Collinsworth: Raiders’ Gruden has ‘big edge’ as ex-broadcaster

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Cris Collinsworth would know.

The former wide receiver has served as NBC’s lead game analyst for NFL coverage the past nine seasons. In that span, he has shared a booth with Al Michaels on “Sunday Night Football” and, later in that period, Mike Tirico on “Thursday Night Football.” He prepared for each assignment with behind-the-scenes access to the teams whose games he covered.

Jon Gruden largely held the same role with ESPN over that span.

The advantage Gruden gained in those nine years, Collinsworth said Tuesday, is “tremendous.”

Gruden formally exited the “Monday Night Football” booth this month, signing a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders. He has been away from coaching since his January 2009 dismissal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As for football, Collinsworth cautioned not to underestimate just how close Gruden’s role at ESPN allowed him to keep to it.

Film analysis. Practices. Production meetings.

On Jan. 9, Gruden acknowledged the value of his ESPN experience.

“Look, I’ve gotten to see every facility in the league,” Gruden said. “I’ve had a chance to watch practices and see how they conduct training camps. I’ve had the chance to learn and see some things that I’ve never gotten to see as a coach. I’ve had a chance to study different offenses, different defenses, and the chance to get into personnel more.

“I think I’m more big-picture now than what I was in the past, but I still want to be very detailed in terms of how we play offense. I still want to be very involved with how we move the football. I have had some unique and beneficial opportunities as a broadcaster.”

Collinsworth emphasized that final point.

He said Gruden has a “big edge.”

“Jon Gruden made a comment that I think got dismissed a little bit as saying, ‘You don’t know what an advantage I’ve gained by being a broadcaster for the last few years,’” Collinsworth said. “Watching all these teams practice, talking to them about their structure, their organization, their free agency, getting insights in what they’re doing — and then you multiply that. I think I’ve done 27 of the 32 (teams) this year. Over a period of time, do I think I have a pretty good feel for what works and what doesn’t work in this league? I do.

“It’s not my job to divulge all the secrets and insights that I’ve learned over the years. But hopefully (people around the NFL) have come to trust me a little bit, and they tell you things that they’re not going to tell the regular media, and then you’re going to say it (on-air) in a way that you’re not going to hang anybody out to dry.”

Collinsworth added that he knows how competitive Gruden is.

He believed it was only a matter of time, he said, before Gruden returned to coaching.

There is a humbling aspect to broadcasting. No matter how close Collinsworth, Gruden or other analysts like CBS’s Tony Romo come to players, coaches or the games they cover, they cannot truly be part of the action as media members unless they return to the NFL in a more traditional capacity.

They cannot make live judgments on the field or sideline.

They cannot experience the game’s highs and lows.

“I know that’s what happened to Jon because it tugs at me all the time, too,” Collinsworth said. “No matter what we may do in a broadcast, no one is keeping score. There may be a television critic, or if I want to turn on Twitter, I can read every negative thing in the universe about myself. … But there’s no standard for that … He could have lived forever on what he was making on ‘Monday Night Football’ and been happy, been on his boat and drinking beer and having a great time.

“But you don’t get that moment in the end. You just don’t.”

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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.