NFL
Cheat Sheet By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--Saturday games. Sunday games. Pregame shows on different times. CBS. Fox. Can't keep track of it all? Don't worry, this is all you need. Below you'll find highlights and descriptions of each NFL studio show this weekend, a listing of each game and its announcers, as well as a comment or two from your favorite NFL media personalities. And don't forget to check out this week's Media Notes, in which Phil Simms, Dan Dierdorf and others discuss the coaching carousel, Dan Marino and other NFL topics. Happy viewing! Saturday, Jan. 15
Today, John Giannone, who's in Jacksonville for the Jaguars-Dolphins contest, examines "The Many Faces of Marino," as the quarterback seems to have recaptured his old swagger. Mark Morgan, in Tampa for the Redskins-Bucs match-up, will examine the Bucs' players pregame ritual of manicures and pedicures at a local beauty salon. It seems some of the fellows gather for some R&R and beauty treatment before games. Also, the show examines the Bucs' defensive duo of Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp, as well as rookie quarterback Shaun King.
On today's show, Cross travels to Miami to talk defense with the seemingly reborn Dolphins defensive unit, and James visits Jacksonville to talk offense and about the health of the Jaguars' main offensive cog, quarterback Mark Brunell. Also Saturday, Allen reports from Tampa on the Redskins-Bucs game, and Armen Keteyian checks in with a report from Indianapolis.
Dierdorf said that despite the strong win last week, the Dolphins are in a tough situation. "Miami could not have been placed in a worse scenario in the playoffs then they are in by playing the late wild card game on Sunday, then having to play the early game on Saturday against the top seeded team. On top of that, they had to travel cross country from Seattle. The only break they have is they don't have to travel too far to Jacksonville. "The short week takes its toll both mentally and physically. On the mental side, obviously they won't have a lot of time to prepare a game plan so it will be especially tough on the Miami offense which will have to deal with the very physical and complicated schemes of [Jacksonville defensive coach] Dom Capers' Jacksonville defense. "Physically, the body takes a lot longer to recover later in the season so some of the older Dolphins may walk onto that field Saturday still a little bit sore from their game against Seattle. Dierdorf said the Jaguars have different problems. "The Jaguars are rested, but questions surround them as to their health. "The Jags' question marks are: One, the health of Mark Brunnell and how well his knee holds up is their primary concern and, two, their offensive line with the loss of Tony Boselli. Because of that loss they've moved Ben Coleman from left guard to left tackle and now have two players not playing in their normal positions. With all these questions, Dierdorf expects a low-scoring game. "This game will be a battle of two very strong defensive units with neither team scoring a lot of points. This one has all the earmarks of a low scoring game. But, the wild card in this game is Jacksonville's Fred Taylor. He has big play potential."
On today's show, Long, who has been one of this season's harshest critics of the Redskins defense, traveled to Washington earlier this week to give props to the much-improved unit. "I'm not saying they are the '85 Bears, but they have improved significantly over the last few weeks, especially against the run,* Long said. "However, they need to be even better this week against Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn if they expect to win." Reporter Pam Oliver was in Tampa this week and presents a feature on the "Anti-New NFL" Buccaneers, a team that isn't flashy, just wins and that's exactly the way they like it. "After talking to the Bucs this week, the consensus is that 'We know we're boring. We don't care; we just win,'" Oliver said.
Millen said in a statement this week that you better not disregard the Redskins. "This is a game where if Tampa doesn't shut down Washington offensively, then Washington can get more big plays and win. Washington's defense is not a real strength, but they're not giving up the big plays lately. "What Tampa is going to have to do offensively is try to shorten the game, be patient and not get their young quarterback in a position where he has to win the game. It's just a matter of executing and being patient. If both teams take advantage of opportunities, it will be an exciting game." CBS' top NFL game analyst, Phil Simms, thinks the Bucs defense will have its hands full. "Tampa Bay's defense is as reliable as the St. Louis offense. The defense will meet their match with Washington. The Redskins will test the Bucs' defense by throwing the ball down the field for big plays. Tampa Bay prides itself in not giving up those big plays. "It will be interesting to see if Washington's defense stands in there and slugs it out against Tampa Bay's offense and stops them from running the ball. "This is one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend," Simms said in a statement. "This and the Tennessee-Indianapolis game are very similar -- two wide-open offenses trying to score against teams that like to run the ball and play defense. That is a bad mix." Dierdorf, meanwhile, has confidence in the Bucs D. "Washington came out of last week really banged up and it may be too much to overcome. Though the Bucs don't have much of a passing game, their defense and running game should be enough."
Today, John Giannone, also in Indianapolis, profiles Titans' tight end Frank Wycheck, who has become the toast of Tennessee after his game-winning lateral last week. Also, Jose Karp, reporting from St. Louis on the Vikings-Rams game, examines St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner and wonders "What if Trent Green never got hurt?"
This week, two Ohio State alums talk football when Spielman sits down with Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith. Also, former Rams star Slater goes one-on-one with St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk. Finally, John Madden previews the Vikings-Rams game live from the TWA Dome.
On today's show, Brown interviews Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green to discuss how he turned the team around after a 1-4 start and revitalized the career of quarterback Jeff George. He also discusses Green's feelings on the dismissal of Green Bay head coach Ray Rhodes and future coaching opportunities for African-Americans in the NFL. Also, Collinsworth examines the Rams' defense, one of the league's most underrated. Finally, reporter Jeanne Zelasko previews the Titans-Colts game from Indianapolis.
