Brett Favre Hits Milestone as Packers Win, 31-24

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NFC ROUNDUP

Favre Hits Milestone as Packers Win, 31-24
From the Associated Press

September 25, 2006

Brett Favre sprinted toward the end zone, signaled touchdown and then pumped his right fist. The 36-year-old quarterback had just become the second player in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes in his career.

He added two more scores to lead the Green Bay Packers to their first victory of the season, a 31-24 decision Sunday over the Lions at Detroit.

Favre said he felt like a kid while celebrating, but his body and Packer Coach Mike McCarthy quickly reminded him that he was not.

"I've got to stop doing that because I get so tired," said Favre, who turns 37 next month. "I have to be smarter. Mike said, 'Great job, but you have to quit running around like that,' because I couldn't talk to him, I couldn't breathe."

With his first touchdown pass of the game — a 75-yarder to Greg Jennings — Favre joined Hall of Famer Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to reach 400 scoring passes. Marino has 420.

"We needed a win a lot more than I needed 400 touchdown passes," said Favre, whose team is 1-2.

The Lions (0-3) remained winless under new Coach Rod Marinelli, but they had their chances in the fourth quarter, just as they did in the season-opening loss to Seattle.



St. Louis 16, at Arizona 14 — Marc Bulger and Kurt Warner took turns trying to fumble the game away. Warner succeeded.

The Arizona quarterback, who had three interceptions, fumbled a snap at the Rams' 18-yard line with 1:46 left, and Will Witherspoon recovered to allow St. Louis to hang on.

Arizona's drive had begun after Antonio Smith recovered Bulger's fumble at the St. Louis 30 with 1:58 left. Edgerrin James carried three times to the 18. Bulger said he was thinking of how he was going to face his teammates when Warner dropped the snap and Witherspoon got the ball for St. Louis (2-1). Arizona dropped to 1-2.

"I feel like I hit the lottery," Bulger said.

The Cardinals were stunned.

"I couldn't believe it," defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "I was tapping myself in the head like, 'Wake up! That's not reality.' "

The game ended strangely with Arizona taking a fair catch on a punt as time ran out. Under an obscure rule, that would have given the Cardinals a free kick, and Neil Rackers was ready to take a shot at a 77-yard field goal.

But Arizona was offsides on the punt. After considerable confusion, the Rams decided to take the penalty and Bulger took a knee to end it.



Philadelphia 38, at San Francisco 24 — Mike Patterson wheezed and winced, but the 292-pound Eagles defensive lineman got all the way to the end zone with a 98-yard fumble return in the third quarter.

Brian Westbrook rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, also catching a scoring pass from Donovan McNabb, who passed for 296 yards — but Patterson's fumble return for a score was the most memorable moment for Philadelphia (2-1).

The Eagles (2-1) had plenty of highlights to go around. Reggie Brown caught five passes for 106 yards as Philadelphia shook off last week's embarrassing collapse against the Giants, protecting a huge lead this time with 416 yards of sharp offense.



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NFL to hold preseason game in Beijing, China

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
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The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, Jim Lachey, Eric Allen, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Gossett and Jeff Jaeger and Coach Don Shula ... narrated by Emmy Award winning Roy Firestone ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

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NFL to hold preseason game in Beijing, China

NFL TO KICK OFF COUNTDOWN TO 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS WHEN PATRIOTS FACE SEAHAWKS ON AUG. 8, 2007 IN FIRST-EVER NFL GAME IN CHINA

