This week’s NFL Replay will highlight all four Wild Card Playoff games exclusively on NFL Network.  The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, January 6, 2008:

8:00 PM ET: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals

Kurt Warner passed for 271 yards, including two touchdown tosses to Pro Bowl teammates WR Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, to secure the team’s first home playoff win since 1947.

9:30 PM ET: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Chargers running back Darren Sproles capped San Diego’s overtime victory with a 22-yard touchdown.  Sproles totaled 328 all-purpose yards.

Wednesday, January 7, 2008:

8:00 PM ET: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco became first rookie to win his first playoff start since Ben Roethlisberger and Ed Reed led defense with 2 interceptions.

9:30 PM ET: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Brian Westbrook had third longest catch by RB in playoffs since 1970 (71-yard TD) and McNabb improves to eight playoff wins, more than any other quarterback in Eagles history.

Post from: Sports Media News

MORE PEOPLE WATCH “THE NFL ON CBS” THAN ANY OTHER NETWORK THROUGH 17 WEEKS OF

2008 NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES

“THE NFL ON CBS” +14% HIGHER THAN NBC; +3% OVER FOX; +52% OVER ESPN

Through 17 weeks of the 2008 NFL regular-season, more people watched NFL games on CBS than any other network, based on a cumulative analysis of Nielsen data.

Through 17 weeks of the 2008 season (September 4-December 28, 2008), THE NFL ON CBS regular-season games were seen by an estimated 150.9 million viewers, +14% higher than NBC’s 132.4 million viewers, +3% higher than FOX’s 146.9 million viewers, and +52% higher than ESPN’s 99.4 million.

The cumulative audience is based on Total Viewers (Persons 2+) who have watched at least six minutes of NFL game coverage since the start of the 2008 regular-season.

* * * * *

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“a delight, someone with strong opinions who wasn’t afraid to express them to the media and on the air.” – AP on Millen the broadcaster

NEW YORK – January 5, 2008 – Former NFL player, executive and broadcaster Matt Millen will join NBC’s pre-game coverage of Super Bowl XLIII it was announced today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. This past weekend, Millen returned to television as a studio analyst on NBC’s special Wild Card Saturday edition of “Football Night in America.”

“Many of us have been blessed with second chances and fortunate to have new opportunities,” said Ebersol. “But the decision to have Matt join us for the Super Bowl was simple given that he is one of the very best football broadcasters of his generation.”

Millen won four Super Bowl rings with three teams in his 11-year career. Following his playing career, he entered the broadcast ranks working on NFL games for CBS, Westwood One radio and then Fox Sports. With Fox, Millen earned accolades for his analysis as a member of Fox’s number two broadcast team with Dick Stockton. The Associated Press called Millen “a delight, someone with strong opinions who wasn’t afraid to express them to the media and on the air.”

In 2001, Millen left the broadcast booth and joined the executive ranks of the Detroit Lions where he served as team president until September of 2008.

During “Football Night in America” Saturday, Millen discussed his Lions’ tenure in an interview with “Football Night’s” Dan Patrick. Excerpts follow:

PATRICK: “Would you have fired you?”

MILLEN: “I would have, actually. Probably not this year until after the season.”

ON WATCHING THE LIONS GO 0-16 AFTER HE WAS FIRED: “It was brutal. Obviously knowing everybody up there, knowing and understanding the details, watching it unfold, it was probably harder watching it from home than it was when you’re up there.”

PATRICK: “How responsible were you for this season and the last eight years there?”

MILLEN: “Oh, completely responsible. When you’re head of football operations, you throw it back on me.”

Post from: Sports Media News

2009 Trailer Competition

[New York, NY – January 5, 2009] – The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival announced a competition to find the official trailer for the 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.   For the first time in the three-year history of the Festival, Tribeca and ESPN have created a unique competition to find the official Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival trailer that will be scheduled to play prior to all of the films in this year’s sports film festival.    The 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival will take place during the Tribeca Film Festival, April 22 through May 3, 2009.

