Cris Collinsworth achieved a level of internet celebrity by simply entering the camera frame when it was time to start calling a NFL game with Al Michaels. He would appear to “slide” into frame when Michaels would finish his opening setup of a game on Sunday Night Football.
However, fans noticed pretty quickly when he didn’t do the famous move in Week 1 and Week 2 of the season. People wanted answers. He gave them to Kay Adams who asked Collinsworth why he no longer slid into the opening of the game.
“Al Michaels did an opening monologue, right? He came on by himself, and that’s what Al has done for the last 20 years,” Collinsworth said on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “So I’m like, I’m not changing that. You just do that.”
He explained that the production team put a piece of tape on the set to signify where Collinsworth should sit during Michaels’ monologue. To his chagrin, the cameraman said to him early on, “get your a– out of the frame. What are you doing? Get out of the way.”
Collinsworth’s shoulder was still in sight so he would lean out of the way, then when it was time, he’d lean back into the shot and boom, the “Slide” was born.
But still, why is there no slide this year?
“(Mike) Tirico doesn’t do the opening monologue. So what am I going to do?” Collinsworth asked. “I could lean out, but it’d be stupid. I don’t know what you do. Do you just do it for effect”
He ended by saying perhaps a different idea for the Slide.
“Maybe I’ll leave that way. Maybe as soon as I finish I’ll go that way.”