(Sept. 24, 2006) -- The National Football League -- America's most popular sports attraction -- has been selected by the city of Beijing to stage a game in the Chinese capital city that will serve as the kickoff of the one-year countdown to the opening of the XXIX Olympic Games in China.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced tonight that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play in the first NFL game in China -- the world's fastest growing market -- when the teams meet in Beijing on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007.
Also taking part in the press conference before the Denver at New England game were Patriots Chairman & CEO Robert Kraft, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol, and Miss Ren Jun, who represented the Beijing Sports Competition Management Center.
"We are very excited and proud to be bringing our game to China," Commissioner Goodell said. "We thank the Patriots and Seahawks for agreeing to take part in this historic game. We are also grateful to our broadcast partner -- NBC and its parent company GE -- and to the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau and the Beijing Sports Competition Management Center. This promises to be a memorable event."
The game will be televised live in China in primetime by China Central Television (CCTV) at 8:30 p.m. CCTV is China's largest national TV network. NBC will carry the game live in the United States at 8:30 a.m. ET.
With a capacity of 60,000, Beijing's Workers Stadium -- site of the soccer competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics -- will play host to the matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks, two of the NFL's most exciting teams.
The Seahawks played in Super Bowl XL after winning their first National Football Conference championship. Seattle is one of the top contenders to represent the NFC again at Super Bowl XLI, which will be played Feb. 4, 2007, in South Florida. Led by reigning Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle is aiming for a third consecutive NFC West championship under head coach Mike Holmgren.
Seattle previously participated in the NFL's international American Bowl games in Vancouver, Canada, and Tokyo. In their first international game since 1998 (Vancouver), the Seahawks will seek their first victory outside the United States.
"The Seahawks are honored to be one of the teams selected to represent the NFL in this prestigious event," Seattle Chairman Paul Allen said. "We are proud of the Pacific Northwest's deep cultural and business ties to China. We look forward to developing relationships surrounding this game that will have a lasting impact and will serve as a legacy of our participation in this historic event."
Led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, New England has enjoyed unparalleled success in recent years, capturing three NFL championships in four seasons from 2001-04, by winning Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX.
The Patriots have taken part in two international games since the American Bowl series of preseason games was instituted in 1986. They played in Montreal, Canada, in 1990 and in Mexico City in 1998. The trip to China will be the team's first game outside of North America.

"My family has been doing business in China for nearly 20 years and we are proud that The Kraft Group is New England's number one exporter to China," said the Patriots' Kraft. "Based on our own experiences in China and the growing interest in American sports there, we launched a Patriots website in Chinese in 2004. It was the first of its kind. It is a privilege and an honor to be selected to participate in the NFL's inaugural China Bowl in 2007. I think our players and staff will be terrific ambassadors for the game of football and I hope that it will be an experience that they will never forget. I look forward to developing new relationships and building a legacy for the Patriots and the NFL in such a great country."

Fans in China will be familiar with the Patriots and Seahawks. CCTV is broadcasting the NFL's schedule of Sunday Night Football games live in China throughout the 2006 season, culminating with an on-site telecast of Super Bowl XLI. Seattle and New England each will appear on Sunday night at least twice this season.

The game in China will mark the 42nd international contest for the NFL in the American Bowl era. There have been 40 international preseason games and one regular-season NFL game since 1986. The regular-season game took place last year in Mexico City, where a record crowd of 103,467 in Azteca Stadium watched the Arizona Cardinals top the San Francisco 49ers 31-14.

 
© 2006, NFL Enterprises LLC. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.
The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.
All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League.
NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.

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Favre sets milestone as Packers down Lions

Brett Favre
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Favre sets milestone as Packers down Lions

Brett Favre threw his 400th career touchdown pass as the Packers beat the Lions, 31-24.

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Brett Favre completed 25-of-36 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers past the Detroit Lions, 31-24, at Ford Field.
Favre joined Dan Marino as the only players in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes. Marino currently holds the NFL record with 420.
Ahman Green added 131 total yards and a score for the Packers (1-2), who have won 10 of the last 12 meetings. Rookie wideout Greg Jennings hauled in three passes for 101 yards, including a 75-yard TD scamper.
Detroit's Jon Kitna passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-40 passing. Roy Williams caught seven passes for 138 yards and a TD for the Lions (0-3), who have lost their first three games for first time since 2002.
Kevin Jones added 81 yards and a touchdown on the ground in defeat.
Green Bay took a 7-0 lead on its second possession when Favre connected with Jennings, who sprinted 75 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter.
(Click to continue)

NFL Game Summary - Green Bay at Detroit

(Sunday, September 24th)

Final Score: Green Bay 31, Detroit 24

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Brett Favre completed 25-of-36 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers past the Detroit Lions, 31-24, at Ford Field.

Favre joined Dan Marino as the only players in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes. Marino currently holds the NFL record with 420.

