Aaron Rodgers speaks well in interviews and in ads so when he retires, my guess is he would be a decent color commentator.. I do like Troy Aikman, most of the time, as a color guy. On radio, I thought the late Hank Stram was excellent though he was a former coach and not player.
On the negative side, there are definitely NFL greats that I would not enjoy as color guys. I could not ever see Andrew Luck being a good commentator as there is something in his voice that is not appealing to listen. I dont think a guy like Brett Favre would be good either though very knowledgable.. Peyton Manning may be pretty good. Maybe Tom Brady would be a great fit.... Years ago, the late Frank Gifford became a play-by-play guy after being a color commentator and thought he was smooth. I think Terry Bradshaw is fine in the pregame, halftime, and postgame but not as a color guy....QBs and offensive linemen are usually the smartest on the team so those are the most likely to be picked..... That said, Michael Strahan and Howie Long have been pretty articulate on TV for a long time and they were D-linemen. Of course, as good as they are on the microphone, being a good color commentator takes a different skill set as you need good timing, know when to comment and when to stay silent.. Guys like John Madden and Aikman arent easy to come by, though many of you may differ in opinion from me on this matter.
On the negative side, there are definitely NFL greats that I would not enjoy as color guys. I could not ever see Andrew Luck being a good commentator as there is something in his voice that is not appealing to listen. I dont think a guy like Brett Favre would be good either though very knowledgable.. Peyton Manning may be pretty good. Maybe Tom Brady would be a great fit.... Years ago, the late Frank Gifford became a play-by-play guy after being a color commentator and thought he was smooth. I think Terry Bradshaw is fine in the pregame, halftime, and postgame but not as a color guy....QBs and offensive linemen are usually the smartest on the team so those are the most likely to be picked..... That said, Michael Strahan and Howie Long have been pretty articulate on TV for a long time and they were D-linemen. Of course, as good as they are on the microphone, being a good color commentator takes a different skill set as you need good timing, know when to comment and when to stay silent.. Guys like John Madden and Aikman arent easy to come by, though many of you may differ in opinion from me on this matter.