To participate in the competition, contestants will need to shoot a reenactment of a scene from a classic sports film. Three scenes from two classic Walt Disney Pictures, Remember The Titans and Cool Runnings, have been preselected for contestants to recreate. All recreations of the scenes should keep within the spirit of the original film and be under 30 seconds.  A panel of Tribeca and ESPN notables will select the top submissions and choose the final winner.  The competition begins Monday, January 5, 2009 and ends Saturday, March 7, 2009.

“Sports and movies have always had a love affair and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival brings together fans of both,” said Nancy Schafer, Co-Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival.  “We believe this competition will be a creative opportunity for people to get involved with this Festival and we look forward to viewing the submissions.”

Keith Clinkscales, ESPN senior vice president, content development and enterprises said, “We believe great sports stories are just waiting to be told, or in this case, re-told. This competition captures the spirit of our collaboration with Tribeca by encouraging a multitude of voices and perspectives from both veteran and emerging filmmakers.”

Contestants should log on http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tribeca/trailer/contest

to download the script pages to both films and then submit their videos. These selected shorts will be featured on www.espn.com, beginning in early April 2009.

In addition to having the scene play as the official trailer for the 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York City (including airfare and hotel accommodations) for two nights to attend the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, dinner for two at the ESPN Zone, one Apple TV with an I-Tunes gift certificate in the amount of $100, and a 17-inch Apple Mac Book Pro fully loaded with Leopard OS and Final Cut studio.

About the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival is a partnership between Tribeca Enterprises, the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival, and ESPN Inc. The Festival, founded in 2006, is the premiere showcase for independent sports film.

About the Tribeca Film Festival
Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. The Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.

Tribeca Film Festival is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors. The Tribeca Festival has screened over 1100 films from over 80 countries since its first festival in 2002. Since its founding, it has attracted an international audience of more than two million attendees and has generated over $530 million in economic activity for New York City.

About ESPN Films

Launched in March 2008, ESPN Films presents quality scripted and documentary film projects for television and theatrical release. Recent documentaries include the critically acclaimed Black Magic (March 2008), The Streak (April 2008) and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival selection The Zen of Bobby V (May 2008). ESPN Films will launch a major initiative with “30 for 30,” a celebration of the last three decades of sports timed with ESPN’s 30th anniversary, in October 2009.

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on NFL Network

(Special Divisional Weekend Shows – Sat. 12 Midnight ET; Sun. 8:00 PM ET)

“When is this glass slipper going to fall off the San Diego Chargers?” – Deion Sanders

“He looks like Willie Mays in centerfield.” – Steve Mariucci on Ravens S Ed Reed’s over-the-shoulder interception, which he returned 64 yards for a touchdown

“He is arguably the best corner in the game.” – Deion Sanders on Eagles CB Asante Samuel, who had 44-yard interception-return touchdown vs. Vikings. Samuel’s score was his NFL postseason record fourth career INT-return TD.

“I would be shocked if they let him [leave] or trade him. They need him. For 10 years he’s been great…seven times in the Playoffs.” – Steve Mariucci on Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, who passed for 300 yards vs. Vikings

“He has no big-time receivers and he still gets the job done.” – Deion Sanders on McNabb

“Why would you throw the ball up like that when you know Ed Reed is in the middle of the field?” – Deion Sanders on Dolphins QB Chad Pennington’s second-quarter interception, which Ravens S Reed returned for a touchdown

“He breaks on the ball like no other.” – Deion Sanders on Ravens S Ed Reed’s second interception

“A younger player would not have even had the thought to jump the ball like that. Amazing.” – Steve Mariucci on Reed’s second interception

“I love watching this defense, not only because they have great players; but the scheme is very multiple and fun to watch and dissect.” – Steve Mariucci on Baltimore Ravens defense

“[Ravens] defensive coordinator Rex Ryan should be a head coach next year.” – Deion Sanders

“Last time they met, he was still a young Joe Flacco.” – Deion Sanders on Ravens-Titans Divisional matchup

“They need to run for 150 yards against Tennessee to help this young quarterback.” – Steve Mariucci on Ravens game plan vs. Titans next week

