They raved about both. I remember the conversation afterward," Collinsworth says. Personal life Collinsworth currently lives in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, with his wife Holly, and their four children. . He is a hammer on the edge and can play in a 4-3 or 3-4. 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. Accuracy is the key, and Jones is very accurate. Your IP: 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. Anthony Cris Collinsworth[1] (born January 27, 1959) is an American sports broadcaster and former professional football player. He looks like a skinny NBA power forward, and he is often playing nose tackle. NFL All-Time Team: Lance Alworth 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. He can play any position on the defensive line and create problems. 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. One of his runs helped us get into the Super Bowl.". His ball skills and creative contested catches are really special; he knows how to position/stack his body against the defender in very creative ways, and he doesnt foul while doing it. His daughter Katie was a Manager of Marketing and Education Projects at GolfNow. That rover position has been used a lot in college, but the wide college hash marks that created such a need don't really exist in the NFL. "It's always a wild ride," Collinsworth says of a draft he now covers as one of the NFL's best and visible network analysts, another confirmation of those smart kid scouting reports. Cris Collinsworth . But when I watch Alabama guards trying to pull and kick Ojulari out, they were met with force and failed to move him. PFF's Big Board for the 2023 NFL Draft offers three-year player grades, combine measurables, position rankings, and in-depth player analysis for all of the top draft prospects. We wouldn't have taken him except my father consented to us taking him in the second round. PFF is a football performance data and technology company. What makes Polite so intriguing as a prospect is that his game film certainly doesn't match the profile of the prospect who worked out and turned in such terrible numbers at the Combine and Pro Day. The 40 yard dash is all about the start and the first 10 yards. His accuracy, touch, poise, anticipation, ability to quickly read defenses and distribute the ball are all unmatched in the class. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that from December on Verser was No. Can he play the same when he isnt perfectly protected like at BYU? Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. But Riverfront Stadium wasn't exactly some kind of barnyard in that rookie season of 1981. It has taken me 52 years to say what I really have wanted to say about this, so I will let the venom slowly seep out. stars, six of whom had participated in previous Superstars finals. Can't you see this through the haze of the Freezer Bowl at the end of that rookie year? He began his career with the Gators as a run-first quarterback but transitioned to wide receiver as a sophomore and was a First-Team All-SEC selection for three consecutive seasons, also earning All-American honors in 1980 as a senior. MidFlorida Credit Union Event Center The only other items he's wearing are a wrist watch and a slight, crooked grin he can't quite hide. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could play slot corner or inside linebacker. (Complete Story). [24] His son, Austin Collinsworth, is a former football player and team captain at the University of Notre Dame. Enjoy Space Coast Daily, Brevard Countys Best and Most Read Magazine, HOT OFF THE PRESS! (Complete Story), What Happened To Peter Warrick? The more tape I watched, the more I was convinced that Phillips was the best defender in this class. The official time for his 40-yard dash at Pro Day was 5.04 seconds, the kind of number that has most draft analysts projecting Polite to fall well out of the first-round projection range they had initially pegged him at. And while he has the weakest arm of these top five quarterbacks, it is plenty strong enough to win a Super Bowl. With the 10th pick, the Bengals took David Verser, a 6-1, 200-pound tornado out of Kansas widely regarded as the best wide receiver available. 43. He says he felt all the emotions as he watched the draft in his Gainesville apartment with his parents. Miami even dropped him into coverage from the nose tackle position. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2dac10f868e873 In 2001, he was inducted into the Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Fields has so much talent as both a passer and a runner that I think he will become a star. The Dallas defense really struggled last year, and while Surtain is not the fastest corner in this class, he has played 662 snaps in press coverage over the last two years, by far the most of any corner in this class. Surtain has many of those traits: he sees route combinations coming, he studies the QB and not the receiver, he easily gets his head around and finds the ball on deep passes, he is very physical tackling in the flat and he plays with the savvy of a much older player. "Memories have been made to conform with what you wish you had done or said," Brown says. "(He) had a bad Pro Day. I played with Charlie when he was a Cincinnati Bengal Phil. In his first game, Collinsworth tied a collegiate record with a 99-yard scoring pass to Derrick Gaffney. So was Collinsworth's future Bengals Super Bowl teammate James Brooks. Tough pick here. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. He was a high school quarterback whose 58 total touchdowns still rank third all-time in North Carolina state history. The best rookie WR seasons in NFL history | Yardbarker Later in the 2020 season, Moehrig started making more and more plays. Ginger Kane He also led the country in forced fumbles, with six. By the time he was 8, Chris became a regular at the Gators' annual summer football camps. Cris Collinsworth Bengals timeline: Former Cincinnati receiver now Salary: $12.5 Million Per Year. He finished his eight-season career with 417 receptions for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns in 107 games. 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. Graduate of the University of Florida, chosen in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he had a eight-year NFL career that included three Pro Bowl appearances (1981-'83) and a pair of Super Bowls. The official time for his 40-yard dash at Pro Day was 5.04 seconds, the kind of number that has most draft analysts projecting Polite to fall well out of the first-round projection range they had . "I'm going to guess that Lindy Infante made it up," Collinsworth says of the tale. Jay Feely. [15] He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1991, and as part of a recognition of 100 years of Florida football in 2006, The Gainesville Sun recognized him as the No. "He's a very smart individual," the papers quoted Infante as he explained how he was attracted to Collinsworth by his height and productivity in Florida's pro-style offense. Who is Cris Collinsworth? I dont believe the Niners traded up with Trey Lance in mind. There are still good edge players on the board, but defensive improvement is key this year in Cleveland. 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. Jaylon Waddle is certainly in play here, but Smith won the Heisman voters and me over with his end-of-season run. The backs that are trying to chip him can't really get a clean hit on him.". ", On 22 Jan 81, von Mann said Verser "is my choice of the receivers I've seen Rare and exceptional ability, he should be an outstanding performer in his first year. Just like you, we are excited to get back to football. 39 the Vikings picked McDole, one of the receivers whom had been unfavorably compared to Collinsworth and whose career consisted of three catches. He is currently a television sportscaster for NBC, Showtime, and the NFL Network, and winner of 17 Sports Emmy Awards. Cris Collinsworth's 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Georgia's Travon Walker goes [3], Collinsworth was born in Dayton, Ohio,[4] the son of Abraham Lincoln "Abe" Collinsworth (who was born on Abraham Lincoln's birthday) and Donetta Browning Collinsworth. Its time to move on". He catches the ball so easily that converting to his great running skills happens very quickly. The Florida tight end is a brilliant catcher of the ball and possesses a comical catch radius. 2,579. Not the scouts. Bateman caught 14 deep passes in 2019 and broke 36 tackles on 147 career catches. Fans have been ripping Collinsworth for his description of the play. Cris Collinsworth Net Worth, PFF, 40 Time, Hall Of Fame, Hands, Salary Horn allowed a completion rate of only 33% on throws into his coverage in 2020. A series of head injuries forced him to retire from football early in his college career, but after his return, nobody was better rushing the quarterback in the second half of the 2020 season. 7. Cris definitely ran by a lot of "speed corners" for the reasons he said, but he also could sink his hips and get in and out of cuts and get separation. Cris Collinsworth is a former NFL player and is currently a famous Emmy Award winning sportscaster. Jones also dealt with plenty of pressure from SEC defenses, as Alabamas protection wasnt always perfect. Dan Quinn takes over as the defensive coordinator and needs a Richard Sherman to run this defense. Collinsworth and Costas paired again during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He has a habit of jump cradle catching, but he can extend if it is required. His son, Austin, played football at the University of Notre Dame. More of PFF's 2021 NFL Draft tools here: Known more for pregame slides and an intense affinity for line play, Collinsworth was one of the better receivers of the 1980s. Sunday night, the longtime NBC NFL analyst gave fans what they wanted prior to kickoff between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs. 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. Orlando, FL 32856, Visit the Florida Sports Hall of Fame New Career In 107 regular-season games. Plus, his hustle sticks out, as he often chased down scrambling quarterbacks running downfield. His father, Abe Collinsworth, who played for a national championship basketball team under Adolph Rupp at the University of Kentucky, was his high school principal. He was an All-Pro selection from 1981-1983, and played for the 1982 and 1989 Super Bowl teams. Retweets. Count Collinsworth in the camp of those who believe he can have that same kind of impact at the next level, poor pre-draft workouts or not. [23], In 1990, he became a part of the NBC network's NFL broadcasts, as well as some of the college programming. He will drop his head into contact and then back off a step before pulling free from tacklers.