AUDIBLES WITH CBS NEWS AND SPORTS PRESIDENT SEAN McMANUS, LEAD "NFL TODAY" ANALYST PHIL SIMMS, DAN DIERDORF AND BILL COWHER

  

THE NFL ON CBS, continues its 51^st year broadcasting the NFL with coverage of the 2011 American Football Conference Playoffs with the national broadcasts of AFC Divisional Playoff games on Saturday, Jan. 15 (4:30 PM, ET) and Sunday, Jan. 16 (4:30 PM, ET) live on the CBS Television Network.  The No. 5-seeded BALTIMORE RAVENS (13-4) visit the AFC North Champions and No. 2-seeded PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4) on Saturday afternoon, while the No. 6-seeded NEW YORK JETS (12-5) travel to play the AFC East Champions and No. 1-seeded NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-2). 

 

THE NFL ON CBS's coverage begins with THE NFL TODAY, the Network's studio show (3:30 PM, ET) and (4:00 PM, ET), respectively, live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

 

THE NFL ON CBS lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action live from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on Sunday.  Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.  Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf call the action live from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Saturday.  Mark Wolff is the producer and Bob Fishman is the director.

 

Throughout the 2011 AFC Playoffs, THE NFL ON CBS will broadcast all of its games each week in HDTV, the highest definition television format - 1080i lines of picture resolution - along with 5.1 digital audio.

 

Sean McManus is President, CBS News and Sports, and serves as executive producer of CBS Sports' coverage of THE NFL ON CBS.  Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

  

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EXCERPTS FROM "THE NFL ON CBS" NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAMES CONFERENCE CALL

(TUESDAY, JAN. 11; For complete replay of call, dial 719/457-0820; code: 9647051)

  

SEAN McMANUS ON HEADING INTO AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

The NFL is just on fire this year, fan interest seems to be at an all-time high and we're just excited about riding the momentum into two games that I think have enormous appeal for our viewers and are the exact match-ups that I think are going to translate into a really exciting games on CBS this weekend.

  

(On fan interest this year and NFL's allure as a product on television)

McMANUS: I think it's a combination of a lot of factors. I think there were so many story lines that continued throughout this season, whether it was Michael Vick or whether it was Brett Favre or whether it was Tom Brady. There just seemed to be so many stories that kept building throughout the year, which I think generated interest throughout the regular-season.

 

It just seems like the combination of the story lines and the quality of the games, the way the NFL has done the schedule, there are more big games on the schedule now than there used to be and so many of those games this year were very, very competitive, down to the last minute. And I think people are just - they're excited and they're used to seeing great action and there's nothing better to do on a Saturday or a Sunday afternoon than watching NFL football.

  

(On whether Jets have reached level of "national team" this year more than ever)

McMANUS: I think the answer to that is probably yes. I think there has been so much stuff swirling around the Jets both on and off the field that I think they have generated a lot of interest outside of the New York market.  I think the way that they won on Saturday night, and the fact that they have a coach who has won three playoff games in his first two seasons, and a second-year quarterback, who even though he had some lapses on Saturday night, this season when he has really had to get something done he has figured out a way to get it done.  So yes, I think there's a lot of interest around the Jets, I really do.

  

(On leadership in New England)

PHIL SIMMS: The coach sets an incredible standard up in New England and I think the players either follow, get it done, or you move on. And of course Tom Brady has bought in 100% and it shows in his play, in his preparation, how he conducts himself with his teammates.  You know, somebody once told me that - it was probably one of the coaches - everybody in the organization thinks they're Tom Brady's best friend.   And you know, he just sets that kind of example for everybody else.

  

DAN DIERDORF: I think we all look to our coaches for leadership and for inspiration but that only goes so far. When the real leadership comes from the locker room, when Bill Belichick said this to me one time, he said, you know when you're a good coach when your best players are your hardest workers. And that, he was referring to Tom Brady and the core leaders that he had with the Patriots.  When you have a self-policing locker room, when you have a locker room full of disciplined, hard working guys who won't tolerate any slacking by one of their teammates, that is when you have reached the real sweet spot in a team sport.

  

(On Jets' Rex Ryan making it "personal" against Pats' Bill Belichick)

DIERDORF: I don't really believe Rex is saying that to take the pressure off his players. I think Rex is saying that because Rex really believes it. And Rex needs to figure out that coaches don't block, tackle, catch, or anything else.  And it just bothered me.  And I like Rex a lot but, you know, it really just bothered me a little bit when he said I finally beat Peyton Manning. Well first of all the Jets beat the Colts. It wasn't Rex Ryan beating Peyton Manning. And now when he says it's just myself against Bill Belichick, no, it's about the players.  And it's always going to be about the players. And Rex needs a reality check in my estimation.

 

SIMMS: You are who you are...He did get out-coached up in New England, he really did. Some of the things they were trying to do against the Patriots - you deserved to lose. And they're going to have to change that for this game and I know they will.  They'll change a lot of things because that 45-3 is sitting right there looking at you all the time.  And so maybe it's his way, you know, of saying, ‘Hey, I've got to get fired up myself and make sure I coach the right way and put in the right schemes so the players at least have a chance to compete.'

 

BILL COWHER: I think Rex Ryan is being Rex Ryan.  At some point it's going to lose its luster...The New England Patriots will say all the right things and they will say it's just talk. But I can tell you back in that locker room and on Saturday night when Bill Belichick is talking to his team or Sunday morning, whenever that may be, some of those quotes will come back. And I'm going to tell you players can say what they want but you're only going to be motivated by what you want.  New England loves to make it personal. And Bill Belichick will make it personal.  He'll make his players make it personal. And I think I wouldn't wake a sleeping giant.  I think he may have done that.

 

(On Baltimore-Pittsburgh)

DIERDORF: If I had to pick something that's intriguing me right now it's the two offensive tackles of the Steelers and can they somehow control the Baltimore pass rush. The offensive line, the Steelers found a real gem in their rookie center Maurkice Pouncey, but the rest of their offensive line has struggled all year...One of the critical aspects of that game to watch for is can they protect Ben Roethlisberger?  Can they keep Suggs and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens from totally collapsing that pocket. Because Ben has been on the run most of this season and this is the type of a game where it could really hurt them.

  

(On New York Jets-New England)

SIMMS:  There's no doubt they [Jets] will change what they did on defense for the first game because that never worked.  And the other thing is, Mark Sanchez did not play well up there.  It was cold. Everybody said, ‘Oh he's a west coast quarterback.  He can't do it in the cold weather.'  Well, then he went to Pittsburgh and Chicago and played extremely well. There's no way he's going to play like he did the first time up in New England. He will play better. So that alone makes the game much more competitive for the road team as you're talking about.

 

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AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME #1 - Saturday, Jan. 15

  

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST             PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

4:30 PM, ET starts:

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh             Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf                   Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

  

AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME #2 - Sunday, Jan. 16

  

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST             PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

4:30 PM, ET start:

N.Y. Jets @ New England       Jim Nantz/Phil Simms                            Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

 

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - Sunday, Jan. 23

  

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST             PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

6:30  PM, ET start:

TBD                                         Jim Nantz/Phil Simms                            Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

 

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CBS Sports Contacts: 

Jen Sabatelle                212/975-4120              jsabatelle@cbs.com

Robin Brendle              212/975-1533              rlbrendle@cbs.com

Jerry Caraccioli            212/975-7466              gwcaraccioli@cbs.com