NFL ON FOX KICKS OFF SWEET 16th SEASON WITH DOUBLEHEADER SLATE LOADED WITH LEAGUE’S TOP STORIES:
GIANTS, COWBOYS, FAVRE’S DEBUT, EAGLES, NFC CHAMP CARDS
Aikman: You Can’t Talk Super Bowl Without Talking About Vikings & Favre
Johnson: Forget Buzz in Chicago & Minnesota, Packers Are the Team to Beat in the North
Strahan: Eli Needs Someone He Can Count On & He Doesn’t Have That Now
FOX Sports Supports Selects City of Hope As Its 2009 NFL Charity
NFL ON FOX KICKS OFF 16th SEASON WITH WEEK 1 DOUBLEHEADER ACTION – The NFL on FOX’s 16th consecutive season covering of the prestigious NFC package begins Sunday, September 13 with doubleheader coverage of seven games—each presented in crystal clear HD. The premier matchup of the day takes place at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ as Eli Manning and the defending NFC East Champion Giants host Jason Campbell and division rival Redskins at 4:15 PM ET. At 1:00 PM ET, coverage is highlighted by Brett Favre’s first regular season game under center for the Vikings when they travel to Cleveland to take on Eric Mangini’s Browns. In Tampa, Tony Romo and the T.O.-less Cowboys face rookie head coach Raheem Morris and the Bucs.
Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with the 2009 premiere of America’s most-watched pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. NFL Insider Jay Glazer is back for another season of the latest league news and scoops in the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio and comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo contributes his weekly “Frank’s Picks” segment.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13
GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST/SIDELINE COV. TIME Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston 42% 1:00PM
& Tony Siragusa
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Birmingham, Dallas, Fort Myers, Hartford, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Providence, Richmond, San Antonio, San Diego, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick 35% 1:00PM
& Charissa Thompson
Cleveland Browns Stadium – Cleveland, OH
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis
Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers Dick Stockton, Charles Davis 10% 1:00PM
& Laura Okmin
Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
MARKETS INCLUDE: Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Philadelphia, Raleigh
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints Chris Myers & Trent Green 6% 1:00PM
Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, LA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Detroit, New Orleans
Washington Redskins at New York Giants Joe Buck, Troy Aikman 86% 4:15PM
& Pam Oliver
Giants Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan 7% 4:15PM
& Nischelle Turner
University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, AZ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Ron Pitts, John Lynch 6% 4:15PM
& Rob Desir
Qwest Field – Seattle, WA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Portland, Seattle, St. Louis
AIKMAN, JOHNSON & STRAHAN PREVIEW 2009 SEASON — NFL on FOX lead analyst and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson and Super Bowl Champion Michael Strahan, along with FOX Sports President Ed Goren previewed FOX Sports’ NFL coverage and the 2009 season on a press call yesterday afternoon.
A replay of the entire call is now available by dialing 719-457-0820 and entering pass code 4547403 when prompted. The call can also be heard as an audio file by clicking on this link: http://video.foxsports.com/podcast/nflonfoxpodcast1.mp3
Highlights include:
Aikman on the pressure Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is under this season: “I think there are a lot of people who would look at the Cowboys offensively last season and say it was a disappointing year. I don’t know if that is necessarily the case considering the fact that they lost Tony Romo for a few games. Jason understands offensive football and knows how to attack defenses. They get Felix Jones back this year and Tashard Choice, who emerged at the end of last season, will be impactful again. The weapons are there, the quarterback is there, this should be a heck of an offensive football team.”
Aikman on what the loss of Plaxico Burress means to Eli Manning and the Giants: “There’s no doubt that when you lose a go-to, No. 1 receiver, it’s going to be impactful in a negative way on a football team. I know the Giants like some of the young players and they’re expecting to have good years from them but so far in preseason that hasn’t quite happened. I’m sure it is a concern. If someone in that position doesn’t emerge, they’re going to have problems throwing the football. Ultimately it will hold the Giants back.”
Strahan on what Eli Manning and the Giants need to succeed this season: “Eli needs that No. 1 receiver because right now he doesn’t have confidence in anybody. That’s why I was a little surprised they didn’t at least bring Amani Toomer back. I think leadership at the receiver position is the one thing the Giants need. Amani was a consummate professional, the way he took care of himself and the way he worked. He was a great example for the young guys. Eli doesn’t have anybody like that right now.”
