[24] Collinsworth and Costas paired again during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. This isn't a sexy pick, but it gives the Titans a powerful guard, if they choose to play Leatherwood inside, or a solid run-blocking tackle who will need some support in pass protection. By the time he was 8, Chris became a regular at the Gators' annual summer football camps. It was a close-run thing.". Despite his reputation of having a limited route tree, I think he will prove that it had nothing to do with him. Horn allowed a completion rate of only 33% on throws into his coverage in 2020. You can tell he is smart and has a plan on each and every snap. He makes the kind of plays that can break open a football game. He wasn't going to beat many people in a 40 yard sprint, but he got into and out of his cuts at his top speed. There is no doubt about the player only the position. He made a lot of money betting on him. In 2001, he was inducted into the Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame. The following season Collinsworth led the way in one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA college football history as Florida finished 8-4. University of Notre Dame, Football, Roster, University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, Thursday night games (and one Saturday-night game), List of Florida Gators football All-Americans, List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members, "Cris Collinsworth wins 15th Emmy, gets animated", "Cris Collinsworth liked using Pro Football Focus, so he bought it", "Abraham Lincoln Collinsworth's Obituary on FloridaToday", "Astronaut High's Cris Collinsworth; Winner Of Multiple Emmy Awards, NFL Pro Bowler", Seven to be inducted into UF Hall of Fame, "Super Bowl XVI - San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals - January 24th, 1982 - Pro-Football-Reference.com", "Collinsworth Finds New Life on Showtime's 'Inside the NFL', "Cris Collinsworth Tapped To Replace Madden", "Why Does Cris Collinsworth Slide in the NFL Booth? But the 49ers paid so much to get to No. Collinsworth is currently second on the Bengals' all-time list for receivers with 417 catches for 6,698 yards. If there is one big loser here, it is the 49ers, who would have loved the Patriots to have missed out on one of the top quarterbacks to keep a possible trade for Jimmy Garoppolo alive, but those dreams just ended. While all this back and forth was going on in Cincinnati in the months leading up to the draft, Collinsworth didn't know he was a prospect until the Hula Bowl invited him in the preseason for the post-season all-star game. Offensive linemen are just not sure which part of Rousseau's body to aim for. [24] In addition to co-hosting Inside the NFL on HBO, he returned to NBC as a studio analyst for that network's Sunday night NFL coverage and did color commentary on the NFL Network. However, he can squat on routes too much and will be challenged deep at the next level. He received a Sports Emmy Award in April 1998 as Outstanding Studio Analyst and his second in 1999. Ubile wrote. He had four 1,000-yard seasons, played in . Collinsworth has been both a studio host and color commentator for NBC, Fox and the NFL Network. Billions of hours of game play were played with his voice in the background calling plays while gamers controlled their virtual teams. Abroken hand slowed Collinsworth his first season as he moved to wide receiver for his sophomore season, and began a three-year stretch where he would be named All-Southeastern Conference first-team each season. I just remember they were both in the discussion and I remember how vehement Lindy was for Collinsworth. "I have a very distinct memory of that practice when they first came in," Mike Brown says. Playing quarterback for the War Eagles outstanding coach Jay Donnelly, he was also named to the all-state team in basketball during his senior year, and won the 100-yard dash in the Class 3A State Track and Field Championships as a junior. He says he felt all the emotions as he watched the draft in his Gainesville apartment with his parents. Nobody is better with mobile quarterbacks than Urban Meyer, as Tim Tebow and Alex Smith will attest. His tight spirals and ease of release really are something to watch. Live picks, grades and reaction to the 2023 NFL Draft. Most speed receivers dont block or take hits on slants or balls thrown over the middle, but Brown does both. He currently takes a lot of short, choppy steps that put little pressure on the tackle. Over the course of his three years playing wide receiver, Collinsworth hauled in 120 passes for a total of 1,937 yards. This is a big swing for the fences. Even when he does (get jammed), he doesn't fall down. . When Collinsworth started to attend the same church (United Trinity Methodist), Chris realized his destiny. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 39 the Vikings picked McDole, one of the receivers whom had been unfavorably compared to Collinsworth and whose career consisted of three catches. He finally figured out it was a Florida teammate and not the Giants. In 2009, Collinsworth filled the color-commentator role vacated by John Madden on NBC's Sunday Night Football, with Al Michaels. The 40 yard dash is all about the start and the first 10 yards. (Complete Story), What Happened To Peter Warrick? Cris Collinsworth Welcomes The "Their Time," Bengals To The Super Bowl 40 Years Later. He began his broadcasting career as a sports radio talk show host for WLW in Cincinnati and later became a reporter for HBOs Inside the NFL in 1989. 