Ahman Green added 131 total yards and a score for the Packers (1-2), who have won 10 of the last 12 meetings. Rookie wideout Greg Jennings hauled in three passes for 101 yards, including a 75-yard TD scamper.

Detroit's Jon Kitna passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-40 passing. Roy Williams caught seven passes for 138 yards and a TD for the Lions (0-3), who have lost their first three games for first time since 2002.

Kevin Jones added 81 yards and a touchdown on the ground in defeat.

Green Bay took a 7-0 lead on its second possession when Favre connected with Jennings, who sprinted 75 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Lions tied the game on Kitna's 37-yard TD pass to Shawn Bryson, capping a six-play, 79-yard drive.

After a three-and-out by the Packers, Detroit took over on its own 22-yard line, but Kitna was intercepted on the first play of the drive by Marquand Manuel, who took it 29 yards for a score to put Green Bay up 14-7.

With three seconds left in the first, Kitna found Williams in the end zone for 42 yards to knot the game again. Williams' TD reception was set up by a 25- yard catch by Dan Campbell on 3rd-and-1.

Dave Rayner's 24-yard field goal gave the Packers a three-point lead with 7:51 to go in the half. The 13-play, 69-yard drive was highlighted by a 17-yard catch by Bubba Franks.

Green Bay took a 24-14 edge on Favre's five-yard toss to Donald Driver with 6:44 remaining in the third. The 10-play, 80-yard drive was helped by a personal foul penalty on Detroit's Kalimba Edwards, which eventually set up a 24-yard reception by Koren Robinson on 3rd-and-7.

Detroit cut its deficit to three on the next possession when Jones ran five yards off right tackle for a touchdown. Eddie Drummond's 44-yard kickoff return gave the Lions great field position to begin the drive.

In the fourth, Favre hooked up with Green for a 10-yard TD pass to give the Packers a 10-point lead. Favre also hit Donald Lee for 32 yards on the four- play drive.

Jason Hanson's 40-yard boot capped the scoring with 5:24 left in the game.

The Lions had two more chances with the ball. Kitna was sacked on 4th-and-2 on the first play after the two-minute warning to turn it over and Detroit got it back with 54 seconds to play, but a desperation heave from midfield as time expired fell incomplete.

Game Notes

Green rushed for 63 yards on 22 carries and recorded 68 yards on eight catches...Detroit guard Ross Verba left the game on the Lions' first series after aggravating a hamstring injury...Campbell caught three passes for 53 yards...Franks had 39 yards on three receptions...Green Bay leads the overall series 81-64-7.

09/24 17:15:12 ET

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Packers' Brett Favre Throws 400th TD Pass

Brett Favre
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Packers' Favre Throws 400th TD Pass

11:04 AM PDT, September 24, 2006

DETROIT — Packers quarterback Brett Favre became the second player in NFL history to throw 400 career touchdown passes Sunday.

Favre threw a short pass to rookie receiver Greg Jennings, who turned the third-down play into a 75-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions.

He reached the milestone in his 228th game, one more than Dan Marino needed to throw No. 400. Marino finished his career with 420 TD passes.

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Jack Del Rio's Jaguars' Defense

Jack Del Rio
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WEEK 3 IN THE NFL
New Bullies
Jaguars' defenders were impressive in shutting out the Steelers, but even they are leery as they face Manning's high-powered Colts
By Jerry Crowe
Times Staff Writer

September 24, 2006

So this was what Jack Del Rio was talking about.

Hired to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2003, the former USC linebacker and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator said that under his leadership the Jaguars would be defined by their defense.

How's this for a defining moment: a 9-0 victory Monday over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first goose egg for a defending Super Bowl champion since 1981?

In the Jaguars' first Monday night appearance in five years, their "Teal Curtain" defense was dominant in limiting the usually ground-munching Steelers to 26 yards rushing, an all-time low for a Jaguars opponent and the lowest Steelers total in 15 seasons under Coach Bill Cowher.

The Steelers, held to 153 yards total, did not make a first down by rushing, crossed midfield only once and never got closer than 46 yards from the Jaguars' end zone. Ben Roethlisberger's quarterback rating was 38.7.

