Steelers' Merril Hoge Trashes ESPN; Disgusted By Cross Over Reporting: Dennis Miller 'Ruined It'

Several former Pittsburgh Steelers players have gone on to work in broadcasting and analysis after leaving their Black and Gold uniforms behind. Former Head Coach Bill Cowher has found a second career on The NFL Today on CBS, and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw is equally as well known for being on the alternate network show, Fox NFL Sunday. You also have players who stayed closer to home, like Craig Wolfley and Max Starks, who are hosts on Steelers Radio. 

Don't forget Merril Hoge. The former running back has worked in football analysis for nearly 30 years. He took a job with ESPN in 1996 and stayed until they made massive cuts in 2017.

Hoge recently joined The Big K Morning Show with host Larry Richert on KDKA 100.1. The two discussed Hoge's career in Pittsburgh and the transition out after he felt his health was in significant jeopardy.

He said he was with ESPN when it had a purpose, then they got some fanciful ideas and ruined everything. He called the layoffs in 2017 and again in 2023 "self-inflicted."

"They're getting exactly what they deserved because they chose to do this 20 years ago. They opted to quit doing the thing that built ESPN: educating and entertaining in each sport," explained Hoge.

He explained they had a big meeting where they decided to focus on shifting to an "argue and debate" model. This was a deviation from their original model of educating viewers about the sport they were watching.  

The idea was to get people to like new sports or sports for the first time. Hoge called it "cross-pollination" and said the goal was that it would lead to baseball fans liking football and football fans liking basketball, etc. 

"Remember they put the comedian in the booth? What was his name? Oh, Dennis Miller. That was the start of it. They thought people who liked laughter, who was not really into football, would watch football because he was in the booth. And he ruined it because he knew nothing about football. They got challenged, 'You guys are so scripted,' 'No we're not,' so the Hall of Fame game two years later, they don't cut the mic and he doesn't know how to use it, to use the talkback button. 'Where are we on the script,' he asked. That was the end of it."

Hoge felt that ESPN learned a lesson from that failed experiment. Fans weren't interested in hearing analysts from other sports talk about the one they were watching. They were also not particularly interested in hearing other entertainers, such as comedians, joke and make light of the sport they love. 

The fans embrace Hoge and all of his work. He still acts as an analyst, but is also an author and motivational speaker. Hoge has inspired many worldwide after making it in the NFL and later surviving cancer. 

Steelers' Merril Hoge Had Words For The Chicago Bears

When Hoge left the Steelers, he didn't quite feel done with football, so he spent a single season playing for the Chicago Bears. Recently, he spoke up about how the Bears handled the situation with their former quarterback, Justin Fields. 

The Steelers made an incredible trade for Fields this offseason for a conditional sixth-round pick. After the trade, Hoge spoke openly, like he always does, on The Bill Michaels Show. He said that what the Bears did with Fields was about the worst thing a team can do. Fields, the 11th overall pick in 2021, had multiple different coordinators. Hoge said that makes it impossible for a player to learn or grow. In that case, it doesn't matter how good your skills are; you can't evolve.

Do you remember when ESPN changed its model? Were you a fan of Miller? Click to