I have a couple of press release posts to give you. This is for NFL Network and it previews the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and my lowly Cleveland Browns. I have low expectations for the game, but I’ll watch anyway. Here’s NFL Network’s preview.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 — 8:00 PM ET
PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS ON NFL NETWORK
On Thursday Night Kickoff:
Deion Sanders 1-on-1 Interview with Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Browns Brady Quinn Gives an All-Access Look Through the Eyes of a Quarterback on the Field
Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders & Steve Mariucci Debate Which is the More Complete Team: the Saints or the Colts
NOTABLE & QUOTABLE…
· On the Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show Deion Sanders sits down with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to discuss the Steelers’ four-game losing streak, whether he thinks the season can still be salvaged and what adjustments are being made on defense to prevent late scores.
· “The interesting storyline is how does Mike Tomlin, the coach of the world champion Steelers, get his team back on track? They’re not going to change their defense or their scheme. They’re going to keep doing it, they just need to do it better.” – STEVE MARIUCCI on Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
· “The Browns have something to prove and the world champions have to remind the football world why they were the champions last year.” – STEVE MARIUCCI on Steelers-Browns matchup
· “The defending Super Bowl champions find themselves in a must-win situation the rest of the way. While Cleveland is looking to the future, they would like nothing better than to deliver a punch to their archrivals.” – BOB PAPA on Steelers-Browns matchup
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-6) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-11)
ANNOUNCERS
Bob Papa, Matt Millen
PREGAME (6:00 PM ET)
Thursday Night Kickoff
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Jason La Canfora, Scott Hanson (Eisen, Sanders, Mariucci and Faulk in Los Angeles; La Canfora and Hanson via remote in Cleveland)
PRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET)
Pre-Kick Show
Rich Eisen
, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Bob Papa, Matt MillenHALFTIME
Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk
POSTGAME
Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk
WHERE TO WATCH
DirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)
Verizon – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)
Check Comcast, Cox and your local cable listings
NFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of game
NFL Mobile Live only from Sprint
LOCAL OTA SIMULCAST*
CBS Ch. 2 (KDKA)
NBC Ch. 3 (WKYC)
Thursday Night Football
The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers look to stay in playoff contention when they travel to Cleveland to face QB BRADY QUINN and the Browns.
NFL Network has assembled an award-winning team to cover its “Run to the Playoffs” slate. This season marks the debut of new game analyst MATT MILLEN who returns to the broadcast booth after a successful NFL analyst stint with FOX and CBS from 1995 to 2000. Millen is joined by second-year NFL Network play-by-play announcer BOB PAPA, the radio voice of the New York Giants who has called a pair of Super Bowls. Papa was also the lead voice for NFL Europa games including the 2007 World Bowl on NFL Network and has worked seven Olympics. MARK TEITELMAN and CRAIG JANOFF produce and direct Thursday Night Football.
RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff, a two-hour pregame show from NFL Network’s Los Angeles studios. Eisen, a two-time Sports Emmy nominee in the Studio Host category, is joined by fellow Sports Emmy nominee STEVE MARIUCCI, a former NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions who also served as Brett Favre’s quarterback coach in Green Bay; MARSHALL FAULK, who won a Super Bowl XXXIV ring with the Rams, earned 2000 NFL MVP honors and three Offensive Player of the Year awards (1999-2001) and has been selected to seven Pro Bowls; and DEION SANDERS, a two-time Super Bowl winner who was 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record with 18 career return touchdowns. Coverage also includes on-site reports from insider JASON LA CANFORA, who is in his first season with NFL Network after an award-winning newspaper career with The Washington Post and reporter SCOTT HANSON, host of NFL Network’s NFL RedZone channel that airs every Sunday. Senior producer BARDIA SHAH-RAIS joins coordinating director JEN LOVE on the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. MIKE MURIANO is coordinating producer of the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. ERIC WEINBERGER is executive producer of NFL Network.
NFL.com LIVE features live programming including live “look-ins” of Thursday Night Football, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, FRAN CHARLES, JAMIE DUKES, BUCKY BROOKS and MICHAEL FABIANO provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information with contributions from Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders. Hanson, along with PAUL BURMEISTER provide live reports from the stadium. New this year, Playbook analyst MIKE MAYOCK gives instant X & O analysis of key plays right after they happen from NFL Films headquarters.
