On the Air
Oct. 4, 2002

Four weeks into the season, the new Cardinals broadcast team has achieved two major accomplishments:

• Dave Pasch, at 29 the youngest play-by-play voice in the NFL, has been impressive with his grasp of the game and a style that carries just the right amount of enthusiasm and skepticism.

• Analyst John Mistler, who has been the target of fan ire and complaints during the past decade, has seemingly provided more insight in the past four games than he did the past four seasons.

Pasch has integrated Mistler into the broadcast on a consistent basis, not by merely being silent, but by tossing out the right questions. For his part, Mistler is taking the cue and running with it.

The jelling of the two is interesting on two levels: Pasch's appointment outraged hardcore fans of the team's former play-by-play man, Tom Dillon, and Mistler had to reapply for his job.

Pasch's passion for football is evident, and he shares that every Sunday. It's obvious that he has done his homework on the Cardinals, both past and present.

Mistler is getting in and out of his segments quickly, but his trademark phrase, "That's what I'm talking about!" loses some of its significance when he repeats it dozens of times during a game.

In Sunday's game against the Giants, he was on target with his views on why New York quarterback Kerry Collins missed a key pass completion by throwing at the receiver's feet: "He didn't want any part of being hit."

He also implied early in the game that Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer would have to move around in the pocket and be creative - whether he wanted to or not - to give his team a better chance of winning.

The addition of sideline reporter Mike Jurecki has given the broadcast a little punch as well.

His observation that the Cardinals were "spying" on the Giants' Tiki Barber gave fans an idea of how Justin Lucas was able to intercept a Collins pass and return it for a touchdown right before the half

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