Sean Salisbury talked the talk, but couldn't walk the walk. His act got stale along with a touch of arrogance got to be too much for me anyway.

"Created a brand"? What the heck is he talking about?!

Adios Salisbury, and don't let the door hit you on your way out. To hear him talk, you'd think he was the second coming of Johnny Unitas. His arrogance is unbelievable, for a scrub who did squat as a player. We'll miss ya like a toothache!

Good riddance to Sean. Whenever I saw his face on TV or heard his voice on radio, I immediately turned to a different station. To me, the guy always comes across as an arrogant blowhard. He offers little technical insight into the pro football issues at hand and lots of knee-jerk reaction and wreckless opinion. He'll probably do much better in the movie industry.

Salisbury was an idiot with an attitude that made no sense given his NFL career as a clipboard holder. Good riddance. His movie career is much like his NFL career ... bit roles.

Hoo rah!!! I couldn't stand Sean as a commentator, with his scratchy, whiny voice. He's got about as much acting talent as he does football talent, so he might be going hungry. But if he was half as good as he thinks he is .

Thank goodness one less blowhard will be on TV.

I'm actually gonna miss him picking on John Clayton. What grown man lets another grown man talk to him like a stepchild??

Other than that, he offered nothing to ESPN. As long as Cris Collinsworth wasn't the replacement, I'm fine with the move.

One pompous windbag down, now let's just jettison the MNF crew and I can watch ESPN without putting it on mute!

Wait a minute -- Sean THOUGHT he was GREAT and IRREPLACEABLE, even though no one else thought/thinks so. He was too monotone and after his lengthy, rapid-pace dialogue on a subject, he had said "nothing"! It was all "cotton candy." ESPN had to act !

I will not miss the "steak." He was a loud mouth, better suited to sports talk radio than serious analysis. Cris Carter being on ESPN will definitely have me tuning in.

Any chance someone could stuff Merril Hoge in Salisbury's car? I can't take that guy. Pro Steelers and anti everyone else.

Thank you very much! It was ridiculous.

Oh, clipboard holder kinda like Matt Cavanaugh, Jason Garrett, Don Strock. Most of the NFL coaches didn't even make it that far. Then they hire a bunch of other guys like themselves to instruct players who have accomplished something most of them never have and never could in a million years.

I'm glad Salisbury is gone. He was as good on TV as he was at football. I will miss him picking on John Clayton.

Looks like Sean is going to be going hungry now. (That's no problem, he could stand to lose 60 pounds or so.)

There is ZERO market for this loser windbag's services.

Myron Cope, the voice of the Steelers, died today. Hats off to someone right here ! Too bad Jon Miller got the axe, I cant think of many others locally who woulda been great to keep here for a tenure as long as Cope had it. Salisbury? Salisbury? I dont remember that name ...

it is about time they let him go. He would make one comment one week about Rex Grossman not being the answer for the Bears, then after the Bears win three, he is talking about Grossman being the ideal fit in that offense. He loved grandstanding and added nothing worthwhile.

I'll miss Sean's honesty. He is one of the few left who tell it like it is. Chuck Bednarik and Sean aren't afraid to tell the young NFL showboats to stop dancing after a first down catch and play hard for 60 minutes. Wow! Maybe the two could have their own show titled "Champ and Chump"!! Call the networks.

Billick, now is your chance to prove you knew what you were doing all along by pointing out other teams' mistakes/problems and how to solve them. Your vocabulary should prove useful for those otherwise boring takes from those who previously played the game and now also feel slighted. You should fit right in.

Are you serious? Come on, Sean Salisbury is a great NFL analyst. Cris Carter is no where near Salisbury's experience as an analyst. Like another person responded, it could be worse. If Cris Collingsworth or Phil Simms was the NFL analyst, then ESPN is going straight to the toilet. Those guys are horrible!! I think the best are as follows: Sean Salisbury, Mel Kiper, Troy Aikman, Tom Jackson, Chris Berman, and MNF cast. The worst are Shannon Sharpe, Phil Simms, and John Madden!!

Good stuff. Maybe he can hang out with Harold Reynolds.