And here’s quotage from The Coaches Show from earlier this week.
Quotable from Week 13 Edition of The Coaches Show on NFL Network
(Airs Mondays at 6:30 PM ET with replays at 8:30 and 10:00 PM ET)
Quotes from Steve Mariucci’s 1-on-1 interview with Giants head coach Tom Coughlin:
“This win was important because, not only was it a win against the division leading Cowboys, but we needed to bounce back…after our Thanksgiving Thursday debacle. I thought our team responded very well and I’m proud of the way the guys came pounding back. The mental toughness that they showed was very important.” – TOM COUGHLIN on his team’s win against the Cowboys
“He told his teammates that he was going to go play to the best of his ability. He was a great example for our team and my hat is off to him.” – TOM COUGHLIN on how DE Osi Umenyiora responded to being benched
“They really are growing and Eli has spent a lot of time with these young receivers. Hakeem has continued to make great progress. Steve is continuing to have an outstanding year. Mario has outstanding big-play ability and I know he’s going to continue to improve.” – TOM COUGHLIN on the Giants’ young receiving corps of Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham
“We have to play better football. They hurt us with the ball in the air, they also ran the ball. So, there are a lot of areas that we have to improve upon.” – TOM COUGHLIN on what the Giants must do to avoid a second loss this season to the Eagles on Sunday night
Quick quotes from Monday night’s show:
“He’s had a remarkable career and has been a dominant player for the last 10 years. How does he not have six or seven Pro Bowls?” – MIKE MARTZ on Redskins LB London Fletcher, who has never gone to a Pro Bowl
“They’re not done by a long shot but they do have some issues to clean up. They’ve got guys standing back there in a position to make a play and they just can’t pull the trigger. The secondary, particularly without Polamalu, has held this team hostage.” – MIKE MARTZ on the Steelers
“Where the team was when he got them and where they are now shows significant progress. He’s got to get another year to get this thing done. He’s a terrific head coach.” – MIKE MARTZ on Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
“Those press conferences after a tough loss are brutal. It’s hard to be a stand-up guy and take the blame but Gary has done a heck of a job in Houston.” – STEVE MARIUCCI on Texans head coach Gary Kubiak
“How about Andy Reid putting [Michael Vick] in a key situation and affording him the opportunity to make a big play? Of course he answered the bell and that was just a feel-good story.” – MIKE MARTZ on Eagles head coach Andy Reid using QB Michael Vick against the Falcons
“It was a terrific job of managing the game by a great head coach.” – MIKE MARTZ on Saints head coach Sean Payton’s decision to call a timeout in overtime against the Redskins
“He is a remarkable head coach and he deserves a hell of a lot more credit.” – MIKE MARTZ on Chargers head coach Norv Turner
*** Video clips from Week 13 are available on NFL.com. These videos include:
– Steve Mariucci interviews Tom Coughlin after the Giants’ big win over the Cowboys in Week 13.
– Mike Martz and Steve Mariucci analyze the Saints come-from-behind win over the Redskins.
– http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-the-coaches/09000d5d814cc475/The-Coaches-Saints-chalk-talk
– Mike Sellers fumbles the ball in overtime to give the Saints an opportunity to win the game.
– http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-orleans-saints/09000d5d814c0903/Sellers-fumble
– Texans post-game press conference
– http://www.nfl.com/videos/houston-texans/09000d5d814c1f3c/Texans-postgame-press-conference
– And many more Week 13 game highlights and postgame video only on NFL.com.
6:30-7:00 & 8:30-9:00 PM ET Monday: The Coaches Show (HD)
Host: Charles Davis Analysts: Mike Martz and Steve Mariucci
The Coaches Show takes an inside look at the previous Sunday’s games, analyzing the big plays and tough decisions made by NFL head coaches on the sidelines in a 30-minute, roundtable program (Replays at 8:30 and 10:00 PM ET Mondays).
One more post and I’m shutting the blog down for the night.
