Monday, Nov. 26 update: Cris Collinsworth: A Football Life repeats at 8:15 p.m. today, Monday, Nov. 26, if you missed it last weekend. It follows NFL Total Access.
Original post Friday, Nov. 23: 鈥淧robably to this day the smartest football player that I鈥檝e ever played with on the field.鈥�
That鈥檚 how former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason describes his pal 鈥� and favorite target -- Cris Collinsworth in Cris Collinsworth: A Football Life premiering 8 p.m. tonight (Friday Nov. 23) on the NFL Network.
Former Bengals Esiason, Ken Anderson, Anthony Munoz and Sam Wyche 鈥� plus NBC Sunday Night Football partner Al Michaels -- are among the 12 people interviewed for the one-hour documentary.
The comprehensive profile covers Collinsworth鈥檚 playing career (how his failure at quarterback at the University of Florida changed his life; how his eight-year NFL career spanned both Bengals鈥� Super Bowls), to his transition to broadcasting with WLW-AM, HBO Sports (Wimbledon), NBC Sports (starting with Notre Dame games), Fox Sports and back to NBC.
Here鈥檚 a sampling of quotes and full list of participants from the NFL Network:
ANTHONY MUNOZ: 鈥淩ight away I learned it didn鈥檛 matter how lean, how skinny, the guy is one of the toughest guys I鈥檇 ever seen play the game.鈥�
AL MICHAELS: 鈥淗e understands the game so thoroughly and he鈥檚 done such an enormous amount of homework. He sees things that I don鈥檛 think any other analyst does.鈥�
COLLINSWORTH: 鈥淔ailing at quarterback impacted my entire life. Train as a receiver, good things happen, I have a nice long career, become a broadcaster out of it 鈥� it鈥檚 amazing. Don鈥檛 be so afraid when life changes.鈥�
BOOMER ESIASON: 鈥淗e always had a nice communication way about him on the sideline that was calming. Probably to this day the smartest football player that I鈥檝e ever played with on the field.鈥�
COLLINSWORTH: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to sugarcoat it. I鈥檓 not going to give you something just so the coach or the player doesn鈥檛 get mad at me. I鈥檓 going to tell you what I think, and I think that鈥檚 the job.鈥�
DICK EBERSOL: 鈥淗e outworks everybody else. He鈥檚 about the best prepared human being I have ever known.鈥�
COLLINSWORTH: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine anybody has a better job than I do. You have to occasionally in life step back and go, 鈥業 am the luckiest guy in the world, this is the greatest job in the world.鈥� I do it more often than not.鈥�
Cris Collinsworth: A Football Life also includes comments from his wife Holly; sons Jac and Austin; NBC Sports executive Fred Gaudelli; and former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg.
Not into football? Here鈥檚鈥� How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, the Andy Griffith Show jailhouse Christmas party, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 鈥� plus Finding Nemo, The Wizard Of Oz and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
