ESPN NFL Content Update – Week 3

Sunday NFL Countdown: “Countdown Cam” with Broncos T.J. Ward; Hypnotized Bengals; E:60 Feature on Josh Norman; and more

Chris Berman will host Sunday NFL Countdown with analysts Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss and Charles Woodson as they preview week 3 games in the NFL on September 25 at 11 a.m. ET. Wendi Nix will host segments, NFL Insider Adam Schefter will report the latest league news and senior fantasy sports analyst Matthew Berry will share his insights on the day’s matchups.

Sunday’s “Countdown Cam” – a recurring segment featuring a behind-the-scene look at one player each week preparing for an early afternoon game – will feature Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward before he faces the Bengals in Cincinnati.

Sunday NFL Countdown is preceded by NFL Insiders: Sunday Edition (10 a.m., ESPN) with host Trey Wingo, Mark Dominik (filling in for Chris Mortensen), Louis Riddick and Schefter.

Reporter game assignments for week 3:

• Redskins vs. Giants (Josina Anderson)
• Broncos vs. Bengals (Jeff Darlington)
• Vikings vs. Panthers (Britt McHenry)
• Steelers vs. Eagles (Sal Paolantonio)
• Bears vs. Cowboys (Ed Werder)

Features:

• E:60 Featured – Josh Norman: The Redskins’ Josh Norman sits with MNF reporter and E:60 correspondent Lisa Salters to discuss his showdown with Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the 2015 season and explores their relationship in advance of Sunday’s rematch.
• Boxer Andre Ward on Beckham vs. Norman: Undefeated light-heavyweight contender Andre Ward sets the stage for Sunday’s one-on-one battle between Beckham Jr. and Norman.
• Soundtracks – Wide Receivers-Defensive Backs Battles: In this week’s Soundtracks, Countdown looks back at some of the greatest on-field battles between wide receivers and defensive backs.
• Hypnotized Bengals: Hypnotist Ricky Kalmon goes inside the minds of the Cincinnati Bengals and leaves the players crying with laughter after an unforgettable performance by cornerback Adam Jones.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football: Saints Host Falcons in Superdome Re-Opening Anniversary Game

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints host Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on September 26 – 10 years and a day after the historic reopening of the Louisiana Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. One of the most memorable games in MNF history, the same teams faced off on September 25, 2006 on ESPN with the Saints winning 23-3. Sean McDonough will call the NFC South divisional matchup at 8:15 p.m. with analyst and Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden and sideline reporter Salters. More on ESPN’s coverage of the 2006 matchup.

Saints-Falcons will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and streamed live on WatchESPN for fans with video subscriptions from affiliated providers. 

ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) leads into the game. Suzy Kolber hosts from the Superdome with analysts Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Steve Young and NFL features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck. The MNF announce team will also add to the show from the game site and Chris Berman, joined by this week’s NFL legend, Michael Irvin, and insider Adam Schefter will provide analysis and updates from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn.

Monday Night Countdown highlights:

• The Superdome – 10 Years Later: On the 10^th anniversary of the Superdome reopening, Countdown feature reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck shares the building’s unbelievable story in the days and years following Hurricane Katrina – from serving as a shelter in the storm immediately after Katrina, to breathing new life into the city once the Saints returned.
• Steve Gleason – In His Own Words: Former Saint Steve Gleason shares his first-person account of the play that gave new life to New Orleans. On the 10^th anniversary of the Superdome reopening, Gleason, who continues to battle ALS, tells the story of the punt he blocked and the euphoria it brought to a city that had been through so much.
• C’Mon Man: Monday Night Countdown’s weekly look at the moments and blunders that had our analysts saying, “C’Mon Man!”

ESPN Radio: NFL Sunday Doubleheader – Redskins at Giants and 49ers at Seahawks

ESPN Radio continues its 2016 Sunday NFL schedule this Sunday, Sept. 25, with an NFC doubleheader: Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants at noon, followed by San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks at 4 p.m. Commentator Marc Kestecher, analyst Shaun O’Hara and reporter Dave Shore will call Redskins-Giants; play-by-play voice Adam Amin, analyst Mark Schlereth and reporter John Clayton will have 49ers-Seahawks.

ESPN.com: NFL Nation on Memories of Hurricane Katrina and reopening of the Superdome

• Atlanta Falcons rookie linebacker and New Orleans native Deion Jones was just 10 years old when Hurricane Katrina wrecked sections of New Orleans. Jones and his parents moved to Mississippi. His paternal grandmother Montrell Jones took shelter at the Superdome, along with the 16,000 people who sought refuge. More than a decade later, Jones returns for this week’s MNF game with mixed emotions – burdened by horrific memories his grandmother, now deceased, shared about surviving in the dome after Katrina, and relishing the joy of playing against his favorite team growing up. NFL Nation’s Vaughn McClure reports.
• NFL Nation’s Saints reporter Mike Triplett recounts the harrowing – and hilarious – tale of Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ traffic nightmare on his way to MNF’s Falcons-Saints game that reopened the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. On Monday, Triplett will also have an oral history of the Superdome reopening game rom 2006.

SportsCenter Presents “A Week in the Life of Gerald McCoy”

Throughout the week, daily editions of SportsCenter at 11 p.m. ET are featuring a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the life of an NFL player on a game-week through Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. For the multiplatform series, McCoy has granted reporter Bob Holtzman and his crew exclusive access to his daily routine, including family meals at home, team dinner, team practice, physiotherapy sessions, and more. The series will culminate in a recap of McCoy’s week on the Sunday morning SportsCenter at 9 a.m.

Other key NFL on ESPN studio shows: 

• NFL Matchup: Host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge preview the weekend’s NFL matchups via film-room X’s and O’s analysis Saturday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2, and Sunday, Sept. 25, at 3:30 a.m. on ESPN (re-air on ESPN at 6:30 a.m.).
• Fantasy Football Now: Michael Smith, SportsCenter’s Sara Walsh, Berry, injury analyst Stephania Bell, NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck and reporter Field Yates, present the two-hour, live program on ESPN2, Sunday at 11 a.m., featuring up-to-the-minute news, injury reports and analysis tailored to better inform fantasy football players leading into kickoff.

ESPN’s Pylon Cam Honored by IBC

At the recent International Broadcast Convention (IBC), ESPN was awarded a certificate honoring excellence in innovation for content creation for the company’s use of Pylon Cam during Monday Night Football and college football telecasts.  ESPN was one of only three finalists, chosen from more than 100 entries around the world. ESPN was the first media organization to develop and utilize the multi-camera Pylon Cam, allowing viewers to see action from multiple perspectives at the goal line.

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