“San Diego [must] continue to pressure Ben Roethlisberger.” – Steve Mariucci on Chargers-Steelers Divisional matchup

“We are who we are because of the Playoffs.” – Deion Sanders on timing of AP awards, including MVP and Coach of the Year

***        Additional exclusive video clips from Sunday’s NFL GameDay Final are available on NFL.com.  Click on the video segments.  These videos include:

- A Look at Ed Reed’s Over-the-Shoulder Interception and 64-yard Return for TD

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddf862

- Deion’s “Let’s Go Primetime” Segment

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80de4b71

And Highlight Packages for All Wild Card Playoff Games on the “Featured Video” page plus much more on the NFL GameDay page.

Post from: Sports Media News

PRESTIGIOUS EVENT TO AIR IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE FIRST TIME

Beginning on Sunday, Feb. 1, ESPN will devote eight original hours of coverage to the World Series of Poker – Europe Main Event from the Casino at the Empire in the heart of downtown London’s theater district.

This tournament was among the most grueling and exciting of all of the tournaments played in the WSOP, and attracted an extremely formidable field of 362 top players from Europe, the United States, and around the world. Play took place over a six-day period, with the initial field divided into two starting days, and culminated in a final table which took more than 19 hours to complete. At stake was the first place prize of more than $1.5 million and the highly coveted WSOP – Europe Main Event bracelet.

ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker – Europe will begin on Feb. 1 with the first four episodes beginning at 6 p.m. ET, followed by an encore presentation of episodes 1 and 2 on ESPN2 at 10 p.m., co-hosted by Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.

“The intimate look and feel of this tournament is different from other WSOP events we produced in the United States,” said Doug White, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions.

The cavernous Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas, which housed all of the tournaments held last summer, has given way to a small club where players are seated at tables on two different levels; off in a side room, under the stairs, behind the bar, near the roulette tables, and in front of an ice cream shop.

Thanks to a new innovation called the Mobile Hole Card Camera, for the first time ever, ESPN will be able to show the hole cards from key hands at many of these outer tables in addition to the feature table.

“We believe the Mobile Hold Card Camera will provide fans a great understanding of the overall story behind the tournament, and how the players advanced to the final table,” said Jamie Horowitz, ESPN senior sports producer.

The ESPN2 air dates listed below: (ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN)

2/1
10pm Episode #1
11pm Episode #2

2/8
10pm Episode #3
11pm Episode #4

2/15
10pm Episode #5
11pm Episode #6

3/1
10pm Episode #7
11pm Episode #8

Post from: Sports Media News

NEW YORK – January 4, 2009 – NBC Sports coverage of Saturday night’s San Diego Chargers 23-17 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts earned NBC the best overnight rating for primetime Wild Card Playoff game ever and the best Saturday Wild Card playoff game since 1999. (The NFL began primetime Wild Card games in 2002).

The Colts-Chargers game (8:15-11:45) earned an 18.3 overnight rating and 30 share, tying it with 2003 Atlanta-Green Bay for the highest rating for a Saturday Wild Card game since 1999 (Arizona-Dallas, 20.9/38) and 10 percent higher than last years Jacksonville-Pittsburgh game (16.6/27). The rating peaked during overtime at 11:30 at a 21.6/37.

NBC scored a 17.3/28 in traditional primetime (8-11 p.m. ET), 394 percent higher than Fox, the next highest network (3.5/6) and 90 percent higher than the combined delivery of Fox, CBS (2.9/5) and ABC (2.7/4).

NBC Sports also scored the best two-game average overnight rating for an NFL Wild Card Saturday in five years. NBC’s Wild Card Saturday, featuring Atlanta-Arizona (14.3/28) in the afternoon and Indianapolis-San Diego in primetime, averaged a 16.4 overnight rating and 29 share – the best two-game average overnight rating for an NFL Wild Card Saturday in five years (2005 on ABC: St. Louis-Seattle in afternoon and NY Jets-San Diego in primetime, 16.5/28).

