This Thursday Night, NFL Network heads to Philadelphia as the Eagles host the Houston Texans. It’s the NFL’s Official Network’s opportunity to showcase Michael Vick in primetime. We have the particulars of NFL Network’s plans for the entire night.
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL – DECEMBER 2, 8:00 PM ET: HOUSTON TEXANS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ON NFL NETWORKPhiladelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick Sit Down Interview with Deion Sanders on Thursday Night Kickoff Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ETPreview of Michael Irvin’s Interview with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Roddy White on Pregame Show“Your Weekend Starts Here”NOTABLE & QUOTABLE…
- “We always hear that jail does nothing good for anyone, jail is no place for anyone; I believe it not only saved Michael Vick’s career, it saved his life.” – NFL Network analyst MARSHALL FAULK on the success of Philadelphia Eagles QB MICHAEL VICK
- “The Bears provided Houston with a good game plan on what it takes to disrupt Philadelphia’s offensive attack. The Texans defensive front four must put pressure on Michael Vick and keep him contained in the pocket, while offensively utilize Arian Foster and the run game to control the pace of the game.” – NFL Network analyst STEVE MARIUCCI on the Texans’ game plan vs. Eagles
- “Bottom line, the Texans must find a way to score points against Philadelphia because we have all witnessed what this Eagles offense, led by Michael Vick, can do both by air and ground.” – MARIUCCI on the Texans
- NFL Network analyst DEION SANDERS sits down for a one-on-one interview with Philadelphia QB MICHAEL VICK, who has the Eagles atop the NFC East standings, during the Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears pregame show at 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network.
- Preview of MICHAEL IRVIN’s interview with Atlanta QB MATT RYAN and WR RODDY WHITE for NFL GameDay Morning on the TNF pregame show.
HOUSTON TEXANS (5-6) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (7-4)ANNOUNCERSBob Papa (play-by-play), Matt Millen and Joe Theismann (game analysts); Alex Flanagan (sideline)
PREGAME (6:00 PM ET)Thursday Night KickoffIn Philadelphia: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson (on-site reporter); In Los Angeles: Fran Charles, Kurt Warner, Sterling Sharpe, Jay Glazer, Jason La Canfora
PRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET)Pre-Kick ShowBob Papa, Matt Millen, Joe Theismann, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Kara Henderson
HALFTIMEHalftime ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex Flanagan
POSTGAMEPostgame ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex FlanaganNFL Total Access Postgame ShowFran Charles, Jamie Dukes, Rod Woodson
WHERE TO WATCHDirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)Verizon – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)Check your local cable listingsNFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of gameNFL Mobile Live on Verizon Wireless
LOCAL OTA SIMULCAST*Houston: Independent Ch. 39 (KIAH)/Philadelphia: MyNetwork Ch. 17 (WPHL)
Thursday Night FootballLast week’s Cincinnati Bengals-New York Jets game on Thursday Night Football was watched by an average of 7.1 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Cincinnati and New York), which is the most watched Thanksgiving game on NFL Network. Additionally, with 7.1 million viewers Bengals-Jets is the third-most watched game in the five seasons of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network behind Dallas-New Orleans on Dec. 19, 2009 (10.5 million viewers) and Green Bay-Dallas on Nov. 29, 2007 (10.1 million viewers). Finally, Thursday Night Football is averaging 5.9 million cable viewers this season – its best mark through three games and up 37 percent from last year (4.3 million viewers).This week, the Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) host the Houston Texans (5-6) at Lincoln Financial Field. Quarterback MICHAEL VICK and the Eagles will look to bounce back from a loss and move into sole possession of first place in the NFC East, while quarterback MATT SCHAUB and the Texans will hope to maintain the momentum gained from a 20-point victory over Tennessee.This season marks the debut of new game analyst JOE THEISMANN, who returns to the broadcast booth after a successful stint with ESPN from 1988 – 2006. Alongside Theismann in the booth will be BOB PAPA, who returns for his third year as the play-by-play announcer for NFL Network, and second-year game analyst MATT MILLEN. ALEX FLANAGAN enters her first season as a sideline reporter on Thursday Night Football, and her fifth season with NFL Network. Additional newcomers include producer ED FEIBISCHOFF and director ARTIE KEMPNER.RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff from the stadium. 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, a recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist 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 recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist, 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 19 career return touchdowns. Coverage also includes on-site reports from Flanagan and KARA HENDERSON, who begins her eighth season with NFL Network.Additional coverage will be provided from NFL Network studios in Los Angeles with host FRAN CHARLES and analysts KURT WARNER, a two-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl MVP quarterback; STERLING SHARPE, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a 16-year veteran NFL broadcaster; and JAY GLAZER, FOX Sports NFL insider and senior writer for FOXSports.com. NFL Network insider JASON LA CANFORA will also provide the latest updates.NFL.com LIVE at 8:00 PM ET 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, PAUL BURMEISTER, JAMIE DUKES, BUCKY BROOKS and MIKE MAYOCK provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information with contributions from Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders. Henderson and STEVE WYCHE will provide live reports from the stadium, while Mayock will return for a second season with ‘Instant Playbook’ from the NFL Films studios exclusively for NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football, which provides instant X & O analysis of key plays right after they happen.Following the game at 12:00 AM ET, NFL Network analyst ROD WOODSON will join Charles and Dukes for a postgame edition of NFL Total Access Live.
That will take care of this post.
