason. We were going to do this in the Spring, but our draft involvement exploded, so now its our summer project. We've already interviewed Kevin Acee (San Diego) and Tom "Killer" Kowalski (Detroit).

So who do you endorse from your home market?

AFC East

New York Jets - Dave Hutchinson

New England - Mike Reiss, Boston Globe

Miami -

Buffalo -

AFC North

Pittsburgh - Dale Lolley, Jim Wexell

Cleveland - Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot

Cincinnati - Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com

Baltimore - Jameson Hensley, Aaron Wilson (x2)

AFC South

Jacksonville - Vic Ketchman

Houston - John McClain

Indianapolis - Tom James of The Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Tennessee - Jim Wyatt, Nashville Tennessean

AFC West

San Diego - Kevin Acee

Oakland - Jerry McDonald

Denver - Bill Williamson, Jeff Legwold

Kansas City - Adam Teicher

NFC East

New York Giants - Too Many to List

Philadelphia - Ray Didinger (x2), Paul Domowitch (x2), Les Bowen, Dave Spadaro (one no vote), Mark Eckel, Phil Anastasia

Dallas - Mickey Spagnola, Jean-Jacques Taylor, Rick Gosselin

Washington - Mark Maske, Washington Post, Rich Tandler

NFC North

Chicago -

Detroit - Tom Kowalski

Green Bay - Cliff Christl

Minnesota - Reg

NFC South

Carolina - Darin Gantt

Atlanta - Steve Wyche

Tampa Bay - Jim Flynn/Scott Reynolds, Pewter Report

New Orleans - Mike Triplett

NFC West

San Francisco - Matt Maiocco

Seattle - Clare Farnsworth, Mike Sando

Arizona - Kent Somers

St. Louis - Jim Thomas, Howard Balzer

 
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Geoff Hobson, bengals.com.

As tied in as anyone and a very good interview on local radio. Second choice = tie between Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News and Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati Enquirer. Many like Ludwig, but he speculates incorrectly too much for my liking.

 
Pittsburgh: Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley hands down. They write in local papers and also on SteelCityInsider.com (scout.com). Extremely insightful, very well connected, and my primary source of non-hyped objective reporting on the Steelers. Can't recommend them enough.

 
Cowboys:

Mickey Spagnola now covers the Cowboys on dallascowboys.com, but he also is on the Ticket 1310 in Dallas pretty much every day from Valley Ranch. He's very much in tune with what's going on there.

However, my favorite Dallas writer is Rick Gosslin. He's not straight up Cowboys beat, but more of the NFL as a whole for the Dallas Morning News (dallasnews.com) For Cowboys beat/columnist, Jean-Jacques Taylor for Dallasnews will tell it like it is.

 
hove said:
Cowboys:Mickey Spagnola now covers the Cowboys on dallascowboys.com, but he also is on the Ticket 1310 in Dallas pretty much every day from Valley Ranch. He's very much in tune with what's going on there.However, my favorite Dallas writer is Rick Gosslin. He's not straight up Cowboys beat, but more of the NFL as a whole for the Dallas Morning News (dallasnews.com) For Cowboys beat/columnist, Jean-Jacques Taylor for Dallasnews will tell it like it is.
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:ph34r:We had Gosselin on for draft coverage, and he'll surely be on again next year (at the draft we talked for a bit and he said he's willing to come on multiple times :wall: )I like both Taylor and Spagnola and either would definitely be a worthy choice.
 
Redskins:

Mark Maske, Washington Post - he's no longer technically the team beat writer as the Post expanded his role to NFL writer at large, but he's still better and more reliable IMHO than Jason LaCanfora who now is the beat writer. I'm not a fan of LaCanfora's as he's in a pissing match with the Redskins and the bloggers on their fan board, which I regard as infantile. Maske is very good though.

I would also add Paul Woody, who is the Redskins beat writer for both the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Sporting News.

Crap, I totally forgot - probably the best of the bunch is Rich Tandler, who is a blogger with press privileges and a real Redskins afficionado. I'd try him first - he's great. He's also very independent of the team.

Another one! John Keim of the Washington Examiner. Another very respected beat reporter who is objective.

