NFL Network usually sends the weekly programming release late on Wednesday, but today, we get it early as I’m sure their offices are closing for Thanksgiving. That office policy means you get this post earlier than normal and that’s good for all of us.
NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM PROGRAMMING NOTES (11/24-11/30)CINCINNATI BENGALS FACE NEW YORK JETS ON THANKSGIVING EDITION OF THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AT 8:00 PM ETThursday Night Kickoff at 7:00 PM ET Features Deion Sanders Interview with Rex Ryan & Profile on Bengals coach Mike ZimmerTom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat NFL Network Premiere on Friday, Nov. 26 at 8:00 PM ETSpecial Edition Sound FX: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 PM ETTHURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF – THURSDAY 7:00-8:00 PM ETThursday Night Football coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET with Thursday Night Kickoff. Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders and Kara Henderson are live on the scene at New Meadowlands Stadium, while Fran Charles, Kurt Warner and Sterling Sharpe are live from Los Angeles. Jason La Canfora provides NFL news reports. The special Thanksgiving pregame show features:
- Deion Sanders’ sit down interview with New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan
- NFL Films-produced profile on Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who’s wife passed away last year
- Feature on NFL Network’s “Keep Gym in School” program
- Highlights of Patriots-Lions and Saints-Cowboys Thanksgiving matchups
Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets at 8:00 PM ET:
- Bob Papa (PxP), Matt Millen and Joe Theismann (analysts) with Alex Flanagan (sideline reporter)
The Halftime Show will air live from New Meadowlands Stadium. Eisen, Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders will discuss and analyze the first half of Bengals-Jets, while Henderson and Flanagan provide halftime reports.THIS WEEK ON NFL GAMEDAY MORNING: Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers face off for NFC Supremacy while 2011 Hall of Fame Ballot is UnveiledSunday is NFL GameDay on NFL Network, starting at 9:00 AM ET with NFL GameDay Morning. Host Rich Eisen joins Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp for the first and most comprehensive pregame show every Sunday. The analysts will discuss the following topics:
- The showdown between young quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers for supremacy in the NFC
- Michael Vick traveling to Chicago to face the vaunted Bears’ defense
- The fallout from the dismissal of Brad Childress in Minnesota and Vince Young’s troubles in Tennessee
- Preview of key matchups, including Buccaneers-Ravens and Jaguars-Giants
Additionally, the names of the 25 semifinalists for the 2011 Hall of Fame class will be unveiled during the show.
- Kara Henderson reports from Atlanta for Packers-Falcons
- Albert Breer reports from Orchard Park for Steelers-Bills
- Michael Lombardi reports from New Meadowlands Stadium for Jaguars-Giants
- Jason La Canfora reports from Landover for Vikings-Redskins
- Brian Baldinger reports from Chicago for Eagles-Bears
THIS WEEK ON AROUND THE LEAGUE and NFL TOTAL ACCESSWednesday, November 24Around the League:
- NFL Insider with Michael Lombardi at NFL Films
- Albert Breer reports from Minnesota
NFL Total Access:
- NFL Insider with Jason La Canfora
- Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson interview via Team Cam
Thursday, November 25Around the League: Thursday Night Football preview
- Thursday Night Football game analysts Joe Theismann and Matt Millen preview Bengals-Jets from New Meadowlands Stadium
- Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders preview Bengals-Jets from New Meadowlands Stadium
- Kara Henderson reports from New Meadowlands Stadium
Friday, November 26Around the League:
- NFL Insider with Michael Lombardi at NFL Films
NFL Total Access:
- Packers WR Greg Jennings interview via Team Cam
THIS WEEK ON PLAYBOOKWednesday 6:00 PM ET – Playbook with Sterling Sharpe, Mike Mayock and Brian Baldinger:
- How the rejuvenated Cowboys will try to take down the Saints
- Why the Jets are ready for takeoff against the Bengals
Friday 6:00 PM ET – NFC Playbook with Mike Mayock, Michael Lombardi and Brian Baldinger:
- How the Falcons can beat the Packers and prove they are the best team in the NFC
- Why the Eagles defense can dominate the Bears on the way to a fourth straight win
- How Donovan McNabb can take advantage of the Vikings defense
- Why the Giants offense can overwhelm the Jaguars
Saturday at 6:00 PM ET – AFC Playbook with Mike Mayock, Michael Lombardi and Brian Baldinger:
- Why Josh Freeman will struggle against the Ravens defense
- How Ben Roethlisberger can bulldoze the Bills defense
- How the Texans can snap their four-game losing streak and make things more interesting in the AFC South
- How the Colts can get back on track against the Chargers
