Some NFL-Related Press Releases

Well, I want to thank Steve & Ian over at the great Sox & Dawgs blog for hosting their live chat during the Jets-Patriots game. We had more participants than their first chat last Sunday during the Bills-Pats contest. And I wanted to give a shout out to Christopher Byrne from the Eye on Sports Media blog who visited and gave us some nice insight on how difficult it was to watch Jets-Pats, in fact, he couldn’t watch it all. I’m lucky to have the NFL Network on DirecTV and Steve was able to watch it on Cox Cable, however, Ian needed a backdoor way to follow the action, which is not fair to fans across the country. Certainly, the NFL needs to find a way to get the channel on the major systems whether it offers Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Suddenlink, Bright House and others an equity stake or it gives Big Cable access to NFL Sunday Ticket which is currently exclusive to DirecTV. But enough of me speaking from the soapbox. I’ll give you what I have from the various TV networks.

First, CBS Sports has comments from analysts Dan Dierdorf and Steve Tasker on this weekend’s action.

THE NFL ON CBS: WEEK 11 (SUNDAY, NOV. 16)

AUDIBLES WITH “NFL ON CBS” ANALYSTS DAN DIERDORF AND STEVE TASKER

The CBS Television Network continues its 49^th year broadcasting the NFL with coverage of THE NFL ON CBS on Sunday, Nov. 16 (1:00-7:00 PM, ET) beginning with THE NFL TODAY, the Network’s one-hour studio show (12:00 NOON-1:00 PM, ET), live from THE NFL TODAY studio in New York City.

THE NFL ON CBS lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action from the San Diego Chargers-Pittsburgh Steelers game live from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.

DAN DIERDORF

(On New York Giants): No team in the National Football League is playing at a higher level right now than the New York Giants. So much for a Super Bowl hangover. If anything they’ve gone in the other direction. They are bristling with confidence and appear to be a much more cohesive, solid football team than they were a year ago. They had the great run (last year) but a lot of people forget that they had a rather pedestrian regular-season. They’re having anything but that right now…(On Giants rushing offense vs. Ravens rushing defense): I can’t imagine a scenario where the Giants are going to run the ball for 175 yards and run it down Baltimore’s throat. I don’t think that is possible. But, the Giants do have the ability to loosen up any team’s defense with their ability to throw the football. This may be a case where Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress and the passing game may have to open things up for the running game. They may need success passing before they have success running…(On Ravens offense vs. Giants defense): This is going to be the most pressure that Joe Flacco has seen all year. Joe Flacco has not looked like a rookie, nor has he performed like a rookie, but he is a rookie. He hasn’t seen anything like he’s going to see coming after him on Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands. The Giants will come up the middle, from the outside – they will do everything but come at him from out of the tunnel. That will be about the only place they won’t be coming from…(On Giants QB Eli Manning): Eli Manning looks as if he’s made a quantum leap in his grasp of the game and with the confidence in which he is playing. He’s very impressive when you watch him play – his ability to make all the throws and his command of the huddle. That Super Bowl win has catapulted Eli to the next step up. He’s still a young man, but it’s pretty apparent when you watch how he conducts himself on the field that he has taken the good fortune that comes with winning a Super Bowl and elevated his game considerably.

STEVE TASKER

(On Colts regaining confidence after wins over Pittsburgh and New England): They certainly seem to be feeling more confident about their ability to win games each and every week, and their ability to play consistently. I don’t think they really had confidence in the early part of the season. They’re back to that point now where they know the game is going to be in their favor if they just play their game…(On Houston vs. Indianapolis): Since both these defenses are up against offenses that can really move the football, the offense that is good enough to control the clock is going to be the one that wins. The Texans have really struggled with turnovers this year. They had the Colts on the ropes the last time they played. The Colts had no business winning that game in Houston, and actually stole it from them when Sage Rosenfels had those fumbles. The Texans will feel confident that they can move the football on the Colts. The bigger question is, will they be able to get touchdowns instead of field goals when they get inside the 20 yard line? And, will they be able to use the clock and control the football enough to keep Peyton Manning off the field…(Keys to the game): It’s going to
come down to turnovers. Can either of the defenses come up with a couple of turnovers or plays that make the difference? Both of these offenses and defenses are used to being in games where a lot of points are scored. Both offenses can move the football. It comes down to which team can keep the ball away from the other both through ball control and not turning it over. Maybe it will be one or two series that ends because the defense causes a turnover or perhaps a blocked kick, a huge special teams return or something like that…(On Peyton Manning): Without question, Peyton Manning is still one of the top quarterbacks in the National Football League. At this point in his career, he may be pushing to be one of the top quarterbacks of all-time. He is still as good as it gets. The players around him have changed. Marvin Harrison certainly is not the player this year that we’ve come to expect him to be. Nevertheless, this is a team that runs on all cylinders only when Peyton Manning is at his best, and he is at his best more often than maybe any other quarterback in the league.

