A Letter To Cris Collinsworth

[Foolishpride]

(01-19-2023, 07:57 AM)WiregrassBenGal Wrote: Random thoughts about Cris; on Labor Day Weekend '82 a friend of mine and I went to Timberwolf to see Flock of Seagulls/The Go-Gos. Right before the concert started, the announcer said, "And let me introduce two of the biggest Go-Go fans here today," and Cris Collinsworth and Turk Schonert came up behind him. Cris said something like, "Are you ready to PAR-TAY!" or something like that to get the crowd all rowdy.

Going into 1981, Cris Collinsworth and David Verser were supposed to be the receiving tandem of the future, setting records at the position for years. Cris did have a 1,000-yard receiving year, but aside from a couple of spectacular plays the first couple of years David Verser never did anything. And in the Super Bowl, Cris fumbled near the goal line.

Before either the '83 or '84 season, Cris was all set to sign with the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. Of course, he didn't go but at the time I remember seeing an interview with him. In talking about the tight-fisted-ness of the Brown family, he said, "I wouldn't call them cheap. I would call them frugal." And he had a few more decent seasons before being cut right before the '89 season.

To me, Cris errs on the side of caution about cheering on his old team/organization. It's a little comical how he used to gush over Ben Roethlisberger, but he and Al Michaels have made a good tandem for a long time. They mostly stay in the background as it should be. Does anybody else remember Don Criqui? He was my all-time favorite. He could make a game between two 10-loss teams seem exciting.

Yeah, really enjoyed Criqui.  I enjoyed Pat Summerall too!