The 16.4 average overnight rating is also a three percent improvement over the 16.0/28 average for the two Wild Card Saturday games last year (Washington-Seattle in afternoon and Jacksonville-Pittsburgh in primetime).

Gm. 1 – Falcons-Cardinals – Top 10 Markets:
1. Atlanta, 28.2/49
2. Phoenix, 25.8/48
3. Indianapolis, 21.3/36
4. Baltimore, 20.2/35
5. Portland, 19.7/34
6. St. Louis, 18.9/32
7. New Orleans, 18.4/29
8. Ft. Myers, 17.7/31
9. West Palm Beach, 17.4/29
10. Philadelphia, 17.3/31

Gm. 2 – Colts-Chargers – Top 10 Markets:
1. Indianapolis, 45.3/64
2. San Diego, 38.6/63
3. Nashville, 29.8/42
4. Baltimore, 25.1/39
5. Portland, 24.5/36
6. Ft. Myers, 22.8/35
T7. Phoenix, 21.8/36
T7. New Orleans, 21.8/31
9. Charlotte, 21.6/33
T10. Kansas City, 21.2/34
T 10. Las Vegas, 21.2/31

Post from: Sports Media News

NFL GAMEDAY MORNING

“I Will definitely coach again.” – Mike Shanahan

“The Jets have reached out to former Ravens head coach Brian Billick and thrown him into the mix of their head coaching search.” – Adam Schefter reports

“I definitely want to have a couple of Super Bowl rings and be the best player that ever played the game.” – Adrian Peterson

“We talked just prior to our Pittsburgh game and to simplify things we decided we just have to win the next three home games.  We won the first one, now we have two more.” – Jeff Fisher on the Titans’ mindset going into the playoffs.

NFL GameDay Morning, the first information packed show on the air Sunday mornings, checks in at 9:00 AM ET on the only network dedicated entirely to football. Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci alongside hosts Spero Dedes and co-host Alex Flanagan with news reports by Adam Schefter, bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews on NFL Network.

Part Two of Adam Schefter’s EXCLUSIVE 1-on-1 with former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan: NFL Network’s Adam Schefter sat down with former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan to look back on his career in Denver and discuss his current and future plans.

Following are quotes from Part Two of Schefter’s conversation with Shanahan. To access the video link of Part Two of Schefter’s conversation with Mike Shanahan, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddf017

“He (Pat Bowlen) had a disguise on.  They wouldn’t let him in the building because we had just won.  Pat snuck by, so I said anyone that can sneak by security, I’m going to work for that guy.” — Shanahan on being courted by Pat Bowlen as an assistant coach following San Francisco’s Super Bowl win.

“I knew we had John Elway, and anytime you have a quarterback, you have a chance.” – Shanahan on coming to the Broncos without draft picks

“I got more static for doing that than anything I’ve ever done.” – Shanahan on introducing President Bush during his campaign.

“I’ll look at our options this year, if not this year then next year. I haven’t been put in this situation for a while, so I’m not really sure what I’m going to do.” – Shanahan

“I’m not going to do anything for a couple of weeks, that’s for sure.” – Shanahan

“I will definitely coach again.” – Shanahan

“I’ll study the game, maybe take some computer classes.  I don’t even know how to text.”  – Shanahan on what he would do with a year off.

“This (a Super Bowl trophy) is what drives coaches to stay in the business for a long time. Once you experience one of these, you know how special it is and you want to get back there.” – Shanahan on his passion for coaching.

“An owner that wants to win…One that gives you a chance to (win a Super Bowl).

That’s what drives you.” – Shanahan on who he will end up coaching for when he returns.