Tom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat NFL Network Premiere on Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM ETTom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat, an NFL Films-produced documentary, looks into the life of one of the NFL’s most successful coaches in history and the powerful impact he had on his players, the city of Dallas and the league as a whole. The following is a partial list of people who were interviewed for the special documentary which premieres on Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM ET:
- Mike Ditka – former Dallas Cowboys tight end
- Drew Pearson – former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
- Thomas Henderson – former Dallas Cowboys linebacker
- Alicia Landry – Landry’s wife
- Frank Gifford – teammate of Landry’s with the New York Giants
Below are a few select quotes from the documentary:– “Throughout history, they can write anything they ever want to write about the Dallas Cowboys, but it begins and ends with one name: Tom Landry.” – Mike Ditka– “Tom Landry? He made football.” – Sam Huff– “He was like a math teacher. He had calculated this down to the lowest possible percentage of failing.” – Frank Gifford– “The greatest thing that competitive athletics does is it teaches how to meet defeat, not how to meet victory. Because I think only through defeat is character built.” – Tom LandrySpecial Thanksgiving Edition Sound FX: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets – Saturday, November 27 at 8:30 PM ETOn Saturday, November 27 at 8:30 PM ET on NFL Network, an exclusive one-hour “all-sound” cut down version of the Thanksgiving Thursday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets will be shown.“We are planning to have 15 players and coaches miked during the game, including both coaches and the coordinators. We’ll have 60 people at the game, which is more than we use for a Super Bowl, and then we’ll turn it around in 48 hours and show it to you through the eyes of the players. It’s something you won’t see anywhere else.” – Steve Sabol, NFL FilmsEpisode #11 of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ Features Interviews with Peter King of NBC and SI.com and Joe Buck of FOX SportsNFL Network host Rich Eisen is live from League headquarters in New York for this week’s episode of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ in anticipation of Cincinnati Bengals-New York Jets at New Meadowlands Stadium on a Thanksgiving edition of Thursday Night Football. Eisen is joined by Peter King of NBC and SI.com to discuss the dismissal of Brad Childress as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and the promotion of Leslie Frazier as interim head coach, the ongoing situation between Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young, playoff predictions, and much more. NFL on FOX play-by-play announcer Joe Buck also joins Eisen on the show to preview the Saints-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving, the relationship between Childress and Brett Favre, and calling the World Series.For more information on ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast,’ please visit http://richeisen.nfl.com/ or go to iTunes to download the latest episode.Episode Eight of ‘The Season’ on NFL.com Profiles the Relationship Between Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis and his SonThe eighth episode of ‘The Season’ is now available on NFL.com. This week takes a look at the relationship between Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and his son Ray Lewis III. As a sophomore at Lake Mary Prep in Lake Mary, Florida, Lewis III is a talented football player who excels at the positions of running back, linebacker and free safety. Standing on the sidelines encouraging and cheering for him is his biggest fan: his father. As the son of a future Hall-of-Famer, Lewis III has a tremendous amount of expectations heaped upon his shoulders to follow in his father’s footsteps. Yet all Lewis wants his son to do is to be his own person. Coming from a childhood in which his father abandoned his family when he was just six years old and leaving his mother to care for six children, Lewis vows to not make the same mistakes that his own father made. They say the greatest gift a father can give his son is to believe in him, and it’s a gift Lewis continually gives to his child.Episode eight can be found at http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-the-season/09000d5d81c5b606/The-NFL-Season-A-father-and-his-son?module=HP_videoEvery week on NFL.com, a new webisode of ‘The Season’ will premiere, opening a new window into professional football to which fans and observers are usually not privy. The characters that will emerge over the next 12 weeks will spread across a broad spectrum – from quarterbacks to coaches, general managers to scouts, beer vendors to executives. ‘The Season’ is a project that’s not so much the story of the 2010 NFL season, but the tale of an NFL season – an important distinction. While who wins and who loses, who starts and who fumbles are all part of the story, they’re more incidental to the greater purpose of the piece – to provide a single, all-encompassing biography of a season.THIS WEEK ON NFL.COM: NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night FootballThursday, November 25
