{"id":21688,"date":"2013-06-23T11:24:38","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T15:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yurasko.net\/wfy\/?p=21688"},"modified":"2013-06-23T11:24:38","modified_gmt":"2013-06-23T15:24:38","slug":"sam-huff-is-off-redskins-radio-herzog-thinks-he-was-fired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2013\/06\/sam-huff-is-off-redskins-radio-herzog-thinks-he-was-fired\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Huff is off Redskins radio, Herzog thinks he was fired"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Huff<\/strong> is out of the Washington Redskins radio booth, leaving Sonny Jurgensen<\/strong> as the lone member of the Sonny, Sam & Frank glory days of Redskins radio. (After nearly 50 years as a player, coach, and broadcaster, Sam Huff retires from Washington Redskins<\/a>) For a generation Washingtonians watched the game with “the sound turned down and the radio” to hear Huff and Sonny Jurgensen add commentary to Frank Herzog’s play-by-play. The trio was broken up in 2004 when Herzog was dumped<\/a> for V.P. of branding or some other B.S. title, Larry Michael. <\/p>\n

Herzog went on WTOP<\/em> radio this weekend and suggested that Huff was fired – Hall of Famer Huff retires, Herzog questions move<\/a>. It seems Herzog’s claims were based on his intiution that Huff would never give up and not any actual conversations. Perhaps Herzog was just trying to get some attention, but it is worth considering.<\/p>\n

Huff had a reduced schedule last season, a concession to age. Barry Svrluga, described it in
\nSam Huff won\u2019t broadcast Redskins opener for first time since 1974<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Linebackers, over time, lose a step. The proof shows up on game film: Tackles are missed, yards are gained, games are lost. Radio announcers, too, wear down, and the proof is right there for fans to hear. Such inevitable drop-offs are almost imperceptible from game to game or even season to season. Yet at a certain point, they are undeniable.<\/p>\n

Huff will still join Jurgensen and Michael in the booth for the Redskins\u2019 eight home games as well as two on the road, against the rival Giants and Cowboys, but his curtailed schedule is an acknowledgment, in a roundabout way, that he has lost a step in recent years. \u201cEverything ends in sports,\u201d he said recently, and lowered his voice. \u201cEverything ends in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s at peace with the decision. \u201cI don\u2019t understand it all,\u201d he said one July day, not long after the Redskins\u2019 flagship radio station, ESPN 980, announced his reduced schedule. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Huff’s departure from the booth is shocking only in that it took so long for it to happen. Dave McKenna wrote about Huff’s decline for years in the CityPaper<\/em>. From November 2007: The Final Countdown? The decline of Sam Huff and Redskins radio<\/a><\/p>\n

This Hall of Famer has spent most Sunday afternoons this fall appearing befuddled by the simplest on-field action. It\u2019s impossible to ignore all the accusations that the game he once mastered has passed him by, and even diehard Skins fans have stopped defending his flawed performances. Many hope he goes away before he puts a permanent hurt on his local legacy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In September 2010, McKenna wrote about Huff again Sam Huff: From \u201cThe Violent World\u201d to His Own World<\/a><\/p>\n

…has seemed wobbly in the booth for a while.<\/p>\n

But by now that wobbliness has reached a level of consistency that makes the audience stay tuned so as not to miss whatever wackiness will come next.<\/p>\n

He’s thrown so much crazy stuff out there this year, partners Larry Michael and Sonny Jurgensen have to be on clean-up alert whenever their beloved cohort’s microphone is on. During an exhibition game against Baltimore, for example, the refs dropped a penalty flag as the Ravens offense was approaching the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n

“Its gotta be holding!” said Huff. Michael and Jurgensen pointed out the ball hadn’t been snapped.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, the end of Huff’s tenure has been a long time coming, but it is reasonable to say that his status as a Redskins icon kept him around longer than merit as a broadcaster and analyst.
\n
\nNOW WHAT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t know how long Jurgensen is going to keep going and Michael is probably here forever unless he parks in Dan Snyder’s special parking space or something similar. Back in 2010, I suggested that John Riggins and Joe Theismann would make a great Redskins radio team<\/a>. That seems highly unlikely though, because I don’t see Riggins coming aboard. Riggins has shown a great deal of antipathy for Snyder, but also seems to have removed himself from football completely (John Riggins on Alfred Morris: “Never Heard of Him…I Don’t Watch Football” – Hogs Haven<\/em>)<\/a> in favor of his outdoors show, Riggo on the Range<\/a>. Theismann, who had national announcing jobs for years, might be willing to move into Redskins radio booth if offered. Rick “Doc” Walker<\/strong> has worked the sidelines for a while and could make his way up to the booth as well.<\/p>\n

SONNY & SAM, MORE THAN TEAMMATES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Redskins produced a long documentary on Huff and Jurgensen, who arrived in 1964 from the New York Football Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. They’ve been best friends since those trades.<\/p>\n