**To access the video link of Part One of Schefter’s conversation with Mike Shanahan, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80dd8a84 **

Marshall Faulk  1-on-1 with Vikings RB Adrian Peterson: Peterson discusses being the NFL’s leading rusher and the Vikings playoff hopes:

“He’s the CURRENT best number 28.” – Faulk introducing the Peterson interview

“People say I play too violent, but I don’t waste my time thinking about injuries, I just go out there and play.” – Adrian Peterson

“If they get lucky.” –on if one guy can tackle him

“I’m thinking about touchdowns.” – on what goes through his mind before the snap

“I feel like we have what it takes to win it all.” – on the Vikings hopes in the playoffs

“I definitely want to have a couple of Super Bowl rings and be the best player that ever played the game.” – on his career

“He’s a very confident young man.” – Faulk on Peterson

**To access video link of the Adrian Peterson interview, please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddeffa **

LIVE interview with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher: Head coach Jeff Fisher shared his team’s mindset as the Titans have a bye week and wait to find out who their playoff opponent will be:

“It was classic Wild Card Weekend football.” – Fisher on the Colts-Chargers matchup

“The lack of experience isn’t going to affect the Ravens.  They are well coached.  They have a plan, they stick with it. They’re going to run the ball and play keep away. Joe Flacco is becoming more and more comfortable with that passing game and he’s gotten better and better coming down the stretch.” – Fisher on the Ravens-Dolphins matchup

“Miami’s defense doesn’t get the credit but they are playing very, very well.” – Fisher on the Ravens-Dolphins matchup

“People were critical of the Colts because Tony rested the guys, but that didn’t have any impact on what happened last night.” – Fisher on whether or not players should be rested before the playoffs.

“We talked just prior to our Pittsburgh game and to simplify things we decided we just have to win the next three home games.  We won the first one, now we have two more.” – Fisher on the Titans’ mindset going into the playoffs.

“I’m very fortunate that we have stability and continuity here.” – Fisher

“When you get to the playoffs, you don’t change your personality or mentality. You do what you did to get you here.” – Fisher

“Jeff Fisher has been the constant, that’s why they have been so successful.” – Mariucci on the Titans.

**To access video link of the Jeff Fisher interview please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddee1b **

Schefter’s News Reports:

• After making one key running back decision last off-season, the Chargers now are going to be forced to make another.  Last off-season, rather than look to do the unthinkable and consider trading franchise running back LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego let his backup Michael Turner leave to go to Atlanta.  Now, after a season in which Tomlinson battled injuries and reduced production, Chargers mighty-mite running back Darren Sproles is poised to become a free agent.  Still, every time Sproles has been questioned at any level he has produced. The Chargers were questioned for allowing Turner to leave. They will be questioned again for allowing Sproles to leave.  San Diego cannot afford to let Sproles go, but it’s going to be awfully pricey to get him to stay.

• While football awaits a decision from Colts coach Tony Dungy on his future, Indianapolis could be losing another franchise legend.  Unless Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is willing to significantly restructure his contract, it’s possible he has played his last game for Indianapolis.   Next season, Harrison is scheduled to carry a $13.4 million salary-cap number for a Colts team that already is $2.5 million over the 2009 salary cap. In a year when it’s going to be more difficult than ever to restructure contracts because none of the money can be pushed into 2010 when there is no salary cap, Indianapolis and other teams are going to struggle to find salary cap room.  Yet the 36-year-old Harrison, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, could almost singlehandedly provide it for the Colts. If Indianapolis were to release Harrison after this season, his $13.4 million salary-cap number would come off the books and he would save the team $7 million against the cap.

