Countdown Feature “A Medal in the Mail” on Steelers’ Antonio Brown Highlights ESPN’s Week 4 NFL Content

Sunday NFL Countdown: “A Medal in the Mail”; LeSean McCoy in Sport Science; Steve Smith vs. Panthers; and More 

Host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson will preview NFL’s week 4 on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown on September 28 at 10 a.m. ET. The three-hour program will also feature reporter/host Wendi Nix with NFL insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reporting the day’s headlines and news.

ESPN NFL reporter game assignments:

• Packers at Bears (Lindsay Czarniak with Merril Hoge)
• Panthers at Ravens (Britt McHenry)
• Lions at Jets (Josina Anderson)
• Eagles at 49ers (Sal Paolantonio)

Features:

• A Medal in The Mail: When Steelerswide receiver Antonio Brown reported to camp this past summer, he informed fans he wouldn’t be on social media during camp but offered instead to respond to every fan that sent him a “snail” mail. What followed were crates and crates of letters. Countdown cameras were there as Brown opened some of the letters, including a very memorable one from Steelers fan and soldier Tom McAllister. Jim Trotter reports.
• LeSean McCoy Sport Science: A combination of power and elusiveness makes Eagles’ LeSean McCoy one of the most explosive running backs in the league. Host John Brenkus puts McCoy to the test in a special Sport Science edition with the help of two sumo wrestlers.
• Steve Smith vs. Panthers: As Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith prepares to face his former Panthers team, Countdown’s Keyshawn Johnson narrates a feature about the frustration, anger and need for revenge many players confront as they face their former teams for the first time.
• Packers-Bears Moments: Sunday’s Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game will mark the 189^th meeting between the NFC North rivals. Countdown’s Berman, Ditka and Jackson relive the best moments from past games.

Monday Night Football: Tom Brady and Patriots vs. Alex Smith and the Chiefs at Arrowhead

ESPN’s Monday Night Football showcases Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs on September 29 at 8:15 p.m. The MNF booth team of play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and analyst Jon Gruden will call the game from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with sideline reporter Lisa Salters.

Among active quarterbacks, Brady boasts the second-highest winning percentage on MNF with a record of 13-5 (Peyton Manning ranks first at 13-4). MNF is available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN.

The on-site Monday Night Countdown crew of Suzy Kolber and NFL analysts Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis and Steve Young wrap up Sunday’s action and prepare fans for the AFC contest with studio host Chris Berman, NFL analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson and Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. The more than two-hour pregame show begins at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Monday Night Countdown highlights:

• Gruden’s Grill Session with Alex Smith: Super Bowl-winning coach and MNF analyst Gruden visits with Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.
• Conversation with Rob Gronkowski: MNF sideline reporter Lisa Salters sits for a one-on-one interview with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
• Rick Reilly – Drew Bledsoe: If not for an injury to then-Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe in 2001, the Tom Brady era in New England may never have happened.  In his weekly feature, Countdown’s Rick Reilly looks at where Bledsoe is now, 13 years after losing his starting job to Brady and eight years since retiring from the NFL.
• Soundtracks – Best of Brady and Gronk: As the Patriots look to get their offense turned around, Countdown offers the best in-game audio between quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski in Soundtracks.

NFL Matchup: Aaron Rodgers Moves the Chains; Tom Brady Feeling Pressure; Eagles Offense; and More

NFL Matchup host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge preview the weekend’s key matchups via film-room X’s and O’s analysis on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 (re-air on ESPN, Sunday at 3:30 a.m.). Highlights:

