by Maureen Totterer

Created on: April 19, 2009   Last Updated: November 22, 2010

Americans love to kick back on Sunday night after a double-heaping portion of delicious professional football. The icing on the cake is served up by NBC's Sunday Night Football featuring great play-by-play analysis from two of the best, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.

Collinsworth is a worthy replacement for John Madden, the godfather of football analysis. Many mourned the sudden hemorrhage in America's favorite announcing booth. Madden and Michaels were permanently enshrined in a league all by themselves. Who should, or more importantly, who could replace the irreplaceable John Madden? 

NBC began throwing anxious PVC's fearing a  free-fall into flatline ratings. They barely skipped a beat with the quick insertion of Cris Collinsworth. The bleeding stopped.

Some fans were skeptical. Collinsworth was under tremendous pressure to provide a smooth transition. After a nervous start, Sunday Night Football continues to be America's favorite football dessert due in large part to the pleasant, evolving chemistry between Collinsworth and Michaels. The chemistry created not an explosion but a thoughtful reaction providing free classroom instruction by two gentlemen professors tenured in the game of football.

They begin the weekly football clinic by leaving any biases outside the announcing booth providing instead tough love for both teams. The announcing booth becomes a court room of calm, clear and detached oral arguments and expertise satisfying fans all across America by telling it like it is. They call it fair. Americans love equal justice especially in football.

The recent game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers provided one of the best Sunday Night Football games ever. The game quickly became an unscripted bloody free-for-all while Michaels and Collinsworth calmly dissected everything that was happening on the sacred gridiron.

Tom Brady returned to Super Bowl form while working in perfect sync with young and aggressive talent. New England came to the party in Pittsburgh with a pumped up offense and defense. BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran like four running-backs instead of one. Big Ben was off a beat and running on life-support. Pittsburgh left its heart on the sidelines with Hines Ward.

Many are hoping the next match-up between the Patriots and the J-e-t-s will be televised for all to enjoy.

In the meantime, America looks forward to Sunday Night Football with Cris and Al while enjoying family, friends and desserts along with John Madden. Sunday Night Football is alive and well with two big hearts beating as one in perfect sinus rhythm with the heart beat of American fans. 

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