• The coaching class of 2010 is shaping up to be the quarterback class of 1983.  Next season, the three coaches expected to be available for hire at anytime are former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher. Two other coaches, Tony Dungy and Bill Parcells, also could be added to the collection.  With Shanahan, Holmgren and Cowher each free to be hired at anytime, it means that the hot seat is going to be even hotter for embattled coaches next season.
• Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo comes with rave reviews. He greatly impressed the Broncos brass he had dinner with Saturday night in New Jersey. It would not be overly surprising to see him wind up with the Broncos job.  But most league insiders believe that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the coach the Broncos are interviewing on Sunday morning is the leader in the clubhouse for the Denver job.  For starters, McDaniels is at the stage in his career now that Dan Reeves was when Broncos owner Pat Bowlen hired him back in 1984. Reeves, with his offensive background, became the youngest head coach in the NFL at that time.  When Bowlen later hired Shanahan, he once again was drawn to his youth and offensive imagination.  And now, at 32, McDaniels would bring Bowlen the same attributes his two primary coaching hires have brought.
• The Jets have reached out to former Ravens head coach Brian Billick and thrown him into the mix of their head coaching search. They are planning to interview Billick this week and one league source said the former Ravens coach is “a viable candidate for the Jets job.”  Apparently the Jets are not the only ones to contact Billick. The Detroit Lions, according to another source, also have. Reaching out to Billick makes sense on a number of levels.  Rarely are coaches with Super Bowl wins on their resume available for hire. Also, Baltimore still owes Billick two more years of salary, putting Billick on sale for any team that hires him.  And lastly there is this stat: Nine of the past 11 Super Bowls were won by coaches who had been fired from their previous job. Billick falls into that category, along with many coaches now getting interviews. He also falls into the Jets sphere of interest.  Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is the favorite for the job, but Billick cannot be dismissed.
• Multiple NFL executives believe Herman Edwards will not return next season as the Chiefs coach. They believe it is only a matter of time before the change is made.  Chiefs general manager candidates are thought to include Patriots executive Scott Pioli, Colts vice president of football operations Chris Polian, Tampa Bay’s director of pro personnel Mark Dominik and San Diego’s director of player personnel Jimmy Raye.
• Kansas City is throwing a grand going-away party for Carl Peterson on Tuesday. Those who attempt to figure out where he will surface after Kansas City need to look back at Philadelphia.  The last owner of the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars franchise, for which Peterson was the president and general manager, was Stephen M. Ross.  The same Stephen M. Ross that is about to become the new Miami Dolphins owner.  Since the time they worked together in Philadelphia, Ross and Peterson have remained close. Their relationship dates back well over 20 years. Back in Philadelphia, Peterson led the Stars to a 48-13-1 record and was twice named the USFL Executive of the Year.  Some in the Chiefs organization have maintained all along that Ross would provide Peterson with his golden parachute out of Kansas City, with Peterson not the type of individual to simply walk away from the game.  Multiple league sources believe that one day, possibly sooner rather than later, Ross will hire Peterson to help run his Dolphins franchise.
• The name I keep hearing as the front runner for the Jets head coach position is Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.  That may not make Jets fans too happy right now, but Schottenheimer was offered the Dolphins head coaching job a few years ago and appears to be the favorite for this one.

• Green Bay’s assistant head coach Winston Moss made such an impression on the Rams that he will be brought back for a second interview for St. Louis’ head coaching job.  Still, the Rams are proceeding on with other candidates as well and plan to reach out to various candidates to try to schedule interviews.  Another assistant head coach that has caught the Rams attention is Arizona’s Russ Grimm; he can expect to hear from the Rams shortly.  Also, whenever Tennessee’s season is finished, the Rams are interested in interviewing Titans offensive line coach Mike Munchak.  And the Rams general manager is fully aware of Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan from the interviews that he conducted with them last season, when Devaney was spearheading Atlanta’s head-coaching search. Frazier and Ryan will be serious contenders for the Rams head coaching job.

