Archives for August 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Chris McCloskey

Sam Flood

Tony Dungy

Rodney Harrison

MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody, to our call today. We appreciate you joining us. In a few moments, we’ll hear from our Football Night in America analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, as well as NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood.

Just a little recap, as people know, Football Night in America is the most watched studio show in sports. This year, NBC Sports will be broadcasting 28 NFL games, including Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 show on television, Thursday Night Football, last year’s No. 2 show on television, and the Super Bowl. It all starts with kickoff next week, September 7, on NBC.

So let’s begin now with some opening remarks, first from NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood.

 

SAM FLOOD: Thank you all for joining us today. We’re excited to get the season going. There’s something special about having it be your Super Bowl season. So it adds a little more excitement because we know we get to show off the first game of the year and the last game of the year, and that means we’ve got a big season ahead of us.

Mike Tirico now becomes the full-time host of Football Night in America on the road, where Dan Patrick continues his role as the ringmaster and teammate of Tony and Rodney. We think it’s a team and a family of people in our studio that the audience is used to, really embraces, and they know, when they want the real look and the instant breakdown on what happened that day in football and what it means, Tony and Rodney give that information, and then Mike Florio added in for all the insights and news from around the league.

I think we’ve got a winning combination that continues, and there’s something about the continuity of these three guys — Dan, Tony, and Rodney, DTR — that makes magic TV every week. When Tony speaks, people listen, and you add that passion that Rodney has, and it’s a winning combination. So we’re really proud of where we are with the show. We’re proud of the fact that it’s the most watched studio show in sports television, and we continue to grow the passion base, and that’s the important thing.

With that, I hand it off to Mr. Dungy.

 

TONY DUNGY: Thank you, Sam. I would just have to echo that. Obviously, very exciting to know that you’re going to be broadcasting the Super Bowl this year. A long ways before we get there, but Sam mentioned continuity and just teamwork, and going into my ninth year with Rodney and Dan, it’s been awesome. The feeling that we have for each other and the chemistry we have, it’s just great.

 

I was at the Colts kickoff luncheon yesterday, and I had to remark to people I’ve now been on this NBC team longer than I was on the Colts team. So it’s pretty rare. It goes fast, but we’re having a great time. Looking forward to the year. I think it’s going to be an excellent year for NFL football and should be a great year for NBC.

With that, I will give it to my man, Rodney Harrison.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: Thank you, Coach. Much appreciated. I can pretty much say the same thing, echo Tony’s sentiment. Really extremely — after five, six months off, it seems like it’s just been long. We’ve enjoyed ourselves. We’ve taken Disney cruises. We’ve done a bunch of different things. But it’s now time to get back to football.

The one thing I noticed when I was up at the Patriots facility a couple of days ago, they were loose. They were extremely loose. It was no — no one walking around pouting about Julian Edelman’s injury. Spent some time with Coach Belichick, probably spent 30 to 45 minutes with him, probably the longest time I’ve spent with him, and he just seemed very relaxed. He seemed confident. And he continues to push the button with these guys.

With that being said, I do believe the Patriots are right on pace to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, and right here and right now, Coach Dungy, I will say that the Patriots will repeat this year.

 

TONY DUNGY: Hmm, okay.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: Back to you, Chris.

 

CHRIS McCLOSKEY: Thank you, Rodney. Now we will take questions from the press.

 

Hey, guys, thanks for doing this. This is for both Rodney and Tony. I’m just curious about what your impression is of the Giants defense jumping from last year. This year, obviously, they made huge leaps last year. Specifically, what kind of jumps out at you guys with this defense and how good can it be this year?

RODNEY HARRISON: I’ll start it off, Coach. The one thing that impressed me about the Giants defense last year, they got everyone involved. They did — they extended their defensive game plan, a lot of blitzing, a lot of different looks. Landon Collins, I think he had a terrific year last year. I felt like he was — should have been in consideration, which he was, for Defensive Player of the Year award.

But I like the way they play. I like how aggressive they play. I like the looks. I like the fact they love to blitz — safeties, corners, nickelbacks, linebackers. So against their defense, you can never line up as an offense and be comfortable because they have so many different looks, they have so many different guys coming at you.

 

TONY DUNGY: Yeah, I would echo what Rodney says. I did a little work getting ready for next Sunday night, and looking at their game against Dallas last year, the second game, and what you saw was the secondary that was very aggressive, and they blitzed a lot, but they covered. There were not receivers open. So those young defensive backs, I think that is what has allowed them to play more man coverage, to play tighter, to play more aggressively, and allowed Coach Spagnuolo to be able to blitz more.

So they’ve got a fast unit, they’ve got an aggressive unit, and I really think you have to credit that secondary for the reason they took that statistical jump.

 

1. Hi, gentlemen. For both Tony and Rodney, do you view the move from Tannehill to Cutler, the unfortunate move from Tannehill’s perspective health-wise, as a step back? Are they very comparable? Do each of you guys view Miami as a real wild card contender?

TONY DUNGY: I think Miami definitely can be a contender. They were right in the mix last year. Ryan Tannehill, I know some coaches down there on the offensive staff, and they felt like this was his year to take the step forward. It’s all going to depend on their quarterback play. They’ve got a running game. They’ve got aggressive defense. They’ve got some receivers who can make plays. To me, this is all going to be about Jay Cutler, how fast he gets back in the swing of things.

He knows the offense that Coach Gase wants to run. He’s got to get that chemistry with this team and come out firing. If he does, they certainly can be a threat this year.

RODNEY HARRISON: I agree with you totally, Coach. I do believe it comes down to Jay Cutler and his attitude as far as, not just when things are going well, but when things start to kind of go downhill. Will he stand up? Will he be the face of that locker room? Will he be able to go and have conversations? We’ve seen the way he’s acted in the past and conducted himself, where his teammates would say that he’s selfish, he’s not a leader, these type of things.

 

You have to be a leader if you want to go to the playoffs, if you want to go to the Super Bowl, you need the leadership at the quarterback position. He could not have walked into a better situation walking in with the weapons he has at tight end, the two wide receivers, the running game, a coach that he worked with. You could not ask for a better situation. It comes down to Jay Cutler.

I still believe that defense had taken a step forward last year, but I still don’t think it’s as good as people think, particularly in the secondary at the cornerback spot. We’ll see what happens, but their season definitely hinges on Jay Cutler and his attitude in terms of leadership.

 

Another Giants question, if I might, for Rodney and Tony. At 36, do you think that — you know, the window might be closing on the Eli era for the Giants, where they kind of have to get this done next year or maybe next? Or do you think in a Tom Brady world here, that he could go on for another four, five, six years?

RODNEY HARRISON: Well, kind of, I look at it, this guy doesn’t really get hit. That’s kind of what I look at. It’s not like he’s had major, major injuries. And Tom Brady has proven that you can play well into your 30s, right into your 40s. And I believe that Eli, as long as that offensive line protects him and he doesn’t sustain a major injury, as long as his spirit and body and mind seems okay, I think he can play as long as he wants to play.

But I think there comes a point in time where he has to get this team to the next level. The Giants went out and spent a lot of money. I know his name is Manning, and he has a lot of history, future Hall of Famer, two Super Bowls, beat the Patriots, but at the same time, you want that level of consistency from Eli. I do believe that he can play well into his 40s, but we’ll see how he plays this year. I’m expecting a big year from the Giants.

 

TONY DUNGY: I really don’t like that phrase, when is the window closing? We don’t know when the window’s going to close. I think, given good health, he could play for a number of years. But who knows? It may go this year. It may go next year. So you’ve got to do it — this year is the only year you can control and the opportunity that you have. I think that’s the way the Giants are approaching it. But let’s see what they do this year, and that will tell us a lot about the future.

 

How has the corner position changed over the years? Is it harder to stay consistent there than other positions?

TONY DUNGY: I think it’s definitely the most difficult place to play because of the rules. Number one, you’re getting tremendously talented receivers. Everybody wants to throw the ball, and every rule we put in makes it harder on the defense. I think those highly skilled corners are so valuable now.

