Howard Simon "Winding down" from WGR

[Franco_92]

21 minutes ago, inkman said:

I can understand them coming off that way. I also think a whole show or even segment about expected goals for/against is going to make a large portion of the audience tune into something else. 

True. But I've never been convinced they have the ability to do it, either 

[LabattBlue]

4 minutes ago, mushypeaches said:

Plus, he's become a little bit too much of a jock-sniffer from having close access to the team over the past few years

 

I think this is because he longs to be hired by the Bills.  Unfortunately, Chris Brown is in that role, and he probably won’t be going anywhere for a long time. 

[Franco_92]

11 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

He was bad but he has gotten better.   He used to be on this "The Bills should not run the ball" kick.  He even said at one point you average more yards per pass than per rush so why ever run it....he was serious.   This was ridiculous and he seems to have backed off it this year.  I am not some guy who wants "balance" or something...but I do think you want to make sure the defense has to defend everything

Everyone at WGR is guilty of thinking that people who want the bills to be better at running with a light box (so games like Jax don't happen) actually wish the bills to run 50% of the time, they conflate these things every single time the issue comes up, no matter the show 

[mushypeaches]

2 minutes ago, BTB said:

I think this is because he longs to be hired by the Bills.  Unfortunately, Chris Brown is in that role, and he probably won’t be going anywhere for a long time. 

 

You're probably on to something there.  I'd forgotten about this, but I remember one of those pre-game "round table" segments from last year.  Might even have been pre-season

 

Chris Brown's mike wasn't working properly, but Sal spouted out some hot take, and well, all of a sudden the mike came back on and we heard Chris Brown mutter "Jesus f***ing Christ"

 

So that fits the narrative of there potentially being some professional bad blood between those two

[BRH]

59 minutes ago, Sargent Hulka said:

I remember well the Monday "Howard and Jeremy Show" following the 2018 NFL Draft, and Simon practically whining that we drafted the wrong Josh. He was lamenting the Bills didn't draft Josh Rosen, and spouting innuendo about Josh Allen's character. I think Simon is overrated and I won't miss him at all. I hope Sal takes his place.

 

I don't have a problem with guys who thought on that day that we drafted the wrong Josh.  (I wasn't one of them, for the record.  I would have taken JA #1.  But that's a debate for another time.). 

 

I have a problem with guys who continued to trash JA for years afterward because they couldn't admit they were wrong.  I never got that feeling from Howard.

 

Plus, he's a Mets fan, so that makes him okay in my book.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

34 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

he is either 59 or 60..my age. Have to imagine getting up at 4AM everyday gets old..

 

Didn't realize he was even that old as he sounds much younger on radio.  Not much younger than me then.  Understand the 4AM part too very well and it was actually 6AM for me.

[Solomon Grundy]

1 hour ago, CountDorkula said:

Save your WGR is crap takes. 

Simon has been a staple in most of our lives for years since Empire.

 

 

Going to be weird to not hear him in the morning when he finally hangs them up

i.e GR is salary dumping 😎

[Straight Hucklebuck]

I'm not the biggest Howard fan. 

 

Never tried a strawberry, never had Watermelon, never had Peanut Butter, but is quick to point out constantly how out of shape he is, but has no desire to workout. 

 

He sounds like Bulldog is some respects. Like he wakes up, rolls out of bed, and just comes to the station 4 minutes before the show starts with no preparation. He uses out of date references to music and movies. 

 

In the end, he just strikes as a guy who takes the weakest swing at life you can. 

 

 

[Einstein]

1 hour ago, Cotton Fitzsimmons said:

Nate isn’t terrible IMHO, but he has a way of asking a question and then spending the next 5 minutes answering said question himself before letting the person respond. 

 

Yes, he does that too.

 

Instead of saying "I drove to Wegmans", he says "I put my shoes on, walking to the door, grasped the door knob, used 4 foot pounds of torque to twist said door knob, pulled with leverage to open the door away from the door frame, stepped outside into the warmth that the sun provides, viewed a butterfly that moved with whimsy from flower to flower, smelled the warm yet somehow crisp air, and put one foot in front of the other toward my vehicle. Once inside the vehicle I used my key to start the engine and grasp the steering wheel in anticipation of the drive ahead to our neighborhood grocery store..."
 

And that's bout the point I turn the station. 

 

I am genuinely surprised that he is still on the air.

54 minutes ago, Jerry Jabber said:

I have to turn off the Extra Point show when Joe DiBiase is on for those reasons. Sal is great, but when Joe is on by himself, it’s awful! 

 

Joe is a mini Nate. 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

39 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

When it's just BullDog the show is much much better.

 

He actually gives opinion and emotion to the teams. 

 

39 minutes ago, Stads said:

I don't know how I would feel about Sal taking over. His football knowledge is greatly appreciated, but his storytelling seems so self-absorbed. I know I'm in the minority but I like him in the role he currently has and don't need him having more airtime

 

Bulldog is still doing the show at his house, always one story away from mass-panic on COVID, he looks forward to shutting it down. 

 

He's just like Howard, he shows up 2-minutes before the show starts, and let's Mike do all the thinking, all the topic setting, all the interviewing of guests. 

