Eagles fans are furious at NBC, for good reason
Cris Collinsworth has been talking about the NFL on television and radio for nearly 30 years.
Before that, he was a star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, making the Pro Bowl three times as he caught 417 balls for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns.
The Bengals drafted him in the second round out of Florida, where he was a three-time first-team All-SEC wideout.
So if anyone would know what a catch is, you’d think it would be Collinsworth.
But Eagles fans, who are celebrating their team’s first championship since 1960 and first Super Bowl win ever, are still miffed about Collinsworth’s questionable commentary during Super Bowl LII.
The NBC analyst first irritated Philadelphians after Corey Clement’s second-quarter touchdown catch Sunday.
Clement caught the ball in the back of the end zone before clearly getting two feet in bounds, but the controversy came when Clement shifted the ball in his hands. Collinsworth thought it was clear the running back didn’t maintain possession of the ball.
Nick Foles with the absolute DIME! #SBLII https://t.co/xVaZmET7Y0
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2018
When the play stood as a touchdown after official review, Collinsworth said, “I’m stunned.”
Later in the game Collinsworth questioned another Eagles TD catch, this time a key fourth-quarter grab by tight end Zach Ertz.
Ertz caught the ball, took a couple of steps and dove across the plain of the end zone. The ball then bounced up in the air, but Ertz grabbed it before it hit the ground.
.@NFoles_9 to @ZERTZ_86 for the @Eagles TD!! #SBLII https://t.co/WyaH93hkw2
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2018
“I don’t know,” Collinsworth said. “That ball comes loose. He does catch it, but at what point is it loose on the ground?”
The play was also reviewed and stood as called.
“I give up,” Collinsworth fumed on-air. “I would have called that incomplete.”
That riled up Eagles fans even further, as there didn’t appear to be any basis for his argument. Even if Ertz hadn’t taken steps before diving, the ball only appeared to touch the ground when he had it secured.
Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle was among many who were furious over Collinsworth’s comments.
Cris Collinsworth can never be allowed to call a game again. It’s a catch and a TD. #FlyEaglesFly
— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) February 5, 2018
Even Eagles defensive end Chris Long took a jab at Collinsworth after watching a recording of the game.
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/960718140912095232
Collinsworth’s one-sided analysis during the broadcast bothered Eagles fans to the point where they started a petition on Change.org against the veteran commentator.
“Cris Collinsworth is the most biased and horrible commentator ever. Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan and having to listen to him constantly talk about the Patriots and hardly ever the Eagles during the game made it almost unbearable,” the petition states. “As a professional he has a duty to if not be unbiased at least try to make the game enjoyable for all viewers. His constant fawning over Tom Brady and the Patriots the entire game was disgusting, making it sound like he was a local Boston radio personality and not a commentator for a nationally syndicated football game. His performance brought back recent memories of the horrible job Pete Morelli and his officiating crew did against the Panthers earlier in the year. Please NBC discipline him or at the very least keep him to only commentating on Patriot games who he so very much loves.”
By Wednesday morning, the petition had over 88,000 signatures out of the 150,000 it is seeking.
Regardless of their annoyance over Collinsworth’s commentating, Eagles fans’ primary mood is celebration.
Tens of thousands of fans are expected to turn out when the team holds its official Super Bowl parade Thursday down Broad Street.
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