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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Let’s Hope He’s No Ordinary Joe

Leonard Shapiro Washington Post

There are times when you wonder what goes through the minds of TV sports executives. This year, they have foisted some strange choices on the American football viewing public, as the NFL begins its regular-season schedule this weekend.

Two of the newest faces that come immediately to mind are Joe Montana - all-world at quarterback, all-dull in postgame interviews - and Sterling Sharpe, an all-pro wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers until a neck injury ended his 1995 season, if not his playing career.

Montana has been signed by NBC Sports, better known as the home for wayward head coaches (Bill Walsh, Mike Ditka, Joe Gibbs, Pat Riley, Mike Fratello) until the next offer comes along. For Montana, there will be no next offer as a player, save for induction into the Hall of Fame the minute he’s eligible.

When he got the NBC job, in which he will substitute for Gibbs when the former Redskins coach has other commitments, Montana insisted we’ll see a new Joe this fall, not the guy who hardly ever bared his soul to all those people crowding around his locker after all those breathtaking victories. He generally spouted cliches and blew kisses toward teammates and coaches, his own and those on opposing teams.

It was always in The Montana Monotone, but at least he was Gentleman Joe. If a reporter traveled to San Francisco or Kansas City specifically for him, Montana generally would spare a few minutes for an interview.

Of course, when you reviewed the notes, there was hardly anything that hadn’t been seen in print before. The man had an internal tape recorder.

If Montana tries that approach on TV, his will be a short-lived career. If he works at it, if he’s really as funny and glib as all his coaches and teammates say he was in private, he’s got a chance. After all, wasn’t that the major concern before Gibbs began his now critically acclaimed TV life?

In his public appearances as the Redskins’ head coach, Gibbs often switched into classic coachspeak - the mindless babble of Xs and Os from a man who never met a player he didn’t think was the next coming of Sammy Baugh, someone who rarely offered a disparaging word for anyone.

Once the television lights clicked off and notebooks were put away, Gibbs was an engaging conversationalist. Now, as a studio analyst sparring weekly with Ditka, Gibbs has been enlightening and entertaining. Montana would be wise to follow that game plan.

“Joe Montana worked in the No. 1 system in football and he knows so much,” said Howie Long, a former Raiders defensive end who made a successful transition from football to the Fox studio. “He’s a bright guy. He’s a funny guy. But how much of that Joe is willing to expose is entirely up to Joe.”

Sharpe always showed up big on game days, but almost always refused to talk to the media after all those eight-catch, three-touchdown afternoons. Occasionally he would speak to an out-of-town reporter during the week. But he never gave interviews to the local media who were covering the team day-to-day, saying they had been disrespectful to him after his rookie season by saying he dropped too many passes.

Sharpe often broke his self-imposed silence for national camera crews from the networks, ESPN and CNN. And when he did speak, this was a very sharp Sharpe - bright, glib, animated. What a shame he acted so poorly when the cameras went off.

Montana “was more of a private guy,” Long said. “Sterling was more along the lines of being bitter, and ‘I don’t like the media.’ I was a lot more surprised about that (Sharpe’s hiring by ESPN) than I was about Joe.”

As for Sharpe, I’ve seen his work a few times in the preseason. From early indications, he has talent and an affinity for the medium. Still, when he games start counting, I’ll be giving Sharpe my own silent treatment - a flick of the clicker to the pregame shows on Fox or NBC. I don’t advise that strategy for anyone else. For me, it’s personal, having been stiffed several times over the years. Maybe an athlete will do it to Sharpe one day; role reversal can be such fun.