We talked about the Giants and their corners just making the defense take that stride forward. Everybody’s looking for them. It’s a difficult place to play. And you always, always have a target on you now. So my hat goes off to these great young corners.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: And to really follow up what Coach Dungy says, basically it comes down to the reason why all the rules are changed is because the Indianapolis Colts changed the rules. It was Coach Dungy, and it was the general manager, and everybody else, they changed the rules.

 

TONY DUNGY: Let me stop you there. We didn’t change the rules. We just asked for the rules to be enforced (laughter).

 

RODNEY HARRISON: Yeah, Coach, you’re right. You look at some of these really good teams, and you look for the fact that Belichick will go out and pay a corner $50 million, $60 million. He had Asante Samuel. He passed on Ty Law, two really great cornerbacks who played. It just shows you he understands how important the cornerback position is.

I think Matt Patricia was telling me 70 percent of their plays, they play in nickel defense because most people attack them with 11 personnel. So they’re going to play a lot of man-to-man coverage. Obviously, they play zone, but they have two corners that can get up in your face and jam you and follow you all around.

So I think the premium for a really good cornerback, I mean, it really helps your defense.

 

Guys, this is for Tony and Rodney, although Rodney already went Joe Namath on us. Do you see the Patriots repeating, I guess — like I said, Rodney has already said his, but Tony. Also, when you look at Patriots, can you summarize what are some of the primary things that Brady and Belichick do that nobody else, in a league with a lot of smart people, can really match?

RODNEY HARRISON: I’ll let the Coach answer that.

 

TONY DUNGY: Rodney has already — we don’t have to play the season now. Good to know. We can just cover the Super Bowl and figure out who the Patriots are going to play.

 

You really do, I always bet against the defending champs. If he’s giving me the Patriots or the field, I’m going to take the field because it is difficult to repeat. You are the circled game of everybody on the schedule. We in TV, we put you in tough positions. You’re going to play primetime Sunday, Monday. You’re going to play these big games on the road that are going to be late. It’s just difficult.

Patriots have done it as well as anybody, and Rodney will tell you they don’t look at circumstances, they don’t look at anything other than preparing themselves. But I think, to me, the thing that sets them apart is playing situational football. Rodney and I talk about it a lot in the studio. Knowing how you have to play to win games and how you have to handle yourself in two minutes in end of the game situations, before the half, and short yardage, third and one. Those different situations, they are the best at that.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: When I look at the Patriots — you know, I’ve experienced it. When we won in ’03, not once has it ever been mentioned. Nobody ever really talked about it. It was just something that we kind of forgot about. And he would say — and he would tell us, you’re not defending anything because the very next year, it’s a completely different team. It’s not the same team. You’re not defending anything. Plus.

So I agree with you, Coach, to a certain extent because, when you have that mark on your back, you’re going to get everybody’s best. But at the same time, this is a group that has gotten better. You’ve got a healthy Rob Gronkowski. You go out, and you get a cornerback that Belichick told me that you can’t even throw on. He couldn’t even throw on him. That was one of the main reasons why he went out and even got him, because he couldn’t throw on the guy. And you have another guy on the other side who’s playing for a contract. He’s playing for a 60, $70 million contract. So you have these guys with a sense of urgency. They’ll never become complacent. And quite frankly, guys that want another Super Bowl ring. That’s what they want. That’s the goal every single year.

 

This question is for both Tony and Rodney. The Rams are changing their defensive scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and the Chargers are doing the opposite, from a 3-4 to a 4-3. Both of them have kind of expressed that it’s going to be an easy transition. Now, from what you’ve seen with defenses becoming more hybrid and players more positionless, are defenses more able now to make that transition? And is that something where some years from now, maybe schemes like we used to know it on defense, just won’t be the same? They maybe won’t even exist in that sense?

TONY DUNGY: From a coach’s perspective, I never thought there was that big of a defense between 3-4 and 4-3 in terms of principles and the way you play. To me, it’s all personnel driven. Do you have better linebackers? Do you have better defensive front people? How do you want to do it? Maybe you can do a little bit more in terms of disguising when you’ve only got three linemen and people don’t know who’s going to rush, but the principles in how you play, to me, is much more important than whether there’s four down linemen or three down linemen.

From that sense, I think you’re right. There’s not much difference in terms of what you’re going to do. It’s really how you do it.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: Yeah, and I agree with you, Coach. It comes down to whatever defense you’re going to play, it obviously comes down to the personnel that you’re playing. But as a player, to me, that was always easy, and that was one of the things that got me excited, learning different defenses, learning different schemes, learning sub-packages, and all those different things, and making sure that not only are you learning the defense from a safety standpoint, but you’re learning every individual player’s responsibility. That’s the fun thing about defense.

I think defensive coordinators need to challenge and push their players a lot more because you need that versatility. You need to be able to come out and play with three safeties if you have to, or play nickel or play dime the entire time. So as a player, I always looked forward to new installation when it came to defense.

 

Just to follow up really quick, how much more have you both noticed just defenses becoming more hybrid and using guys in multiple roles than maybe when you both started coaching or playing defense?

RODNEY HARRISON: I really believe that really good defenses have guys that can play multiple positions. When I came to the Patriots, Belichick told us, he said, don’t get too comfortable with one position. Make sure you know how to play everybody’s position. You never know. And make sure you know what everyone’s doing.

So when it came to defense, I was just one of those guys that just was excited to get out there and play, and most defensive players, you know, they don’t necessarily worry about the scheme, if they believe in the scheme. But it’s all personnel driven, Coach.

 

TONY DUNGY: It is, and I think that is what’s forced so many defenses to have to become multiple like that. You play a team like the Patriots, and you may see five wide receivers. You may see three wide receivers and the tight end as their primary set. And then the next week, it’s two tight ends and two running backs and a power game.

 

So all these offenses that can play different ways and give you different personnel kind of forces the defenses to have to defend differently. That’s why you see all the packages and the really good defenses being able to match up and do that.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: But all in all, the most important thing on defense was the most — the number one thing that he always talked about, coaches that I’ve been around, is making sure communication is at the forefront. You have to make sure that everyone’s on the same page. Whatever you do, one person does, everyone has to do it, and I think that’s one of the things, from all the coaches that I’ve had throughout my career, they’ve always spoke on communication.

 

Forgive me if I got on a little bit late. The Texans obviously face a different situation in that they did not get to play their last preseason game, and now they sort of go into a season where so much is happening around them that I would think that — I’m not sure, but helps concentration or if it hurts concentration to have all of these things swirling around them literally. How does a player or how does a coach deal with things that are happening in real life as it explodes around them in such a widespread fashion as the Texans face here?

RODNEY HARRISON: I think it brings us all back to reality. When you play in the National Football League and you’re making millions of dollars, you’re on TV, and you got everybody basically doing certain things for you and catering to your needs, you really find out that it’s not about you. You find out that people have real issues out here in life, and it brings just a certain perspective.

I don’t believe that this is going to be a distraction. If anything, it’s going to be a boost to the city. It’s going to be a boost to the team to try to entertain the city and try to win football games for the city. People around the NFL family, they’ve rallied around Houston. They’ve done a really good job of sending money and things like that. And everybody understands how difficult that situation is.

But as a football player, you have to go out there. You have to do your job. You have to help when you can, whether it’s on your off day going down there on a Tuesday, helping out, or sending a check in, and understanding that these people are fighting for their lives. But I still have a job to do as a football player, and your job is to go out there and win football games. And any time the Houston Texans can go out there and win football games, it can ease the blow just a little bit from everything that those people are going through down there.

 

TONY DUNGY: Yeah, I totally agree. Rodney said it. It does give you a sense of what is really important in life, and I think that does — we lose track of that sometimes. That is the first thing.

 

But secondly, as an organization, coaches and players, they’ll embrace this. The New Orleans Saints did it very much in the Katrina era, that, hey, we’ve got a job to do. One thing we can do is we can help the spirits of people by playing our best, and it’s a little thing, but we certainly can do that. I think you’ll see the Texans embrace that.