 
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jetpack said:
Pittsburgh: Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley hands down. They write in local papers and also on SteelCityInsider.com (scout.com). Extremely insightful, very well connected, and my primary source of non-hyped objective reporting on the Steelers. Can't recommend them enough.
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I agree. Ed Bouchette is probably the most well-regarded Steelers writer but he can be a real curmudgeon in chats and interviews. And he might be a little too tightly connected to the team. He's pretty much the final word on confirming breaking Steelers news, though -- if he says it, it's so.
 
Jene Bramel said:
Geoff Hobson, bengals.com.

As tied in as anyone and a very good interview on local radio. Second choice = tie between Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News and Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati Enquirer. Many like Ludwig, but he speculates incorrectly too much for my liking.
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:thumbdown:
 
Broncos:

Bill Williamson

Jeff Legwold

and as a darkhorse candidate, Andrew Mason from denverbroncos.com, although his affiliation to the team might make for a overly sanitized take.

 
Colts: No one I'd want to nominate. The Indianapolis Star doesn't cover the Colts that well. The national media scoops the Indy Star so many times on Colts news that it is embarassing.

 
Philadelphia Eagles:

-Dave Spadaro is great, although he can be a little too optimistic about Philly players

-Not a huge fan of Howard Eskin

 
Memphis Foundry said:
jetpack said:
Pittsburgh: Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley hands down. They write in local papers and also on SteelCityInsider.com (scout.com). Extremely insightful, very well connected, and my primary source of non-hyped objective reporting on the Steelers. Can't recommend them enough.
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I agree. Ed Bouchette is probably the most well-regarded Steelers writer but he can be a real curmudgeon in chats and interviews. And he might be a little too tightly connected to the team. He's pretty much the final word on confirming breaking Steelers news, though -- if he says it, it's so.
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3rd
 
by_the_sea_wannabe said:
Memphis Foundry said:
jetpack said:
Pittsburgh: Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley hands down. They write in local papers and also on SteelCityInsider.com (scout.com). Extremely insightful, very well connected, and my primary source of non-hyped objective reporting on the Steelers. Can't recommend them enough.
Click to expand...
I agree. Ed Bouchette is probably the most well-regarded Steelers writer but he can be a real curmudgeon in chats and interviews. And he might be a little too tightly connected to the team. He's pretty much the final word on confirming breaking Steelers news, though -- if he says it, it's so.
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3rd
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I love consensus. I grew up reading Lolley in the Washington Observer-Reporter, so it would definitely be fun to have him on.
 
Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star is a guy I do not always agree with some of his speculation, but he is just about as good as it gets.

 
Please do not interview Viking writers as most of them are very negative and have an ax to grind with the orginization for one reason or another.

That is except for Sid Hartman who is even worse on the other end of the spectrum as a total yes man.

Just interview Reg. :D

 
I don't really care much for the Jax beat writers, Bart Hubbach and Vito Stellino. My Jags nomination would be Vic Ketchman who writes for jaguars.com. He's been around the league for forever and his "Ask Vic" is both informative and entertaining.

My second choice would be Pete Prisco. Although he's a national guy, he's former Times-Union writer and still does sports talk radio locally.

 
JaxBill said:
My Jags nomination would be Vic Ketchman who writes for jaguars.com. He's been around the league for forever and his "Ask Vic" is both informative and entertaining.
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big fan of "ask vic". I cant tell you how many times I start looking into something about Jags and end up finding my answer in that column.
 
For the Eagles go with Paul Domovitch of the Daily News or

Ray Didinger who is great, but is not actually a beat writer. He used to be, is in the hall of fame for writers, used to vote on the HOF comitee (Domovitch does now). Didnger works for NFL films and local Philly radio/tv and is well on top of the Eagles.

Dave Spadaro is employed by the eagles and is their lap dog voice, he would not be a good choice

 
E-A-G-L-E-S said:
For the Eagles go with Paul Domovitch of the Daily News or Ray Didinger who is great, but is not actually a beat writer. He used to be, is in the hall of fame for writers, used to vote on the HOF comitee (Domovitch does now). Didnger works for NFL films and local Philly radio/tv and is well on top of the Eagles.Dave Spadaro is employed by the eagles and is their lap dog voice, he would not be a good choice
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This guy is right on about Didinger...he knows his stuff. Spadaro is terrible if you want honesty. Mark Eckel (spelling?) from the Trenton Times is also pretty darn good.
 