Madden said defense will determine this match-up of great offenses. "Everyone knows these two teams have great offenses, so the obvious key to this game is which defense will out-perform the other. Kevin Carter and Grant Wistrom are going to play a major role in the outcome of this game for the Rams because if they can get to Jeff George, it will cripple the Vikings. After all, George is not the most mobile quarterback." Simms doesn't have much confidence in Minnesota's defense. "Watch out Minnesota! I see a defense that got pushed around and outmaneuvered by Dallas and I don't think the Cowboys' offense is that great. St. Louis is much faster, better and more creative than the Cowboys and are at home in the Dome. They have a chance to really light it up against the Vikings' defense, which will have to play an outstanding game to keep the Rams under 25 points. St. Louis' offense is one of the few consistent things this year in the NFL. They take routine plays and turn them into highlights every week. The crowd noise will be intolerable. and that will hurt Minnesota's passing game. For Minnesota to win, Jeff George, Randy Moss and Chris Carter will have to be spectacular. Madden disagrees. He thinks Minnesota running back Robert Smith needs to have a big game for the Vikings to win. "The key to the Vikings offense is not Randy Moss or Cris Carter, but Robert Smith. If he can duplicate his performance against the Cowboys, the Vikings will be able to stay close. However, if he disappears, as he has a tendency to do in big games, the Vikings are in trouble." Summerall sounds happy with his assignment. "This is the best match-up of the weekend. Both teams feature speed and quickness at almost every position and both are the healthiest of all the remaining playoff teams. "The only concern that I have if I'm a Rams fan is how Kurt Warner will play in his first-ever playoff game. If John Randle and Chris Doleman can shake loose from the Rams mammoth offensive line, they can wreak havoc on Warner's throws and confidence. But that's a mighty big if. "I expect the Rams to air it out early and try to jump all over Vikings because if this game is close come the fourth quarter, the Rams are in trouble. Remember, the only close games the Rams have been involved in this season were also their only losses." CBS' James thinks St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk alleviates some of the pressure on Warner. "I think his [Faulk's] ability running and receiving is what takes the pressure of Kurt Warner. I can't believe Marshall wasn't the MVP of the NFL this year." Simms said he didn't realize how good Faulk was until he was talking to former Jets head coach Bill Parcells soon after the Faulk trade. Parcells told Simms that when the Jets coaching staff found out about Faulk getting traded from the Colts to the Rams, "we did the conga line around my desk because he was out of the division." "I just didn't know that he was that dynamic," Simms said. Dierdorf said Faulk isn't the only dynamic force on the Rams."They are a football team that has great speed." "The big difference between the two is that Minnesota has a roster full of people with playoff experience, including the win last week against Dallas, and the Rams have precious few players that have any playoff experience. "I think the Rams are a better football team than Vikings. I think they have the advantage in just about every area, except experience. So if the Rams come out tight, then the game will belong to the Vikings. But if the Rams come out loose and play the way they normally play, they're justifiably favorite. Simms agreed. "The Rams deserve to be the favorite team. They are the best team in football through the regular season. From start to finish, they were spectacular - even the games they lost." Madden has some words of advice for the Vikings. "If the Vikings stand a chance of winning, they can't fall behind. If they do, it will be a long day for them." By the way, this is Summerall and Madden's first broadcast of a Rams home game from the TWA Dome. The duo's last visit to St. Louis was Oct. 22, 1995, when the then 5-1 Rams were destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers 44-10 at Busch Stadium. "Even though the Rams were 5-1 back then, they weren't a very good team," said Madden. "That's not the case this year. This is a very good Rams team."
Sunday, Allen previews the "Battle of the Rookies of the Year" as he talks with the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year from the Indianapolis Colts, Edgerrin James, and the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year from the Tennessee Titans, Jevon Kearse.
Simms has no doubt that the Colts wanted the Seahawks to beat Miami last week. "Indianapolis had to be rooting for Seattle. Who would you rather play Seattle or Tennessee?" Nonetheless, Simms said earlier this week that the Colts have plenty of intangibles in their favor. "Never discount a week off in the NFL. The anticipation and energy that builds up is incredible. By Friday, the Indianapolis coaches and players will have to show great restraint from killing each other because of that phenomenal energy. An extra week off also gives them a huge advantage with time to be creative. And they also get to cover all their bases and take away some of the Titans' creativity. Rest and the home crowd are two more big advantages in Indy's favor." The Titans, though, will be a tough match for the Colts, Simms said. "Tennessee should be a very strong road playoff team because they have two things that travel well - a very solid, productive defense and an offense that runs the ball. "Can Tennessee come in and control the pace of the game, kind of dominate it physically, which is what I'm sure they would like to do by running Eddie George and letting Steve McNair throw when it's appropriate." James also thinks the Titans represent a major challenge to the Colts. "I look at the Colts defense as a defense that has become a lot softer against the run the last three or four games. And when you're playing against Tennessee and Eddie George, and how physical this football team is, I think that is the real challenge for the Colts. "Plus the fact that I think Tennessee is really confident right now. Being around them, you get the feeling that they expect to be a Super Bowl winner this year. I think our expectations have jumped out a little bit too far for the Colts because of the success they had this year, but we have to keep in mind that this defense has come a long ways from where they were last year." Simms, though, doesn't expect any momentum from the Titans' game-winning lateral last week to affect this week's contest. "I'm not a big guy on momentum. In fact, Tennessee has to be careful that it's not a negative and feel too good about themselves by losing sight of the little things. The little things are the difference in winning or losing a playoff game on the road."
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Saturday
NFL Countdown, 11 a.m., ESPN. Host Chris Berman is joined
by analysts Tom Jackson, Jim Kelly, Chris Mortensen and Sterling
Sharpe. Today's show looks at how Jags' coach Tom Coughlin has
molded this recent expansion franchise into a realistic Super
Bowl team. It also examines the Bucs' top-rated defense with Tampa
Bay's Warren Sapp, Hardy Nickerson, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch.
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