Fox Sports Previews NFL Week 9

We now go to Fox Sports and its preview for Week 9 in the League Where They Play For Pay.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Giants-Patriots Meet For First Time Since Super Bowl XLII
During FOX’s Week 9 Doubleheader This Sunday
Coach’s Corner: Bill Belichick & Jimmy Johnson Sit Down on FOX NFL SUNDAY

SUPER BOWL XLII REMATCH HIGHLIGHTS NFL ON FOX DOUBLEHEADER – Week 9 of the 2011 NFL on FOX season kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 6 as FOX Sports presents doubleheader coverage of seven games—each presented in true HD. For the second time in less than a month, NFC South rivals face-off as Josh Freeman and the Bucs travel to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints. Jim Harbaugh has the 49ers riding high, sporting a 6-1 record this week as they host the Redskins at 1:00 PM ET. Meanwhile, the Seahawks and the Cowboys battle in Texas. Also, the Colts host Matt Ryan and the Falcons. The second half of the doubleheader kicks-off at 4:15 PM ET with a rematch of Super Bowl XLII as Eli Manning and the Giants travel to Foxboro to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Joe Buck returns to the NFL on FOX broadcast booth to call the game with Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver from Gillette Stadium. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers come off their bye week and put their perfect record on the line as they travel to San Diego to battle Philip Rivers and the Chargers while the Cardinals host the Rams in the late window.

Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched Sunday afternoon 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 presents the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio while comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo contributes his weekly “Frank’s Picks” segment. FOX Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira is also on hand to go over any impactful officiating issues. This week’s edition of “The Journey,” which opens the show, is narrated by actor Mickey Rourke. In a special pregame feature, FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Jimmy Johnson sits down with legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

For instant updates during the week and games from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX. Follow the NFL on FOX on-air personalities @Jay_Glazer, @JimmyJohnson, @CurtMenefee, @MikePereira, @MichaelStrahan, @TroyAikman, @KennyAlbert, @CoachBillick, @TimBrewster, @CFD22 (Charles Davis), @DarylJohnston, @The_ChrisMyers, @LauraOkmin, @ChadPennington, @TimRyan99 & @TonySiragusa on Twitter as they provide insight and analysis all weekend. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports.

BILLICK: CINCY’S ROOKIE DUO IS ROCKING – As we hit the halfway point of the NFL season, NFL on FOX analyst Brian Billick ranks his top rookies from the class of 2011.

AFC Rookies:
3. Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos: Round 1/2nd overall (Texas A&M) – “Coming into the draft, Von Miller was drawing comparison to Clay Matthews and even Derrick Thomas. While those are pretty big shoes to fill, he has shown that he has the skill-set to do just that. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage, and uses his strong hands to shed linemen and step through blocks.”

2/1. Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals: Round 2/35th overall (TCU) and A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Round 1/4th overall (Georgia) – “I have combined these into one, because that is how they will be seen throughout their time in Cincinnati. Entering this year, Cincinnati was thought to be in complete rebuilding mode, but now, sitting at 5-2 and tied with both Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the best record in the division, they are in the thick of a playoff race. Yes, their top-five defense has something to do with that, but Andy Dalton and A.J. Green deserve a ton of credit for keeping this offense together after losing Carson Palmer, Terrell Owens, and Chad Ochocinco in the offseason.”

NFC Rookies:
3. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Round 1/6th overall (Alabama) – “Jones has shown the ability to not only stretch the field vertically, but has shown a no fear attitude when running crossing routes across the middle, and most important, a willingness to block on the perimeter to spring some long runs. He is a rare combination of elite speed, strength and explosiveness that gives the Falcons offense a whole new dimension.”

2. Aldon Smith, DE, San Francisco 49ers: Round 1/7th overall (Missouri) – “Smith uses his length well to disrupt passing lanes and has good field awareness and defensive instincts. He is easily a candidate for defensive rookie of the year, and will be in line for a great career if he continues to work hard and get better at his craft.”

1. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Round 1/1st overall (Auburn) – “While his team is struggling to put together wins, they are outperforming what any expert could have predicted at this point in the season. That is in no small part due to Cam Newton, who currently ranks fifth in passing yards per game and fourth in total yards per game. Of his team’s 21 total touchdowns, Newton has accounted for 18 of them. His seven rushing touchdowns already tie Vince Young for most by a rookie quarterback since 1970, and Newton still has the entire second half of the season left.”

To read Billick’s full analysis of this year’s top rookies, visit http://tinyurl.com/3dnynjd.

BILLICK: WHO DID YOU PLAY, HOW DID YOU PLAY AND WHERE DID PLAY SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR TEAM – Each week NFL on FOX analyst Brian Billick puts together his NFL Power Rankings. This week, he discussed how he goes about making his selections. “Clearly teams have a specific fingerprint you can look at and say, ‘this is what they are or aren’t,’” says Billick. “There are three criteria I use; who did they play, how did they play them and where did they play them? The Patriots lost to Pittsburgh; it’s hard to drop them down a great deal because they played a really good Steelers team. They didn’t play particularly well but this was the only two winning teams on the docket last Sunday, so it’s hard to drop New England too far. The New York Giants barely pulled out a win at home against the Dolphins that they should’ve had. I think we’re about to find out about the Giants and they may come down a little bit as they get into the meat of their schedule.”

To read the rest of Billick’s Power Rankings, click here: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings

To watch Billick’s breakdown his Power Rankings, click here: http://on-msn.com/vjGmPF

Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints, Dick Stockton, John Lynch & Jennifer Hale, going to 41% of USA, 1:00PM
Mercedes-Benz Superdome– New Orleans, LA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Fort Myers, Hartford, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. Louis, Tampa, West Palm Beach

San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins, Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa, going to 30% of USA, 1:00PM
FedEx Field – Landover, MD
MARKETS INCLUDE: Baltimore, Greensboro, Harrisburg, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Phoenix, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys, Chris Myers, Tim Ryan & Jaime Maggio, going to 19% of USA, 1:00PM
Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Tulsa

Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts, Ron Pitts, Jim Mora & Drea Avent, going to 6% of USA, 1:00PM
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Greenville, Indianapolis

New York Giants at New England Patriots, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver, going to 55% of USA, 4:15PM
Gillette Stadium – Foxboro, MA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Dallas, Greensboro, Greenville, Harrisburg, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, San Antonio, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers, Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin, going to 36% of USA, 4:15PM
QUALCOMM Stadium – San Diego, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals, Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington & Jody Jackson, going to 5% of USA, 4:15PM
University of Phoenix Stadium – Phoenix, AZ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Phoenix, St. Louis