I have another press release post, this one dedicated to the NFL. First, CBS tells us what’s in store for The NFL Today this Thanksgiving Day in advance of the Tennessee-Detroit game.
“THE NFL TODAY” PREVIEWS THANKSGIVING DAY TENNESSEE-DETROIT GAME WITH FEATURE ON
TITANS’ AHMARD HALL ON THURSDAY, NOV. 27
THE NFL ON CBS, broadcasting its 49th year of the NFL, continues its 2008 NFL season broadcast schedule on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27 (12:30 PM, ET) beginning with THE NFL TODAY (12:00 NOON-12:30 PM, ET), live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
THE NFL TODAY previews its Thanksgiving Day game of the Tennessee Titans-Detroit Lions by featuring Tennessee’s titan on and off the field, Ahmard Hall.
Titans starting fullback Hall did not take the normal route to the NFL. A top 100 recruit coming out of high school, he was academically ineligible for a scholarship at a Division I school. After being highly recruited, Hall decided junior college was not an option. Needing more discipline and direction in his life, he joined the Marines and served in Kosovo and Afghanistan. After four years of active service, he wrote a letter to Texas Head Coach Mack Brown asking to have an opportunity to walk-on the Longhorns’ football team. Hall was accepted into school at Texas on his own, and the Texas Athletic Department wrote letters to both the Big XII and the NCAA to get special permission for him to play on the Texas football team. He worked from being a walk-on to a starter on the 2005 Texas National Championship team. When Texas celebrated its National Championship at the White House, President George W. Bush singled Hall out congratulating him on being both a great football player and citizen. He was set to graduate in the spring and was training for the draft when he received another blow. Hall was not eligible for the draft because he had one more year of eligibility at Texas. He then had to wait for the supplemental draft, and went undrafted. In 2006, Hall was about to give up on his dream when he was convinced by his wife and others to go to the Titans camp as an undrafted free-agent. He made the team and is now living his boyhood dream of playing in the NFL. Also interviewed in this feature are Hall’s wife Joanna, his mother Nancy Hall, Tennessee Head Coach Jeff Fisher, Vince Young (his teammate at Texas and Tennessee) and Texas Coach Mack Brown. Deb Boulac is the producer.
We get CBS Sports quotage from Jim Nantz on the chances of Detroit upsetting Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day (slim and none).
THE NFL ON CBS: WEEK 13
(THURSDAY, THANKSGIVING DAY, NOV. 27 & SUNDAY, NOV. 30)
AUDIBLES WITH “NFL ON CBS” LEAD PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER JIM NANTZ
The CBS Television Network continues its 49th year broadcasting the NFL with coverage of THE NFL ON CBS on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 (12:30 PM, ET) and on Sunday, Nov. 30 (1:00-7:00 PM, ET) beginning with THE NFL TODAY, the Network’s one-hour studio show (12:00 NOON-12:30 PM, ET) and (12:00 NOON-1:00 PM, ET) respectively, live from THE NFL TODAY studio in New York City.
THE NFL ON CBS lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action from the Thanksgiving Day game, Tennessee Titans-Detroit Lions, live from Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.
JIM NANTZ – (On the possibility of 0-11 Detroit upsetting 10-1 Tennessee): Based on records, if 0-11 Detroit beats 10-1 Tennessee, you would have to throw this game into the argument of being one of the greatest regular-season upsets in the history of the National Football League. It would definitely have to be right up there, if not the biggest of all, if Detroit was able to spring that upset. Now to make this clear, I’m not comparing this to Namath and the Jets beating the Colts in Super Bowl III, or anything like that that has happened in the post-season. I’m dealing with records. Based on that, this would have to rank right up there.
And we have stuff from Fox Sports about their game on Thanksgiving Day, Seattle at Dallas and quotage from Daryl Johnston and Brian Billick on this weekend’s action.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
Giants/Cardinals Powers NFL on FOX to Highest Rated & Most Watched Program of the Week; FOX’s National Game Pummels Sunday Night Football on NBC By 53%
Get Your Pumpkin Pie Ready:
T.O., Romo & Cowboys Host Seahawks for Special Thanksgiving Day Game on FOX
GIANTS/CARDINALS SCORES ON FOX; NFL ON FOX NATIONAL GAMES RANKS AS NO. 1 PROGRAM IN ALL OF TELEVISION — Powered by a three-game window featuring the Super Bowl champion New York Giants/Arizona Cardinals match-up, FOX’s national game posted a strong 14.5/27 (23.3 million viewers) on Sunday. That’s up +6% over last year’s 13.7/25 on CBS, and crushed NBC’s Sunday Night Football by an amazing +53% (9.5/15). For the week, FOX’s National Game was by far the highest-rated, and most-watched telecast across all day parts. Through Week 12, FOX’s National Game is averaging a 13.9/27 (22.5 million viewers). That’s up +1% over last year’s 13.8/27, +5% better than CBS’s 2008 National Game (13.3/26), +38% better than NBC’s Sunday Night Football (10.1/16), and currently ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched program in all of television. The OT on FOX posted a 7.5/12 (12.1 million viewers) on Sunday that’s +200% better than NBC’s Football Night In America pregame show (2.5/4). Among adults 18-49, The OT (4.5) was easily the top-rated program, beating
CBS’s 60 Minutes by +67%, and NBC’s FNIA by +200%. Season-to-date, The OT on FOX is averaging a 7.4/13 (11.7 million viewers), up +9% over last year’s 6.8/12.
