Ok, we move to the Fox Sports and its previews for the Opening Sunday of the season. Fox has the doubleheader this week and it will carry a full seven games. Fox NFL Sunday airs a special 90-minute edition live from Times Square in New York so it’s a home game for Michael Strahan who doesn’t have to go cross-country this week. Let’s see what Fox is saying about the week.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
Super Bowl Season on FOX Kicks Off Sunday with Special 90-minute FOX NFL SUNDAY Pregame Show From Times Square Beginning at 11:30 AM ET
FOX Sports NFL Analysts Aikman, Johnson, Moss & Lynch Preview Upcoming SeasonFOX NFL SUNDAY KICKS OFF SUPER BOWL SEASON FROM TIMES SQUARE WITH A 90-MINUTE WEEK 1 SPECIAL EDITION – The NFL on FOX begins its journey to Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, Sept. 8 with doubleheader coverage of six games. The action starts at 1:00 PM ET with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets square-off at MetLife Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLVIII; Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings meet Calvin Johnson and division rival Detroit Lions from Ford Field and the return of Sean Payton to the New Orleans sidelines as the Saints and Drew Brees host Matt Ryan and the NFC runner-up Atlanta Falcons. At 4:00 PM ET, coverage of AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK showcases a divisional playoff rematch as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers face-off against Colin Kaepernick and the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call the action from Candlestick Park.
NFL coverage across FOX Sports begins with the debut of FOX NFL KICKOFF on FOX Sports 1 at 11:00 AM ET. Joel Klatt, Brian Urlacher and Randy Moss get fans ready for a full slate of NFL action and stories from around the league. At 11:30 AM ET, the special 90-minute premiere of America’s No. 1 pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY broadcasts live from Times Square in NYC. Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson live from the crossroads of the world. NFL Insider Jay Glazer breaks the latest league news and scoops while NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira and writer, actor and comedian Rob Riggle return for another season.
MOSS PICKS WHO WILL WIN THE NFC EAST; AIKMAN LOOKS AT WHO CAN CHALLENGE THE PACKERS IN THE NFC NORTH, JOHNSON ASSESSES THE 2013 VIKINGS: NFL ON FOX PRESS CALL QUOTES & REPLAY INFORMATION – NFL on FOX lead analyst Troy Aikman, FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Jimmy Johnson, FOX NFL analyst John Lynch and FOX FOOTBALL DAILY/FOX NFL KICKOFF analyst Randy Moss previewed FOX Sports’ NFL coverage and the 2013 season on a press call.
Aikman discusses his broadcast approach going in to a Super Bowl Year – “Because I mostly just see NFC teams, I take much more interest in what’s happening in the AFC conference, especially as we get into the middle of the season and see how those teams are playing and where they’ve come from. Outside of that, the biggest thing is there’s more excitement for us as we go into the season to kick off the year and know that we’re going to see it all the way through to the game in New York.”
Aikman on which NFC North team posts the biggest threat to division frontrunner Green Bay – “None of those other three are really much contenders in the division. Detroit is coming off a disappointing season last year but I like their skill players and their quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Stafford has to complete a higher percentage of passes and be a little better than he’s been. The addition of Reggie Bush will certainly help them. The defense in Detroit is the biggest question mark for me. If you’re going to be a great defense you need to go after the quarterback, create takeaways and can’t give up points and they weren’t good in any of those areas last year.”
Lynch says Packers are leader in NFC North division – “The NFC North division is Green Bay’s. Aaron Rodgers is such a tremendous player. The one interesting thing is if they can get some semblance of a running game, if Eddie Lacy can materialize. Troy has done a great job over the years of pointing out that Aaron Rodgers much like Eli Manning is a tremendous play action passer so if they can include that in their repertoire, they’re going to be tough to beat.”
Johnson looks at the impact the Vikings will have with Christian Ponder at quarterback – “With Christian Ponder, I don’t know that a quarterback can all of sudden goes from a game manager to someone who is going to light up the score board. You have to ask ‘is he going to take that next step?’ I don’t know if it’s possible. You can win with a quarterback in the NFL who is not making mistakes but you have to be so good in all the other categories.”
Randy Moss believes the Redskins will win NFC East – “I’ve picked the Redskins to win that division, but it’s all on the health of RGIII. If Dallas can really put it together and stay healthy, they would be hard to stop, but that division could be on the health of RGIII. Dallas has each year they have high hopes for their organization, and they just haven’t seemed to be able to put it together. So, with the defensive coordinator coming in, Coach Kiffin, and the change he’s made to that defense and the veterans they still have that can make plays in that offense, Dallas could possibly steal that division.”
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan//Jennifer Hale, going to 18% of USA, 1:00PM
Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
MARKETS INCLUDE: Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, SeattleMinnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick//Laura Okmin, going to 17% of USA, 1:00PM
Ford Field – Detroit, Mich.
MARKETS INCLUDE: Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Tulsa
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston//Tony Siragusa, going to 38% of USA, 1:00 PM
Louisiana SuperDome – New Orleans, La.
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Houston, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Antonio, San Diego, Washington DCTampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets — Kevin Burkhardt/John Lynch//Erin Andrews, going to 19% of USA, 1:00 PM
New Meadowlands Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Fort Myers, Hartford, Miami, New York, Orlando, Providence, Tampa, West Palm BeachLate Game Only
MARKETS INCLUDE: Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, PittsburghGreen Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman//Pam Oliver, going to 94% of USA, 4:25 PM
Candlestick Park– San Francisco, Calif.
MARKETS INCLUDE: Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Portland, Raleigh, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Houston, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Antonio, San Diego, Washington, Boston, Fort Myers, Hartford, Miami, New York, Orlando, Providence, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams — Dick Stockton/Ronde Barber//Kris Budden, going to 5% of USA, 4:25 PM
Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, Mo.
MARKETS INCLUDE: Phoenix, St. Louis
And that will do it for this post.
