Michael Irvin

No producer ever accused Michael Irvin of being short on energy during his nearly two decades on TV, but ESPN’s First Take still shockingly sought to pair him with a hype man.

Every Monday throughout the NFL season, Irvin has had a “Playmaker’s Top Playmakers” segment on First Take, where the Hall-of-Fame wide receiver passionately hands out awards for the top football performances from Sunday. Initially, Irvin dominated the segment while Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark watched him work from the sideline. But around Week 6, Clark started bringing  a level of energy to the segment that most TV executives would have thought was impossible to reach on daytime television.

Instead of watching Irvin parade around the studio as he passionately celebrates Sunday’s top performers, Clark now gets in The Playmaker’s face demanding more energy while simultaneously acting as fuel for his energy that needed no fueling.

That’s right, former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark is also Irvin’s hype man. Irvin has already reached dangerous levels of excitement several times during his TV career by ranting so hard that he sweats profusely and seemingly loses his mind. The decision to give the 56-year-old a hype man, while entertaining for viewers and social media, probably should have been passed through OSHA.

The actual NFL analysis offered during the segment is irrelevant because First Take and all sports debate shows are more about theater than being informative. This isn’t a segment for hard-hitting analysis, but assuming Irvin passes a stress test before each episode, this level of ranting and raving alongside Clark is certainly a site to be seen.

[First Take]

About Brandon Contes

Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com