ESPN NFL Programming Update – Divisional Playoffs Weekend

For more information about the series of three sit-down interviews on Sunday NFL Countdown this weekend, click here

ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the NFL Divisional Playoffs weekend will include two editions of Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Matchup, and five reporters covering the four games. Highlights:

Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Show	Networks
Fri, Jan 10	3 p.m.	NFL Insiders Presented by Goodyear Suzy Kolber, Dan Graziano, Chris Mortensen and Bill Polian	ESPN
	4 p.m.	NFL Live Trey Wingo, Tedy Bruschi and Mark Schlereth	ESPN
	7 p.m.	NFL Kickoff Wingo, Bruschi and Schlereth	ESPN2
Sat, Jan 11	6:30 a.m.	NFL Matchup Sal Paolantonio, Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge	ESPN
	10 a.m.	Sunday NFL Countdown presented by IBM (2 hours) Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Ray Lewis, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter	ESPN
	12 a.m.	NFL PrimeTime Wingo, Trent Dilfer and Hoge	ESPN
Sun, Jan 12	6:30 a.m.	NFL Matchup Paolantonio, Jaworski and Hoge	ESPN
	9 a.m.	Colin’s New Football Show Host Colin Cowherd and guests	ESPN2
	10 a.m.	Sunday NFL Countdown presented by IBM (3 hours) Berman, Carter, Ditka, Jackson, Jaworski, Johnson, Lewis, Mortensen and Schefter	ESPN
	7 p.m.	SportsCenter (NFL segments) Berman, Dilfer, Jackson and John Saunders	ESPN
	9 p.m.	NFL PrimeTime Berman, Dilfer, Jackson and Saunders	ESPN
	10 p.m.	SportsCenter Special Wingo, Jaworski and Tom Waddle	ESPN

Reporters and Features on Countdown (Saturday):

Ed Werder (Saints at Seahawks)

Bob Holtzman (Colts at Patriots)

• Closing Speed: Countdown’s Ray Lewis visits with Seahawks All-Pro safety Earl Thomas to discuss the NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate’s “closing speed.”
• Bill Belichick Conversation: With a win on Saturday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will tie legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula for second all-time in playoff wins. Ahead of the Divisional Playoff game against the Colts, Belichick sits for an in-depth conversation with Countdown host Chris Berman.
• Saints Soundtracks: Saints head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, one of the top coach-quarterback tandems in NFL history, is the subject of this Countdown’s Saturday “Soundtracks.”

NFL Matchup:

• Game Changer: Using key matchups in their week 13 game, Ron Jaworski previews a game-changing aspect of the Saints-Seahawks game – the Seahawks successful zone coverage defense against the Saints passing game.
• Coaches Clicker: Merril Hoge shows how the Saints offense must attack the middle of the Seahawks run defense to be successful.
• Inside the Matchup: Hoge goes inside the matchup to show why quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense were successful against Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s blitzing schemes.
• Shot Play: Jaworski shows how the Saints offense must vary the personnel and formations on their “Post-Wheel” plays to make it harder for the Seahawks defense to read.
• Between the Lines: Jaworski goes to the telestrator to show Andrew Luck’s vision downfield and to describe how the Colts quarterback delivered a touchdown pass to his speed receiver T.Y. Hilton against the Chiefs.
• The Film Room: Hoge explains why the Patriots have been consistently successful with the play-action pass.
• X and O Files: Jaworski breaks down the Xs and Os of Tom Brady’s third-down plays and the Patriots concerns with their offensive line’s protection on third downs.

Reporters and Features on Countdown (Sunday):

Josina Anderson (49ers) and Wendi Nix (Panthers)

Sal Paolantonio (Chargers at Broncos)

• The Tracks of My Tears: One of the memorable images of the 2013 NFL season is the tears flowing down Denver running back Knowshon Moreno’s face during the singing of the National Anthem before the week 13 game in Kansas City. SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak gets to the root of Moreno’s emotions.
• Cam Newton Conversation: Countdown’s Keyshawn Johnson, a former Panthers wide receiver, sits for a conversation with the third-year Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
• NaVorro Bowman: After NaVorro Bowman learned of a family secret and the passing of his biological father he never knew and the father that raised him within months of each other, the 49ers linebacker embarked on a personal journey to discover his family and himself. ESPN.com senior writer Jeffri Chadiha tells the E:60 exclusive story on Bowman’s search for the truth.
• Frank Caliendo – Dr. Phil: Frank Caliendo, the comedian and impressionist, plays television personality and psychologist, Dr. Phil, and offers the Chargers and Broncos advice on resolving their differences.

NFL Matchup:

• Run to Daylight: Hoge shows the multi-dimensional run game of the Panthers including elements that involve quarterback Cam Newton in the pistol formation.
• Blitz Breakdown: The Panthers have great speed on defense, contends Jaworski, as he shows how they combine speed with double-gap pressure to disguise their coverage.
• Jaws Playbook: Jaworski explains how 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick creates successful plays with his legs on third-and-long situations.
• Inside the Matchup: Hoge shows how the Panthers defense eliminated Kapernick’s running ability by playing zone coverage during their week 10 game.
• Between the Lines: Jaworski describes how the Denver Broncos use wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the screen game and employ multiple formations to get him the ball in open space.
• Coaches Clicker: Hoge shows the Chargers run game via key formations and how it caused problems for the Broncos nickel defense during their week 12 game
• Inside the Matchup: The Chargers held Denver’s offense to under 400 yards, a rare occurrence in the NFL. Hoge explains their defensive alignments and versatile pressure concepts that have proven successful against the Broncos.

Extensive ESPN.com Coverage of NFL Divisional Playoffs; ESPN.com Launches “NFL Nation Confidential”

ESPN.com and ESPN Boston will dispatch multiple NFL columnists and team reporters to all four NFL playoff games this weekend:

• On Saturday, ESPN.com NFL Nation reporters Terry Blount and Mike Triplett and senior NFL writer John Clayton will cover Saints at Seahawks, while NFL Nation reporters Mike Wells and Mike Reiss and ESPN Boston’s Field Yates and Jackie MacMullan will cover Colts at Patriots.
• On Sunday, NFL Nation reporters Eric Williams and Jeff Legwold will cover Chargers at Broncos, and NFL Nation reporters David Newton and Bill Williamson will join columnist Ashley Fox for 49ers at Panthers.

ESPN.com’s NFL Nation staff of 32 team reporters conducted interviews with more than 320 players over a six-week period in November and December for its “NFL Nation Confidential” series, which launched Thursday. The anonymous survey asked NFL players to answer a wide range of questions. In the first installment, NFL Nation unveils “Who is the most feared player in the NFL?” More surveys will be released over the next three weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

In this week’s ESPN.com “Hot Read,” Elizabeth Merrill wrote about the Seahawks’ brash and talented secondary.

Click here for news and updates on the 2013 NFL Playoffs.

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