 

Hi, guys. Thanks for doing this. I was wondering how you all expect the Broncos offense to become maybe a little bit more dangerous, a little more potent under our new scheme with Mike McCoy?

TONY DUNGY: I really don’t think the scheme will make that much difference. To me, it’s going to be the quarterback play. They’ve got a running game and some runners who can make some things happen. They’ve got a defense who’s going to keep them in ball games and give them field position. Everybody is going to clamp down and try to play them tight and force the quarterback — and it looks like it’s going to be Trevor Siemian — but force the quarterback to make plays and beat them. So he’s going to have to step up and make some plays down the field.

I’m sure Coach McCoy will have some things in place to take shots down the field, but it’s going to depend on Trevor Siemian really operating at a high level. If he does, Denver is going to be very, very tough to beat. But he’s going to have to prove to people he can be the difference maker.

 

RODNEY HARRISON: You’re asking me if the Denver Broncos can win the division with Trevor Siemian? I believe they can. I believe their defense is good enough. Coach talked about being able to hit some passes down the field but also protecting, not turning the ball over, making sure that you protect your quarterback, and trying to get something that resembles a run game. I think they have to stay a little bit more patient with the run game and take a little pressure off the quarterback. But you can’t hide the quarterback. He’s the starting quarterback in the National Football League for a reason. You have to see if he can play.

 

Sam, obviously, you guys — good ratings are always good because that’s a big part of your job, but how much does it mean to you guys over there, this streak you have tied for American Idol and a chance to kind of set that record? It’s kind of a quirky thing, but is it something you guys look at and take pride in?

SAM FLOOD: We always take pride in it, but we know it’s all part of the partnership with the NFL. It gives us an incredible schedule, and then we’ve got the best team in football to produce the games and tell the stories of each game. So we think with Football Night in America surrounding it, we put together the best possible night of viewing and destination for a football fan.

 

We’re pretty lucky to have all these pieces in place, and hopefully the streak continues because the schedule, as you can see, can’t argue with this opening weekend. Pretty spectacular to have the Patriots playing with Tom Brady leading them on the field to collect the latest installment of Rodney Harrison’s banner raising, and from there off to Dallas-Giants game. It doesn’t get any bigger than that.

So when you open your season like that, you’ve got to feel pretty good about the opportunity to kick some butt and have some fun.

 

If you win in May, will Simon Cowell give you a trophy or something? Will there be some presentation?

SAM FLOOD: He works for us since he does America’s Got Talent. It’s a beautiful thing. The synergies are all together.

RODNEY HARRISON: He can always give me a Tony while he’s at it. I won’t be hurt.

SAM FLOOD: We have our Tony already.

Labor Day Dream Team Marathon Features 11 Consecutive Hours of Coverage, Including 1992 Gold Medal Final vs. Croatia

Eight Consecutive Nights of the Dream Team Games in Their Entirety on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA Continues Through Monday

Features Original Broadcasts With Game Commentary from Marv Albert, Mike Fratello, and Quinn Buckner; Plus Team of Chick Hearn and Steve Jones

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 31, 2017 – Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA continues its “Dream Team Week” celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics this weekend with an 11-hour Dream Team Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 4, highlighted by the 1992 Gold Medal Final vs. Croatia at 8:30 p.m. ET.

“Dream Team Week” on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA features all eight original broadcasts on eight consecutive nights in primetime, which began this past Monday. Coverage continues tonight at 8 p.m. ET with the Dream Team’s preliminary round game against Brazil.

The Labor Day marathon begins at noon ET and will include the Dream Team’s preliminary round games against Angola and Spain, the quarterfinal against Puerto Rico, and the semifinal against Lithuania, prior to the Gold Medal Final vs. Croatia.

For most viewers, this celebration of the Dream Team – arguably the greatest collection of basketball players ever to play on one team – marks the first time many viewers can see all of the Dream Team games in their entirety, as NBC mostly showed only portions of the early games during its 1992 Olympics coverage.

Legendary basketball play-by-play voice Marv Albert handled play-by-play duties for NBC Olympics’ coverage of the 1992 Barcelona Games, and was courtside to chronicle the gold medal-winning run of the Dream Team. Click here for some of Albert’s memories and impressions of the Dream Team.

Every Dream Team game from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics will feature the original commentary teams that called the action. Albert led NBC’s basketball coverage in 1992 alongside analyst Mike Fratello and reporter Quinn Buckner, while Chick Hearn and Steve Jones provided play-by-play and analysis for games that aired on NBC’s Triplecast, a pay-per-view joint venture between NBC and Cablevision during the Barcelona Games.

Each night, following game coverage from the Barcelona Olympics, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is presenting NBC’s Dream Team documentary that originally aired during the 2012 London Olympics, and includes interviews with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley.

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics marked the first time that NBA players could participate in Olympic basketball. The Dream Team is widely credited with dramatically increasing basketball’s popularity around the world, and was collectively inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Eleven of the 12 players on the team are in the Basketball Hall of Fame as individuals, as well as three of the team’s four coaches. The Dream Team defeated its eight opponents in 1992 by an average of 44 points en route to the gold medal, and won every game by at least 30 points.

The full Dream Team roster consisted of: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton.

Chuck Daly served as head coach, alongside assistant coaches P.J. Carlesimo, Mike Krzyzewski, and Lenny Wilkens.

Following is the full telecast schedule for the remainder of Olympic Channel’s Dream Team marathon:

Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Thur., August 31	USA vs. Brazil (preliminary round)	Olympic Channel	8 p.m.
Fri., September 1	USA vs. Spain (preliminary round)	Olympic Channel	8 p.m.
Sat., September 2	USA vs. Puerto Rico (quarterfinal)	Olympic Channel	8 p.m.
Sun., September 3	USA vs. Lithuania (semifinal)	Olympic Channel	8 p.m.
Mon., September 4	USA vs. Angola (preliminary round)	Olympic Channel	12 p.m.
	USA vs. Spain (preliminary round)	Olympic Channel	2:30 p.m.
	USA vs. Puerto Rico (quarterfinal)	Olympic Channel	4:30 p.m.
	USA vs. Lithuania (semifinal)	Olympic Channel	6:30 p.m.
	USA vs. Croatia (gold medal final)	Olympic Channel	8:30 p.m.

 

ABOUT OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. It offers fans year-round programming of Olympic Sports from around the world, highlighting their favorite American athletes and teams. Programming consists of live events from a broad portfolio of summer and winter Olympic sports. It also includes Olympic-themed original content produced by all three parties, such as original programs produced by filmmakers from around the world commissioned by the global Olympic Channel; rich archival footage from the IOC’s and NBCU’s libraries of Olympic features and documentaries; and original Team USA programming produced by the USOC that provides authentic, wide-ranging and athlete-focused coverage of the Olympic Movement in the United States. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is live streamed on OlympicChannel.com, the Olympic Channel app, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Select replays and highlights is available on these digital platforms as well as TeamUSA.org.

–OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA–

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Jeff Burton

Paul Tracy

Leigh Diffey

David Hobbs

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Thanks, everybody, for joining today’s call. This Sunday, NBC Sports will present a live motorsports tripleheader on NBCSN from the world’s top racing series. It all shifts into gear at 7:00 a.m. eastern with the iconic F1 Italian Grand Prix from Monza and continues at one of the United States’ most iconic circuits, Watkins Glen, with the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen with coverage beginning there at 1:00 p.m. eastern.

Our tripleheader wraps up with NBCSN’s 1980’s throwback presentation of the NASCAR Monster Energy Series race at Darlington Raceway at 6:00 p.m. eastern, which will include retro themes, graphics, and the unforgettable stylings of the late 1980’s.

In a moment, we’ll be joined by lead Formula 1 and IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey, analyst and former F1 driver David Hobbs, analyst and former IndyCar driver Paul Tracy, and analyst and former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, to discuss this weekend’s NBCSN triple header.

NBC Sports is the U.S. television home of motorsports, and viewership this season has echoed that sentiment. Both IndyCar and F1 are on pace to deliver their best cable seasons since NBC Sports Group acquired both properties in 2009 and 2013 respectively, and since the return of NASCAR in July, six of NBC Sports Group’s eight Cup Series races have ranked as the weekend’s top sports program.