37, the Bengals took the kid with the watch. He has size and strength. Collinsworth was taken in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft with the 37th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals and was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. My concern is how he'll fare against speed off the edge; he has such great energy in the running game, but I would just like to see him use that same energy finishing in protection. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Hes won a total of 16 Emmy Awards. Collinsworth's strength coach at Florida told Wood that the kid was muscular enough to have been named to an All-American strength team. Cris not only had the speed and touch on the football field, he also had the brains. The Lions, meanwhile, are quietly building their own war chest as protection behind a one-year trial with quarterback Jared Goff. Home Astronaut Highs Cris Collinsworth; Winner Of Multiple Emmy Awards, NFL Pro Bowler, By SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME // January 16, 2017. The Gators even played him at running back against LSU to try to isolate him, and the Tigers still doubled him. Prep Football All-American February 13, 2023 Space Coast Daily News Brevard Countys Best Newspaper, WATCH! A guy that would leave eight years later as the franchise's all-time leading receiver with a game of guts and guile that Brown would call great? He will fight and hold and jam the entire game. He also was part of NBCs broadcast team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But in a nice harbinger, Collinsworth does remember that night going on the radio with Bob Trumpy on the WLW show Collinsworth would inherit before the decade was out. The 40 is a very over rated stat when looking at WR's. Good post pattern runner because he can really run once under way Good player, good target, good deep speed.". The ubiquitous Cowboys and Raiders had told him they could take him late in the first round. He was just a blur against Notre Dame in Alabama's semifinal contest. He didn't run with a pretty or classic running style. (Complete Story), The Life And Career Of Ickey Woods (Complete Story), What Happened To Ki-Jana Carter? Going head-to-head with long time rival Lawrence, . Lawrences running skills may allow him to put up Josh Allen-type red-zone numbers in 2021, and he also possesses excellent seam-throwing skills that I thought were underutilized at Clemson this year. His son, Austin, played football at the University of Notre Dame. Verser one, Collinsworth two. He never shied away from traffic He was a great player.". I am not sure if the Patriots would prefer Mac Jones or Justin Fields, so I gave them my choice: Justin Fields. Infante, who passed away five years ago at age 75, coached and played at the University of Florida in the two decades before Collinsworth enrolled at Gainesville. ", Next to "What Do We Need To Know Further For Rating On This Prospect?" Despite weighing only 177 pounds, he shows power when running over potential tacklers. (Complete Story), The Life And Career Of Corey Dillon (Complete Story), What Happened To Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson? Then Brown, 72 years young, the man who sketched the beginnings of the modern passing game as the head coach in Cleveland three decades before, bounced out of the room cocking his arm to throw an imaginary football. He tends to struggle one-on-one against offensive linemen, as his speed can run him past or out of gaps if blocks are made. 37. Collinsworth played his final NFL game in the 1989 Super Bowl, catching three passes for 40 yards as the Bengals fell 20-16 to the San Francisco Giants. Even the scouting combine photo of Cris Collinsworth, which turned 40 this spring, seems to reflect the audacity of that second-round pick in. He then became a reporter for HBO's (now Showtime's) Inside the NFL in 1989. One of the things I really like about Waddle is that he tends to hold his speed and create comfort for the defensive back before hitting the jets, and then it is all over. Born in Ohio in 1959, Cris Collinsworth moved with his family to Florida at the age of four and later attended Astronaut High School in Titusville, where his father was the basketball coach and later the principal. He can play any position on the defensive line and create problems. His confidence continued to grow throughout the 2020 season, and he was simply fantastic in the biggest moments. Cris Collinsworth is an American Journalist and Sportscaster. His hard step up the field outside the guard and then loop inside to smash an unsuspecting center makes for great theatre. The upside with Parsons is that he may end up an even better edge player than a linebacker and he is a good linebacker. They raved about both. At one point in time, Cris Collinsworth could be soon on HBO hosting Inside the NFL, on the NFL Network doing color commentary, and on NBC as a studio analyst when the network got the NFL back with Sunday Night Football. If all it took was straight line speed, every Olympic sprinter would be a great wideout. 