Opie has his issues but he was able to straighten Anthony out for a huge period of time and make a large footprint in the world of radio and comedy.
There was one a time where Anthony could get through an entire day without saying "black", "nigger", or "fuck" on the radio if you can imagine it.
It's really annoying to listen to old O&A bits and hear Opie stomp all over them with awful jokes or try to change the subject. But all you have to do is listen to one episode of TACS or Jim & Sam and it becomes blatantly clear how much that structure was needed.