In addition to all this, our lead F1 and IndyCar commentator Leigh Diffey is slated to perform a rare broadcasting feat this weekend. Diffey will call the F1 Italian Grand Prix on Sunday morning from the NBC Sports Group’s international broadcast center in Stamford, and then he will take a quick flight up to Watkins Glen in upstate New York in time, hopefully, to handle play-by-play duties for the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen.

We’ll take some opening statements from each guy here, and without further ado, I will hand it off to the man that’s going to do everything but fly the plane to Watkins Glen, Mr. Leigh Diffey. Leigh, go ahead.

 

LEIGH DIFFEY: Hi, and good afternoon, everyone. Yeah, this is really exciting. This is the second opportunity for me to do this, to do the double, to do the Formula 1/IndyCar double. Myself and Steve Matchett did it a couple of years ago after the Belgian Grand Prix and then the Pocono 500. So we know that it is doable.

However, it’s a pretty long day, considering that our morning start for F1 is at 3:00 a.m. when the wake-up call goes off. So it’s a long day, but it’s a really enjoyable day, and I feel really fortunate and really excited to be honest to be doing it again, given where both open wheel series are with the titles up for grabs. Obviously IndyCar is a lot closer to its ending than Formula 1 is with just two races left in the Verizon IndyCar Series and still eight more Grand Prix left on the Formula 1 side of things.

Both championships have been fascinating this year, and to be across both of them in the one day is very, very exciting. I haven’t done a lot of IndyCar this year just because of so many different clashes, so I’m looking forward to getting back with my old mates PT and Townsend Bell and the whole IndyCar group, and then I’ll be with the IndyCar group for the season finale in Sonoma, as well. Nothing other than really excited to be doing it.

DAVID HOBBS: Monza is one of the most iconic circuits in the world. Good afternoon, everybody. I think you’ll find that Monza this year will be a really tremendous event. We’ve had a championship struggle between the top two teams, Ferrari, led by Sebastian Vettel, and of course Mercedes led by Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes team just edged Ferrari in terms of Constructors’ points, and in the drivers’ championship Vettel leads Hamilton by just seven points going into this race. This will probably be the fastest race of the year, and we’ll see lots of speeds in excess of 150 miles an hour a lap, which when you consider there’s a 30 mile-an-hour hairpin thrown in there, it’s a pretty awesome track. It’s set in the old Royal Palace grounds just on the edge of Milan, so the teams’ wives have got plenty of places to go to high-end shopping and spend some of that hard earned dough that their husbands make. The championship has been a thriller right from round 1 in Melbourne, and as Leigh says, we’ve got eight races to go, including this one.

There are lots of other teams involved here, all of whom are looking for a share of that Constructors’ purse, one of whom, of course, is the Gene Haas team out of Charlotte. They are currently lying seventh in the championship, and it’s a very close run between them, Toro Rosso, and Force India. So it’s a very, very intense battle right through the field, and I think that Monza this coming weekend should be a fabulous all-around event.

PAUL TRACY: The way it’s shaping up right now, it’s been a battle between the Penske teammates and the lone Scott Dixon in the Ganassi team. Dixon had a good run last week, which nobody — I don’t even think himself, he expected to finish as well as he did. He has put himself back closer in the mix in terms of points, so as we come into the last two races from St. Louis, there’s just — there’s been a big change in attitude with both teams it seems.

 

There’s a lot of tension now in the Penske camp. Simon was very upset with the move that Newgarden made, and Will Power crashing out on the first lap, so he’ll be desperate to win the last two races.

Helio Castroneves, it’s his last season of IndyCar, 20 years trying to win a championship. Obviously he’s got to have some desperation to make something happen. This is his last crack at it for his career.

And then there’s the Target Chip Ganassi team. The last two races in a row, Chip has parked cars and pulled the drivers out of the cars at the end of the race to the disbelief of his drivers. So there’s unrest within that team to support Scott Dixon. So it’s going to be a very interesting two races, how it all plays out, inter-team rivalries, and how it shapes the championship.

JEFF BURTON: Yeah, well, this is always one of my favorite weekends. Darlington is to me — winning the Southern 500 was one of the highlights of my career. It’s such a hard race to win, such a difficult racetrack. Going there is just always really fun, exciting, and the throwback weekend, with all the old paint schemes and the teams have really gotten into it with the uniforms, and in some cases the retro hair styles and retro mustaches. It’s just such a fun weekend.

But then when you throw the battle for the championship on top of that, you’re starting to see Clint Bowyer has got himself in a position where he’s probably got to win to get in, Elliott, McMurray, Kenseth, they all can’t afford bad races. Joey Logano needs to win to get in; Erik Jones has brought the pressure the last few weeks, put himself in position to win. So those guys trying to get in, it’s a really, really big race. It’s a race where you can easily get into trouble, so those guys racing for points can’t afford to get into trouble, and then on top of that, you have people that are still earning points that they can use in the Playoffs, so there’s just so much on the line with two races left in the regular season and going to a very, very difficult racetrack with the excitement of retro weekend. It’s just a fun weekend, exciting weekend. I’m looking forward to getting it going tomorrow.

 

This is for David Hobbs. David, I don’t think silly season went the way that Fernando Alonso kind of expected it to be or hoped it would be, and none of those top rides look like they’ve opened up. David, do you think we’ve seen Fernando Alonso win his last F1 race?

DAVID HOBBS: Well, I think you’re definitely right that Fernando Alonso would have been bitterly disappointed two weeks ago when Kimi Raikkonen was confirmed as driving for Ferrari again because I really do think that he was hoping that a drive might appear there for him. The McLaren Honda has not performed anything like as well as it should have, and over the last three seasons, and even though Honda are making big noises about the car, the engine improving, I think it’s going to be very lucky for it to improve enough to win, and I think you might well be right, we may have seen Fernando Alonso’s last Formula 1 win, but I’m not absolutely convinced we’ve seen his last win because I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t find a way — if he really feels that he has no hope in Formula 1, which it kind of looks a bit that way at the moment — he’s obviously not going to go to Mercedes, he’s not going to go to Ferrari, and the McLaren-Honda does not seem to be performing as well, there’s talk of him going to Renault, but they are still struggling. They have to make some big improvements to win next year.

And he may well turn his talents to IndyCar, which of course he did earlier this year with the Indy 500, where he performed incredibly well and was certainly in with a chance until his Honda engine expired, much to his disgust no doubt.

Yeah, I think you may have seen Fernando have his last Formula 1 win, which is a great disappointment not only to him but to a lot of us fans because Fernando is one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers, was on track to win four or five championships, and he’s ended up with a mere two. Mind you, I’d take his two championships any time.

 

Leigh, you’ve had the opportunity to call all three series this year, and it was just pointed out, you’ve gone as far as calling two in one day. Your preparation or approach, does it change based on what series that you’re calling?

LEIGH DIFFEY: Not really, no, because you kind of — you do the same style of preparation — well, I do anyway, just myself. I do the same preparation for whatever I’m calling. That’s divided up into lead-up preparation and then what I call in-the-moment, like in-the-weekend preparation, and then it all leads up to doing the race.

And in addition to that, I’m doing rugby on Saturday, as well.

You just have to compartmentalize. You’ve just got to take it, whether it be series at a time or event at a time, but yeah, I mean, you’ve got to make sure you’ve done it on the front end, the homework and the preparation on the front end. But yeah, it’s just switching your brain at the time when it needs to be switched into which mode and which series. But I mean, I’m lucky, like you said, that I’ve worked on all three series this year, and I watch a lot of motorsports, because it’s not my job, it’s my passion.”. So yeah, looking forward.

But no difference in preparation. I mean, you’ve just got to grind it out. I always tell my kids, I do more reading and writing now than when I was in university.