How'd the Jaguars do it?

"We think there's a party at the ball and everybody's invited," veteran safety Donovin Darius said in a phone interview, describing their approach. "We get to the ball as fast as we can and we get there with bad intentions."

Or, as linebacker Mike Peterson shouted on his way back to the locker room late Monday night in Jacksonville, "There's some new bullies in town."

Of course, even bullies sometimes get their comeuppance, and few would be terribly surprised if the Jaguars got theirs today when they take on Peyton Manning and the high-powered Colts at Indianapolis.

The Jaguars, trying to unseat the three-time defending champions atop the AFC South, are 2-8 against the Colts and lost both meetings last season.

So even they are leery.

"If we go out and flop against Indy, the other night's going to be looked upon as a fluke," three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud said in a separate phone interview. "It's going to be like, 'Hey, those guys played one good game and then went up to Indy and gave away 45 points,' you know?"

On the other hand, the Jaguars might be poised for a breakthrough. They've built toward this day since Del Rio replaced former coach Tom Coughlin, fortifying their defense by adding key pieces through free agency and the draft.

In 2002, their last season under Coughlin, they ranked 20th in the league in total defense. In their first three seasons under Del Rio and defensive coordinator Mike Smith, brother-in-law of Baltimore Ravens Coach Brian Billick, they ranked sixth, 11th and sixth.

This season, "We want to be No. 1," Darius said.

They've gone from 5-11 and 9-7 in their first two seasons under Del Rio to 12-4 last season, when they ended a five-year playoff drought.

This season, they're 2-0.

"You've got to remember, when Jack first got here he wasn't so far removed from playing himself, so he still had that desire and competitive fire," Darius, in his ninth season, said of the Jaguars' 43-year-old coach. "He was able to understand players and what we go through — and that's credibility.

"Any time you take a head coach who's played before, there's a lot more credibility than a guy who, his whole life, stood in front of a chalkboard and wrote up Xs and O's and said, 'This is the way it's supposed to happen.' "

In other words, the Jaguars play the way Del Rio did at USC, where he was a Lombardi Award finalist as a senior, and in 11 NFL seasons: with abandon.

Said Stroud: "Jack lets us pin our ears back and attack."

Led by their massive tackles, the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Stroud and 6-7, 328-pound John Henderson, the Jaguars ranked first in the NFL in sacks per pass play last season. They ranked third in third-down defense.

This season, they twice sacked Drew Bledsoe of the Dallas Cowboys in their opener two weeks ago, intercepted three of his passes and rallied from a 10-0 deficit for a 24-17 victory.

Then, in the lowest-scoring game in the history of "Monday Night Football," they shook the Steelers.

Roethlisberger, making his season debut two weeks after an emergency appendectomy, was sacked twice and knocked down more times than he'd care to remember. Two of his fourth-quarter passes were intercepted by Rashean Mathis, the defense enabling the Jaguars to win with three field goals.

"Come to Jacksonville and you're going to get 60 minutes of hell, pure and point blank," Jaguars running back Fred Taylor told reporters afterward.

That's the idea, anyway.

"We take pride in our physical play," Stroud said. "We ain't going out there to try to be no bullies or nothing like that, man, but we want to go out there and impose our will on people, and that's what we do."

Of course, it's still early. The Jaguars, unlike all but one other NFL team, have yet to play a road game.

"The sky's the limit for us," Darius said, "but by no means did we take the other day to say, 'Let's pop champagne bottles, let's celebrate.' …

"Was it a secret to us that we could be successful? No. But by no stretch of the imagination have we come to the point where we can say, 'We've arrived.' "

The Steelers might disagree.

