ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown Features

September 6, 2007 -- ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown Presented by IBM will preview the first weekend of the 2007 NFL season Sunday at 11 a.m. ET with Chris Berman and analysts Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson and Emmitt Smith. Chris Mortensen will also provide the day’s headlines and league news, and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young will contribute his weekly Sunday segment – “Young is Restless” – featuring his opinion on the week's hottest topics.

The two-hour NFL pre-game show will include reports from Rachel Nichols covering the Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers game and Sal Paolantonio at Giants Stadium for the New England Patriots at New York Jets game. Other highlights:

Eric Mangini

What will the second-year Jets coach do for an encore after turning a 4-12 squad into a playoff team that helped launch the "Man-genius" label, a cameo on "The Sopranos" and a spirited rivalry with the New England Patriots and his mentor, Bill Belichick. Reporter Wendi Nix gets an inside look at Mangini's life on and off-the-field, highlighted by his "take your family to work day" at the Jets headquarters.

LT's Hill

New NFL touchdown king LaDainian Tomlinson opens his home to the NFL's all-time leading rusher and new Sunday NFL Countdown analyst, Emmitt Smith, who uncovers what Tomlinson will use to help him find the motivation he needs to top his unprecedented 2006 season – a steep hill on his property.

Conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

September 1 marked the one-year anniversary of Roger Goodell's term as NFL commissioner. While it has been a busy year on the field, Goodell was even more busy dealing with an array of off-the-field issues – doling out punishments to players who violated the NFL's new personal conduct policy. What is Michael Vick's NFL future? What is the commissioner's biggest concern for this season? Goodell sits down with Countdown’s Mortensen.

Michael Vick’s Timeline

When Michael Vick's off-season began, his focus was on getting the Falcons back to the playoffs in 2007. Today, Vick's focus is on how much jail time he will face after pleading guilty to dog-fighting charges. Countdown will review the many interesting stops on the timeline as Vick was transformed from NFL superstar to a felon.

Soundtracks: New Coaches at Training Camp

Soundtracks will feature the best of the NFL’s first-year head coaches wired at training camp.

Mayne Event: Slip n' Slide

In his off-beat “Mayne Event” feature, Kenny Mayne will explore his fascination with scrambling quarterbacks and how they slide to avoid big hits. Mayne visits with Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck and his backups to discover the alternate way they are taught the QB slide.

Takin' It To The House with Jason Krause

In a new weekly feature, 10-year old Chicago boy Jason Krause will provide commentary while exploring various NFL topics. The first installment will debut this weekend with Krause opining about the long-awaited Detroit Lions - Oakland Raiders match-up and about quarterback Jon Kitna’s off-season 10-win “guarantee.”

Start 'Em or Sit 'Em with Matthew Berry

ESPN.com Fantasy Football guru Matthew Berry will make his Countdown debut with an enhanced “Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em” that will respond to online fantasy questions posted by fans on www.espn.go.com/sundaycountdown. The segment will also highlight weekly trends and sleepers.

Berman, Ditka, Jackson, Johnson and Smith will pick the biggest games of the day and tell fans which players will make the biggest impact in NFL’s Week 1 action.

MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN, 5 P.M. ON ESPN

Monday Night Countdown Delivered by UPS will feature a special, two-hour season-opening edition with Berman, Jackson, Johnson, new analyst Bill Parcells and Mortensen in Bristol and Stuart Scott, Young and Smith at the MNF game in Cincinnati. The pre-game show will lead into the kick-off of ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheader -- Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (7 p.m.), featuring Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser with sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya, and Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (10:15 p.m.) with Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Mike Ditka with sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein.

Paolantonio and Kolber will cover the Ravens, while Bob Holtzman and Tafoya will report on the Bengals. Colleen Dominguez will be in San Francisco covering the Cardinals and 49ers. Other highlights:

Ray Lewis Workout

The Ravens linebacker has heard whispers about his game slowing down. This off-season, he kicked up his workouts by adding kickboxing. Countdown takes an inside look at how Lewis prepared for the season.

Soundtracks: Carson Palmer

Fans can listen in as Countdown microphones capture the Bengals star quarterback going through a practice in “Soundtracks.”

Rudi Johnson's Car Collection

Each week, Countdown will take fans behind-the-scenes and into the life of one of the key players in that night's Monday Night Football game. The debut segment will feature a tour of Bengals running back Rudi Johnson's extensive car collection.

Kanye West World Premiere Video

MNC will premiere Kanye West's new video "Good Life," set to the action of Sunday's best NFL highlights.

Field Pass

Countdown offers an all-access look at pre-game preparations as the players get ready for kickoff. Analysts will also breakdown the important storylines and key players before the game.

WEEKLY MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN SEGMENTS

JACKED UP – Hard-hitting linebacker Tom Jackson looks at the biggest hits from Sunday's action.

READ AND REACT – A new segment featuring Bill Parcells and Keyshawn Johnson as they offer their widely differing looks at the game.

TEAMS AT 20 – Every 20 minutes reporters Paolantonio, Holtzman, Dominguez, Tafoya and Kolber will update news from the teams in their preparations for the game.

In addition, Monday Night Football's Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser will preview the night’s match-up, with Chris Mortensen covering breaking news from around the league and the Countdown analysts offering their “Lead Pipe Lock” predictions for the game.

Source: ESPN

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