 

Paul, you alluded earlier to Pagenaud’s frustration after Gateway where he said he lost both trust and respect for Newgarden. Today at a media luncheon, Pagenaud admitted his emotions got the better of him. Do you believe all is good between the teammates, or how might that play out, and also for David, in terms of the rivalry we’re seeing in IndyCar, if you can talk a little bit about what we’ve seen so far this year out of Hamilton and Vettel, if that’s kind of reached a different level, and for Jeff, maybe it’s talking about what we’ve seen out of Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson because they’ve certainly had some frustrations earlier this year. If I could hear from Paul first, please.

PAUL TRACY: Well, I think in the moment, obviously he was very frustrated. It was a — for sure it was a risky pass that Newgarden took. But the door was open, and it was barely enough to get through, and Newgarden said, okay, the door is cracked open just enough for me to get through, I’ll kick it open the rest of the way, and I don’t think Pagenaud liked that very well. He felt he had the move covered. He was frustrated after the race, and frankly he kind of gave the race away. He could have closed the door down a little bit more, but he left it just enough open for Newgarden to come through.

I think having looked at it in hindsight and having spoken to Newgarden this week, I had a conversation with him, and you know, they had a little bit of a — not an argument but a disagreement after the race, and he was reminded of the fact that he pulled the same kind of move on Power at Mid-Ohio the year before and hit him wheel-to-wheel and pushed him off the track for the win in the closing laps of Mid-Ohio. So he kind of had selective memory of some moves he made.

So I think having thought about it now for a week, he’s probably over it, and he knows he needs to win the next two races if he’s going to win the championship, and you’ve got to move on.

DAVID HOBBS: I would just like to add one thing to Paul’s comments there and to Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud. Risky moves, surely that is exactly what racing is supposed to be about. I do think we have come to a bit of a stage in the last few years where risk is looked on with horror, and the fact is really that’s what it’s all about.

Now, to go back to Hamilton and Vettel, the last two years, the biggest talking point in the paddock has always been between Hamilton and his own teammate, Nico Rosberg, but this time the focus has changed a bit between the two protagonists, which is how it should be, and I don’t think there’s any bad blood there yet, but of course we’re getting down to a point where there certainly could be.

Now, we did see in Baku when they were behind the pace car, and Sebastian Vettel is normally the coolest, calmest and most collected guy that you could possibly find, but unfortunately in Baku, his dark side came out somewhat, and behind the caution car, he actually turned in to Hamilton’s car, which is not the sort of thing you see very often in Formula 1. And it displayed a chink in his armor, which I think that Hamilton will exploit as the fight continues down to the championship at the end of the year, which I’m sure it will do right to the last race in Abu Dhabi.

But I know that Hamilton now knows that Vettel is not entirely as cool and calm as he might seem to be.

JEFF BURTON: And listen, I think all these moments that you’re talking about are created by solid competition, by people that are digging hard, that are giving 100 percent, and that’s motorsports, and that’s what we’ve seen with Jimmie (Johnson) and Kyle (Larson). We’ve seen two highly competitive people that have been very close to each other on the racetrack, and Kyle Larson is trying to — although he’s been in the sport for a while, he hasn’t been in a position to win a lot of races, and to be running in the front as much as he has this year, so he’s trying to figure out how that works, and he’s pushing some buttons, and that’s what his job is. His job as a young driver is to go push those buttons and figure out what is too far, and Jimmie’s job is to keep him from doing it. I think it’s just a natural, natural thing that you see.

I think as the playoffs ramp up and you get to those moments that happen at key moments within the three-race segments, then tempers could flare because now much more is on the line. Certainly it looks like to me Kyle and Jimmie still have some things that they don’t feel like they have worked out, but that’s motorsports. That’s racing, and that’s what you’re going to see when you have really, really fierce competition.

 

For PT and Jeff, with Josef Newgarden in IndyCar and then with this whole wave in NASCAR, whether it’s Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, William Byron, what have you, Erik Jones, there’s been a whole rash of young drivers kind of emerging on the scene. How impressed are you guys with how this kind of young generation has done thus far this year, and were either of you guys ever impacted negatively when say a young guy came in the sport and you saw what they were able to do?

JEFF BURTON: Well, I’ll start. Listen, I think that every retired driver can easily say that young drivers came into the sport that impacted them because that’s the natural progression. Richard Petty doesn’t drive anymore in Cup. Mario Andretti doesn’t drive anymore. As you advance into your career, there’s — the great thing about being a race car driver is everyone always wants your job, and there’s people that are working hard to take it. There’s people that are working hard every single day to bring the fight to you, to take those wins from you, to displace — not necessarily out of malice, but that’s what you do. You go compete. You go try to take the win from people, and when you get to a certain point in your career and you’re not winning as much, well, then it’s much easier to be replaced, and it’s also much easier even if you’re not replaced to raise your hand and say, you know what, I’m not getting it done anymore, it’s not as much fun to me anymore, and I’m going to go do something else, and that’s the way it is. That’s just the way it is. And if you’re not willing to accept that, that that’s the way it is, then you’d better just don’t get involved, because it’s the way it is now. It’ll the way it’ll be tomorrow. It’s the way it’ll be the day after that. It’s the very essence of racing.

You know, you don’t have a lot of 60 year olds racing. Younger guys come with talent and skill, willingness to do things that an older guy isn’t willing to do, and that’s just the natural progression.

 

PAUL TRACY: Yeah, I mean, to go back to Newgarden, you know, he’s not new to the series. He’s been around for four or five years now, and when he first came in to the series with Sarah Fisher, I knew right away just watching him on track that he was a tremendous talent. He had a lot of talent, a lot of speed. He was brave, and I had said a couple years ago when he was driving for Fisher and the team was folding — about to go on the brink of folding up, I said, you know, publicly in an interview that somebody like Penske or Ganassi needs to give this kid a chance because he’s the real deal, and it didn’t happen at that point, and he got picked up by Ed Carpenter, and he obviously had a great couple years with him, and then really started to kind of come into his own in terms of the speed and got some wins last year.

 

You know, there’s no question that — you know, and I had a meeting with Roger Penske last week. We sat down, Townsend Bell and myself and Kevin Lee, and I said to Roger, I said, this kid is like — he’s the whole deal. He’s American, he’s good-looking, he’s fast, he’s brave as hell, he gets all the sponsors in, he goes to all the sponsor events and loves doing it. He moved down to the shop. He’s in the shop every day with the guys. He’s with his engineers at dinner. He’s everything that you would want as a driver, and Roger completely agreed with me. He goes, ‘I haven’t had a guy in a long time that has integrated himself into our team as quickly as Josef has done in six months.’

 

Jeff, how have you viewed this throwback platform? Have you seen a platform around one race generate interest like this before in your time at NASCAR, and how tough do you think it’s going to be to keep it going as we get where it’s not so novel anymore?

JEFF BURTON: Yeah, you know, other than like with Indy the first time or something that was brand new, I don’t know that there’s been anything like this, that’s been received like this. The reaction from the fans when you’re at the racetrack and you see the enthusiasm like that, you can see it. It’s real. And even bringing in Ned Jarrett, bringing that group in to call the race, Ken Squier, I mean, that’s — the first time we did that, I got home, and the next day my phone just wouldn’t quit ringing. Like that was so cool for people to hear those voices. It’s brought a tremendous amount of energy to an already historic race.

As far as keeping it going, you know, I want to believe that there’s enough history in the sport that there’s enough things to celebrate about the history of the sport and that can keep it going. We’ll see, as we all know, things to die off in enthusiasm, but I think there’s enough generations and enough periods in the sport where times were different that you can celebrate that, and we’ll see as time goes on, but I think it can continue.

 

How much are you looking forward to the Miami Vice garb?

JEFF BURTON: It’s been the highlight of my year, yep. I told them I could just dig a Van Halen shirt out of my drawer, and that’s all you’ve got to do, a pair of jeans and Van Halen shirt and I’d fit right in, but they wanted Miami Vice, so that’s what we’re doing.

 

Steve Letarte has said in interviews he’s raiding Rick Allen’s closet to borrow some 1980’s garb. Can you give us a sneak peek at what you might be wearing during this throwback weekend?