*
jerome.crowe@latimes.com


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Jack Del Rio's Jaguars post a Monday Night Football victory over the Steelers

Jack Del Rio
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006 - 12:00 AM
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NFL | Jaguars blank world champs

By MARK LONG
The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ben Roethlisberger gingerly walked off the field near the end of the game, grimacing and grasping his side after absorbing another hard hit.
Big Ben was back. The quarterback wasn't back to form, though — and the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense had a lot to with his struggles.
Wearing protective padding around his midsection, Roethlisberger returned to Pittsburgh's lineup Monday night, 15 days after an emergency appendectomy. The Jaguars made him pay for his courage, harassing Roethlisberger and stopping the defending Super Bowl champions' nine-game winning streak with a 9-0 victory — the lowest-scoring game in "Monday Night Football" history.
"A lot of it was my fault," Roethlisberger said. "I told coach [Bill Cowher] I'll be OK. When I get some more practice and get on the same page with the receivers, we'll be good."
Pittsburgh couldn't run the ball, either, managing 20 yards on Willie Parker's 11 carries and 26 rushing yards overall.
Josh Scobee kicked three field goals for the Jaguars (2-0), who improved to 4-0 against the Steelers in September and 3-0 against them in games played on Monday night.
The Steelers (1-1) kept it close, and got the ball back with about five minutes to play, down 6-0.
But Rashean Mathis intercepted Roethlisberger's slant pass and returned it into field-goal range. Scobee kicked his third field goal, a 42-yarder with 4:26 left.
"We moved the ball well, but we did a bad job of scoring points," Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich said. "To move to the next level, we've got to have more than nine points. But we played a tough team, man. The Super Bowl champs. It was a tough, physical game and we came out on top."
Jacksonville's Reggie Williams, a former Washington Husky, led all receivers with eight receptions for 95 yards.
Mathis picked off another pass with 1:44 left, sending Roethlisberger walking slowly to the bench. Mathis sealed last year's victory in Pittsburgh, intercepting a pass in overtime and returning it 41 yards for the decisive score.
Notes
• The previous lowest-scoring "MNF" game was San Francisco's 7-3 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 3, 1990.
• The shutout was Jacksonville's first since December 2003 against Houston.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

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"Gridiron" has Sony Leading the Field

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'Gridiron' Has Sony Leading the Field
Film takes in $15 million at the box office, giving the company its 10th opening hit this year.
By Evelyn Iritani
Times Staff Writer

September 18, 2006

Setting a new industry benchmark, Sony Pictures Entertainment this weekend scored a record 10th opening hit in one year with the football drama "Gridiron Gang."

Sony's $15-million take for "Gridiron" was the high point of an otherwise lackluster moviegoing weekend, with receipts totaling $75 million — down 11.8% from the same period last year. The previous weekend marked the first time in three years that the top-grossing film brought in less than $10 million in the U.S. and Canada.

"The Black Dahlia," Brian De Palma's stylized telling of the grisly unsolved murder of an aspiring actress, took the No. 2 position with $10.4 million in ticket sales. Analysts said the second-place showing was a disappointment for Universal Studios, which had pushed the film with a marketing blitz that included reprints of Los Angeles Times articles about the original case and a virtual tour of "Black Dahlia" sites on AOL.

"Gridiron Gang," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, marked back-to-back wins for Sony, which had the No. 1 spot last weekend with supernatural thriller "The Covenant." (That film fell to fifth place this weekend with $4.7 million.)

A year ago, Sony was plagued by costly flops such as "Bewitched" and "Stealth." This weekend, Sony executives toasted their turnaround in New Orleans, where they held the premiere Saturday for the celluloid version of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel on political corruption, "All the King's Men."

The studio hopes to continue its hot streak with that highly anticipated film starring Sean Penn, which opens next week. The following week, the studio will release its first computer-animated film, "Open Season," in which wily animals outfox the hunters.

"People are in the mood for stories that make you feel good," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of domestic distribution, whose blockbuster 2006 lineup has included "The Da Vinci Code" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," a Will Ferrell comedy. "People can relate to having the odds against you and then fighting your way through it."

"Gridiron Gang," released by Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures unit, also demonstrated the box-office draw of "The Rock," the pumped-up star of "Doom" and "The Scorpion King." Johnson now has five opening-day hits under his belt.

In his latest movie, based on a true story, Johnson plays a tough probation officer and coach who turns a group of rebellious young felons at a California juvenile detention camp into a winning football team.

With its 10th opening weekend win, Sony broke its own record of nine No. 1 hits set in 2003, according to Nielsen EDI, an industry research firm. That year's winning lineup included "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Something's Gotta Give."

