THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Week 1 (September 9th) - Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (NBC, 8:30pm)
Week 10 (November 11th)- Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 11 (November 18th)- Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 12 (Thanksgiving Day)- New England Patriots at Detroit Lions (CBS, 12:30pm)
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (FOX, 4:15pm)
Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 13 (December 2nd)- Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 14 (December 9th)- Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 15 (December 15th)- San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers (NFL-N, 8:20pm)
Week 16 (December 22nd)- Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL-N, 8:20pm)

SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Week 16 (December 25th)- Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals (NFL-N, 7:30pm)

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Week 1 (September 12th) - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 2 (September 19th) - New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 3 (September 26th) - New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 4 (October 3rd) - Chicago Bears at New York Giants (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 5 (October 10th) - Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 6 (October 17th) - Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 7 (October 24th) - Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 8 (October 31st) - Pittsburgh Steelers at Saints (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 9 (November 7th) - Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 10 (November 14th) - New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 11 (November 21st) - New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 12 (November 28th) - San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 13 (December 5th) - Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 14 (December 12th) - Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 15 (December 19th) - Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots (NBC, 8:20pm)
Week 16 (December 26th) - San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals (NBC, 8:20pm)

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Week 1 (September 13th) - Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets (ESPN, 7pm) & San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (ESPN, 10:15pm)
Week 2 (September 20th) - New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 3 (September 27th) - Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 4 (October 4th) - New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 5 (October 11th) - Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 6 (October 18th) - Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 7 (October 25th) - New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 8 (November 1st) - Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 9 (November 8th) - Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 10 (November 15th) - Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 11 (November 22nd) - Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 12 (November 29th) - San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 13 (December 6th) - New York Jets at New England Patriots (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 14 (December 13th) - Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 15 (December 20th) - Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (ESPN, 8:30pm)
Week 16 (December 27th) - New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (ESPN, 8:30pm)

There are so many broadcasting awards out there, that it's hard to figure out which ones are the most respected in the business. Obviously winning an Emmy is at the top of the list, but the individual sports broadcasting awards go as follows: Curt Gowdy- Basketball, Ford C. Frick- Baseball and Pat Summerall- Football.

Doug Collins won the Gowdy last year, Jon Miller was given the Frick last week and now Cris Collinsworth has been awarded the Summerall for contributions to the NFL....

Former Florida Gator Great and current NFL sportscaster Cris Collinsworth will be honored with the prestigious Pat Summerall Award on Thursday, Feb. 4, at the annual Legends for Charity Dinner. Each year, the award honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to the sports field. Past recipients include James Brown, Greg Gumbel, Jim Nantz and Chris Berman. The event will take place at the NFL Headquarters Hotel at the Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

During his time at UF from 1977-80, Collinsworth was a three-time All-SEC and two-time All-American performer at wide receiver. As a Gator, he caught 120 passes for 1,937 yards and 14 touchdowns, ran for two other touchdowns and returned a kickoff for another score. He was inducted into the Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2001.

Collinsworth played eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the 1981 Rookie of the Year was also selected to play in three Pro Bowls. Following his NFL career, he became a sportscaster and has since won nine Emmy’s for his work as a sports personality and football analyst. In 2008, Collinsworth covered the Olympic Games for NBC and currently joins Al Michaels as the host of NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

A well-deserved honor to be sure. Usually when you try to replace a legend like John Madden, you either fail completely or it takes a few years to get the chemistry down. Collinsworth made the transition seamlessly and kept NBC rolling throughout the season. Bravo Sir!

Former Gator Cris Collinsworth To Be Recognized (WCTV)

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NFL Network Thursday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (Bob Papa, Matt Millen)
NFL Network Saturday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints (Bob Papa, Matt Millen)
NBC Sunday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: NY Giants at Washington Redskins (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)

FOX 1pm:















RED: Atlanta Falcons @ NY Jets Vikings(FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Trent Green
BLUE: Arizona @ Detroit (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
GREEN: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
YELLOW: Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick

FOX 4pm:















RED: Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers (FOX, 4pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle Seahawks (FOX, 4pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

CBS:















BLUE: New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
GREEN: Miami Dolphins @ Tennessee Titans (CBS, 1pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
ORANGE: Houston Texans @ St. Louis Rams (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
PURPLE: Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon

RED: Cincinnati Bengals @ San Diego Chargers (CBS, 4pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
YELLOW: Oakland @ Denver (CBS, 4pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker

A few years ago, I thought that Al Michaels was becoming a bitter old man, but this season and last has proved that theory wrong. He seems to be having fun again, throwing in his lines about spreads in the middle of games, and using great quotes like this one! Via Slanch Report

I'm not sure if he meant it....you know that way....but either way it's hilarious. You know what's not hilarious? EJ Henderson's leg snapping....