GAME DAY NOTE: Two games in the early window (1:00 PM, ET) of THE NFL ON CBS’s Week 11 doubleheader coverage feature Houston-Indianapolis and Baltimore-N.Y. Giants, which means both Peyton Manning and brother Eli Manning make a rare same-day playing appearance against other teams on the same network. Approximately 63% of the country will see a Manning playing on CBS this Sunday (48% Ravens-Giants; 15% Texans-Colts).

Next, ESPN tells us what it will show on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday NFL Countdown.

ESPN’s Sunday and Monday NFL Studio Features

ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown will preview Sunday’s games beginning at 11 a.m. ET with Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson. Chris Mortensen will also provide headlines and league news, and Steve Young will contribute his weekly Sunday segment, “Young is Restless.”

The program will include reports from Sal Paolantonio covering the Tennessee Titans at the Jacksonville Jaguars, Rachel Nichols at the Ravens-Giants game, and Bob Holtzman covering the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers game. Other highlights:

Matt Ryan

Reporter Rachel Nichols examines how the Atlanta Falcons have quickly rebounded – now with a 6-3 record – from a tumultuous season a year ago that saw its franchise quarterback Michael Vick sent to jail and its head coach Bobby Petrino leave before the end of the season for the college ranks. With little to cheer about last year, owner Arthur Blank hired a new general manager and head coach in the off-season, and the fate of the franchise took a crucial turn for the better thanks to the luck of a coin flip which led to the team’s selection of quarterback Matt Ryan with the No. 3 pick overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Nichols profiles Ryan in the rookie sensation’s first sit-down interview with a national NFL studio show.

Miracle at the Meadowlands: 30^th Anniversary

Three days shy of the 30^th anniversary of the Philadelphia Eagles’ improbable 19-17 victory over the rival New York Giants, Nov. 19, 1978, at the Meadowlands, reporter Greg Garber tells the story of the “Miracle at the Meadowlands” including interviews with the key individuals – Dick Vermeil, Ron Jaworski, Herman Edwards, and Joe Pisarcik, among others – who were involved in one of the most bizarre endings to a game in NFL history. With New York leading 17-12 late in the game and running out the clock, instead of kneeling on the ball, the Giants’ Pisarcik botches a handoff to Larry Csonka, only to have Edwards pick up the fumble and return it for the Eagles’ game-winning touchdown.

Mayne Event: Perfect Titans

The Tennessee Titans are undefeated with a 9-0 record, but why are the locals singing the blues and why is the league’s only team without a loss still off the radar? In this week’s “Mayne Event,” Kenny Mayne went to Nashville, Tenn., to get answers from Titans’ players, coaches and celebrities – including Miley Cyrus – at the 2008 Country Music Awards red carpet.

EA Sports Virtual Playbook: Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson vs. the Steelers Defense

In EA Sports Virtual Playbook, Jackson breaks down how Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson matches up against the Steelers defense – the league’s No. 2 run-stopping unit.

Berman, Carter, Ditka, Jackson and Johnson will pick the biggest games of the day and tell fans which players will make the biggest impact in NFL
’s Week 11 action. The list of game picks will be posted on www.espn.com/sundaycountdown after the show.

Additional segments include “Ditka’s Doghouse,” where the erstwhile mercurial NFL head coach Mike Ditka sends an NFL player his doghouse; and “Sunday Stretch,” which previews some of the day’s key matchups and players as they warm up for their games.

MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN, 7 P.M. ON ESPN

Monday Night Countdown with Berman, Carter, Ditka, Jackson, Johnson, and Mortensen (in Bristol) and Suzy Kolber, Young and Emmitt Smith (at the MNF game in Buffalo, N.Y.) will review Sunday’s games and preview Monday Night Football. The 90-minute, pre-game show will lead into the kickoff of the Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills game (8:30 p.m.), featuring Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser.

Reporter Michele Tafoya will cover the teams. Other highlights:

“Unmasked:” Marshawn Lynch

When asked to describe his attitude going into his rookie season in 2007, Bills running back Marshawn Lynch exclaimed, “Beast Mode.” His teammates feel like the description fits Lynch’s running style and Lynch went so far as to have grills made for his teeth that say “BEAST MODE” in diamonds. In this week’s “Unmasked,” Countdown takes viewers inside the helmet to meet the Buffalo Bills running back.

ESPN the Magazine’s “For Love or The Game:” Kellen Winslow

Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow will be the subject of Monday’s “For Love or The Game,” a Countdown segment that pairs a player or coach with a member of his family and a teammate to find out which person knows more about him. Winslow’s wife, Janelle, and his teammate Brodney Pool battle to see who really knows Winslow better.

