Fox Sports will air two games this weekend, both at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Fox has New Orleans at San Francisco on Saturday and on Sunday, what will probably be the best game of the four playoff contests this weekend, the New York Football Giants taking on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
There will be two editions of Fox NFL Sunday, a one-hour show on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET and a half-hour show on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Here’s the preview for this weekend.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
NFC Divisional Playoff Doubleheader Weekend on FOX
Saints & 49ers Square-Off in San Francisco Saturday – Coverage at 3:30 PM ET
Giants Battle Packers at Lambeau Sunday – Coverage at 4:00 PM ET
Aikman, Strahan, Johnson Talk Giants/Packers, Saints/49ers
NFL ON FOX: NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – The NFL on FOX rolls into the divisional weekend with two exciting matchups! On Saturday, Jan. 14 (4:30 PM ET), quarterback Drew Brees, and the high-flying Saints travel out west to take on Frank Gore, Patrick Willis and the hard-hitting 49ers. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and on-field analyst Tony Siragusa call the action from Candlestick Park.
On Sunday, Jan. 15 (4:30 PM ET), FOX’s playoff coverage shifts to Green Bay as Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and the Giants look to get the better of Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and the Packers. FOX’s lead NFL broadcast crew of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver are joined by Chris Myers to call the action from Lambeau Field.
FOX NFL SUNDAY – NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF EDITIONS
Coverage begins on Saturday at 3:30 PM ET and Sunday at 4:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched Sunday afternoon pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. On Saturday’s FOX NFL pregame show, Super Bowl-winning head coach Jimmy Johnson sits down with Saints head coach Sean Payton to talk about the game plan for their battle with the 49ers. Also, analyst Howie Long visits the 49ers to find out how the San Francisco defense prepares to handle the Saints explosive offense.
On Sunday’s FOX NFL pregame show, aforementioned sideline reporter Pam Oliver sits down with the Green Bay Packers receivers. Both special FOX NFL pregame programs feature Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee as co-hosts with analysis from Long, Michael Strahan and Johnson. NFL Insider Jay Glazer presents the latest playoff 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. Sunday’s edition of “The Journey” to open the show is voiced by actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
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, @Buck, @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.
Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
FOX NFL SPECIAL 3:30 PM ETNew Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers, Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa, 4:30PM ET
Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
FOX NFL SPECIAL 4:00 PM ETNew York Giants at Green Bay Packers, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver & Chris Myers, 4:30PM ET
Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WIAIKMAN, STRAHAN, JOHNSON & GOREN PREVIEW 2012 PLAYOFF PICTURE – NFL on FOX lead analyst and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, former New York Giant and Super Bowl winner Michael Strahan, two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson and FOX Sports Media Group Vice Chairman Ed Goren previewed the Divisional Playoff weekend.
STRAHAN ON THE COMPARISONS BETWEEN HIS 2007 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION GIANTS AND THIS YEAR’S GIANTS: “I think these are two totally different types of teams. Our team in 2007 was led on the defensive side of the ball. We realized defensively and especially up front, we had to get after the quarterback and had some good secondary play. This year, you can lean on the offense to put points on the board, whereas at that point in 2007, Eli finally started to get his confidence in himself. We were still little unsure every game about what was going to happen with him. I understand the comparisons but I wish this team would have their own history. This is a good team and they’re hoping that the defense hits the same hot streak that the offense hit back in 2007 when they needed it the most. The defense has shown their potential in the last two games. It’s definitely up to them to show up in Green Bay with that offense that the Packers have because offensively, there is no doubt that the Giants can score.”
AIKMAN ON HOW WINNING A SUPER BOWL CHANGES PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF A QUARTERBACK: “There have been very few quarterbacks who have been able to leave this game without having won a Super Bowl and be regarded as one of the greats. The Super Bowl win for Aaron Rodgers was huge. It changed the way we all felt about him. It’s changed the way we feel about any quarterback who’s won a Super Bowl. We look at Eli Manning differently after he won the Super Bowl.”
JOHNSON ON THE OBSTACLES OF WINNING BACK-TO BACK CHAMPIONSHIPS: “After you win the first one, then you are definitely under the microscope from day one after that. If the defending champions win a close game against somebody that everyone thinks they would beat easily, there’s nothing positive in the media. It’s all criticism of what happened to them, did they get lazy, are they complacent, did they work in the offseason, did they do too many books and radio shows? You also have to deal with the ‘what about me’ concept. Everybody in the organization thinks they should receive more accolades or a bigger raise. It’s very difficult to do it a second time.”