 

I agree with you Stads on Sal. He is definitely self-absorbed, constantly going back to his time in Florida, or talking about his only-child Max, always references statements he made in earlier conversations like people keep a record on them at all times to check what he said. 

 

Keep Sal in the limited doses he's in now. 

[london_bills]

Used to really like him on the pre show 

[Einstein]

Anyone remember when "The Coach" (Chuck Dickerson) was on WGR back in the mid-90's?

 

I know he wasn't everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoyed his football talk. He had a lot of bravado but also a lot of actual football knowledge to back it up. Unlike the 20-somethings that only know the drought.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

2 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Yes, he does that too.

 

Instead of saying "I drove to Wegmans", he says "I put my shoes on, walking to the door, grasped the door knob, used 4 foot pounds of torque to twist said door knob, pulled with leverage to open the door away from the door frame, stepped outside into the warmth that the sun provides, viewed a butterfly that moved with whimsy from flower to flower, smelled the warm yet somehow crisp air, and put one foot in front of the other toward my vehicle. Once inside the vehicle I used my key to start the engine and grasp the steering wheel in anticipation of the drive ahead to our neighborhood grocery store..."
 

And that's bout the point I turn the station. 

 

I am genuinely surprised that he is still on the air.

 

Joe is a mini Nate. 

The young kids all have the same schtick. 

 

Don't ever punt the ball, don't run the ball at all, when in doubt talk about Fantasy Football, and too much story telling on their single or newly married lives, which, in general leaves them out of touch with a good percentage of the listening audience. 

[Donuts and Doritos]

Sorry to see him going. I expect the Nate & Jeremy show to be the replacement.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

Anyone remember when "The Coach" (Chuck Dickerson) was on WGR back in the mid-90's?

 

I know he wasn't everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoyed his football talk. He had a lot of bravado but also a lot of actual football knowledge to back it up. Unlike the 20-somethings that only know the drought.

Yup, grew up on him. 

 

My Dad always said he had an axe to grind with Ralph and the Bills, and he was a loudmouth. 

 

But this was before the internet, and he went the most in-depth on the mechanics of football than other hosts. He would host the Round Table trivia. 

[Einstein]

5 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Yup, grew up on him. 

 

My Dad always said he had an axe to grind with Ralph and the Bills, and he was a loudmouth. 

 

But this was before the internet, and he went the most in-depth on the mechanics of football than other hosts. He would host the Round Table trivia. 

 

Your dad was right. He definitely had an axe to grind. 

 

Even so, his knowledge made up for it.

 

.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Einstein

[78thealltimegreat]

1 hour ago, FLFan said:

Go back and read the threads from this forum that day. You just described 75% of the posters here. Of course few admit it now. 

You aren’t wrong heck read the game threads last year from the Jacksonville game. The same people where still whining about Allen 

[machine gun kelly]

1 hour ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

Any idea how old Simon is?  I didn't think he was anywhere near retirement age.  Then again is easy for these journalist types to get tons of free lance and part time work.  Look at Sully!

I think he’s 59 or 60.  It might be they put Joe on the morning show so maybe Nate takes over as Sals partner on the extra point.

 

guys they are not that bad compared to other local markets.  They are as an aggregate than the guys in Tampa.

 

Howards forgetful stuff gets old, but he’s a decent guy.  Jeremy makes that morning show.

[Stads]

1 hour ago, mushypeaches said:

 

Sal's voice and overall shtick are tolerable in small doses, i.e. updates from the sideline and regular call in segments, but the thought of him hosting a show for 3 hours would be a rough listen.  Plus, he's become a little bit too much of a jock-sniffer from having close access to the team over the past few years

 

This is exactly how I feel. Schopp derails his show with fantasy/gambling nonsense and Sal likes to go on and on about talking to the players or how amazing of a Dad he is by everything he does with his son. That's awesome that he does all of that stuff, but I'm tuning in to hear about actual sports takes

[May Day 10]

I have always liked Howard Simon.  It does seem like he has been going through the motions for several years and/or the management has told him to play a 'boob' as his role.  I think you can certainly tell that he has been tiring of the daily grind.

 

Everyone there is stale for the most part.  Bulldog is the worst of it.  I cant believe that guy earns a paycheck for the "work" he does.  He provides nothing of value and he isnt a good broadcaster either. He just walks up to his attic, puts on a headset, flips a switch, and steals money from Audacy. 

 I actually didnt mind Schopp other than the constant gambling and fantasy talk.  I cant listen to that stuff.  There is a complete sports radio station locally that is like 24 hours of gambling talk (1520).  

Even jeremy White is stale, but unlike the older guys, he still actually appears to like sports and consumes a lot of it and can bring a lot to his show. 

 

I actually do like the younger guys they have around.  They seem to bring an energy that is lacking in the older hosts

 

In all cases though, gambling talk needs to be somewhat minimalized.  It is just really bad radio IMO if it is overkill and every subject is tied with odds, futures, money lines, etc.  (And I even dabble in sports gambling).  I really dont care of Derrick Henry is "+350" to win the MVP or whatever.  Its getting to the point where I am going to get turned off to sports gambling as a whole.