EA Sports Virtual Playbook: Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn

In EA Sports Virtual Playbook, Jackson breaks down how Brady Quinn’s short passing game could create problems for the Bills. Quinn made his first NFL start last week at home vs. the Denver Broncos.

WEEKLY MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN SEGMENTS

FIELD PASS – Countdown offers an all-access look at pre-game preparations as the players get ready for kickoff. Analysts will also breakdown the important storylines and key players before the game.

TEAMS AT 20 – Every 20 minutes reporter Michele Tafoya will update news from the teams in their preparations for the game, beginning with NFL Live at 3:30 p.m.

In addition, Monday Night Football’s Tirico, Jaworski and Kornheiser will preview the night’s match-up, with Mortensen covering breaking news from around the league and the Countdown analysts offering their “Lead Pipe Lock” predictions for the game.

And here’s what Fox Sports’ analysts Jimmy Johnson and Brian Billick have to say about this weekend’s NFL coverage.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Upon Further Review: NFL on FOX Coaches Johnson & Billick Break Down First Half

Billick: Titans Are More Complete Than Last Season’s Patriots

Johnson: You Can’t Make Mistakes and Win In This League

NFL ON FOX’S WEEK 11 SLATE FOC
USES ON NFC NORTH – With three teams separated by just one game, the NFL on FOX looks to present a clearer picture of the NFC North during Week 11’s singleheader slate on Sunday, Nov. 16. In Green Bay, division foes collide when Brian Urlacher and the 5-4 Bears battle Aaron Rodgers and the 4-5 Packers. Meanwhile in Tampa, Derrick Brooks and the Buccaneers’ defense have the unenviable task of slowing down the Adrian Peterson-Express and the 5-4 Vikings. In Cincinnati, the Bengals take on Donovan McNabb and the Eagles who hope to get back on track following last week’s loss to the NY Giants. In other early game action, Steve Smith and the Panthers host the Lions while Drew Brees and the Saints visit the Chiefs. At 4:00 PM ET, NFC West rivals meet as MVP-candidate Kurt Warner and the Cardinals travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks. Also in the late window, the 49ers welcome the Rams to San Francisco.

Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Co-hosts Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee join analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan to preview all Week 11 matchups. NFL Insider Jay Glazer breaks the latest news from the FOXSports.com newsroom. Weather forecaster Jillian Reynolds and comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo also contribute. In this week’s show, Pam Oliver sits down with Vikings RB Adrian Peterson who’s dominant performance at the end of last week’s game propelled Minnesota to victory over Green Bay.

During postgame coverage of early matchups and halftime of the late games, Super Bowl and national championship-winning head coach Barry Switzer joins America’s No. 1 football show to exclusively unveil the latest BCS college football standings and look ahead to next week’s most pivotal games.

Brian Billick on which team will emerge from the NFC North:

“I think Green Bay has the best quarterback. Minnesota has the best running back and Chicago has the best defense. Now it becomes which of those teams can step up in other areas. A healthy Green Bay Packer team, to go with the best quarterback, has the best opportunity the rest of the way to come out on top of the division.”

Brian Billick on QB Kerry Collins leading the undefeated Tennessee Titans:

“Kerry knows how to play with the team around him. Last week we saw that that game wasn’t going to be managed. He had to take it on his shoulders to get the win and Kerry is capable of that. This week, if they get into a mode where he can go back to managing the game, rather than let his ego get involved, Kerry will go right back to managing the game. He’s all about winning right now and he has the veteran experience to do that.”

Billick on comparisons between the 9-0 Titans and last season’s Patriots: “I think Tennessee is a more complete team. When you’re talking about Tom Brady during a 16-0 year, you knew it was going to come down to a Tom Brady-Peyton Manning situation because we are in an era of dominant quarterbacks. I think the Titans are a little like our [Ravens] 2000 championship year or the 2002 Tampa Bay team. There was a void of quarterback play at that time. A team that could play dominate defense, run the ball and have competent play at the quarterback position, could win a championship. With the package that Tennessee has right now, I don’t know why they couldn’t parlay into a championship.”

Jimmy Johnson on what Brett Favre’s has done for the Jets this season: “When you have a player of Brett Favre’s caliber, it elevates the play around the entire football team. The Jets brought in some offensive linemen this offseason and that has helped and they’ve improved their football team in a lot of other areas. When you have a quarterback who you know can pull you out from behind and is going to make some plays, it elevates the level of everybody. Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game.”

Jimmy Johnson on what’s gone wrong with the preseason Super Bowl favorite Dallas Cowboys: “The Cowboys have so
me problems but they’re correctable problems. I think some teams that are extremely talented aren’t really focused and can go out and beat up some bad teams but when they go up against a real physical team like the Cowboys did against Washington a few weeks ago, they run into a problem. With the way the NFC East is this year you’re not going to get away with not being focused against those teams. You can’t make mistakes and win in this league.”

And that will conclude this post.