• The Money Down – Rodgers Moves the Chains: Jaworski explains how Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ movement in the pocket and anticipation keeps the chains moving on third-and-long plays.
• X and O Files – Versatile Olsen vs. Smaller Defenders:Hoge takes viewers through a Carolina Panthers formation, which generates one-on-one matchups between tight end Greg Olsen and smaller cornerbacks.
• Jaws Playbook – Eagles Offense: Jaworski shows how one Eagles’ formation confounds opposing defense and often results in touchdowns for receiver Jeremy Maclin.
• Hoge Breakdown – 49ers Beat by 3-by-1 Set: Hoge explains a play the Cardinals used against the 49ers and how the Niners must defend better Sunday against the Eagles.
• Let’s See it Hoge – Brady Feeling Pressure: Hoge explains how the Kansas City Chiefs will use a fierce pass rush against Tom Brady, who has been under pressure in 26 percent of his drop-back passes this season.
• Red Zone – Romo and Man Coverage: Hoge explains the elements the Cowboys offense used successfully in the red zone against the Rams defense.
• Between the Lines – Geno’s Critical Red Zone Sack:Jaworski highlights the inconsistencies in Jets quarterback Geno Smith’s game as he misses an open route in the red zone and takes a sack.

NFL on ESPN Radio: Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions at New York Jets

Marc Kestecher, Bill Polian and Ian Fitzsimmons will call ESPN Radio’s live broadcast of Sunday’s NFL matchup at 1 p.m. featuring quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions visiting the New York Jets, led by second-year quarterback Geno Smith.

ESPN.com “Hot Read”: Fiery Ravens Wide Receiver Steve Smith Faces His Old Team

Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, one of the most fiery and passionate players in the league, has thrived on being underestimated throughout his career. After an acrimonious departure from the Carolina Panthers, where he played for 13 seasons, Smith faces his former team in week 4. In this week’s ESPN.com “Hot Read,” NFL columnist Ashley Fox delves into Smith’s life story to find out what makes him tick and what the Panthers have in store for the wide receiver in their game on Sunday.

E:60’sFall Season Premieres Tuesday; Profiles of Chiefs Running Back Jamaal Charles and Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman

ESPN’s award-winning newsmagazine, E:60,makes its fall season premiere Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. on ESPN with in-depth NFL features on Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and Seattle Seahawks outspoken cornerback Richard Sherman. Highlights:

• Jamaal Charles: The three-time Pro Bowl running back is the heartbeat of the Kansas City offense and one of the top performers in the league. E:60’s Jeffri Chadihauncovers a different side of Charles, one who holds a heavy heart as he talks in-depth, for the first time, about one of the NFL’s most tragic cases of domestic violence. His wife’s cousin Kasandra Perkins was murdered by her husband – his former Chiefs teammate – Jovan Belcher, who subsequently killed himself. Chadiha tells the story of an athlete few people know, a kid from a large Texas family who fought through obstacles and pain to become one of the best backs in the NFL. Click HERE for a preview clip of Jamaal Charles profile.
• Richard Sherman:He led the NFL in interceptions and brashness in 2013, but for the All-Pro cornerback it’s not enough to anchor Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense; he strives to be the league’s best trash-talker, too.  His rant about 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree after he NFC title game made him a social media punching bag, but Sherman shrugged it off and signed a $57.4 million contract extension.  In a special contribution to E:60, SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne reports on Sherman’s journey, from Los Angeles’ Compton neighborhood to Stanford, to draft-day snub, to the mouth-that-roared, and ultimately, to Super Bowl champion.

Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten on “Pick 6” on SportsCenter Friday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will be this week’s “Pick 6” guest on ESPN’s 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter when he joins anchor Lindsay Czarniak to answer a half-dozen questions. The “Pick 6” segment runs throughout the 2014 NFL season.

Jeremy Fowler Joins ESPN as Cleveland-Based NFL Reporter

Jeremy Fowler has joined ESPN as a Cleveland-based reporter. He has covered the National Football League, collegiate athletics and the PGA Tour for the past decade, Fowler has worked for the Orlando Sentinel, St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press and most recently CBSSports.com as a Chicago-based National College Football Insider. Fowler will primarily cover the NFL for ESPN, working alongside ESPN.com’s NFL Nation Browns reporter Pat McManamon. In addition to writing, Fowler will regularly contribute to ESPN TV and radio.

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