One thing that is lost in the television broadcast of NFL games is the local emotion of the game. For the most part, TV play-by-play announcers don’t get too emotional for fear of showing bias.
On Sunday, I thought Kevin Harlan actually did a fairly good job displaying the emotion of the game. His calls during the Kenny Golladay go-ahead touchdown and the game-sealing interception by Darius Slay reached the right tone for the moment.
But Detroit Lions radio play-by-play announcer Dan Miller is just on another level.
We’re big fans of Miller, and he’s a big fan of us. And after a big win like Sunday, it’s about time we appreciate what Miller brings to this fanbase.
So after every win—and maybe during some losses, too—we’re going to celebrate with Dan Miller’s best calls of the game, because local radio can be a lot of fun during those moments, and you know Miller is going to bring his A-game every time.
Take it away, Dan.
Kerryon Johnson hauls in the screen for a 36-yard touchdown
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At this point, it seemed like we may be in for a shootout. The Chargers scored on their second possession of the day, but the Lions quickly answered with this big play from their star running back.
You can hear the excitement from Miller in his voice and just how loud Ford Field was in that moment. Then Lomas Brown recaps the play succinctly and perfectly.
“Nice play call. Nice design. Touchdown.”
Lions get a goal line stand, recover fumble
(If you don’t see the audio above, click here)
This could go down as one of Dan Miller’s best calls of his career.
After the aforementioned touchdown, the Lions went cold offensively. Zero points in the second and third quarters, and the Chargers offense was suddenly coming alive. They were eating yard after yard, and it seemed like a two-possession lead was a certainty.
But then Jahlani Tavai punched the ball out of Austin Ekeler’s hand on the 1-yard line and Devon Kennard jumped on the ball.
“The Lions have got it! They took it away!” Miller screamed. “Oh, how big is that? How big is that?”
Then Miller, clearly frustrated by the Lions’ lack of output over the previous quarter and a half, pleaded for the team to turn it around.
“FELLAS, WAKE UP! YOU GOTTA PLAY. LET’S GO! GOOD GRIEF! IT’S TIME! LET’S GO!”
Well, Dan, you got your wish, because...
Matthew Stafford connects with Kenny Golladay for the go-ahead score
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“Oh, Kenny Golladay, that’s outstanding. That is outSTANDING!”
But with the Chargers offense rolling much of the second half, the defense would need one more play to secure a win. And that’s when their biggest defensive playmaker finally made his impact felt.
Darius Slay picks off Philip Rivers for the game-winning interception
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“Oh Darius, young man, you did it again! You did it again!”
Thanks to 760-AM WJR for posting this audio clips. You can find all of their audio clips here.