Al Michaels — Master of the English Language (Slanch Report)

Sorry, I know that was a cheesy title but it had to be done. With the announcement today that NBC isn't going to be flexing the Week 14 Eagles-Giants game, that just about solidifies the fact that not a single game will be flexed into Sunday Night this season. Well outside of the open slot in Week 17. Here's a look at the rest of the schedule....

Week 13: Sunday, December 6th - Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
Week 14: Sunday, December 13th - Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Week 15: Sunday, December 20th - Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Week 16: Sunday, December 27th - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Week 17: Sunday, January 3rd - TBA

I think NBC could potentially flex the Cowboys-Redskins game, but even when one of the teams is terrible, that matchup still brings in good ratings. We shall see though.

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)

FOX 1pm:















RED: Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles(FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
BLUE: Tampa Bay Bucs @ Atlanta Falcons (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
GREEN: Carolina Panthers @ NY Jets (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
YELLOW: Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams (FOX, 1pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

FOX 4pm:















RED: Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings (FOX, 4pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: Arizona Cardinals @ Tennessee Titans (FOX, 4pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan

CBS:















RED: Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel Dan Dierdorf
ORANGE: Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
YELLOW: Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon

BLUE: Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers (CBS, 4pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
GREEN: Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Francisco 49ers (CBS, 4pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NFL Network Thursday Night Football: Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers (Bob Papa, Matt Millen)
NBC Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)

CBS 1pm:















RED: Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens(CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon
GREEN: Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions (CBS, 1pm)- Don Criqui, Randy Cross
YELLOW: Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS, 1pm)- Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein

CBS 4pm:















RED: NY Jets @ New England Patriots (CBS, 4pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos (CBS, 4pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
GREEN: Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders (CBS, 4pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots

FOX:















RED: Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys (FOX, 1pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: Atlanta Falcons @ NY Giants (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
GREEN: Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
ORANGE: New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Bucs (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers
(FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick

PURPLE: Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams (FOX, 4pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)
Byes: Baltimore, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Seattle, Tennessee

FOX 1pm:















RED: Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
BLUE: San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans (FOX, 1pm)- Chris Myers, Brian Billick
GREEN: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns (FOX, 1pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

FOX 4pm:















RED: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys (FOX, 4pm)- Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman
BLUE: New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins (FOX, 4pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
GREEN: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan

CBS:















RED: New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Bucs (CBS, 1pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
GREEN: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, 1pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
ORANGE: Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots

BLUE: New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (CBS, 4:05pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
YELLOW: Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers (CBS, 4:05pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)
Byes: Dallas, Indy, Miami, San Fran

CBS 1pm:















RED: Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings(CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
GREEN: Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon
YELLOW: Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals (CBS, 1pm)- Don Criqui, Randy Cross

CBS 4pm:















RED: Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (CBS, 4pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (CBS, 4pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts

FOX:















RED: New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman
BLUE: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
GREEN: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Bucs (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
PURPLE: St. Louis Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars (FOX, 1pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

ORANGE: Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders (FOX, 4:15pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (FOX, 4:15pm)- Chris Myers, Brian Billick

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: NY Jets at Miami Dolphins (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)
Byes: Bears, Packers, Saints, Chargers

CBS 1pm:















RED: Oakland Raiders at NY Giants(CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions (CBS, 1pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
GREEN: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
YELLOW: Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills (CBS, 1pm)- Don Criqui, Randy Cross

CBS 4pm:















RED: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (CBS, 4pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks (CBS, 4pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
GREEN: Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals (CBS, 4pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon

FOX:















RED: Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs (FOX, 1pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
GREEN: Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams (FOX, 1pm)- Chris Myers, Charles Davis
ORANGE: Tampa Bay Bucs at Philadelphia Eagles (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick

BLUE: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers (FOX, 4:15pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)

FOX 1pm:















RED: NY Giants at Kansas City Chiefs (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
BLUE: Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
GREEN: Tampa Bay Bucs at Washington Redskins (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
PURPLE: TBD (Either: NYG-KC or SEA-IND)

FOX 4pm:















RED: Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos (FOX, 4:15pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers (FOX, 4:15pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

CBS:















RED: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (CBS, 1pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
GREEN: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS, 1pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
YELLOW: Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
PURPLE: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon

BLUE: NY Jets at New Orleans Saints (CBS, 4pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
ORANGE: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (CBS, 4pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots

T.O. had his first catchless day in about one-hundred and seventy plus games, but he apparently decided to take his frustrations out on NBC commentator Rodney Harrison. Oh and he did so on Twitter. Via Sports by Brooks....

