The NFL on CBS: Week 4 preview
The NFL on CBS: Week 4 (Sunday, Sept. 30)
Audibles with "NFL on CBS" lead game analyst Phil Simms, Dan Dierdorf, Rich Gannon and
"NFL Today" analyst Dan Marino
The CBS Television Network continues its 48th year broadcasting the NFL with double-header coverage of "The NFL on CBS" on Sunday, Sept. 30 (1-7:30 p.m., ET) beginning with "The NFL Today," the Network's one-hour studio show (noon-1 p.m., ET), live from "The NFL Today" studio in New York City.
"The NFL on CBS" lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action from the Denver Broncos-Indianapolis Colts game live from the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.
Throughout the 2007 season, "The NFL on CBS" will broadcast five-to-six games each week in HDTV, the highest definition television format -- 1080i lines of picture resolution -- along with 5.1 digital audio.
Sean McManus is President, CBS News and Sports. Tony Petitti is Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports. McManus and Petitti serve as executive producers of CBS Sports' coverage of "The NFL on CBS."
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DAN MARINO
(On possibility of Brett Favre breaking Marino's all-time touchdown passing record this week): Hopefully if he breaks the record this week it's in a winning fashion, where it's in the heat of the game, and it's a positive thing for Brett because for him it's about winning.
PHIL SIMMS
(On Chicago changing quarterbacks): I thought Rex Grossman would be on a short leash this year. I thought if things didn't go his way, it would be around mid-season when the Chicago Bears would make a change. I didn't expect for it to change this quick, especially after last year. Rex Grossman knows the scenario. He knows that an abundance of mistakes wasn't going to be tolerated. Everything snowballed against him and the Bears have to make the change just for the players, for everybody, to change the environment. Maybe it will be the best thing for Rex Grossman. It gives him a chance to step back and take the pressure off, and who knows, later in the year he might be asked to come back in and take over. There are a lot of scenarios where he could still come back into the lineup. But with Brian Griese as the quarterback, the Bears offense will change. He is a very, very accurate thrower of the ball especially the mid-range passes. He will get it out of his hand quicker, and for lack of a better word, he's just more careful with the ball than Rex Grossman. So right away you'll see different dynamics when he plays compared to Rex Grossman. The big question is, how well will it work? We'll see…
(On Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis): I did both of Denver's playoff games in Indianapolis over the last few years and it has not gone well for Denver. So the question is, what tactics will they try this time? And, will they work? When you play them and it doesn't work, then you change strategies. I'm curious to see that. Will Denver come out and maybe just attack on both sides of the ball instead of trying to keep Peyton off the field? Then when he is on the field, will they try not to give up the big play? Maybe they will do the opposite, I don't know. I don't expect it to be that extreme, but I do expect to see a different philosophy from the Denver Broncos.
DAN DIERDORF
(On Arizona Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt facing his former team, Pittsburgh): Both Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm are in Arizona now. They both left Pittsburgh when Mike Tomlin got the (Pittsburgh) job. So yes, it is an interesting sidebar to the story. This is a Cardinal team that if Pittsburgh is going out there thinking that this is some kind of a walk over, they might be mistaken. Arizona is a little bit better than some people might think. They are 1-2, but they have two three-point losses. They lost to Baltimore 26-23 and lost to San Francisco, 20-17. The Cardinals are not a bad football team…
(On Arizona's quarterback situation): They've got this interesting thing going on offense. Whisenhunt has a two-headed quarterback monster. He's got Matt Leinart, who is his starter and obviously the quarterback of the future. But last week he pulled him and put in Kurt Warner. Warner had a Rams flashback and played a phenomenal half of football and turns in a quarterback rating last week of 150. So Whisenhunt is saying that he'll play both. Whisenhunt has said that Warner is more comfortable in a shotgun spread, no huddle offense and that he is more comfortable doing that than Leinart. I'm anxious to find out if he is going to alternate them and go with Leinart for a while, and then go with Warner for a while. It's going to be most interesting to see how he does it…
(On facing Pittsburgh's defense): The one thing I know for sure is that Matt Leinart will see some things from this Pittsburgh defense that he hasn't seen before. Dick LeBeau has them playing really great. They're the number two defense in the NFL so far through the first three games and they're just smothering everybody. Lebeau is a guy that will come from every different direction, with all the zone blitzes, the overloads, the whole nine yards. Who knows where Troy Polamalu is going to be? In that sense Warner is probably the better prepared of the two quarterbacks to face a defense like Pittsburgh's, but it is Leinart's team and we'll see how he does with it…
(On Arizona's familiarity with Pittsburgh): I certainly think Whisenhunt and Grimm, knowing the personnel, knowing what they do, are probably in a better position than most coaches to help out their guys. But the reality is, Dick LeBeau won't do anything predictable. He'll try to change it up as much as he possibly can…
(On Steelers offense): Offensively Pittsburgh is just not that fancy. They're going to come at you. They have really been running the heck out of Willie Parker and he's been responding. They've been giving Willie Parker the ball 25 times a game and he's responded with a five yards per carry average. Ben Roethlisberger has been really efficient. He is off to a phenomenal start -- six touchdowns and one interception. He has just been unbelievably effectiveThe question for the Steelers offensively is going to be whether or not Hines Ward plays? He got hurt in last week's game and he's a big question mark that probably won't be answered until he goes out and warms up before the game…
(On Arizona): It's an intriguing match-up. The Cardinals have a new stadium. They have a whole new look. They have a new coaching staff, and there's some optimism out in the desert that they're headed in the right direction…
(On Pittsburgh): The Steelers must have a little bit of the, 'Hey what about us?' syndrome because when you talk about the AFC all you hear people say is you've got the big three -- New England, San Diego and Indianapolis. Pittsburgh won a Super Bowl two years ago, and in some people's eyes they're a second level team in the AFC. That is probably a huge motivator for them.