Good riddance. He probably sealed his fate last year when we was quietly suspended for a few weeks by ESPN and they noticed they didn't miss him.

In truth, I never paid any attention to him -- he was irrelevant -- until he crossed the line by looking into the TV camera and telling potential recruits that they should not consider playing for Bobby Petrino at Arkansas. I know, most of the nation that doesn't know how Arthur Blank lied to and screwed Petrino think his leaving Atlanta was a bad deal. But Salisbury was -- in theory -- a JOURNALIST, not some guy you talk to over your back fence. He had a national forum, and it was incumbant upon him to FIND OUT the facts before he spouted off. Even then, it's one thing to have an opinion; it's another to negatively recruit against a school on national television. By the way, Sean, where was your coverage of USC buddy Reggie Bush and his thug lawyer bringing a gun to a deposition?

Good luck, Sean! By the way ... I'll take mine with fries and a Dr Pepper.

Now can we get rid of the loudmouth racist Septhen A Smith?

Please: Could Chris "With Me Leather" Berman be the next to be torpedoed!!!

As a longtime Vikings fan, I have enjoyed Cris Carter's grace on the field as well as his Inside the NFL appearances. I am very happy to see Cris on ESPN. The grace and class continues. It will take less than a minute to make us forget the preceding arrogance he replaces.

Good, I couldn't stand Salisbury. ESPN would be better off without him. I wouldn't call Cris Carter a great replacement, but he has a less irritating personality so he is a step up in that respect.

I was starting to wonder reading the first 20 comments if I was missing something. Salisbury is a great analyst. Cris Carter? That just doesn't make sense to me. That's like letting Phil Simms get away from CBS and replacing him with Dan Marino. This makes no sense. Hope CBS hires him so he can pick on James Brown. haha

i think that the Monday Night crew is ridiculous. The guy announcing knows diddily squat about football, and why the heck did they hire Tony "Corn"hieser from PTI? BOO is all i have to say, and Ron Jaworski is really annoying. Those guys hated the Ravens, as every time they made a bad play they would keep saying it over and over. They were mad negative, and they should get the boot. I literally had to put theTV on mute they were so bad. I mean, c'mon. Madden is the man!

Sean was great. I loved his passion and his commitment. I wish him well and feel sorry for all the naysayers and people with such ridiculouts bent for the negative. Go get 'em, Sean!!

Good riddance, Sean, and please take Berman with you. So much for calling yourself the Human Ratings Spike.

WizardofhOgZ -- Would you mind sharing as to how Blank lied to Petrino ?

Blane -- As far as Tony Kornheiser goes, he hated Billick's guts from the get-go. His show in D.C. was just one big princess job. Whatever. TK knows football like BB knows quarterbacks.
He could be funny at times (in a Woody Allen type of way). He is less with age.
ESPN has watered everything down and it had to catch up.
And Sean ? With MY Coke I'll have a big baked potato such as the one you call a head. Good luck to you.

Salisbury is the typical, arrogant USC jerk. His head is so big he could never find a helmet that would fit. He did absolutely nothing at USC and nothing in the pros. He developed a brand?

Wanting a seven figures conract, for WHAT? Created a brand, what brand?? The Sean Salisbury brand? Movies? Oh my. That kind of self-believing and self-promotion is unhealthy. Arrogance that pronounced is a sign of deep insecurity. Good luck to you, Sean. And don't be afraid to pick up an order or two of humble pie the next time you're at the grocery store.

Chris Carter never impressed me on Inside the NFL. Of course, that show went down the tubes when they stopped airing detailed replays of ALL the NFL games, and added more comedians. (Does anyone turn on sports shows to see comedians?)
Salisbury has been more effective then a lot of the pre-game bozos on Fox.
I don't understand this move. Carter was obviously a better player. But the most legendary of all broadcasters Howard Cosell, never played the game. Why do these networks keep hiring ex-players? Hire some ex-refs, more ex-coaches, ex-scouts, people who think and analyze. Carter has hope, but it will take him years to get to where Salisbury was.

Cris Carter? Are you kidding me? The only one more boring than him on HBO was Dan Marino, or maybe Cris Collinsworth. No wait, they all sucked! Sean Salisbury was a great analyst; thought quickly on his feet and ESPN is downgraded for losing him.

