On Thursday Night Football, the start of Week 14 will be in Pittsburgh as traditional rivals the Cleveland Browns try to make a game against the Steelers. My Browns started the season at 2-1. They’re now 4-8. It’s been a tough season watching this team. But I still root for them and I hope the Browns can against all hope pull off an upset against the hated Steelers.
Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan will try to do their best to sell the game to viewers. Rich Eisen along with Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Michael Irvin and Stacey Dales will be at Heinz Field for Thursday Night Kickoff and the postgame show.
I don’t know if there’s anything else I can say about the game. Here’s the press release.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011 — 8:00 PM ET
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS ON NFL NETWORKSteelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Sit Down Interview with Michael Irvin on Thursday Night Kickoff Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ET
“Number one in the league defensively – that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers we know and love.” — Deion Sanders on the 9-3 Pittsburgh SteelersNOTABLE AND QUOTABLE:
“It all goes back to defense. We could talk about the running game – it’s not what it once was back in the glory days of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have so many receivers. But it all boils down to the defense…Number one in the league defensively – that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers we know and love.”— DEION SANDERS on the 9-3 Pittsburgh Steelers
“You have to rely on where your investment is, and their investment is in those young receivers.” – MARSHALL FAULK on if the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers
Last time on Thursday Night Football:
- Dec. 10, 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
- The Browns sack Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger eight times in a 13-6 victory.
- Dec. 7, 2006: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
- With a 27-7 victory, the Steelers evened the all-time series (55-55) with the Browns for the first time since it began in 1950.
Pittsburgh head coach MIKE TOMLIN has guided the Steelers to a 9-3 record this season, tied for tops in the AFC with Baltimore, Houston and New England. With the Steelers’ 35-7 win over the Bengals on Sunday, Tomlin became the sixth head coach to win at least nine games in each of his first five seasons since 1970.
The head coaches to win at least nine games in each of their first five seasons since 1970:
HEAD COACH TEAM(S) CONSECUTIVE 9+ WIN SEASONS
George Seifert San Francisco 49ers 8
Mike Holmgren Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks 8
Bill Cowher Pittsburgh Steelers 6
Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers 5*
Chuck Knox Los Angeles Rams 5
Mike Sherman Green Bay Packers 5
*Active
STEELERS QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER 1-ON-1 INTERVIEW:
- MICHAEL IRVIN sits down for an interview with Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER during Thursday Night Football Kickoff at 6:00 PM ET.
TEAMS: BROWNS STEELERS ANNOUNCERS Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (game analyst); Alex Flanagan (sideline) PREGAME (6:00 PM ET) Thursday Night Kickoff
In Pittsburgh: Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan In Los Angeles: Kara Henderson, Kurt Warner, Sterling Sharpe, Jay GlazerPRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET) Pre-Kick Show
Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner, Sterling Sharpe, Jay Glazer, Stacey DalesHALFTIME Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Stacey Dales, Alex FlanaganPOSTGAME Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan
NFL Total Access Postgame Show
In-studio: Andrew Siciliano, Kara Henderson, Kurt Warner, Jamie Dukes, Willie McGinestGame Site: Stacey Dales, Steve WycheWHERE TO WATCH DirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)
Verizon FIOS – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – Channel 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)Check your local cable listings
NFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of game
NFL Mobile Live on Verizon WirelessLOCAL OTA SIMULCAST* FOX Ch. 8 (WJW) CBS Ch. 2 (KDKA) Thursday Night Football
Last Thursday’s Philadelphia Eagles-Seattle Seahawks game on NFL Network was watched by an average of 5.9 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Philadelphia and Seattle) – up nine percent from the comparable game last year (Texans-Eagles, 5.4 million) and ranking as Thursday’s most-watched program on cable.This season marks the debut of Thursday Night Football broadcast booth duo, BRAD NESSLER and MIKE MAYOCK. Veteran play-by-play voice, Nessler serves as the play-by-play announcer and Mayock, in his seventh year with NFL Network, is the game analyst and ALEX FLANAGAN returns for her second season as the sideline reporter.
RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff, Pre-kick Show, Halftime Show and the Postgame Show 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; 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee 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); 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee 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 19 career return touchdowns; and making his Thursday Night Football debut, Hall of Famer and third-year NFL Network analyst MICHAEL IRVIN.
Additional coverage will be provided from NFL Network studios in Los Angeles with host KARA HENDERSON and analysts KURT WARNER, two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP quarterback; STERLING SHARPE, five-time Pro Bowl selection; and JAY GLAZER, NFL insider and senior writer for FOXSports.com.
NFL.com LIVE/Thursday Night Football at 8:00 PM ET features live “look-ins” of Browns-Steelers, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, PAUL BURMEISTER, KURT WARNER, JAMIE DUKES, and BUCKY BROOKS provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information. STACEY DALES and STEVE WYCHE provide live reports from the stadium, while Brooks contributes ‘Instant Playbook’ analysis of key plays and drives from the exclusive perspective of the coaching tape immediately after the most important moments.
Following the game, hosts ANDREW SICILIANO and KARA HENDERSON as well as analysts KURT WARNER, JAMIE DUKES and WILLIE MCGINEST will deliver a postgame edition of NFL Total Access.
That does it.