RICH GANNON
(On surprising Cleveland): They've been a big surprise. Even more so than a surprise, I'd say they have been inconsistent. We did their game in Week 1 against Pittsburgh and they were very dismal, couldn't get anything going offensively. They replaced Charlie Frye in the first quarter. They brought in Derek Anderson and he wasn't much better. And defensively, they had no answers for Pittsburgh's offense. Of course in Week 2 they found a way to get things going offensively and Derek Anderson threw for five touchdowns and Jamal Lewis rushed for over 200 yards, and yet their defense gave up over 500 yards of offense. Then last week, honestly they were inept on both sides of the ball offensively and defensively. And as bad they played, they still had a chance to beat the Raiders on the road. Oakland blocked a kick to win the game. So, Cleveland right now is still searching for an identity. There are still a lot of inconsistencies. They have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski, and he's trying to get his feet underneath him. Also having to go with Derek Anderson, they are trying to find out more about him each week and how he's going to respond…
(On key for Cleveland vs. Baltimore): The key this week, without question, is if Cleveland can find a way to get Jamal Lewis going. That really sets up everything they do offensively. It sets up their play action game. It allows them to be a little bit more solid in terms of their protections and that way they can find a way to get Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards the ball. I don't see that happening against a Raven's defense that is historically phenomenal at stopping the run…
(On key for Baltimore vs. Cleveland): The key for Baltimore is Baltimore. You hear teams say what do we have to do this week to win? I don't think it's so much about Cleveland as it is about Baltimore. This is a football team that they should beat. Defensively they match up very well. You look at their corners Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. You look at their front seven, that's a pretty stout group. I can't imagine that they won't win that battle. And then offensively they need to get going. Steve McNair is in his second season [with the Ravens] in the system so he certainly should be more comfortable than he was a year ago. They have a new running back in Willis McGahee, but still it's the same characters everywhere else. You talk about Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason, two good receivers, and then of course Todd Heap, one of the better tight ends in the game. If they can get it done offensively against a Cleveland defense that has been inconsistent at best, then it should bode well for the Ravens.
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Following are THE NFL ON CBS assignments for Week 4, Week 5 and Week 6 (subject to change).
WEEK 4 -- Sept. 30 -- DOUBLEHEADER
GAME -- PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST -- PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
1 PM, ET starts:
·Houston @ Atlanta -- Don Criqui/Steve Beuerlein -- Ross Scheiderman/Andy Goldberg
·N.Y. Jets @ Buffalo* -- Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots -- Bob Dekas/Cathy Barreto
·Baltimore @ Cleveland -- Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon -- Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley
·Oakland @ Miami* -- Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker -- Victor Frank/Mark Grant
4:15 PM, ET starts:
·Denver @ Indianapolis* -- Jim Nantz/Phil Simms -- Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold
·Pittsburgh @ Arizona* -- Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf -- Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman
·Kansas City @ San Diego* -- Dick Enberg/Randy Cross -- Ken Mack/Suzanne Smith
WEEK 5 -- Oct. 7 -- DOUBLEHEADER
GAME -- PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST -- PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
1 PM, ET starts:
·Miami @ Houston -- Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon -- Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley
·Jacksonville @ Kansas City -- Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker -- Victor Frank/Mark Grant
·N.Y. Jets @ N.Y. Giants -- Dick Enberg/Randy Cross -- Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith
·Cleveland @ New England -- Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf -- Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman
4:15 PM, ET starts:
·San Diego @ Denver -- Jim Nantz/Phil Simms -- Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold
·Baltimore @ San Francisco -- Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots -- Bob Dekas/Cathy Barreto
WEEK 6 -- Oct. 14 -- DOUBLEHEADER
GAME -- PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST -- PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
1 PM, ET starts:
·Miami @ Cleveland -- Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots -- Bob Dekas/Cathy Barreto
·Houston @ Jacksonville -- Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker -- Victor Frank/Mark Grant
·Cincinnati @ Kansas City -- Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon -- Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley
·Tennessee @ Tampa Bay -- Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf -- Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman
4:15 PM, ET starts:
·New England @ Dallas -- Jim Nantz/Phil Simms -- Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold
·Oakland @ San Diego -- Dick Enberg/Randy Cross -- Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith
* Games broadcast in HDTV
