Cris Collinsworth appreciates the magnitude of his Super Bowl assignment
When Cris Collinsworth settles in alongside Al Michaels early Sunday evening from the NBC booth at U.S. Bank Stadium, reams of information within an arm’s reach, it will mark the beginning of his fourth Super Bowl broadcast as an analyst.
All four have involved the Patriots. This will be the third Collinsworth will work with esteemed play-by-play voice Michaels for NBC, following Super Bowl XLVI (a loss to the Giants) and Super Bowl XLIX (a win over the Seahawks).
His first came while he was with Fox Sports, when the Patriots defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX to win their third Lombardi Trophy in four years — what they will be trying to do again Sunday, against the same opponent.
“I’d say it’s come full circle, with the Patriots facing the Eagles again and trying to bookend their first run of three championships in four years with another three in four seasons,’’ said Collinsworth. “But for the Patriots, it’s really been a straight line. They are excellent every single year.
“That first one I called feels like a long time ago to me in a lot of ways. I mean, it was 14 years ago. And yet here we are, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, back at it again. It’s one of the remarkable achievements in sports.’’
Collinsworth acknowledged that his nerves don’t jingle before a Super Bowl like they did the first time he called one, when he was partnered with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in Fox’s three-man booth. But he said he never fails to appreciate the magnitude of the assignment.
“You have to be in a coma not to be a little excited on Super Bowl day, and to be speaking in front of a 100 million-plus people who are monitoring your every word, social media in hand,’’ he said.
“But you also get to do something pretty unique. You get the first take on history. No matter what it is, right, the Super Bowl is historic. Your comments and your view of it is the first of what will be many, many, many takes on that game. As a broadcaster you hope that you get most of it, as much as possible, in the first look at history.’’
In one of the most unexpected plot twists in Super Bowl history, Michaels and Collinsworth were pitch-perfect on the call, getting the moment right in real time.
Which moment? Merely one of the most important in Patriots history and memorable in NFL history: Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception against Seattle with 23 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX, which secured the Patriots’ fourth championship overall and first in a decade.
Michaels instantly identified Butler, a then-obscure rookie, as the Patriot who intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson’s ill-advised pass in a situation in which common sense suggested the Seahawks should run the ball. (Michaels has said it helped that Butler had been in coverage on a circus catch by Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse just a couple plays earlier).
“Pass is intercepted at the goal line . . . by Malcolm Butler!’’ said Michaels with the perfect dose of incredulity in his voice. Then, a pause, and he stretched his next word for effect: “Un-real!’’
Collinsworth still marvels at Michaels’s poise in the moment — particularly since he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it himself.
“Al making that call in immediate time was one of the great calls I’ve ever seen,’’ Collinsworth said. “But I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I wasn’t real sure what happened. I don’t know whether Al was watching the monitor or the field. I was watching the field, because I wanted to see the [Patriots’] coverage, right? I wanted to see what was going on.
“And there was just a big collision [when Patriots defensive back Brandon Browner blew up the attempted pick by the Seahawks, allowing Butler to jump the route] whatever it was, 80 yards away from our booth. There was no way of knowing who got that ball. And Al said Butler’s name before he hit the ground. That was unbelievable, in my estimation.
“But as far as my part in it, it was a lonely feeling for a little while. Because Al had to finish the call, and it’s dawned on me what had just happened there. When the Seahawks started the play, I thought maybe they would roll [Wilson] out and if it was there throw it, and if not, throw it away. But when he dropped back, I thought it was going to be a quarterback draw. Never in my wildest imagination did I expect them to do what they did.’’
Collinsworth estimates he had about 20 seconds to ponder how he should analyze the play while Michaels finished his description.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘Are you going to pull the trigger on this one?’ ’’ said Collinsworth. “Because that was the only thing I could think is, ‘What are they doing?’ I knew what the blowback was going to be [if I was very critical]. That there would be tough conversations with [offensive coordinator] Darrell Bevell and [coach] Pete Carroll, and there were.
“But who are you working for? I’m working for NBC, but I’m working mostly for the guy sitting on the couch. If I don’t say that, if I’m not honest about what I’m thinking, they’re going to find someone who will be. But in the moment, I didn’t underestimate for a split-second what those comments were going to mean.’’
Collinsworth pulled the trigger all right, his analysis the appropriately critical complement to Michaels’s call.
“They tried a pick play, Al, and [Browner] beats them to the punch,’’ Collinsworth said as a replay filled the screen. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t believe the call. I cannot believe the call. You’ve got Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, you’ve got a guy that’s been borderline unstoppable at this part of the field. I can’t believe the call.’’
Collinsworth, who owns the data company Pro Football Focus, is well known for his obsessive dedication to preparation. But he acknowledges with a laugh that not every situation can be foreseen. There are unexpected developments in every game.
“There was a great piece of advice that John Madden once gave me,’’ Collinsworth said. “All this preparation means that you’re ready to see and recognize what you didn’t anticipate. That’s really what it is. You’re just trying to get as much historical data in your brain as you can, and watch as much tape as you possibly can, and evaluate as many situations as you possibly can.
“But eventually a game breaks out. And that’s what makes our job really exciting. No matter what we’ve studied, no matter what we’ve prepared for, something new is going to happen. Walking on that high wire on live television is exhilarating, but I guess you could say that at this point I’m even prepared to be unprepared.’’
