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The NFL on CBS: Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 7)
Audibles with "NFL on CBS" lead game analyst Phil Simms and Randy Cross
The CBS Television Network continues its 48th year broadcasting the NFL with double-header coverage of "The NFL on CBS" on Sunday, Oct. 7 (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 San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos game live from INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. 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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PHIL SIMMS
(On Brett Favre):
If I could pick the arm of one NFL quarterback, I still believe I’d take Brett Favre’s. It has everything. He can throw it hard. He can throw it long. He can throw it soft. And, when it comes to just throwing the football, it (his arm) will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest. You can come up with a lot scenarios, but what allows him to have that love, and continue to play at his age, with that success, is that right arm…(On Green Bay):
I don’t think the Green Bay Packers are at their best yet. In the NFL the idea is to try and win early until you figure out who you really are. And Green Bay is still settling in. They probably didn’t want to throw it as much as they are, but they are realizing this is something they can do and do it well. There is no reason why they can’t continue to do that. And, it has sped up the process of getting better. It sped up the process for the receivers maturing because they are getting a lot of reps. They’re doing it in games. The offensive line is getting experience and getting better at pass protecting for Brett. He also is learning the receivers. But, he also is learning how much time he has to throw. It’s all kind of clicking. As the year goes along, other parts of their team will catch up like running the football and just little things. No team has fallen into what they really are except maybe Indianapolis. They are really the only team I can come up with. Everybody else, even the New England Patriots, are still kind of defining how they are going to proceed as the year goes along…(On San Diego Chargers):
The San Diego Chargers are a perfect example of that. New coaches, no matter even if you do keep the system somewhat the same, it still has to be taught a different way. The coaches still have to learn more about the players and how to design and teach the little things that will help them have success on Sunday. When I look at the San Diego Chargers, they just haven’t fallen into that groove yet. In other words, we know LaDainian Tomlinson is going to get 125, now who is going to the next guy to fall in line and get something done? They have not done that yet on either side of the ball. Teams that are 0-4 or 1-3 -- it’s early, but it’s getting close. What I mean by getting close is, the margin of error is getting smaller and smaller. What happens when you lose, like the San Diego Chargers, no matter who you are and how good you are, you will lose confidence. There is a little self doubt. And self doubt is always an athlete’s worst enemy. So they’ve got a lot of work to do…(On San Diego vs. Denver):
I never like to say it, but it is a big game. There is a huge, huge difference between 2-3 and 1-4. At 1–4 they have to be spectacular for the last 11 games of the year to think about getting into the post-season and having any success…Denver is another team that is in somewhat of a transition, as far as style of play. They have a lot of new players -- a lot. Even though they are 2-2 they are still a desirable candidate. There are still a lot of things I like about the team and the direction they are going.RANDY CROSS
(On battle of New York -- Jets vs. Giants):
This is the same Giants team that everybody wanted to have them take a long walk off a short bridge after the first two weeks. It was an incredibly impressive performance they had Sunday night (vs. Philadelphia). That has to be a great momentum builder for them. As to what it does for them against the Jets this weekend -- probably nothing. But it does probably raise the Jets’ antennae…(Keys to Game):
The Giants can pressure you with four guys, instead of having to blitz. But the biggest thing that gets you there are quick passes, screens and draws. Those happen to be things Chad Pennington and the Jets do pretty well…A lot of this game will depend on how good the Giants think they are because the Jets are going to be pretty buttoned-down from a standpoint of having their feet on the ground…(On Eli Manning and Giants offense): He seems to be getting a little bit better and a little bit better and a little bit better…He has a lot of weapons at his disposal. But more than any other week, this will be a good week to concentrate in the proverbial, trenches…
(On Jets receivers -- Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery): Coles and Cotchery are the much less publicized side of this match-up from the receivers standpoint. If you start talking about that short, quick passing game, that will be a big part of this. I don’t care how much faith you have in your pass protection scheme, if you play a defense that has four defensive ends pass rushing, you better make sure the guy that is holding the ball back there doesn’t have it in his hands for too long. They’re going to need guys like Cotchery and Coles who know how to get open…
(On marquee match-up): The marquee match-up of this game, unusually so, has nothing to do with cornerbacks, quarterbacks, running backs or linebackers -- it’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson going against Osi Umenyiora.
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Following are THE NFL ON CBS assignments for Week 5, Week 6 and Week 7 (subject to change).
WEEK 5 – Oct. 7 – DOUBLEHEADER
GAME -- PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST -- PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
1:00 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
1:00 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
WEEK 7 – Oct. 21
GAME -- PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST -- PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
1:00 PM, ET starts:
·Tennessee @ Houston* -- Dick Enberg/Randy Cross -- Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith
·Baltimore @ Buffalo* -- Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon -- Ken Mack/Jim Cornell
·New England @ Miami* -- Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf -- Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman
4:05 PM, ET starts:
·Kansas City @ Oakland* -- Jim Nantz/Phil Simms -- Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold
·N.Y. Jets @ Cincinnati* -- Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots -- Bob Dekas/Cathy Barreto
* Games broadcast in HDTV
