Will it be Kosar or someone else as the next Browns color analyst?

By STEVE KING

Who will take over for the retired Doug Dieken as the color analyst on the Browns Radio Network?

There are several names being thrown about, the most prominent, of course, being iconic former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, the most popular figure in modern team history. If the Boardman High School product is ever going to get the job — and I know he has always been interested in the position after serving the same role on Browns preseason TV telecasts several times in  the past — then this would certainly be the time. He is 58.

Another is former Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who was just recently enshrined in the Cleveland Browns Legends. He was very well-spoken in his dealings with the media when he played here. 

Kosar would be an instant draw, to be sure, and Jackson would also be a recognizable name. But there’s so more to it than that.

There has to be a good rapport between the color man and Jim Donovan, the longtime play-by-play announcer who is one of the best in the NFL. He and Dieken did a great job of playing off each other for the last 23 seasons, They were among the top broadcasting duos in the league.

“That’s Jimmy’s booth,” Dieken said. “It is always the play-by-play announcer’s booth. As the color guy, you have to be aware of that. It is not your production. It’s his. Your job is just to help him.”

And a color analyst does that, according to Dieken, by being brief, Less is definitely more in this regard.

“Your most important job is to get in and get out quickly with what you have to say,” he pointed out. “You can’t go on and on because you end up stepping on the play-by-play guy, and you simply can’t do that.”

Former General Manager Phil Savage worked as the color analyst on the Alabama Radio Network after he left the Browns. He did a great job except for one time early on when he started screaming as a Crimson Tide player was racing into the end zone for a touchdown in a big game, drowning out the call of legendary play-by-play man Ian Gold in the process. Gold gave him the death stare, and Savage got the message.

One of the best color analysts in the business in smoothly getting in and out and at the same time making a cogent observation is former Canton McKinley High School and Ohio State basketball player Ronnie Stokes on the Ohio State Basketball Radio Network with the “Voice of God,” play-by-play announcer Paul Keels.

In any event, it is an extremely important hire since the members of the radio team are the most public members of the organization, constantly talking to the fans for three-plus hours every weekend in the fall. The Browns have their work cut out for them because Doug Dieken was tremendously popular, as evidenced by the send-off he received, particularly during Sunday’s final broadcast against the Cincinnati Bengals, after his retirement was announced a week ago.

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