Mike Tirico, in his first season as lead voice of NBC's "Sunday Night Football" alongside former Cincinnati Bengals great Cris Collinsworth, has been the primetime host of the Olympics in Tokyo and Beijing and hosted numerous golf and racing championships in addition to Super Bowl 56 between the Bengals and Los Angeles Rams - all since July of last year.
Cincinnati's AFC North showdown with the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday night will be Tirico's 12th play-by-play call of a Bengals game in the past 17 NFL seasons. In an exclusive Q&A with The Enquirer, Tirico talked about working with Collinsworth, why the Wild Card Playoff win against the Las Vegas Raiders was the most memorable Bengals game he's called, and his long-time friendship with Bengals radio play-by-play announcer Dan Hoard.
What happened to the Collinsworth slide? Ex-Bengals receiver/NBC analyst Cris explains
Is there a Bengals game of the 11 you've already called that stands out as particularly memorable?
Without a doubt the Wild Card win over Las Vegas last year takes the cake. (A close second was the MNF opener in 2007, where Chad Johnson pulled out the Hall of Fame jacket). I will always remember walking for a cup of coffee at 8 a.m. and the tailgaters were out. It felt like everyone downtown was wearing a Bengals jersey, sweatshirt or hat. The city had a buzz that was befitting of a big day. Living in Michigan, I have a great sense of what football means to Midwestern cities, and you just had the sense of what ending that playoff drought would mean. To be there when the 31-year playoff win drought came to an end was a special afternoon, and I am lucky to have had the chance to see it and call it.
To what would you attribute Cris Collinsworth's achievement and longevity as an analyst?
Probably his movie star good looks and charisma. Seriously, it is the combination of intelligence, curiosity and old-fashioned hard work. Cris' preparation is extraordinary. He is one of those people who inspires you to keep working harder because you want to be ready to match his preparation. He has the answers to almost all of the questions that might come up in a game but is always open to see something that he wasn't anticipating and react to it. A lot of analysts after a few years can continue to get by on what they knew from their playing days. Cris has stayed incredibly current and fluent in today's football. He can turn from old school fundamentals to new school analytics in the blink of an eye.
You've said Dan Hoard was a mentor of yours at Syracuse. Will you get to catch up with him on Sunday? Do you have a favorite story involving Dan?
I will certainly check in with Dan at some point this week and stop in the booth to say hello before the game. He is the best! Cincinnati has been home to many great broadcasters and Dan belongs right there with the best of them given his calls of Bengals and UC games over the last two decades. Dan was truly a mentor. When I arrived at Syracuse as a freshman, Dan was a senior - and he taught me the basics to get started in radio. So he is the one to blame for getting my career started! I will always remember listening to Dan handle morning sportscasts and call games at WAER-FM radio with a crispness and command - always wondering if I could ever be that good. His son joined us for breakfast in South Bend before the Bearcats' win over the Irish last year - it was such a treat. Hoardy, as we have always called him, is the best of the best.
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