NFL Network’s Rich Eisen Flubbed Deshaun Watson’s Name, and Viewers Are Fuming

NFL Network host Rich Eisen has long been associated with big games and important moments, but he played a different role on Saturday. He was one part of the three-man commentary team for a battle between the Houston Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Eisen drew attention early for some slips of the tongue.

With both Jameis Winston and Deshaun Watson serving as quarterbacks for their respective teams, Eisen was tasked with saying their names on a play-by-play basis. He had some struggles during the first half, accidentally saying “Winston” when Watson was on the field and “Watson” when Winston was running the Buccaneers’ offense.

“For the love of God, Rich Eisen from the NFL NETWORK, it’s DESHAUN WATSON playing quarterback for the Houston Texans NOT ‘Winston’ (Jameis Winston)…” one user on Twitter wrote. Multiple others voiced similar frustrations throughout early portions of the game.

“I like Rich Eisen but mixing up the Watsons and Winston then laughing it off like it’s no big deal is irresponsible,” another user added to the conversation. The “laughing it off” reference was in response to Eisen saying that there could be a drinking game about his errors early in the game.

The former SportsCenter host did get the names correct during the latter half of the game, but he ran into a different factor that messed with his commentary even more. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a wide receiver by the name of Justin Watson, which often led to Eisen saying: “Winston throws to Watson.” This only created even more confusion during Saturday’s game.

“Rich Eisen and crew should only be allowed to work during the combine and maybe call high school football playoff games…not actual NFL games!” one frustrated user wrote on Twitter.

Interestingly enough, there were many expressing anger at Eisen’s coverage of this game and saying that he should be “one-and-done” after Saturday’s effort. This was actually the second Buccaneers game that he has called in 2019.

Eisen was part of the broadcast crew during a battle between the Panthers and the Buccaneers in Week 6. This game took place in London and also featured a plethora of Winston interceptions.

Ultimately, Eisen performed better and kept the quarterbacks’ names correct in his mind, but the fans remained angry for the remainder of the game. They couldn’t believe that the longtime host would flub these names so frequently, and they didn’t want to hear him call another game in the future.

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