FINAL TEXAS STADIUM THANKSGIVING DAY SPECIAL AIRS ON FOX — This Thursday, FOX Sports serves up the last special Thanksgiving helping of football at Texas Stadium when the Cowboys host the Seahawks. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call the action and will once again, have the pleasure of presenting the game’s most valuable player with the NFL ON FOX GALLOPING GOBBLER AWARD. Coverage begins at 4:00 PM ET with a special edition of FOX NFL SUNDAY co-hosted by Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee along with analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. On Thursday’s show, the crew breaks down Seahawks/Cowboys matchup and Frank Caliendo makes his annual Thanksgiving Day pick. As part of the NFL’s campaign to get kids active and stay healthy, Thursday’s broadcast includes teen sensation Demi Lovato singing the National Anthem and superstar boy band the Jonas Brothers’ halftime performance.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30
On Sunday, Nov. 30 FOX Sports continues its Week 13 coverage with five exciting matchups. At 1:00 PM ET, NFC East rivals meet as the first place Giants travel to Landover, MD to take on the Redskins. Tom Coughlin’s G-Men, who are riding a six-game winning streak, look to complete the season sweep of Jim Zorn’s crew. Play-by-play broadcaster Kenny Albert, analyst Daryl Johnston & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa cover the action from FedEx Field. Following Sunday’s tough loss in Atlanta, Jake Delhomme and the Panthers look to rebound against the Packers in Green Bay. An NFC South rivalry renews as Drew Brees and the Saints hope to keep their playoff hopes alive when they take on Jeff Garcia and the first place Buccaneers. Also, Marshawn Lynch and the Bills host the 49ers. At 4:00 PM ET, the surging Atlanta Falcons, led by Matt Ryan and Michael Turner, head out west when they meet LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers.
Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Co-hosts Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee join analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan to provide insightful opinions on the NFL. The NFL’s best insider, Jay Glazer, breaks the latest information from the FOXSports.com newsroom. Jillian Reynolds provides the latest, most complete and accurate game day forecasts while critically acclaimed comedic impressionist Frank Caliendo makes his entertaining weekly picks. This week, reporter Pam Oliver sits down with Buccaneers’ Jeff Garcia and head coach Jon Gruden to talk about how the 38-year old QB has kept Tampa Bay atop the standings in the ultra competitive NFC South. Also, Bradshaw talks about the evolution of Giants QB Eli Manning from an insecure rookie living in his brother’s shadow to one of the elite and dependable quarterbacks in the NFL today.
During postgame coverage of early matchups and halftime of the late games, Super Bowl and national championship-winning head coach Barry Switzer joins America’s No. 1 football show to exclusively unveil the latest BCS college football standings and look ahead to next week’s most pivotal games.
MOOSE ON GIANTS: NO SUPERSTARS? NO PROBLEM — NFL on FOX analyst and Super Bowl-winning fullback Daryl Johnston believes that this year’s New York Giants team stands out from their competitors and his assessment is not solely based on their dominant 10-1 record. “Not to offend them, but they don’t have superstars. Dallas has a bunch of big name players. The Eagles have a bunch of big name players and there are other teams with more well-known rosters yet the Giants as team are head and shoulders above them. They are the best team in the NFL this year,” said Johnston. “The Giants have really separated themselves and will get the first seed in the playoff so it’ll be interesting to see which team grabs the second seed in the NFC.”
BILLICK: “THE NFC SOUTH IS THE BEST DIVISION IN FOOTBALL” — After calling the Falcons 45-28 win over the Panthers on Sunday, NFL on FOX analyst Brian Billick believes the power in the NFC is in the south. “I personally think the NFC South is the best division in all of football. I think it far exceeds the NFC East from top to bottom, its going to be exciting the rest of the way.”
And to complete the Thanksgiving Day Trifecta, we have stuff from the NFL regarding Thanksgiving Night’s intriguing matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27 (THANKSGIVING) — 8:00 PM ET
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ON NFL NETWORK
A Look at How Former Eagles CB Roynell Young
Finds Joy In Giving Back Through Community Work
NFL Network and NFL Promote a Healthy and Active Lifestyle With
‘Keep Gym In School’ and NFL Play 60
NOTABLE & QUOTABLE…
· “The fact that this team was able to hang in with the Super Bowl Champions says a lot about where this football team is.” – CRIS COLLINSWORTH on the Arizona Cardinals
- “The Cardinals have found a gem in Tim Hightower. To keep Edgerrin James on the bench, he’s truly proving his worth, not just in the games, but in practice as well.” – STEVE MARIUCCI
· “It’s time to look for the Eagles defense to lead this team. The Cardinals have a very talented group of wide receivers with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, so the Eagles defense must make a statement in this game.” – DEION SA
NDERS· “I’ve never done a game where (Eagles defensive coordinator) Jim Johnson and the blitz didn’t play a major role in the game, so I believe (the blitz) will be coming.” – CRIS COLLINSWORTH
CARDINALS (7-4)
EAGLES (5-5-1)
LOCAL OVER- THE-AIR BROADCAST*
MyNetwork Ch. 45 (KUTP)
ABC Ch. 6 (WPVI)
ANNOUNCERS
Bob Papa, Cris Collinsworth
PREGAME (6:30 PM ET)
Total Access on Location presented by Sears
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Adam Schefter
Warren Sapp
HALFTIME
The Sprint Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Adam Schefter
Warren Sapp
POSTGAME
The Home Depot Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Adam Schefter
Warren Sapp
WHERE TO WATCH
DirecTV – Channel 212
Check your local cable listings
NFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at :15 and :45 of each hour and other key moments
NFL Mobile Live only from Sprint
And that does it. One more post for you tonight and this one actually deals with linkage (Rachel Maddow is rubbing off on me, I have to stop it).
