Desmond Howard took aim at ESPN colleague Paul Finebaum while previewing the upcoming CFP semifinal between Michigan and Alabama this week.

Howard was on Rich Eisen’s show on Monday and was asked about what he thought Finebaum’s reaction to a Michigan victory in that game would be. Rather than answering the question directly, Howard took a shot at Finebaum’s credibility and said “you can’t take him seriously.”

“Paul Finebaum is a caricature of a caricature of Paul Finebaum,” Howard said. “Like, that’s what he is right now. You can’t take anything he says seriously. You just can’t. It’s like they march him out there, they pull the string in his back and he just starts spewing negative things about Michigan.

“When a person does that repeatedly, and you just know his schtick, you can’t take him seriously. You take him for what he is. And that’s how I look at Paul Finebaum.”

Finebaum has been known to be critical of Michigan, coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines’ fan base in the past.

Howard has seemingly been frustrated with how other media members — including ESPN colleagues — have handled Michigan’s ongoing sign-stealing scandal. Howard previously called out ESPN’s Pete Thamel for the location of his report in Week 13 when College GameDay was in Ann Arbor.

Michigan will face Alabama in the Rose Bowl as part of the CFP semifinals on Jan. 1. The Wolverines will be trying to advanced to the national championship game for the first time in the Playoff era.