Could Pat Summerall have been given the assignment to call 16 Super Bowls, all those Masters and U.S. Opens in tennis in today’s landscape?

It is an interesting question. The networks likely wouldn’t have been jumping all over each other to sign a former kicker who really didn’t say much on the telecasts. It’s more about color and flash, and unfortunately, sometimes screaming and yelling in today’s game. Summerall hardly was a flamboyant personality.

Yet Summerall, who died yesterday at the age of 82, leaves behind one of the greatest legacies in TV sports history. All those Super Bowls; all those big NFL games; all those golf tournaments when Jack Nicklaus was in his prime; all those big U.S. Opens when John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and Jimmy Connors made that event appointment TV.

Summerall did it because of two main assets: A wonderful deep voice that punctuated his wonderful sense of brevity. He didn’t overwhelm a telecast. Rather, he melted into it, providing the ideal sound track to accompany the hum of the venue and the pulse of the action taking place down below.

There was this quote from Summerall in the New York Times obit:

“I always remember a bit of great advice from a producer doing golf for CBS. He told me that TV is a visual medium, and you don’t have to tell people what they already can see. His last words were, ‘If I ever hear you say that he made the putt, you’re fired.’ ”

Summerall let the pictures tell the story, adding just the right words to bring those pictures to life.

If you have a minute, take a listen to the clip above. It is the final minutes of the Green Bay-49ers playoff game that culminated in the famous Terrell Owens catch for the winning touchdown.

“Three-man rush…Young stumbles…Pass over the middle…Pass is caught by Owens…Owens made the catch!”

And then Summerall fades, first letting the crowd and then John Madden add the accent points to the memorable play. Perfect.

In a fine piece at Sports on Earth, Chuck Culpepper wrote how all Summerall had to say was “Third and 10” to set up a big play.

I still hear Pat Summerall saying something spare — “Third and ten . . .” — and I know the light has been fading outdoors. I know just as sure as any clockwork that Daylight Saving Time might be on its way, or that Daylight Saving Time has crashed in and blackened 5:30 already. I do not need to move from this seat. I do not need to look through a window. I know.

Indeed, Summerall was the voice of several generations. He always was there, first with “Brookie” and then the whacky coach from the Raiders. He played the straight man, always bringing out the best in his partners.

What Summerall did really was an art. Would it work today with the volume turned up several levels in 2013? Who knows?

All we need to know is that it worked wonderfully back then. All those Sundays in our minds contain the voice of Summerall, perfect, clear and succinct.

“Montana….Rice….Touchdown!”

Really, was there a better call than that?