STRAHAN ON WHETHER THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THIS YEAR’S GIANTS TEAM COULD DIMINISH THE RUN OF THE 2007 SQUAD: “If the Giants go all the way and win it, trust me, I’ll be a very happy man, especially sitting next to Jimmy every Sunday. I don’t think it diminishes that run. Winning a Super Bowl is being the best. It doesn’t matter how you get there. I would be extremely happy for those guys and hope they can pull it off.”
STRAHAN DESCRIBES THE STRENGTHS AND STYLES OF PIERRE-PAUL, TUCK AND UMENYIORA: “Jason Pierre-Paul has been an absolute monster this year. There have been times that they’ve needed a play and he’s been that guy to give it to them. He is mainly working on raw talent and natural ability. Justin Tuck has battled a lot of injuries but he’s said ‘hey, I’m not going to be 100% healthy this season but they really need me out there.’ Tuck is very smart and understands the best thing to do with his body. He has a great ability to slap your hands away and beat you around the edge. Having Osi Umenyiora back is a big plus and he showed that with nine sacks in nine games and the big sack at the end of the game last week. That was impressive because he reached over the offensive tackle to slam the quarterback down. He’s a potential game-changer because he’s one of the best at creating turnovers on strips of the quarterback. Osi relies more on finesse, more on edges and corners. Occasionally he will bull rush you to let you know he has power but he is going to work your edge and try to strip the quarterback. Having those three on the field at any point is a problem for any offensive line because they’re all big, strong, fast and create matchup problems.
JOHNSON ON JIM HARBAUGH’S SUCCESS IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE DIFFERNCE BETWEEN COACHING IN THE NFL & COLLEGE: “First of all, it is a completely different. The two jobs aren’t even similar. I could spend 2-3 hours talking about the differences; the length of the season, the game etc. When I look at Jim, I don’t look at him as a college coach. He got some head coaching experience in college but his whole background is professional football. So I wouldn’t want to compare him to a guy that went from college to pro. If you are at one of the top college football programs, top 15, you have two games a year that you could lose if you don’t play your best, then 9 games that if you go out and don’t turn it over, you’re going to win regardless of who you play.”
STRAHAN ON PLAYING FOR COUGHLIN AND BUYING INTO HIS SYSTEM: “A perfect example of a player taking on the personality of their coach is Antrel Rolle. He’s said, ‘I was forced to play for a coach like this and it’s ridiculous,’ and now he says that he wouldn’t want to play for any other coach. Tom Coughlin tests you to a point and it happened with me. You have ask yourself – do I want to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. When you start to buy in and want to be a part of the solution you realize that he’s a very good coach whose only focus is to win. It seems like the main guy that needed to buy in, the guys who are the leaders, like him and Chris Canty believe in it now.”
AIKMAN ON DARREN SPROLES AND HOW HE MAKES DREW BREES BETTER: “He’s a great player. Unfortunately we associate great athleticism with size. I don’t know if he has really gotten the recognition that he should have because of his size. He is a difference maker. He goes one-on-one with linebackers. He’s quick and tough. I am impressed with his return game. As a quarterback you can’t have enough of those kinds of players. Being able to trust a guy like this as a quarterback is big.”
STRAHAN ADDED HOW HE SEES SPROLES FROM A DEFENSIVE POINT OF VIEW: “It’s aggravating to watch a little guy like that run through everyone. He’s so small you can’t see him and so fast you can’t keep up. He is a problem for everyone defensively. Troy, as a quarterback appreciates him, defensively I get frustrated watching him!”
AIKMAN ON THE 2008 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BETWEEN THE PACKERS AND GIANTS: “If there was ever a game I thought should’ve been cancelled because of weather that would’ve been it. I was amazed that they were even able to play and I didn’t think either team would be able to throw the ball. Eli threw it amazingly well. That was an impressive performance.”
GOREN ON TO WHAT EXTENT TIM TEBOW’S FAITH SHOULD BE DISCUSSED DURING A GAME BROADCAST: “I don’t think that’s the forum. People tune in to see the game. A lot of these subjects that come up are better served in a pregame format. It’s a Bernie Goldberg piece for Real Sports.”
And we’ll have CBS’ preview coming up next.