Aikman on whether Favre solved Minnesota’s QB problems: “Brett makes that position better. I don’t think that anybody can deny that. He’s a better quarterback than Tavaris Jackson or what they’ve had there the last couple of seasons. They’ve got everything that you could want in the other positions and what’s clearly held them back has been the inconsistency at quarterback. It’s not as if it’s a guarantee that Brett is going to step in and provide consistency. We all know that Brett has been somewhat of an inconsistent player himself here as of late. The fact that it took him this long in order to reach a decision is concerning. Whether that was just to avoid going to training camp or not, I believe that there is something to be said for going through an off-season with your teammates. But bottom line: Is Brett Favre an upgrade at that position and does he help them? Absolutely and I don’t think you can talk Super Bowl without talking about the Minnesota Vikings with him at quarterback.”
Aikman’s take on Redskins QB Jason Campbell: “I like Jason Campbell. He showed early last season what he’s capable of doing and I know what type of competitor he is. It’s just a matter of him being able to play at that level for an entire season but I certainly feel that he’s capable of doing that.”
Strahan on the impact Romo has on the Cowboys: “I know everybody discounts them because of what they haven’t done but I look at what they have done and I know from playing against him that if it wasn’t for Tony Romo, that team wouldn’t be anywhere the last few years. He’s very, very dangerous.”
Johnson on what story he’s most interested in seeing unfold this season: “The most compelling story to me this season is Michael Vick and the Eagles as a team. You just don’t know how he’s going to contribute in Philadelphia and you don’t know how he’s going to co-exist with Donovan McNabb. I think the potential there is just endless. With the experience they have on offense, if Westbrook is healthy, they can be scary.”
Johnson on his favorite in the NFC North: “I’d take Green Bay. With what Aaron Rodgers did last year, even though some of it wasn’t at the end of games, overall he had a good year. Dom Capers has really helped their defense. Their defense will be a marked improvement for Green Bay. With all the buzz in Minnesota and in Chicago, I think the Packers are the team to beat in the NFC North.”
Aikman on the best quarterback in the NFC North: “I’d give Aaron Rodgers a little bit of a nod over Jay Cutler right now but there’s no doubt that Cutler is a heck of a talent and he’s not too far behind.”
Strahan on the possibility of Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware breaking his single season sack record: “He can have it and everybody can leave me alone about the damn Brett Favre sack! DeMarcus and several other guys have a real chance at breaking that record. One thing I love about DeMarcus is that he’s one of the most humble, nicest guys in the NFL. I have all the respect in the world for him. If there is anybody that I’d love to see break my single season sack record, he would be the guy.”
Aikman on the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers: “They’ve won with great defense and pretty outstanding quarterback play so there’s no reason to look at them and think there will be any kind of drop off. The interesting thing is how consistent and methodical they are each and every offseason, from what they do in the draft to how they run their organization. That’s why they’ve been one of the most consistent organizations in the history of the league.”
Strahan on what kind of impact Albert Haynesworth will have on the Redskins: “The addition of [Albert] Haynesworth is big. It’s all a matter of how motivated he is to play. Getting a big contract does one of two things: either guys get complacent or they work hard. So, I think you have to have a balance in understanding how to handle that situation and the pressure that will be put on you. When you sign a big contract everyone thinks you should make every play and that’s just not realistic.”
Johnson on Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn: “Jim Zorn is perfect for this football team. Having Jim Zorn working with Jason Campbell is really important right now because he will be the guy that determines how many games they will win.”
NFL ON FOX CONTINUES THE FOX SPORTS SUPPORTS CAMPAIGN WITH CITY OF HOPE – For the 2009 NFL season, FOX Sports has selected City of Hope as the official charity of the 2009 NFL on FOX season. City of Hope is recognized as a leading biomedical research and treatment center, through developing groundbreaking research and compassionate patient care. The public service announcement features FOX NFL SUNDAY cast of co-hosts Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee, analysts Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. The campaign runs throughout the 2009-2010 regular season and postseason, culminating with the NFC Championship Game.
For more information log onto www.cityofhope.org
— FOX SPORTS —
Recent Comments