JEFF BURTON: I believe the whole booth is Miami Vice themed. I believe that’s what we decided. Now, I will tell you there’s been many times we’ve discussed the throwback closing, and to be — they changed only at the last minute knowing that I wouldn’t wear what they delivered to me, so we all agreed to Miami Vice, but we’ll see if that’s what actually happens.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-

Additional Coverage Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC

Reigning Triple Jump World Champion Christian Taylor & Long Jump World Champion Brittney Reese of the U.S. Highlight Coverage in Final Diamond League Event

Coverage Streamed Live, On Demand & Commercial-Free with NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass” including Exclusive Bonus Coverage of Field Events

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 31, 2017 – NBC Sports Group presents live coverage of the IAAF Diamond League tomorrow, Friday, September 1 at 2 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, from King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, to conclude the 2017 season and crown Diamond League champions. Encore coverage of the event will air Friday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Sunday, September 3, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

Coverage will be streamed live via authentication on OlympicChannel.com, the Olympic Channel app, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app., and with a subscription to NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass.” As part of its coverage, NBC Sports Gold will present exclusive bonus coverage of field events, highlights, replays, and an exclusive 30-minute feature highlighting Diamond League action and athletes. In addition, NBC Sports Gold offers an exclusive 30-minute program focusing on the final races of Usain Bolt’s career.

The event, the final IAAF Diamond League meeting of 2017, features 10 world champions who are expected to compete for titles and prize money that totals $1.6 million. The winner of each of the 16 events in Brussels will win $50,000 and the Diamond Trophy.

2017 World Champions competing for the U.S. in Zurich include: Christian Taylor, who narrowly beat teammate Will Claye (silver) to win the men’s triple jump at the 2017 World Championships; and Brittney Reese, who bounced back from a second-place finish in Rio to claim gold at 2017 World Championships in the women’s long jump. U.S. Olympic medalists Jenny Simpson (women’s 1500m), Joe Kovacs (men’s shot put), Dalilah Muhammad (women’s 400m hurdles), and Sandi Morris (women’s pole vault), are also qualified to compete in Brussels.

Bill Doleman calls the action joined by analyst and four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon and analyst Paul Swangard.

Coverage of Olympic Sports on NBC Sports Group platforms is a presentation of the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA.

ABOUT OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA: Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. The new TV network will offer fans year-round programming of Olympic Sports from around the world, highlighting their favorite American athletes and teams. Programming will emphasize live events from a broad portfolio of summer and winter Olympic Sports. It will also include Olympic-themed original content produced by all three parties, such as original programs produced by filmmakers from around the world commissioned by the global Olympic Channel; rich archival footage from the IOC and NBCU’s libraries of Olympic features and documentaries; and original Team USA programming produced by the USOC that provides authentic, wide-ranging and athlete-focused coverage of the Olympic Movement in the United States. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will be live streamed on OlympicChannel.com, the Olympic Channel app, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Select replays and highlights will be available on these digital platforms as well as TeamUSA.org.

NBC SPORTS GOLD: NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — offers access to the IAAF Diamond League with its “Track and Field Pass.”

In addition to live video streaming, viewers will have access to exclusive bonus coverage of field events, full video replays and highlights. NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass” gives fans access to more than 25 major marathons, track and field events from April through December 2017. The direct-to-consumer pass offers fans unprecedented coverage — including some exclusive coverage beyond what is available on linear TV in the United States — live and on-demand, online, on mobile, tablets and connected TV devices.

NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass,” is available for $69.99 and can be purchased by visiting NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and online at NBCSportsGold.com.

NBC SPORTS APP: The NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

Both the NBC Sports app and NBC Sports Gold are powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–

Transcript – Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Paul Tracy, and Jeff Burton Preview F1/IndyCar/NASCAR Sunday Tripleheader on NBCSN

F1 Italian Grand Prix – 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN

IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen – Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Diffey to Perform Broadcasting Doubleheader, Calling Both F1 and IndyCar Races on Sunday

NBC Sports Jets Back to the 1980’s with Righteous Retro Coverage of Darlington Raceway’s NASCAR Cup Series Race Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBCSN Overdrive – Thursday Primetime Motorsports Block – Continues Tonight, Including American Flat Track Racing

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 31, 2017 – NBC Sports presents a motorsports tripleheader from the world’s top racing series this Sunday all on NBCSN, beginning this Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET with the iconic Formula One Italian Grand Prix from Monza. Coverage continues on NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET with the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen, and concludes with the NASCAR Cup Series Race from Darlington Raceway, which will feature retro graphics and logos to pay homage to this weekend’s throwback celebration at the track.

Date	Program	Time (ET)	Network
Sun., September 3	F1 Italian Grand Prix	7:30 a.m.	NBCSN
	IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen	1:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Race	6 p.m.	NBCSN

 

This week’s coverage also includes NBCSN Overdrive, the network’s Thursday night primetime motorsports block, highlighted by American Flat Track racing from Lima, Ohio, tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

LEIGH DIFFEY TO PERFORM BROADCASTING DOUBLEHEADER, CALLING F1/INDYCAR RACES SUNDAY

Lead F1 and IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey is slated to perform a rare broadcasting feat this Sunday. Diffey will call the F1 Italian Grand Prix on Sunday morning from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., then take a flight to Watkins Glen in upstate New York in time to handle play-by-play duties for the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen.

LEIGH DIFFEY, DAVID HOBBS, PAUL TRACY, AND JEFF BURTON PREVIEW SUNDAY MOTORSPORTS TRIPLEHEADER ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Group’s lead Formula One and IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey, F1 analyst David Hobbs, IndyCar analyst Paul Tracy, and NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton previewed Sunday’s motorsports tripleheader on NBCSN on a media conference call earlier today. Below are highlights of the call. Click here for a full transcript.

Diffey on doing the double: “This is the second opportunity for me to do this, to do the double…it’s a pretty long day, considering that our morning start for F1 is at 3 a.m. when the wake-up call goes off…but it’s a really enjoyable day, and I feel really fortunate and really excited to be honest to be doing it again…I’ve worked on all three series this year, and I watch a lot of motorsports, because it’s not my job, it’s my passion.”

Hobbs on the battle in F1 between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel: “Sebastian Vettel is normally the coolest, calmest and most collected guy that you could possibly find, but unfortunately in Baku, his dark side came out. Behind the caution car, he actually turned in to Hamilton’s car, which is not the sort of thing you see very often in Formula 1. And it displayed a chink in his armor, which I think that Hamilton will exploit as the fight continues down to the championship at the end of the year.”

Tracy on IndyCar series points leader Josef Newgarden: “He’s the whole deal. He’s American, he’s good-looking, he’s fast, he’s brave as hell, he gets all the sponsors in, he goes to all the sponsor events and loves doing it. He moved down to the shop. He’s in the shop every day with the guys. He’s with his engineers at dinner. He’s everything that you would want as a driver, and Roger (Penske) completely agreed with me. He goes, ‘I haven’t had a guy in a long time that has integrated himself into our team as quickly as Josef has done in six months.’”

Burton on the throwback at Darlington: “This is always one of my favorite weekends… winning the Southern 500 was one of the highlights of my career…it’s brought a tremendous amount of energy to an already historic race… I told them I could just dig a Van Halen shirt out of my drawer, and that’s all you’ve got to do, a pair of jeans and Van Halen shirt and I’d fit right in, but they wanted Miami Vice, so that’s what we’re doing.”

F1 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY AT 7:30 A.M. ET ON NBCSN

The 2017 F1 season continues this weekend with iconic Italian Grand Prix from Monza, as Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) continue their battle atop the driver standings. Hamilton (213 points) narrowed his deficit to Vettel (220 points) with a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have combined to put Mercedes (392 points) ahead of Ferrari (348 points) by a healthy margin in the constructor standings. Prior to last year’s win by Nico Rosberg at Monza, Hamilton (2012, 2014 & 2015) and Vettel (2011 & 2013) accounted for the previous five victories.