- 8:00 PM ET – NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football:
A live show throughout Bengals vs. Jets with “live look-ins” of the action, reports from Kara Henderson and Steve Wyche on the field covering both teams, in-game highlights and analysis from Paul Burmeister, Jamie Dukes and Bucky Brooks in Los Angeles, plus ‘Instant Playbook’ from NFL Network’s Mike Mayock at NFL Films.Friday, November 26
- CHAT: Fantasy Focus (12 NOON ET)
- CHAT: Vic Carucci (2:00 PM ET)
Sunday, November 28
- CHAT: Fantasy Live (10 AM ET)
- 11:30 AM ET – NFL Fantasy LIVE with Michelle Beisner, Michael Fabiano and Dave Dameshek delivers the most up to date information for your fantasy team to have a record-setting day
DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)Wednesday, November 247:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)8:00 PM – NFL Replay: Washington Redskins vs. Tennessee Titans (HD)9:15 PM – NFL Replay: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (HD)10:30 PM – Sound FX: 2010, Week 11 (HD)11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)12 MIDNIGHT – Playbook (HD)Thursday, November 2512 NOON – Playbook (HD)1:00 PM – NFL Replay: Washington Redskins vs. Tennessee Titans (HD)2:15 PM – NFL Replay: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (HD)3:30 PM – Sound FX: 2010, Week 11 (HD)4:00 PM – NFL GameDay Scorboard (HD)7:00 PM – Thursday Night Kickoff (HD) – LIVE8:00 PM – Thursday Night Football: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets (HD) – LIVE11:30 PM – Postgame Show (HD) – LIVE12 MIDNIGHT – NFL Total Access: Postgame recap of Bengals vs. Jets (HD)Friday, November 261:00 PM – Best of Sound FX: Mike Singletary (HD)1:30 PM – Sound FX: 2010, Week 11 (HD)2:00 PM – America’s Game: 1970 Baltimore Colts (HD)3:00 PM – America’s Game: Missing Rings: 1981 San Diego Chargers (HD)4:00 PM – Around the League (HD) – LIVE6:00 PM – Playbook: NFC (HD)7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)***8:00 PM – NFL Network Debut: Tom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat (HD)***9:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Gutsiest Calls (HD)10:00 PM – Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players: #90-81 (HD)11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)Saturday, November 279:00 AM – Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players: #90-81 (HD)10:00 AM – Playbook: NFC (HD)11:00 AM – Playbook: AFC (HD)12 NOON – NFL Films Presents: Picture Perfect (HD)12:30 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Gutsiest Calls (HD)1:30 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Records That Won’t Be Broken2:30 PM – Sound FX: 2010, Week 11 (HD)3:00 PM – Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players: #100-91 (HD)4:00 PM – Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players: #90-81 (HD)5:00 PM – Playbook: NFC (HD)6:00 PM – Playbook: AFC (HD)7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)***8:30 PM – Special Edition Sound FX: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets from Thanksgiving (HD)***9:30 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Most Versatile (HD)10:30 PM – Keith Urban: Halftime in Real Time (HD)11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)12 MIDNIGHT – Special Edition Sound FX: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets from Thanksgiving (HD)Sunday, November 28‘NFL GameDay’9:00 AM – NFL GameDay Morning (HD)1:00 PM – NFL GameDay StatZone (HD)4:00 PM – NFL GameDay Scoreboard (HD)7:30 PM – NFL GameDay Highlights (HD)11:30 PM – NFL GameDay Overtime (HD)12 MIDNIGHT – NFL GameDay Final (HD)Monday, November 293:00 PM – NFL Replay Real-Time: 2010, Week 12 (HD)4:00 PM – Around the League (HD) – LIVE6:00 PM – Up to the Minute (HD)6:30 PM – The Coaches Show (HD)7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)8:30 PM – The Coaches Show (HD)9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1977 Dallas Cowboys (HD)10:00 PM – The Coaches Show (HD)10:30 PM – America’s Game: 1995 Dallas Cowboys (HD)11:30 PM – NFL Total Access: Monday Night Football Pressers (HD)Tuesday, November 3012 NOON – NFL Replay Real-Time: 2010, Week 12 (HD)1:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Gutsiest Calls (HD)2:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Records That Won’t Be Broken3:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Most Versatile4:00 PM – Around the League (HD) – LIVE6:00 PM – Playbook (HD)7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)Field Pass Block (8:00-11:00 PM ET)8:00 PM – NFL Replay (HD)9:15 PM – NFL Replay (HD)10:30 PM – Best of Sound FX: Terrell Owens (HD)
Back later.
