Courtesy the Houston Chronicle

(November 26, 2010) Let’s be clear on this Thanksgiving week that Marc Vandermeer is thankful for his jobs with KILT (610 AM) and the Texans radio network. That doesn’t mean, however, that as the Texans have taken their pads off in defeat the last four weeks, Vandermeer hasn’t felt it necessary to don his rhetorical armor to make it through his Monday morning talk-show shift.

Of 32 NFL team radio play-by-play announcers, only Vandermeer and Paul Allen of the Vikings and station KFAN in Minneapolis-St. Paul do a regularly scheduled sports-talk shift. The rest are either in TV, do non-sports radio shows or work full time for the team.

In good times, it’s a handy setup to have the team’s play-by-play guy as your lead talk-show host. But these are not the best of times.

“I stick to the facts,” Vandermeer said. “We are going through a catastrophic losing streak right now. We examine what has gone into it, and we try to have fun and have a little levity in the midst of the calamity.”

One saving grace to Vandermeer’s duties is that he now has a co-host in John P. Lopez — who moved in when Texans analyst Andre Ware took on more duties with ESPN — who is not directly affiliated with the team. That, at least, clears the way for a more nuanced discussion of the issues.

“There is a balance to what we do,” Vandermeer said. “I do try to think of what the team’s side of the story is. I am an ambassador for the team, but I try to have my own opinions. I think I have more sensitivity than a lot of the hosts in that I realize (players and coaches) are people. I think some hosts treat the whole thing like a TV show or a video game.

“They are beyond names and faces. They are human beings. So I am less likely than most to advocate the knee-jerk reactions that some people have. A lot of people want blood, and I am less likely to do so because I know more what goes into it. I know more about the inner workings than most do.”

Some of you may believe it would be healthier to have a separation of duties, but the economic reality of KILT’s deal with the Texans precludes that from happening. Besides, Gavin Spittle, who inherited the status quo when he came on board as KILT’s program director, says he likes it.

“The Texans don’t tell Marc what to say, and we don’t tell him what to say,” Spittle said. “A lot of our guys are involved (in the game broadcast), and they bring an emotion to the table that the other stations don’t have. I think it’s a plus.

“Our guys are on the team plane, so they can experience the emotions. Matt Schaub will feel more comfortable talking with (Vandermeer). It’s the same with Rich (Lord) and Robert (Henslee) with Bernard Pollard. Sometimes when you develop a relationship (with a player), it’s easier to ask questions.”

As for Vandermeer’s play-by-play work, he has yet to go berserk on the air and scream, “No!!!!!! No!!!!!!” as Allen did a few years ago when Arizona knocked Minnesota out of playoff contention with a last-play touchdown.

“Good or bad for the Texans, Marc will give you a good call, and that is what I appreciate,” Spittle said. “The calls he gave on the catches by (Jets receivers) Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes were quality calls. The one thing I always want to hear is excitement.”

For those who comment without using the rhetorical “we,” KILT has hosts like Lopez, Brad Davies and former Texans player N.D. Kalu, who began their postgame show last Sunday with a rendition of Taps to mourn the Texans’ rapidly fading playoff chances, and Barry Warner, who is seldom restrained in his observations.

And then they have Josh Innes, who went out of his way to tell listeners last week that he had been told by management to be less angry and more likable.

His response, to the tune of the Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons, was to declare that the Texans “were a train wreck, and a lot of people should lose their jobs.” He later added that Texans fans are “the Lifetime movie wife. We take a punch and say we fell into the door.”

blog comments powered by Disqus