Well then. While it's certainly true that Harrison used steroids, this definitely just shows how much of a child that Owens really is. Welcome to T.O.'s last year in the league, folks. Hope you enjoy it!

T.O. Goes Beserk, Accuses Announcer Of Steroids (Sports by Brooks)

Thanks as always to The506.com for the broadcast maps....

NBC Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)

CBS 1pm:















RED: Tennessee Titans at NY Jets (CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
GREEN: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
YELLOW: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (CBS, 1pm)- Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein

CBS 4pm:















RED: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (CBS, 4:15pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers (CBS, 4:15pm)- Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts
GREEN: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (CBS, 4:15pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon

FOX:















RED: Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots (FOX, 1pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: NY Giants at Tampa Bay Bucs (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
ORANGE: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
LIGHT BLUE: Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams (FOX, 1pm)- Chris Myers, Trent Green

GREEN: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks (FOX, 4pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
PURPLE: New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills (FOX, 4pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

It's been awhile since I've put up a ratings post, mainly because nothing's jumped out at me, but this one is worth noting. The Giants-Cowboys game this last Sunday night, is officially SNF's largest broadcast, and the largest primetime audience since 1997. Via SBD....

NBC earned a 15.1 final Nielsen rating and 24.817 million viewers for its "SNF" telecast featuring Giants-Cowboys from 8:31-11:50pm ET, marking the most-viewed "SNF" telecast ever. The first regular-season game ever at Cowboys Stadium also marked the most-watched NFL regular-season primetime game since Broncos-49ers earned 27 million viewers in December '97. Compared to the same week last year, Giants-Cowboys was up 39.8% and 39.2%, respectively, from a 10.8 rating and 17.834 million viewers for Steelers-Browns. The Giants-Cowboys audience was also up 84.2% over the Emmy Awards on CBS (13.471 million viewers). "SNF" was the No. 1 program of the week among broadcast networks in HHs and viewers.

While that certainly is amazing, the NFL probably isn't done yet, and could end up making numbers like it did in the 80s & 90s, this season. Week three has Atlanta at New England on FOX, Indy at Arizona on Sunday Night and the Cowboys Panthers on Monday Night. Week Four then has last year's huge matchup of the Ravens and Pats, as well as the Jets at Saints, and Brett Favre's return to Green Bay. We'll likely see record after record being broken this season.

Giants-Cowboys Draws Best NFL Primetime Audience Since '97

The maps are back, thanks to The506.com....

NBC Sunday Night Football: NY Giants at Dallas Cowboys (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphis (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden)















RED: New England Patriots at NY Jets (CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
GREEN: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
YELLOW: Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon















RED: New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles (FOX, 1pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
GREEN: St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins (FOX, 1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
ORANGE: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
PURPLE: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (FOX, 1pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch
LIGHT BLUE: Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars (FOX, 1pm)- Chris Myers, Trent Green
YELLOW: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (FOX, 4pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
BLUE: Tampa Bay Bucs at Buffalo Bills (FOX, 4pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
















RED: Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears (CBS, 4:15pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers (CBS, 4:15pm)- Dick Enberg
GREEN: Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (CBS, 4:15pm)- Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein

I decided to not post the recent Cris Collinsworth YouTube video scandal, well....because I posted it over a year ago. Either way, the ex-Bengal and current NBC analyst, apologized for his comments back in the day to multiple news outlets, and here were his comments. Via Watchdog....

As a family man I am extremely embarrassed by an interview I did when I was in my early twenties about dating. My comments were insulting, immature, and foolishly intended as a joke. They do not reflect how I lived my life then... or now.

I was asked to do something humorous about dating, and it has been a major embarrassment to me since the day I said it.

I apologize to anyone who has ever had the misfortune to see it now or a quarter-century ago.

Obviously, a bigger deal was made of this than needed to be, but I guess with his new role he felt it was needed. It was a dumb mistake when he was younger, and I'm sure he regrets ever saying the comment(s).