I don't see a CLE Mary Ann Cabot

Randy Galloway can really crack me up somedays. I see you have Dallas guys already but I'd bet he's an entertaining interview.

Houston-McClain

Miami-Alex Marvez

 
NY Giants:

Arthur Staple, NY Newsday

Paul Schwartz, The New York Post

Ernie Palladino, The Journal News (LoHud)

Ralph Vacchiano, The Daily News

Mike Garafalo, The Star-Ledger

Vinni DiTrani, The Bergen Record

John Branch, The New York Times

John Altavilla, The Hartford Courant

Anthony ***illi, MSG

Ken Palmer, The Giants Insider (scout.com)

Unfortunately they're all pretty useless...

 
Favorite beat writer? What is this? 1986? There are FAR more intelligent and insightful posters on the internet when it comes to this sort of stuff than anything you'll find in the dinosaur media.

 
Here's the lowdown on the Eagles' beat writers:

Ray Didinger: HOF writer, a voice on the local talk radio and on TV for post game live. However, he seems not to be in touch with the latest goings on as he is removed from covering the team day in and day out. While I can't confirm this, it seems that he has little or no contact with the team and formulates his opinions on what he has researched and what he has learned from other media sources.

Dave Spadaro: Spends everyday at the NovaCare Complex(Eagles' workout facility) and is the voice of the team's PR department. Heads up the teams impressive and award winning website. As a result, he is very much in the know but only beneficial as an interview if you can get him to open up and tell you what he's learned as the ultimate insider. He is a paid employee of the Eagles so you will get the company line but he has been known to shed light on previously unknown insights. If you learn to read him, he can give you things that no one else can. He's a kind of read between the lines guy. For example, he'll give you "The coaches love what Tony Hunt brings to the table in certain packages." Translated: Hunt will get short yardage carries.

Paul Domowich: More an NFL writer than Eagles beat writer but, never the less, the most balanced reporter in this market. Seems to work hard for his info, has many contacts around the league, and doesn't seem to slant his view one way or another. He tends to be kind of vanilla, but if I were looking for an objective and somewhat insightful viewpoint, this is the guy I would pick.

Howard Eskin:Top local radio host and seemingly has a real "in" with Andy Reid. Promotes himself well but tends to support every decision made by the FO because he doesn't want to jeopardize his connection. Therefore, in an interview, you will tend to get the company line.

Mark Eckel:Good beat reporter and at times shares some beneficial info. However, he has been spurned by the Reid in the past due to misinformation and seems to hold a vendetta against the Eagles. As a result, he shares what he knows in a very skeptical way which tends to slant his view against the Eagles.

Les Bowen:Is the Beat reporter of the lead paper in the city. But is along the lines of Domowich wherein he is somewhat vanilla in his approach but works hard and know's the team. Not sure how much deep insight he can provide but if you want the latest on lineups and injuries, he's your guy.

 
Jets:

Easilly the best of the lot was Randy Lange.... and the Jets hired him!

Dave Hutchinson is OK.... Cimini NY Daily News) and Cannizaro NY Post) are absolute zeroes who only show up at press conferences to complain and get free food. Tom Rock of Newsday is young, and showed some promise, but he's hangin with Cimini now. Go with Hutchinson. He actually does his homework, instead of whining about how little Mangini ever says unlike the other beat reporters. Cimini's first TC report last year actually started off with the entire first paragraph dedicated to whining about not be allowed to carry his coffee cup out onto the artificial turf. That most likely meant that Cannizaro didn't go on the field either, with his two large pepperoni pizzas, meatball parm hero, garlic knots and 7 liters of Mountain Dew.

 
Hands-down, my favorite sports writer is Bill Simmons, the SportsGuy of ESPN's Page 2!!! He's wildly funny & ridiculously witty. He's obviously not a beat writer, but would be a great interview. In fact, you might be able to exchange with him as alternate guests - he is also starting a PodCast for ESPN (i think).

 
JetMaxx said:
Here's the lowdown on the Eagles' beat writers:

Ray Didinger: HOF writer, a voice on the local talk radio and on TV for post game live. However, he seems not to be in touch with the latest goings on as he is removed from covering the team day in and day out. While I can't confirm this, it seems that he has little or no contact with the team and formulates his opinions on what he has researched and what he has learned from other media sources.

