NEW YORK — We happened to find Joe Buck, Fox Sports lead play by play man, on the red carpet for the 3rd Annual NFL Honors awards show at Radio City Music Hall. Now in his 20th season of calling football for Fox, the 44-year old stopped by to chat with Awful Announcing on the eve of his fourth Super Bowl broadcast with Troy Aikman. This Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVIII is Buck’s first Super Bowl broadcast since 2011 and the first since a vocal chord ailment nearly ended his career. Buck appeared to be in excellent spirits and displayed a good sense of humor about himself, joking that the photo I took of him with his daughters “would be used on a site that is going to rip him.” Let’s get to it.
Amanda Rykoff: How do you handle the last two days heading into the Super Bowl?
Joe Buck: The hard things is just not feeling like you’re getting overwhelmed with information because it’s just been two weeks of reading the same stuff over and over so you just try and treat it like these guys always say, and we all get bored with it, but treat it like it’s Week 8 and that’s the way we have to do it and that’s the way we’re going to do it.
AR: Other than your father, the late great Jack Buck, who were your sportscasting idols growing up?
JB: Probably the same ones as everybody else. Al Michaels is I think the best at what we do. Vin Scully has the most unique style of anybody doing what we do. And then just different pockets of guys — I appreciate a lot of guys. I think Gary Cohen up here does an unbelievable job for the Mets. I steal little bits and pieces from everybody. Mostly my dad but everybody else too.
AR: What’s your favorite iconic call of all time?
JB: Well I’m partial to a couple of my dad’s — the “go crazy one” and the Kirk Gibson “I don’t believe what I just saw!” but add to that obviously Al’s “Do you believe in miracles?” and those are the ones that obviously stand out to me.
AR: What current NFL players are the next great sportscasters?
JB: I think the guy we’re using for Fox Sports 1, [Colts backup QB Matt Hasselbeck, is born for this. I think Richard Sherman will do it. He’s already doing it. But I think he’s going to be — if he wants to do it. The thing is with a lot of these guys is they’re going to make so much money that unless they really want to work and go back on the road and do this, they’re just going go get away from the game. I would say Hasselbeck because he’s close to getting out and Sherman’s still got a long long road ahead of him but I think he’s really smart and really unique.
AR: Vegas has set the line at 27.5 for the number of times Peyton Manning will say “Omaha” during the game. Taking the over or under?
JB: I’ll take the over. And if we’re getting close I’ll just throw some into the mic and act like it was him.