Cris Collinsworth apologizes for comments . . . 25 years later! (Watchdog)

The maps are back, thanks to The506.com. Enjoy your first full weekend of Football, folks!

NBC Sunday Night Football: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (ESPN, 7pm, Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski/Jon Gruden) and San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders (ESPN, 10:15pm, Mike Greenberg/Mike Golic/Steve Young)















RED: NY Jets at Houston Texans (CBS, 1pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons (CBS, 1pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
GREEN: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (CBS, 1pm)- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
ORANGE: Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals (CBS, 1pm)- Gus Johnson, Dan Fouts
YELLOW: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (CBS, 1pm)- Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon















RED: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Bucs (FOX, 1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
BLUE: Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers (FOX, 1pm)- Dick Stockton, Charles Davis
GREEN: Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns (FOX, 1pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
YELLOW: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints (FOX, 1pm)- Chris Myers, Trent Green















RED: Washington Redskins at NY Giants (FOX, 4:15pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
BLUE: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (FOX, 4:15pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
GREEN: St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks (FOX, 4:15pm)- Ron Pitts, John Lynch

In a press conference today, NBC said that they will be sending Bob Costas to the game site each Sunday, and he will do the pregame show with Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels. Following the trio discussing the bigger stories of the day, along with Tiki Barber on the sidelines and locker rooms, they will then throw it to Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann (along with Dungy, Harrison and Peter King). Via NBC PR....

Costas, the most honored studio host of all time with 19 Emmy Awards, will host the show from a set at the "Sunday Night Football" game site. He will be joined by the new SNF broadcast team of Al Michaels, a six-time Emmy Award-winner whom the Associated Press has called "TV's best play-by-play announcer," and Cris Collinsworth, the most honored studio analyst in sports television history, winning the award in nine of the 12 years of its existence and winning two additional Emmys for game analyst. Collinsworth moves from the studio to the broadcast booth alongside Michaels to replace the recently-retired John Madden.

"At our best we aspire to give the viewer the best seat in the house -- not the hype around the event, but the story of the event itself," said Ebersol. "Bob has proven time and again that he is unmatched in his ability to appropriately set the scene and tell the story of an event. Having the two premier broadcasters of their generation in Bob and Al on site and appearing together alongside Cris, the best analyst in the business, adds an immediacy that makes 'Sunday Night Football' an even bigger event."

Costas said: "Hosting from the site of the game, being in the stadium surrounded by the fans and the energy and atmosphere of the event, creates an urgency and a sense of place that can't be duplicated in the studio. And of course, this allows me to keep working with Cris, while at the same time building on the special chemistry I developed with Al Michaels in BASEketball."

I've always been critical of NBC's decisions when it comes to "Football Night in America", but this year they seem to be close to getting it right. In fact, you could argue that they only really need Costas, Collinsworth and Michaels, manning the highlights.

(Also to note: As I mentioned before, Andrea Kremer is no longer on the sidelines)

Thursday, August 27th:

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Bucs (FOX, 8pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver

Friday, August 28th:

New England Patriots at Washington Redskins (CBS, 8pm)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Saturday, August 29th:

Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions (NFL Network, 1pm)- Local Announcers
New Orleans Saints at Oakland Raiders (NFL Network, 4pm)- Local Announcers
San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons (CBS, 8pm)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Fouts

Sunday, August 30th:
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos (NBC, 8pm)- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth

Monday, August 31st:

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans (ESPN, 8pm)- Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden

Every year, NBC airs a mini concert as a part of their Kickoff coverage. In the past there have been such acts as Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, P Diddy, Kelly Clarkson and Elton John, and this year's concert will be just as mind-blowing as those. Your two acts this year will be the dynamic duo of Tim McGraw and The Black Eyed Peas! Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette....

The Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw will jump-start the Steelers' season with a free concert at Point State Park on opening night, Sept. 10.

Details are being worked out about other acts and when the big names will go onstage, although the headliners will certainly be part of the live pre-game simulcast from 8 to 8:30 p.m. on NBC and NFL Network. Kickoff for the Steelers-Titans game at Heinz Field is scheduled for 8:30.

I'm sure there will be more acts announced, but you usually only get to see the main two acts on NBC anyway. This is the second concert that Pittsburgh will be hosting. In 2006, before the Steelers took on the Dolphins, Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride kicked off the game from Heinz Field, with Diddy and Cassie in Miami.

Free concert by Black Eyed Peas, McGraw to kick off Steelers' season (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)