• Odd as it is, the one Shanahan who has the biggest chance to make his mark on the NFL this season isn’t former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, but rather his son, the Houston Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.  During the Texans’ season-ending 31-24 win over the Chicago Bears, in a game in which Houston racked up 455 total yards, Shanahan was entrusted with the responsibilities of calling all of his team’s plays for the first time this season. Up until then, he had called some, but never an entire NFL game.  It worked out so well that Texans coach Gary Kubiak now plans to let the younger Shanahan call all of Houston’s plays next season. And keep an eye on this scenario: the younger Shahahan, clearly an up-and-comer in this league, has one year left on his contract.  If the senior Shanahan sits out this season, the two Shanahans easily could work together during the 2010 season.
• Despite the rampant speculation that former Lions coach Rod Marinelli will wind up working with his former roommate Lovie Smith in Chicago, there is at least one scenario that could prevent it from happening.  Marinelli has been talking to and considering taking a job in Seattle with the Seahawks. There now are some around the league who believe that Marinelli will wind up there.  Seattle’s president of football operations, Tim Ruskell, worked with Marinelli in Tampa Bay and knows what type of coach and man he is. Also, the Seahawks vice president/player personnel Ruston Webster was a longtime Buccaneers employee that knows the value of Marinelli.  Marinelli is expected to make his decision this week.
• Each of the Buccaneers top two quarterbacks, Jeff Garcia and Luke McCown, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Each of their top two wide receivers, Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Their top receiving tight end, Jerramy Stevens, is scheduled to be a free agent.  Heading into the off-season, NFL Players Association records show that the Buccaneers are now $45 million under the salary cap. Forty-five million! That number even is expected to increase once salary-cap adjustments are made and more fat is trimmed from the roster.  Tampa Bay will have the ability and flexibility to sign whichever free agents it wants. But it also will have plenty of players to replace.
• The Eagles aren’t going to do anything with Donovan McNabb right now.  If you go back to the middle half of last season, if he hadn’t played well down the stretch they could have made a move during last offseason.  The same was true this year.  When they benched him there was a school of thought that maybe the time had come for the organization to part ways with McNabb.  But the way he has played down the stretch, he has left it so that they cannot make a move with him. They’re only option is to bring him back to Philadelphia next year.  Donovan McNabb has asked for security by asking for a contract extension.  He wants to be told that he is their guy; that he is their future and they will not be moving on with Kevin Kolb.

**To access the video link of Schefter’s ‘Around the League’ segment please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddebcd **

Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning:

“Sproles is not a back that can play every down, but he proved that in a playoff game when you have to win one, he can be very effective.” – Marshall Faulk on San Diego RB Darren Sproles

“Get something for LT or get something for Sproles. Don’t sit here a year from now, with another Michael Turner situation where you let one of your good players walk out the door.” – Warren Sapp on Sproles

“He’s playing like he’s the big man on campus.” – Steve Mariucci on Sproles’ performance in the Chargers’ win over the Colts

“Miami has to have explosive plays on offense against this Baltimore defense.” – Faulk

“I don’t subscribe to that mentality that if you rest guys or have bye weeks you get rusty, did anyone watch the college bowl games?  They get 40 days off, they aren’t rusty, they are fresh and come out and play like gang busters.” – Mariucci on whether coaches should rest players before the playoffs.

“29 Minnesota Vikings players are making their playoff debuts today.” – Kara Henderson

“The speed of the game picks up considerably from the regular season to the playoffs.” – Special Player Correspondent Redskins offensive lineman Jon Jansen

“Chad Pennington is not intimidated by the number two ranked Baltimore Ravens defense.” – Special Player Correspondent Patriots safety Rodney Harrison

“Ed Reed is the best safety in the league.  He’s not the most physical safety in the league, but he does a tremendous job in coverage which allows Baltimore Ravens to do so much in the blitz package.” – Special Player Correspondent Patriots safety Rodney Harrison

“He’s the energizer bunny.” — Mariucci on Miami linebacker Joey Porter

“He runs physical, he runs hard and leaves the ball exposed.” – Faulk on Adrian Peterson

“You can’t let that monster get rolling, you grab him, lock him up and let the second guy go after the ball.” – Sapp on stopping Adrian Peterson and trying to strip the ball.

“A lot of rookie coaches did a great job this year, but it’s a great job by the Falcons organization.  They had to get up from off the mat because they were down and out, and now they’re back and what a great job, congratulations.” — Mariucci on Mike Smith being selected as Coach of the Year

“He’s the quiet assassin.” –Sapp on Miami TE Anthony Fasano

“No it isn’t, are you kidding me…They should keep it together.  This is their window of opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl.” – Mariucci when asked if it’s time for the Eagles to part ways with Donovan McNabb

Scott Hanson 1-on-1 with former Dolphins quarterback (1967-1980) Bob Griese to discuss the turnaround of the Miami Dolphins in 2008 from a 1-15 season last year.

