Bryant Gumbel, Cris Collinsworth to announce NFL Network games

[Ohio Steeler]

April 26, 2006) -- Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will form NFL Network's broadcast booth, when the league-owned and operated television channel kicks off its live regular-season coverage on Thanksgiving in primetime Nov. 23.

"Bryant is a premier broadcaster with impeccable credentials and allows NFL Network to immediately distinguish its coverage," said NFL Network President and CEO Steve Bornstein. "Cris has proven himself to be the top analyst in football and his presence establishes instant credibility to our telecasts."

Gumbel and Collinsworth will be teamed together for the first time in their careers as Gumbel will handle the play-by-play, while Collinsworth will serve as lead analyst.

The pair are the first on-air hires for NFL Network's "Run Up to the Playoffs" package of primetime games, which begins on Thanksgiving night when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in the nightcap of the first-ever Thanksgiving tripleheader.

Gumbel is currently the host of HBO's 15-time Emmy-Award winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, where he will continue to work.

Prior to his work with Real Sports, Gumbel anchored NBC's Today show for 15 years.

During his 16-year broadcast career, Collinsworth has earned an unprecedented five Sports Emmy Awards as the Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst/Personality.

In 2006, Collinsworth will return for his 16th season on HBO's Inside the NFL as well as join NBC as a studio analyst and co-host of Football Night in America.

Collinsworth began his broadcast career in 1990 when he joined NBC Sports as a game analyst for the network's NFL coverage and select college football telecasts.

Due to scheduling conflicts, Collinsworth will work six of NFL Network's games with a yet-to-be-determined analyst paired with Gumbel on the Dec. 16 and Dec. 23 contests. Game telecasts on NFL Network will include pregame and postgame shows hosted by Rich Eisen, with additional analyst roles to be determined.

NFL Network's eight-game package will consist of primetime games kicking off at 8:05 p.m. ET from Weeks 12-17 of the NFL season. The schedule is as follows:

Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 14: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Week 15: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons

Week 16: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 23, 2006
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Week 17: Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006
New York Giants at Washington Redskins

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the first television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football.

[83-Steelers-43]

Well, all that means is that I'm going to have to mute my television when watching a game. After Gumbel's remarks during these past Olympics (anybody else would have been out of a job) and Collinsworth's inability to leave his homerism's and idiotic remarks at the door will leave me no choice but to mute my television.

Thankfully the Browns game is home and I will be attending. That's the only plus for me that comes out of this story.

[Ambridge]

Originally Posted by 83-Steelers-43

Well, all that means is that I'm going to have to mute my television when watching a game. After Gumbel's remarks during these past Olympics (anybody else would have been out of a job) and Collinsworth's inability to leave his homerism's and idiotic remarks at the door will leave me no choice but to mute my television.

Thankfully the Browns game is home and I will be attending. That's the only plus for me that comes out of this story.

I agree!!
Hitting the mute or even doing the Spanish Language option is better than listening to these two jokers.

Never did like Bryant Gumbel!!........he's nothing but an arrogant prick.
BTW what did he say during the Olympics?

[83-Steelers-43]

Originally Posted by Ambridge

I agree!!
Hitting the mute or even doing the Spanish Language option is better than listening to these two jokers.

Never did like Bryant Gumbel!!........he's nothing but an arrogant prick.
BTW what did he say during the Olympics?

"So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world?s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

[SteelerzGirl]

I agree that Bryant Gumbel is arrogant, and I absolutely can't stand Cris Collinsworth. I wish Bradshaw would have just punched his lights out, and then we wouldn't still have to deal with Collinsworth's stupidness.

[Ambridge]

Originally Posted by 83-Steelers-43

"So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world?s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

Thanks for the quote.
Had anyone else made a comment like that I bet there would be a demand for his head on a platter.

[clevestinks]

Gumbel thinks his shit dont stink, not a good move for a network that is already boring. I love Woodson, but he and T.Davis are boring also. The NFL has the right idea with thier network, but wrong players so far

[Ohio Steeler]

I alos cant stand Bryant Gumbel and all I can say is I will be muteing the TV doing the Dec. 7, 2006 clowns / steelers game for sure

[j-dawg]

"aww come on" chris collinsworth catch phrase... anybody watch "inside the NFL" on HBO?

i can't stand either of these guys...

maybe collinsworth will make one of his obligatory sly remarks to gumble and they'll get into a shoving match resulting in them both plummeting out of their telecast booth to their deaths.

one can only hope.