Dave Spadaro: Spends everyday at the NovaCare Complex(Eagles' workout facility) and is the voice of the team's PR department. Heads up the teams impressive and award winning website. As a result, he is very much in the know but only beneficial as an interview if you can get him to open up and tell you what he's learned as the ultimate insider. He is a paid employee of the Eagles so you will get the company line but he has been known to shed light on previously unknown insights. If you learn to read him, he can give you things that no one else can. He's a kind of read between the lines guy. For example, he'll give you "The coaches love what Tony Hunt brings to the table in certain packages." Translated: Hunt will get short yardage carries.

Paul Domowich: More an NFL writer than Eagles beat writer but, never the less, the most balanced reporter in this market. Seems to work hard for his info, has many contacts around the league, and doesn't seem to slant his view one way or another. He tends to be kind of vanilla, but if I were looking for an objective and somewhat insightful viewpoint, this is the guy I would pick.

Howard Eskin:Top local radio host and seemingly has a real "in" with Andy Reid. Promotes himself well but tends to support every decision made by the FO because he doesn't want to jeopardize his connection. Therefore, in an interview, you will tend to get the company line.

Mark Eckel:Good beat reporter and at times shares some beneficial info. However, he has been spurned by the Reid in the past due to misinformation and seems to hold a vendetta against the Eagles. As a result, he shares what he knows in a very skeptical way which tends to slant his view against the Eagles.

Les Bowen:Is the Beat reporter of the lead paper in the city. But is along the lines of Domowich wherein he is somewhat vanilla in his approach but works hard and know's the team. Not sure how much deep insight he can provide but if you want the latest on lineups and injuries, he's your guy.
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Good info here, except that I wanted to add that Eskin can be a total jerk on the radio and he seems to love that angle. Counter-productive for an "inside look" at Philly, but makes for good radio I guess.
 
Ravens: Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun or Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times in Westminster. Both do pretty solid work and I think Wilson does a regular radio gig already, so he could be a decent interview.

 
Polish Hammer said:
E-A-G-L-E-S said:
For the Eagles go with Paul Domovitch of the Daily News or Ray Didinger who is great, but is not actually a beat writer. He used to be, is in the hall of fame for writers, used to vote on the HOF comitee (Domovitch does now). Didnger works for NFL films and local Philly radio/tv and is well on top of the Eagles.Dave Spadaro is employed by the eagles and is their lap dog voice, he would not be a good choice
Click to expand...
This guy is right on about Didinger...he knows his stuff. Spadaro is terrible if you want honesty. Mark Eckel (spelling?) from the Trenton Times is also pretty darn good.
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IMO, Eckel is an idiot. I'm still pissed at the "The Eagles have signed LeCharles Bentley" BS from him :shrug: Eskin isn't much better IMO
 
For the Ravens, the guy you'd want to get is Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times. It's a little rinky-dink local suburban paper, but he does a really good job covering the team. Lots of good information and insight and a good talker from the times I've heard him on the radio.

 
Rodeojones said:
Seattle Seahawks:

Clare Farnsworth - Seattle PI
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I would have agreed with this two years ago, but Mike Sando from the Tacoma News Tribune has passed him by. Sando has displayed an incredible dedication to his Seahawks Blog. I'm blown away at least once a week with the details that he shares. Further, he provides awesome statistics and charts of data for his readers. Some specific examples...

Link to his chart of drops/%caught targets for WRs

Link to chart of number of catches each player had in which formations

Sando has just gone overboard supplying his readers with tons of tons of information. It just to bother me that he was a bit too much of a homer and that he speculated too much instead of just providing information, but I find that he's been right way more often than wrong.

 
thanks everyone... I promise you'll be hearing some of these folks on the audible over the next few months - please feel free to keep weighing in on the options from all the markets.

 
Stephen Holder from the St Pete Times is ok for the Bucs -- coverage down here is pretty awful, I'd go to the Pewter Report for the Bucs.

Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT, ask to talk to Rick Stroud. Guy is the biggest hack I've ever seen in journalism. How he keeps his job is beyond me.

 
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