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Eagles' Chris Long mocks Cris Collinsworth over Super Bowl call

Cris Collinsworth has accomplished an amazing feat - he's more hated in Philadelphia than Tom Brady.

Eagles defender Chris Long (right) wasn’t a big fan of NBC’s Cris Collinsworth’s analysis of the Super Bowl.
Eagles defender Chris Long (right) wasn’t a big fan of NBC’s Cris Collinsworth’s analysis of the Super Bowl.Read moreAP File Photos

NBC's Cris Collinsworth has accomplished an amazing feat — he's more hated in Philadelphia than Tom Brady.

Despite the euphoria in the city surrounding the Eagles' first Super Bowl championship, Birds fans continue to voice their displeasure over how the Emmy Award-winning Sunday Night Football analyst called the game.

And at least one Eagles player is joining them.

While watching a rerun of the Super Bowl on the NFL Network Monday night, Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long took to Twitter to mock Collinsworth's much-maligned analysis of the game. Long took umbrage at Collinsworth's reaction to Eagles tight end Zach Ertz's fourth-quarter touchdown, which appeared to be a catch to everyone but NBC's resident analyst.

"Ertz takes 17 steps and Collinsworth says he thinks they have to overturn it," Long wrote.

Long also mocked Collinsworth for incorrectly identifying Long's responsibilities during the Patriots' trick play that ultimately ended with quarterback Tom Brady dropping the football.

"He also thought it's my job to run with Tom Brady w QB wheel route on a reverse pass. Lmao," Long wrote.

Despite the jabs, Long assured his followers that he wasn't bashing Collinsworth — he just didn't agree with his interpretation of a play the Eagles defender thought was obvious.

"Cris is actually a good dude and someone I've known for a long time," Long clairfied. "Just didn't get that one."

Collinsworth certainly didn't have a great night. In addition to Ertz's touchdown, Collinsworth also refused to accept that a spectacular catch by Eagles running back Corey Clement (and an even better throw by quarterback Nick Foles) was confirmed by officials as a touchdown.

"I give up," Collinsworth fumed. "I would have called that incomplete."

Angry fans even started a Change.org petition to the NFL (though it should probably be addressed to NBC) to never have Collinsworth called another Eagles game, citing his "constant fawning" over Brady and the Patriots. By Tuesday morning, the petition had more than 30,000 signatures.

In Collinsworth's defense, the NFL's catch rule is ridiculous. And officials in New York, led by Alberto Riveron, the NFL's senior vice president of officiating, overturned several controversial catches during the season that favored the Patriots.

Collinsworth addressed the perception that he hates the Eagles ahead of the Super Bowl, saying that all fans share the view that he dislikes their favored team.

"I'm sorry, I know the Eagles fans think they're unique," Collinsworth said prior to the Super Bowl. "I think that I spent 98 percent of my time saying glowing nice things about people on the broadcast, and yet I know those other two percent sting."

Collinsworth's broadcast partner, longtime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, wasn't as maligned by Eagles fans, but he made his share of small mistakes, including claiming Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia would be joining the Detroit Pistons as their new head coach. Of course, Patricia will be coaching the Lions.

Michaels has said he's planning on attending the Eagles' Super Bowl parade on Thursday, where he's bound to hear an array of opinions about the broadcast partner he called "the best in the business."