Wide Left Podcast: Ian Eagle Talks NFL Playoffs, NBA, Bill Raftery, Tebow & More

Ian Eagle may be the busiest announcer working today. We chatted while he was in a hotel room in Phoenix, a night after covering the Nets and Nuggets. After his NBA duties with the Nets, he'll shoot over to cover Arizona and Oregon hoops for CBS before taking a red eye and shuttle to Baltimore to cover the Texans and Ravens on radio.

For Eagle, that's a typical weekend.

We talk about his insane schedule, his take on the current sports media landscape and how it's important, even after 20 years in the business, to keep learning and continue watching to see what others in his profession are doing.

We talk a lot about Bill Raftery—Eagle has the best Raftery impersonation in the business—and discuss how, every announcer seems to get backlash for his schtick…except Raftery. Why does everyone love him (note: I LOVE him) and how has be been immune to scrutiny, especially in the Twitter age.

Speaking of Twitter, we talk about why Eagle isn't on Twitter (and why Seth Davis has his picture as an avatar) and discuss some of his contemporaries in the business, including Joe Buck and Jim Nantz. Can there be audience fatigue when we hear an announcer's voice so much?

We run the gamut on the NFL weekend, including a discussion about who the CBS executives are secretly rooting for this weekend in the matchup between Denver and New England. The NFL and CBS really can't lose with whoever wins that game, but it's interesting to think that Denver and Tim Tebow could possibly be a bigger AFC title draw than Tom Brady and the Patriots. 

Eagle told me that with so many events to cover, he spends much of his time doing research on planes, getting the occasional odd question from those in neighboring seats. After listening to this, I hope you agree that he'd be one of the best people to share a plan ride with. I have 7,000 more questions to ask him.