Longtime sports talk radio host Chris Russo has never been afraid to tell it like it is in any situation, which is a quality that he did not see on the Fox broadcast of Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
From purely an entertainment perspective, the game was far from ideal for Fox, as the Eagles led by as many as 34 points near the end of the third quarter.
Everyone at home saw the Chiefs’ chances of winning dwindle with every unanswered Eagles score through three quarters. But if you were just listening to the Fox broadcast throughout the game, you perhaps wouldn’t have known that the Chiefs were as far out of it as they ultimately were.
On Monday’s edition of Mad Dog Unleased, Russo made it a point to critique the lack of transparency from the Fox broadcast about the massive deficit the Chiefs faced throughout the game, first pointing to the Fox studio team as the first culprits during their Halftime Show analysis.
“There is two things I would say about the broadcast from a Fox perspective,” said Russo. “First off at the half, someone has to say at the half that this game is over. I mean, the fans thought it was over. I thought it was over. And not one of those five guys said this thing is over.
“The Eagles defense is too good. They are down 24-0, this would be the greatest comeback in the history of the league. They have got 23 yards of offense. The game is over. Not one guy said that at all at the half.
“I mean they have (Rob) Gronkowski there, Jimmy (Johnson) there. Jimmy was a coach, he knows that game was over. Who at the half did not think that game was over out there in football land? What did you think the Chiefs were gonna come back? I mean, geez.
“And even if you thought ‘Well, they get the ball first.’ Say it is over just to add a little something. Don’t tell me they need a play. I mean Terry, Howie, somebody… Hey guys, we are wasting our time. The Super Bowl is over. Philly is winning the game, that’s it. I mean, even if you are wrong, say it, because everybody else in the world was thinking it.”
Mad Dog Russo hammers FOX’s halftime crew for not admitting that the game was over. Then he hammered Kevin Burkhardt for not admitting that the game was over (and for being a company man). Then he hammered Tom Brady – again – for never shutting up.
I think that about covers it. pic.twitter.com/daWPblGJ3r
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) February 10, 2025
Russo then condemned Fox play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt specifically for the same reason, which he believes has been a trend from him throughout the season.
“I love Burkhardt, I have worked with him forever,” added Russo. “Sometimes I get the idea that Kevin is broadcasting the game for the Fox superiors and the Fox presidents more than he is for the fanbase. Sometimes I think (Burkhardt goes) ‘Well you know what, let me not say it’s over here because I’ve got Fox people wanting people to be all jazzed up to keep the TV set on.’
“Kevin, a five-possession game, that’s what you are going to give me here? I mean, you said it was a kill shot on the play to Devonta Smith to make it 31-0. Then when it was 34-6 you said they are only down four scores. Kansas City has to score here.
“Kev, the game was over. I mean, don’t be afraid to say it. The game was over, finished, goodbye. I saw it a lot in the Washington game. The same theme where Washington is getting murdered in the championship game. It’s 50-20 and Kevin thinks there is a chance. Washington has done this all year… The game is over.
“Sometimes you have got to say it, and if you are wrong you live with it. Sometimes you have to be honest. Be fair, it’s 31-0, the game is over. We got two hours of nothing. I don’t expect them to say it quite that way. But don’t try to tell us the game is still in doubt when it is 34-6. I’m sorry, there is nine minutes to go. It’s over! You have got to be fair. I have seen Kevin do this a couple of times. It’s almost like he feels like Murdoch is going to be mad at him is he says it’s over guys.”
Finally, Russo addressed Tom Brady’s on-air performance in his biggest assignment to date. Perhaps surprisingly considering how ruthlessly Russo has criticized Brady’s broadcasting career to this point, Russo did acknowledge that the seven-time Super Bowl champion had made improvements, though he still doesn’t particularly seem to love his “on-air presence”.
“Listen, Brady is in a tricky spot. He got on the officials early which I love. He made some improvements. I don’t think he’s got the great presence. I don’t think he’s ever gonna be (John) Madden.
“And I do think he does get a little overexposed. It’s almost like every game is going down memory lane with Tom. I know they had a blowout yesterday so he didn’t have much of a choice. But it’s almost like we’re going to break down Tom’s career play-by-play. It was a bad game so you have to do something. But it’s too much.”
On one hand, it is a bit of an insult to the intelligence of fans watching at home for any broadcaster to suggest that the Chiefs had much of a chance to come back down the stretch of the game.
However, it’s pretty much common practice for broadcasters to try their very best to make viewers as interested and engaged as possible. So even if Russo doesn’t like it, it’s hard to fault anyone at Fox for not outright saying that the game was over as Russo is suggesting, as it could certainly go a long way in fans changing the channel on the network’s biggest event of the year.
