Like many around the country, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth was enjoying his long holiday weekend. However, unlike many people, Collinsworth typically works on Sunday nights as the color commentator for Sunday Night Football. This Sunday, he was still gone for the holidays, so NBC had former NFL head coach and current NBC Sports analyst Jason Garrett filled in for him.
Garrett is respected within the NFL community as someone who understands the game from a coach’s perspective but has also won at the highest level from a player’s perspective. Garrett was a former Coach of the Year Award Winner in 2016 who also won three Super Bowl rings as a member of the Dallas Cowboys during his eight-year NFL playing career.
Now, he’s taken his talents to the broadcasting booth and reviews seem to be mixed about him replacing Collinsworth, who has formed a dynamic duo with Sunday Night Football sportscaster Mike Tirico.
A user on X (also known as Twitter) who goes by Rob Pizzola (@robpizzola), said: “I didn’t know how much I needed Cris Collinsworth in my life until they stuck Jason Garrett in the booth.”
Conversely, another user named Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) said: “It looks like I’m in the minority but I like Jason Garrett in this spot.”
On two opposite sides of the spectrum, it is just another example of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. While some seem to be fine with Garrett’s appearance in NBC’s broadcasting booth being a one-time experience, others seemed to enjoy the change of pace.
Either way, expect to hear plenty of Garrett and Collinsworth over the years when NBC covers the NFL.