“Maybe 5-6 wins, or go .500, that would have been great, but to go 11-5 and be in the playoffs. This is more than anyone could imagine.” – Bob Griese

“He’s like another coach.  He leads by example and the Dolphins would never have been here without him.” – Griese Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington

EXTRA POINTS:

• Next week’s Divisional Playoff edition of NFL GameDay Morning will be on the air two and a half hours on Saturday beginning at 2:00 PM ET leading straight into kick off.   Sunday’s episode will again be four hours starting at 9:00 AM ET for a recap of Saturday’s games and a preview of Sunday’s matchups. NFL GameDay Morning.

On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:

Eagles-Vikings report: Kara Henderson and Jon Jansen have the latest from the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80dded1b

Ravens-Dolphins report: Scott Hanson and Rodney Harrison bring you the latest from Dolphins Stadium.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddebe1

McNabb’s mission: Sterling Sharpe looks at what Donovan McNabb must do to exploit the Vikings defense.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddf1d5

O.J. Brigance’s story: O.J. Brigance has proven to be an inspiration inside the Ravens organization.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddef4d

Let’s Go Prime Time: Deion Sanders counts down his Top 5 performances from Saturday’s wild-card action on Saturday’s NFL GameDay Final.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80ddd113

NFL GameDay Morning begins the NFL Network’s Wild Card Sunday schedule. Following NFL GameDay Morning will be NFL GameDay Scoreboard at 4:00 PM ET and NFL GameDay Final at 8:00 PM ET.

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football.  For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork. NFL.com is the exclusive Internet home of NFL videos and NFL Network.

Post from: Sports Media News

NEWS, NOTES & QUOTES FROM CBS SPORTS’ “THE NFL TODAY” WITH

JAMES BROWN, DAN MARINO, SHANNON SHARPE, BILL COWHER AND BOOMER ESIASON FOR “WILD CARD WEEKEND” ON JANUARY 4

“THE NFL TODAY’S” BILL COWHER STAYING IN CBS STUDIO

At the opening of CBS Sports’ pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY, analyst Bill Cowher addressed the speculation and attention he has received this past week on whether or not he will return to coaching in 2009.

COWHER:  It’s a privilege and an honor to be a head coach in the National Football League. And I have been flattered about the attention, but the timing right now is not right.  I don’t plan on coaching next year.

JAMES BROWN: You say the timing is not right, so that doesn’t rule out a return to the sideline at all?

COWHER: No and I am taking it year-to-year. And let me say this, why would I leave a team that I know is going to a Super Bowl next year? Here’s my team right here. (CBS Sports will broadcast Super Bowl XLIV next February 2010 in Miami.)

►FOOTBALL FACE-OFF

(On overtime rules regarding a coin flip)

COWHER: The league MVP did not have a chance to get on the field last night in overtime…in the game, in regulation, both offense and defense determine the game.  And right now, listen to what happens (over clip of coin flip call of tails)…There is no way that you should have a coin flip determine the outcome of a football game.

BOOMER ESIASON: Dwight Freeney is making $72 million, Bob Sanders is making $37.5 million and Robert Mathis is making $30 million, and they have a job too.  Their job is to stop the opposing team’s offense.  Since 1974, about 30% of the time, the team that has won the coin toss has actually scored on their first series, meaning that about 70% of the time it goes the other way.  The defensive players, the special teams players, all get paid.  The Colts did not live up to their paychecks

► “INSIDE THE GAME” WITH CHARLEY CASSERLY

(On future of Bill Parcells in Miami)

CASSERLY: When Steve Ross, the new owner, takes over in February, if he wants Bill Parcells back, my best guess is that Bill Parcells will return.  He really enjoys the job that he has in Miami.  He’s having fun with it.

(On Denver firing Mike Shanahan)

CASSERLY: I talked to somebody who was close to the decision who understood it.  They said a couple of things: 1) They felt 14 years was enough; that Pat Bowlen now wanted to take back control of the team. And finally Mike Shanahan had become even bigger than the logo of the team in the city of Denver.

Post from: Sports Media News