Michael Irvin used to have a reputation as one of the most bombastic NFL analysts on television but had started to become more reasonable over the last few years. It seemed like as his playing days got further and further behind him, he’d been able to gain some perspective on the game that he just didn’t have as a diva wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys at their peak.

It’s hard to tame the ego of any Hall of Fame football player, let alone a wide receiver for “America’s Team” – but it certainly appeared as though his broadcast career had begun to soften him. So of course he had to go and blow it all up.

During ‘Gameday Morning’ on the NFL Network, Irvin launched into a remarkably condescending rant about the difficulties – or lack thereof – of playing on the offensive line in the NFL.

“Playing offensive line is easy as anything. Your 300 pounds, he’s 300 pounds. Stay in front of him for three seconds, and you one day can get $300 million dollars. Don’t tell me about this being some athletic situation. Here’s the job of an offensive lineman. And stay here for three seconds. Three seconds. That’s not like playing wide receiver. That’s all they do… Three seconds. You’re a three-hundred pounder. He’s a three-hundred pounder. You stay in front for three seconds, and when you get to be in the league, they’ll pay you 300 million dollars. It ain’t that hard of a job. Don’t be telling me about ‘these some athletes.’ These are fat men standing in front of each other.”

For a former offensive player of Irvin’s caliber to have those opinions about arguably the most important group on the field at any given moment is astounding, even for him. Setting aside the fact that it’s just really disrespectful, it’s outright uninformed.

Every position in the NFL requires an elite level of athleticism, and offensive linemen are no different. The pounding that their bodies take on a regular basis from defensive lineman who are often even bigger than they are is exactly why they are all “three hundred pounders.” To reduce them to fat guys who just have to stand there with their hands out is embarrassing and ignorant.

To his credit, Marshall Faulk was not impressed. “How many times have you pass protected in your time?” he asked. Irvin’s response: “I’m too athletic for that.”

Both Faulk and Kurt Warner seemed uncomfortable for most of Irvin’s rant, as any good running back and quarterback should be. Even running backs as skilled as Faulk don’t escape the task of having to pass block occasionally, and QBs are always hyper-aware of how important their offensive linemen.

Warner and Faullk eventually laughed it off because they were on live television there really was no other choice, but it wasn’t Irvin’s best broadcasting moment. In fact it might go down as one of his worst, especially considering most people reacted to therant with just the right amount of dismissive humor and disdain that it deserved.