2. THE 2017 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 12 with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. and dinner and ceremony at 7 p.m. Forinformation aboutthe Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2017, or to make a nomination, call 321-615-8111 or [email protected]. Infante for his innovative passing game. He received a degree in law from the University of Cincinnati in 1991. He is the majority owner and CEO of PFF. He looks like a skinny NBA power forward, and he is often playing nose tackle. "It is the fact that when you got the ball to David Verser, he was hell on wheels. You've got to create space and most importantly with all of these guys we 've talked about, catch the football. Emmy Award Winner. Collinsworth played wide receiver on a competitive Cincinnati Bengals team that made the Super Bowl twice during his eight-year career. Collinsworth retired from professional football in 1989. Collinsworth played in 107 games, catching 417 passes for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns. One of the biggest decisions that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni faced in Super Bowl LVII came on a fourth-and-six from the Chiefs' 15-yard-line with the Eagles up 24-21 late in the third quarter. Cris Collinsworth's 40 time was 4.38 seconds. "You get an idea what those two boys are going to be doing," Paul Brown said, pointing to Gregg and Infante in the doorway of the news conference room. In his first game, Collinsworth tied a collegiate record with a 99-yard scoring pass to Derrick Gaffney. The Gators struggled the next season but Collinsworth caught 41 passes for 593 yards and two touchdowns despite Florida finishing 0-10-1. ", Infante compared Verser's fluid running style to future Steelers Hall of Famer Lynn Swann: "We were looking for someone who can beat the bump-and-run coverage, a guy who's quick enough and strong enough to outmaneuver individuals in the defensive secondary.". Collinsworth, a senior, had 40 receptions for 599 yards and three touchdowns. "(He) had a bad Pro Day. Smith's lack of size will create doubt until you watch him play. Ginger Kane Cris Collinsworth Bengals timeline April 28, 1981: The Bengals select Collinsworth, a receiver out of Florida, with the 37th overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft. Cris Collinsworth is the game analyst for NBC's Sunday . His tackling is not flashy, but he breaks down and gets guys on the ground. Fans enjoyed how he broke down plays during the game. Following the 2018 season, NBC SNF became the first-ever 10-time honoree for Outstanding Live Sports Series and won its 11 th honor in the category . I was told that Mac Jones would be a late first-round pick early in the process. The talented edge rusher expressed some regret for how he handled things up in Indianapolis at his Pro Day -- be sure to check out this piece as Polite was quite frank about his missteps -- but he still failed to turn in better numbers running and looked a bit stiff in positional drills. I loved watching his creative route running, which features subtle pauses and an ability to bounce off defenders to gain position. I hope he is there Only (Isaac) Curtis has better catching abilities (on the Bengals). He was a quick runner, at a 4.4 second 40 yard dash speed, he was a true threat to opponents. Darrisaw is a physical mauler, a legitimate tough guy, and should create real opportunities in the running game, as well. maybe not the end for Al and Cris just yet. How about Steve Largent? It is also possible that Pittsburgh could draft injured Alabama center Landon Dickerson and wait for him to recover. Known more for pregame slides and an intense affinity for line play, Collinsworth was one of the better receivers of the 1980s. Miami even dropped him into coverage from the nose tackle position. He is fast enough for any stunt or loop and wins quickly in one-on-one situations. The draft has always been an Ouija board interspersed with 40-yard dashes to the unknown and vertical leaps into uncertainty. Rousseau did get cut blocked a few too many times, but when you consider he may put on another 20 pounds, you cant help but think about what he might become. Your email address will not be published. Any time you have a 240-pound edge player, there will be physical concerns. 