Coverage begins Friday on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app at 4 a.m. ET with Practice 1, followed by Practice 2 at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream Practice 3 on Saturday at 5 a.m. ET, prior to NBCSN’s live coverage of qualifying at 8 a.m. ET. F1 Countdown pre-race coverage on NBCSN starts Sunday at 7 a.m. ET, leading into live race coverage at 7:30 a.m. ET, and post-race analysis on F1 Extra at 10 a.m. ET.

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), David Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett will call the action. F1 insider Will Buxton will report on-site from Monza.

INDYCAR GRAND PRIX AT THE GLEN – SUNDAY AT 1:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Verizon IndyCar Series rolls into Watkins Glen in upstate New York for the penultimate race of the 2017 campaign. Josef Newgarden (Penske; 547 points) is primed to win his first career championship, following his victory at Gateway Motorsports Park to move 31 points ahead of Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing; 516 points). Helio Castroneves (Penske; 505 points) remains in striking distance with two races remaining, along with last year’s series champion Simon Pagenaud (Penske; 504 points), and Will Power (Penske; 464 points).

NBCSN will televise qualifying on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, followed by pre-race coverage on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, race coverage at 1:30 p.m. ET, and post-race analysis following the checkered flag at 4 p.m. ET.

Leigh Diffey will call race alongside analysts Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell. Reporters Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt, Robin Miller and Kevin Lee will report from the pits.

NBC SPORTS JETS BACK TO THE 1980’S WITH RIGHTEOUS RETRO COVERAGE OF DARLINGTON RACEWAY’S NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE SUNDAY AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Group celebrates Darlington Raceway’s throwback weekend of racing, with retro themes, graphics and style from the 1985-89 NASCAR era, integrated throughout 19 hours of trackside coverage from “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” in Darlington, South Carolina. Race coverage begins Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with XFINITY Series racing, and culminates Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing. Click here for more information.

NBCSN OVERDRIVE THURSDAY MOTORSPORTS BLOCK CONTINUES THIS WEEK, INCLUDING AMERICAN FLAT TRACK RACING AT 10 P.M. ET

NBCSN Overdrive, the network’s Thursday night primetime motorsports block, continues this week, highlighted this week by American Flat Track racing from Lima, Ohio, at 10 p.m. ET.

The weekly primetime block will include six unique series and more than 40 hours of premiere programming, featuring new seasons of Grudge Race and Journey to the Hammers. American Flat Track, widely regarded as the most prestigious and competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing in the world, will be featured most Thursdays on Overdrive at 10 p.m. ET. Click here for more information.

Following is this week’s motorsports coverage schedule:

Date	Program	Time (ET)	Network
Thur., August 31	Grudge Race Marathon	8 p.m.	NBCSN
	American Flat Track – Lima Half-Mile	10 p.m.	NBCSN
	Journey to the Hammers (Premiere)	11 p.m.	NBCSN
Fri., September 1	F1 Italian Grand Prix – Practice 1	4 a.m.	Streaming*
	F1 Italian Grand Prix – Practice 2	8 a.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Darlington – Practice	12 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington – Practice	1 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Darlington – Final Practice	2:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington – Final Practice	3:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR America	5 p.m.	NBCSN
Sat., September 2	F1 Italian Grand Prix – Practice 3	5 a.m.	Streaming*
	F1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying	8 a.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Darlington – Qualifying	12 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR America	1 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington – Qualifying	1:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green	3 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Darlington Race	3:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR XFINITY Series Post-Race	5:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen – Qualifying**	7 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR K&N Series – Douglas County	8:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Whelen Series – Seekonk	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Sun., September 3	F2 Series – Italy**	6 a.m.	NBCSN
	F1 Countdown	7 a.m.	NBCSN
	F1 Italian Grand Prix	7:30 a.m.	NBCSN
	F1 Extra	10 a.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Southern Speed: Legend of Darlington	10:30 a.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington – Qualifying	11:30 a.m.	NBCSN
	IndyCar Countdown	1 p.m.	NBCSN
	IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen	1:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	IndyCar Post-Race	3:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR America	4 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green	5:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Race	6 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN
	NASCAR Victory Lap	11 p.m.	NBCSN

*NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

**delayed coverage
NBC SPORTS GROUP STREAMING, DIGITAL AND SOCIAL CONTENT

NBC Sports Group will provide comprehensive streaming and digital coverage surrounding its motorsports properties via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – and NASCAR Talk and MotorSportsTalk, NBC Sports Group’s digital home for the latest motorsports news.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide season-long live streaming coverage of all Formula One practices, qualifying sessions and Grands Prix, including exclusive coverage of practices that will not air on NBC or NBCSN.  NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream NASCAR and IndyCar content that will air on NBC and NBCSN (race coverage and some practice and qualifying), as well as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross series, and Red Bull Air Race.

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on Formula One, the Verizon IndyCar Series, and other open-wheel and off-road racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

SOCIAL: NBC Sports Group will continue to provide comprehensive motorsports social coverage across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, fans can follow @MotorsportsTalk for all-encompassing content across NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties. @NASCARonNBC and@NASCARTalkNBC share the latest NASCAR content, @F1onNBCSports provides the latest news in Formula One, and @IndyCaronNBCSN delivers up-to-the-minute information on the Verizon IndyCar Series.

In addition, the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page will provide users with videos, interactive content and much more. Fans should also “like” NBC Sports on Facebook for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

– NBC SPORTS GROUP –

 

From Kickoff to Super Bowl LII, NBC Bookends the 2017 NFL Season & is Home to a Record 28 Regular Season and Postseason Games

Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots Host Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, September 7 – Coverage of NFL Kickoff 2017 Begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC

Dallas Cowboys Host New York Giants on Season Debut of Sunday Night Football on September 10 – Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC

Debut of Carrie Underwood’s 2017 Edition of “Oh, Sunday Night” Airs September 10

NBC’s Thursday Night Football Kicks Off Nov. 9 with Seahawks-Cardinals Rivalry

Two NFL Specials Debut on NBC This Weekend: Arthur Blank Profiled in New Documentary “On a Mission: Atlanta Rising” This Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC; NFL Films-produced “Do Your Job Part II: Bill Belichick and the 2016 Patriots” on NBC, This Sunday at 7 p.m. ET

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream All Sunday Night Football Games to Desktops, Tablets, and Connected TVs

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 31, 2017 – In a season that will see NBC broadcast Super Bowl LII on Sunday, February 4, 2018 – just four days before NBCUniversal begins its comprehensive coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games of PyeongChang, South Korea – NBC, home to primetime television’s top two shows in Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, will present a combined 28 regular season and postseason games – the most ever by an NFL broadcast primetime TV partner.

NBC Sports kicks off its season-long coverage with NFL Kickoff 2017 one week from today – Thursday, September 7 – when Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host Alex Smith and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs in the 200^th regular-season game of the NBC Sunday Night Football package.

In the Sept. 10 opener of Sunday Night Football – America’s No. 1 primetime television show for a record six consecutive years – 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott and the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys host two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2017 NFL season features pre-game coverage on NBC with Football Night in America, the most-watched weekly studio show in sports for 11 consecutive years;  live streaming of Sunday Night Football for desktops and tablets on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app; daily studio coverage on NBCSN with PFT Live; daily radio coverage on more than 425 NBC Sports Radio affiliates across the United States; local team coverage on 10 NBC Sports Regional Networks; comprehensive fantasy football coverage online through Rotoworld.com; and additional content across NBC Sports’ digital and social media channels.

2017 marks NBC’s 12^th consecutive season as the premier primetime broadcast home of the NFL. NBC presents 19 regular-season games as part of its Sunday Night Football package (17 regular-season SNF games, NFL Kickoff 2017, and the annual Thanksgiving night game), five primetime regular-season Thursday games and a late afternoon Christmas Day game, two NFL Playoff games, and Super Bowl LII. NBC Sports will also produce three games to be televised exclusively on NFL Network.

NFL KICKOFF 2017 AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

The NFL opens the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET, with NFL Kickoff 2017 on NBC, as the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America.

Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 primetime show on television, kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 10, when the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Sunday night opener marks the 11^th meeting between the Giants and Cowboys in NBC’s SNF package – the most-played matchup in the show’s history (since 2006). Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

Calling both matchups is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 32^nd season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. NBC’s coverage of NFL Kickoff 2017 and Sunday Night Football is led executive producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff. Sunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series in eight of the last nine years.

For the second year in a row, country music superstar Carrie Underwood will perform Oh, Sunday Night, the opening theme for Sunday Night Football. The 2017 edition will debut on Sunday, Sept. 10, prior to NBC’s first SNF broadcast of the 2017 NFL season. This marks the second season that Oh, Sunday Night will serve as the theme for Sunday Night Football.

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by Mike Tirico, who will report from Gillette Stadium on Thursday, and AT&T Stadium on Sunday. Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from Gillette Stadium on Thursday night, and from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 on Sunday night. Patrick will be joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and PFT Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Radio.

Beginning on Sept. 10, and continuing throughout the regular season, Kathryn Tappen, Paul Burmeister, and Heather Cox will alternate reporting from the site of one of the high-profile afternoon games.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

NBC kicks off its Thursday Night Football slate on Nov. 9, as Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals host Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup of the past two NFC West champions. The Nov. 9 matchup is the start of NBC’s six consecutive Thursdays with primetime NFL games, and is followed by Titans-Steelers on Nov. 16; the New York Giants visiting Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving night; the Dallas Cowboys hosting Washington on Nov. 30; Saints-Falcons on Dec. 7; and Broncos-Colts on Dec. 14.

Mike Tirico begins his first season as the play-by-play voice of Thursday Night Football on NBC, alongside Cris Collinsworth (analyst) and sideline reporter Heather Cox.

TWO NFL SPECIALS DEBUT ON NBC THIS WEEKEND – “ON A MISSION: ATLANTA RISING” & “DO YOUR JOB – PART 2”

This Saturday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. ET, the one-hour “On a Mission: Atlanta Rising,” special profiling Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank will debut on NBC. The documentary will examine Blank’s personal and professional life from his childhood through February’s dramatic Super Bowl defeat and beyond.

One day later, on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. ET, the Falcons’ Super Bowl LI opponent New England Patriots will be featured on NBC, in the debut of the NFL Films-produced special “Do Your Job – Part 2.” Narrated by Boston native and Academy Award-nominated actor Edward Norton, the hour-long show provides an inside look at the 2016 Patriots’ Super Bowl season, featuring interviews with Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, and key front office personnel.

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox. (NOTE: NBC Sports does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)

PFT LIVE – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON NBCSN

Mike Florio and co-host Chris Simms bring fans the latest NFL news and interviews with players and coaches every weekday morning with PFT Live on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET.  The two-hour PFT Live provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, including the most current news and analysis, thought-provoking debates, and interviews with a wide variety of NFL newsmakers. The program is a simulcast of NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live national program that airs daily beginning at 6 a.m. ET.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

• SNF ON FACEBOOK:  – At nearly 3.5 million LIKES strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week. In addition, the SNF Facebook page will feature weekly Facebook Live interviews with Michele Tafoya and player from each team leading up to the game, and Facebook Live Q&A’s with Tony Dungy on Sundays.

• SNF ON TWITTER:  Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players. Additionally, Michele Tafoya will provide real-time tweets from the sideline to provide followers with updates all game long.
• SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its sixth season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look around each SNF city, as well as access inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and on the sideline, as our social media producer captures the best photos of Sunday night and posts in real time. In addition, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to maximize fans’ exposure to the Sunday Night Football footprint.

• SNF ON SNAPCHAT: For the second season, NBC Sports’ Snapchat account will be creating content on the platform at each Sunday Night Football game, including Kickoff and from the SNF The NBC Sports Snapchat account will take fans behind the scenes to the FNIA set and around cities where Sunday Night Football comes to town, utilizing lenses and filters to customize content specifically for the Snapchat audience.

 

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2017 NFL SEASON 

NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of select Sunday Night Football games. The bus will bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to various SNF locations, before arriving at its final destination, Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minn., in February. Fans will get a closer look at behind-the-scenes action of SNF broadcasts on the bus, which will take fans from the field, to the studio and in the production trucks. Features of the bus include an interactive replica of the control room, a replica of the Football Night in America desk, life-size “Photo Bomb” wall, and more.

The bus will arrive in each city two to three days prior to the game, making stops at local landmarks and events before heading to the game site. Once at the stadium, the Sunday Night Football bus will give fans the opportunity to interact with America’s most-watched primetime television show with exclusive activities, memorabilia and a 55-inch monitor housing social media elements.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2017 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by PFT Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio daily from 6-9 a.m. ET; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; Going Deep with Amani and Dan, featuring former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer; NFL Insider Michele Tafoya; and Schwartzman.

To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NFL markets such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco, will surround the 2017 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 40 million U.S. households.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum superstar artist, Carrie Underwood, will perform “Oh, Sunday Night,” the opening theme for primetime television’s No. 1 program, NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Country music superstar Underwood, the season-four winner of American Idol in 2005, made her Sunday Night Football debut to open the 2013 NFL season.

Oh, Sunday Night” is set to the music of “Somethin’ Bad,” a chart-topping duet from Underwood and Miranda Lambert which was released in 2014 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Underwood worked with the songwriters of “Somethin’ Bad”– Chris DeStefano, Brett James, and Priscilla Renea – to rewrite the lyrics for Sunday Night Football. The result, “Oh, Sunday Night,” was produced by Mark Bright and Chris DeStefano. This NFL season marks the fifth for Underwood as the star of NBC’s SNF show open.

Ten NFL players, who have accounted for 30 Pro Bowl selections, four Super Bowl rings, and six first-round draft picks (five in the top 10) will participated in the open with Underwood. Players include Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr, New England Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower, Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones, Oakland Raiders LB Khalil Mack, Denver Broncos LB Von Miller, Arizona Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson, New York Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul, and Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.

Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner, she has amassed over 100 major honors, sold 64 million records worldwide, and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that have been streamed more than 2.6 billion times worldwide.

The Grand Ole Opry member demonstrated her creative diversity in 2013 starring as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy®-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers. The reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Underwood claimed her fourth win in the category amid the ongoing success of her chart-topping platinum fifth studio album, Storyteller, which produced four #1 hits. This November, Underwood will co-host the CMA Awards for a tenth consecutive year.

SNF IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION, WITH NBC/NFLN TNF RANKING NO. 2

NBC Sunday Night Football finished the 2016-17 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record sixth consecutive year – tying American Idol for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company. NBC Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the seventh consecutive TV season. SNF’s six-year run at the top marks the only six times on record that a sports series has been the highest-rated and most-watched show of the primetime TV season In addition, NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football ranks as primetime TV’s No. 2 show in average viewers and household rating, and No. 3 among Adults 18-49.

 

2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 7	NFL Kickoff	Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
Sun. Sept. 10	Week 1	New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Sept. 17	Week 2	Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Sun. Sept. 24	Week 3	Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins
Sun. Oct. 1	Week 4	Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Oct. 8	Week 5	Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
*Sun. Oct. 15	Week 6	New York Giants at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Oct. 22	Week 7	Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
*Sun. Oct. 29	Week 8	Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
*Sun. Nov. 5	Week 9	Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
*Sun. Nov. 12	Week 10	New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Nov. 19	Week 11	Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
**Thurs. Nov. 23	Week 12	New York Giants at Washington Redskins
*Sun. Nov. 26	Week 12	Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 3	Week 13	Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 10	Week 14	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 17	Week 15	Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders
Sat. Dec. 23	Week 16	Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 31	Week 17	TBD

 

*Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

 

2017 NBC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE*
Thurs. Nov. 9	Week 10	Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Thurs. Nov. 16	Week 11	Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Thurs. Nov. 30	Week 13	Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Thurs. Dec. 7	Week 14	New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Thurs. Dec. 14	Week 15	Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
**Mon. Dec. 25	Week 16	Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans

 

*Games will be simulcast on NFL Network and streamed live on Amazon Prime

**Game at 4:30 p.m. ET

 

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 10-15 and 17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-9, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-15, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.

 

A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 1. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

 

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–