Entering Week 5, it appeared that Mark Schlereth had drawn one of the less attractive broadcasting assignments of the 2025 NFL season.
But as it turned out, the showdown between the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers offered all of the excitement to match Eric Collins’ call of it.
Despite the Dolphins jumping out to a 17-0 first-half lead, the Panthers crawled their way back into the game behind 203 rushing yards from running back Rico Dowdle. Rattling off 20 unanswered points, Carolina took a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter following a Dowdle touchdown run, before Miami answered back with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle to reclaim the lead.
The Panthers weren’t finished, however, as Bryce Young found Mitchell Evans for a four-yard touchdown pass with 1:59 remaining. That proved to be the game-winner, with Carolina improving its record to 2-3 on the season, while the Dolphins dropped to a disappointing 1-4.
Taking to X following the Miami meltdown, a Dolphins fan account called DouglieDoWrong took issue with Fox’s broadcast of the game.
“Is the announcer a panthers fan?” the account wrote. “Why is he actively cheering? Aren’t they supposed to be unbiased?”
But while the post appeared to be aimed at Collins — who seemingly called each play like it was the deciding moment of the Super Bowl in what marked his NFL debut — his broadcast partner Mark Schlereth seized on the opportunity to respond.
“Grow up,” the ex-Denver Broncos offensive lineman wrote. “It’s not my fault your team was up 17-0 and then took a giant dump in their helmets.”
No, that wasn’t Schlereth’s fault, nor was it Collins’ as polarizing as his NFL debut might have been. In fact, the Charlotte Hornets’ play-by-play announcer was every bit as as enthusiastic for the Dolphins as he was the Panthers down the stretch — it just happened to be Carolina that emerged victorious.
To Stink’s point, it seems like a safe bet that Dolphins fans like the one he quote-tweeted would have felt differently about the broadcast had Miami not blown a 17-0 lead. In any event, it will certainly be worth monitoring Collins’ future calls of NFL games and how the respective fanbases on both sides of the outcomes respond.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.