MILLER PASSES FOOTBALL TEST

Dennis Miller's opening night as commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football garnered mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. USA Today's Rudy Martzke praised the comic, saying that he "helped bring back the fun to Monday Night Football." Added Adam Buckman of the New York Post: "Miller showed a demonstratable command of the game and its lingo." But The Hollywood Reporter's Barry Garron noted that "Those who waited for gaffes didn't have to wait long." At one point, Miller — believing his mike had been shut off — gave his fellow commentators Al Michaels and Dan Fouts a heads-up that he had a good Ronnie Lott joke coming up. "And when Miller finally got to deliver the line," Garron said, "a comparison to the Lot of the Bible, it was flatter than an onside kick." However, New York Daily News critic Bob Raissman said the former Saturday Night Live cast member brought "some refreshing innocence in a world of know-it-alls." Richard Sandomir of The New York Times believes that, in the future, Miller should stick to what he knows best — making jokes. "When he offers mundane football analysis," he said, "it sounds extraordinarily out of place." Oh, and if anyone cares, the Patriots beat the 49ers 20-0 in the preseason game.