The NBC broadcast crew pulled double duty in Week 1, with the pairing of Collinsworth and Mike Tirico working Thursday night’s Rams-Bills opener as well as their typical “Sunday Night Football” slot.
Typically, Collinsworth is known for his gravelly, velvety voice coming over the tube, but some viewers noticed that the long-time analyst was sounding extra rough on Sunday night.
While some were concerned for his health, play-by-play man Tirico explained that Collinsworth was in fine health, but pulling that extra game this week may have weakened his voice just a bit.
The full exchange between the broadcast duo:
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Collinsworth: I feel great.
Tirico: You feel fine, it’s just — two games, three days, red eyes, a bunch of travel. My man’s playing hurt.
Through the first quarter, it certainly sounded as though Tirico was trying to manage Collinsworth’s voice just a bit, with the color commentator picking his spots to add some extra commentary.
So, thankfully, it doesn’t look like an IR stint is in the cards for Collinsworth anytime soon.
