Raider Hater Profile: Collin Cowherd

Dr. Nick Chicoine – Jul 12, 2012

It’s this time in every off-season where sports analysts struggle to create something news worthy, hell even blog-worthy to talk about.  Since the decreasing interest in baseball, the NFL has been by far the most popular professional sport in the United States, so naturally people like to talk about it.  Being an NFL fan myself, I find football a safe way to bridge the conversational gap between a young doctor, and his… not so young patients.  In the realm of controversial topics, NFL football falls somewhere between “how was your weekend?” and “how about this weather?”

The NFL is all fun and games, until of course you tell the largest, most diverse fan base in sports history that their team shouldn’t even exist.  This is what Collin Cowherd did on his radio show “The Herd” when he said the Raiders should be retracted from the NFL all together.  Of course this is just one man’s opinion; however this wouldn’t be the first time Cowherd’s mouth has gotten him in trouble. 

Lest we forget, this is the same guy that felt compelled to turn the death of WWE wrestler Eddie Guerrero into an opportunity to ignorantly blame his death on steroid use, because at the time steroids were a hot topic.  The same guy that said Sean Taylor’s murder was brought upon himself, and those who mourn for him are not “grown-ups.”  To set the record straight Eddie Guerrero’s death was caused by Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and Sean Taylor’s death was the result of an attempted robbery.  Just a couple of months ago, Cowherd managed to upset Dan Patrick, by using his interview with Kurt Warner on his broadcast without citing the source.

Collin has a certain technique to his journalism that is comparable to that of an insecure high-school girl (or boy).  He is obviously aware of Oakland’s massive fan base, so like a high-school girl with low self esteem, he finds it easier to use negative reinforcement to gain attention from a fan base that otherwise doesn’t care of his existence. 

Cowherd’s radio show “The Herd” replaced Tony Kornheiser’s radio show in 2004.  This was incredibly appropriate considering just like Kornheiser, Cowherd is managing to ruin his reputation as a radio host all on his own, the only difference between the two is no one will care if Cowherd gets skin cancer.

The truth is Cowherd is not a former athlete, so he lacks perspective and credibility as an analyst.  He prides himself on “objectivity,” but co-hosts a TV show based on internet polls.  He is the ESPN equivalent of Jim Rome only he looks like the offspring of Skip Bayless and Speedy Gonzales (cheap shot).  He idolizes Bill BeliChick and Tom Brady simply because it’s easy to like a team that wins a lot.  With all of these insecurities, I too would be bitter about the Raiders. After-all, Tom Brady’s first Super bowl ring came as a result of the tuck rule.  

So Raider Nation, don’t get upset at Mr. Cowherd for finding our beloved Raiders too insufficient to play at the NFL level.  Do however feel sorry for him.  On the proverbial bandwagon that is ESPN, Cowherd is merely just the squeaky wheel.  He isn’t the most vital part of ESPN, just one of the loudest parts.  Unfortunately for us, the squeaky wheel always gets the grease, but at the end of the day, the squeaky wheel is still just a squeaky wheel.

Follow us on Twitter: @DrNick_CBP and @RNTimes