37.Three Hall of Famers were already off the board in Lawrence Taylor, Kenny Easley and Ronnie Lott. Milt von Mann, the ex-Marine, filed his military-crisp report on Collinsworth on "1 Nov. 80," and circled '2,' for the round he'd take him. Collinsworths best event was the 100-yard-dash and in 1976, he won the Class 3A state championship in the event, running the race in 10 seconds flat. [7], Collinsworth's combination of height and speed attracted the attention of college football programs throughout the South, and he accepted an athletic scholarship from coach Doug Dickey to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Fletcher Cox is a good comparison. In Super Bowl XVI, Collinsworth caught 4 passes for 107 yards, but committed a costly fumble when he was hit by San Francisco defensive back Eric Wright. ProFootballHistory.com. He comes off the ball low and powerfully in the run game and has plenty of athleticism in space. He is currently a television sportscaster for NBC, Showtime, and the NFL Network, and winner of 17 Sports Emmy Awards. All rights reserved. Tough pick here. My mock draft features one trade, as I have the New England Patriots moving up for Ohio State's Justin Fields, while thefirst two picks rank first and second on PFF's draft board. Check Out Some Great Areas to Explore On and Off Road on a Can-Am Maverick from Route 1 Motorsports, HOT OFF THE PRESS! Cris Collinsworths speed provided him with plenty of scholarship opportunities and he chose to stay in the Sunshine State to attend the University of Florida. So was Collinsworth's future Bengals Super Bowl teammate James Brooks. [11][12][13], During his career at Florida, Collinsworth caught 120 passes for 1,937 yards, and rushed for another 210. [31] Collinsworth also has a steak named after him by the same restaurant.[32]. Collinsworth finished his collegiate career by being named the MVP of the 1980 Tangerine Bowl. The best word to describe him is probably slippery. He can look completely blocked at times and still find a way to sneak through for the sack as the quarterback steps up. The Florida tight end is a brilliant catcher of the ball and possesses a comical catch radius. He joined NBC for the first time in 1990, calling both NFL and college football games, before moving to Fox in the late 1990s after NBC lost their NFL broadcast rights to CBS. He surpassed 1,000 yards receiving four times (in 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1986) and was named to the Pro Bowl 3 times. But football certainly wasnt the only sport in which Collinsworth excelled as he also played baseball, was a four-year letterman in basketball, and also won a state championship in track. As a sick-of-this-stuff shot at the combine, Collinsworth says he swiped an offensive lineman's XL shorts for the photo. Still seething, the one time Collinsworth kicked back and relaxed was the ninth pick of the second round when the Bengals went to pick at No. The FHSAA named him an all-state quarterback on two occasions and he was named the All-Southern first-team quarterback for his play during his senior season with the War Eagles. Sunday Night Football announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are wowed by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen's legs on his bruising 9-yard rushing touchdown. Still, for so many to be so down on Polite comes as a bit of a surprise even with the bad numbers. Farley is the higher upside pick, with 4.25-second speed that jumps out on tape. [8] Collinsworth was a senior captain on the 1980 Gator team that posted the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA Division I football history at the time, improving to 84 after posting a 0101 record in 1979, Charlie Pell's first season as Florida's head coach. . Upon retiring, Cris Collinsworth quickly dove into his next career as a broadcaster, first taking a job as a sports radio host at WLW in Cincinnati. Can he play the same when he isnt perfectly protected like at BYU? When he sees backs blocking, he adds on as that extra rusher very quickly. He will often see pulling guards and beat them to the hole. (Complete Story), What Happened To Akili Smith? [24] He lives in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, with his wife, Holly (Bankemper) Collinsworth, an attorney, and their four children. 407-575-7801 He will get hit more this year than he has in his career to date, so I just hope he can survive at just 212 pounds. 3 years later he worked on the Super Bowl. [8] He also returned 30 kickoffs for 726 yards for an average of 24.2 yards per return. He would provide instant offense for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Washington. Despite a cordial chat with legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant, who wanted him to be his option quarterback, and a recruiting pitch from eventual Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, Collinsworth chose to play quarterback for coach Doug Dickey at the University of Florida. San Francisco already fields the most creative offense in the NFL, and Lance may add that final piece that proves too much to stop. Does that mean he knows that anybody with a build that would conjure up ungainly comparisons from Don Knotts to Ichabod Crane shouldn't even think about being selected in the first round of any NFL Draft? This draft had become more than a passing fancy with Collinsworth still there at No. GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida rush end Jachai Polite became one of the most talked about names coming out of the NFL Combine last month. His speed flashes often, and he consistently pulled away from SEC defenders. But when I watch Alabama guards trying to pull and kick Ojulari out, they were met with force and failed to move him. No one projected that in their reports. There are still good edge players on the board, but defensive improvement is key this year in Cleveland. The Lions will take the win. After his retirement in 1988, Collinsworth made the transition to the broadcast booth.