For all you defending Salisbury, sucks for you because you're greatly outnumbered. I don't know how many times I watched Sean say something completely wrong or dumb and shook my head at the TV. He won't be missed. Cris Carter ain't bad, he'll fit right in with the group of ex-players like Emmitt and keyshawn. They could do better, though. Why not try and lure a NFL Network guy like Rod Woodson who knows his stuff.

HeWhoCannotBeNamed . . .

I don't want to hijack the thread. But to answer your question, read this:

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/kscarbinsky.ssf?/base/sports/119762425954590.xml&coll=2

There is more, but that gives you the general idea. Also, notice WHO spearheaded the criticism of Petrino? ESPN. Ever notice how many of Home Depot's dollars support various ESPN shows? Did you note the comment in the article that Blank said if Petrino did talk to Arkansas, "we'll make it ugly and embarrassing"?

Just connect the dots ...

You people against him are all insane! Sean Salisbury was a great NFL analyst! He tells it like it is and isn't afraid to speak his mind when it was warranted. Yes, he said crazy things from time to time, but that's his job, people, to create controversy and in turn up the ratings. Now, I have to watch the most BORING individual alive in Cris Carter, who is about as insightful as a rock wall!! Well, ESPN can now be proud that they now have the worst NFL analyst team EVER, including Emmitt Smith (the absolute worst!), Keyshawn Johnson, and now Carter. It pains me to say, but I'm going to watch Fox now. Good luck, Sean!

TV is a form of entertainment. I watch TV to be entertained. Personally, while I agree Sean Salisbury is a bit of a blowhard that comes across as arrogant and pompous, I think he did this purposefully to be entertaining. The fact that a lot of people have such strong feelings about him (more negative than positive) shows that he made an impression and, as a result, provided something in the way of entertainment. Cris Carter will not be nearly as entertaining because his on-air personality is kind of bland. Say what you want about Sean Salisbury -- he certainly wasn't bland. And anyone who thinks the back-and-forth he had with Clayton wasn't intentionally staged to be entertaining is a misguided fool. Watching someone on TV you hate is more entertaining than watching someone who doesn't register any strong feelings one way or another. If you look at it this way, ESPN lowered their entertainment value by dismissing him.

I'm glad he is leaving. He was antagonistic and annoying, especially considering he never had any TALENT during his so-called playing days!! I can't remember one significant thing he accomplished as a pro. He should thank his lucky stars that he lasted as long as he did.

Sean, you are truly hot air and hype! It just goes to show what a big mouth can do for you. Bye, No Talent Big Mouth.

I really don't care about Salisbury. He had an occasional good comment, but was generally arrogant and insignificant to enhancing my knowledge of football.

However, what really bothers me is ESPN hiring Cris Carter. Didn't they learn any lesson from the Michael Irvin experience? Like Irvin, Carter is a blowhard former receiver who may have been good on the field, but in reality thinks way too much of himself. Salisbury was arrogant, but he wasn't always obnoxious about it. Irvin was and that is why ESPN got rid of him. Carter is cut from the same mold and will quickly wear out his welcome at ESPN.

Who would have ever dreamed that MeShawn Johnson would be the least arrogant former receiver working at ESPN?

Salisbury is let go and Stuart Scott remains. ESPN continues to find ways to suck even further.

I like Sean. Interviewed him years ago when he was playing for the Vikings and thought to myself that the guy had TV written all over him. He will find another job in the media.

C'mon. Steak was good. Anyone who thought he was a blowhard has some serious inferiority issues. His comments were insightful and entertaining. I usally agreed with him and sometimes I didn't. Loved his work with John Clayton, too. Just another example of ESPN going on the cheap. Trust the magic mouse to throw another person under the bus when they get to be potentially too expensive.

You don't have to be a great talent on the field to be one off. Sometimes you can teach better than "do." i don't see the logic of some of these guys who say that since Sean is not in Canton that he doesn't have insight. I think he does.

How can you let Sean go and still leave someone like Stephen A. Smith. We won't even let Smith on the air in Portland. Sean was good and better than a lot.