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., a box-office tracking firm headquartered in Encino, thinks Sony will have a tough time maintaining its winning streak. He is betting the next box-office hit will be the Paramount comedy "Jackass: Number Two," which opens Friday.

"I think that could be the film that really helps us turn things around," he said, referring to the year's box-office results. "It's an unlikely source of help."

"Black Dahlia," starring Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson, explores the unsolved 1947 slaying of Elizabeth Short.

Historically, Hollywood's dark side hasn't translated into box-office winnings, and the film noir field was already crowded with last week's release of "Hollywoodland," said Brandon Gray, president and publisher of Box Office Mojo, an online movie publication and box-office reporting service.

"Hollywoodland," a Focus Films feature that chronicles the death of 1950s "Adventures of Superman" TV star George Reeves, fell into ninth place in its second week in theaters. That film, featuring Ben Affleck as the troubled actor who may or may not have committed suicide, has made $10.5 million.

" 'Black Dahlia' seemed to suffer the same fate as 'Hollywoodland,' " Gray said. "It's very much about Hollywood. That tends to be not that appealing to those outside of Hollywood."

Rounding up a strong summer of family movies, "Everyone's Hero," an animated baseball tale featuring Babe Ruth and a talking bat, scored third at the box office with nearly $6.2 million in sales in its opening weekend. The 20th Century Fox movie, which was championed by Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana (both now deceased), features an all-star cast of voices including Robin Williams, William Macy and Whoopi Goldberg.

Next in line was "The Last Kiss," a romantic, coming-of-age comedy starring Zach Braff of TV's "Scrubs" fame. That movie, which sought to replicate the success of the quirky "Garden State," brought in $4.7 million in its opening weekend.

Even with the competition from the "Gridiron Gang," "Invincible," another football movie, held sixth place, finishing its fourth week with a $50.9-million total. The Walt Disney Studios production stars Mark Wahlberg.

Among the independent films, "The Illusionist" and "Little Miss Sunshine" continued to draw crowds, grabbing the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, at the box office.

With summer drawing to a close, total box-office receipts stand at $6.8 billion for the year, up 6.2% over last year.

*


evelyn.iritani@latimes.com

*

(INFOBOX BELOW)

Box office

Preliminary results (in millions) in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio projections
Movie
3-day gross
Total
Gridiron Gang
$15.0
$15.0

The Black Dahlia
10.4
10.4

Everyone's Hero
6.2
6.2

The Last Kiss
4.7
4.7

The Covenant
4.7
15.7

Invincible
3.9
50.9

The Illusionist
3.8
23.3

Little Miss Sunshine
3.4
46.4

Hollywoodland
2.7
10.5

Crank
2.7
24.4
Industry totals
3-day gross
Change
(in millions)
from 2005
$75.0
-11.8%
Year-to-date gross
Change
(in billions)
from 2005
$6.8
+6.2%
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.

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New Orleans 34 Green Bay 27 9/17/06

Brett Favre
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-saints18sep18,1,1183115.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
NEW ORLEANS 34, GREEN BAY 27
Saints Stay in Balance
From the Associated Press

September 18, 2006

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A 34-27 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday had the New Orleans Saints primed to respond to questions about distractions.

First, there was the anticipation of the Saints' returning unbeaten to the Louisiana Superdome next Monday night for the team's first game there since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city and turned the stadium into a shelter that became a symbol of government mismanagement.

Next, there was Reggie Bush, after a week of being asked about allegedly improper benefits from his days at USC, responding with eight receptions for 68 yards and 109 total yards but only five yards rushing in six carries.

"I'm not distracted at all," said Bush, sore enough from cramps that he needed help putting on a tie after the game. "I'm living a dream right now. I'm having fun. I got a chance to play at Lambeau Field today with Brett Favre on the other side of the field."

Receiver Joe Horn said the Saints backed Bush.

"I don't know if Reggie did it or not," Horn said of the allegations. "But I told him, 'Listen, don't worry about that, we love you, man. You keep ballin' and you don't worry about the distraction.' " As for the Monday night hoopla, Horn advised his team to avoid "hoopin' and hollerin' " about each win and look at the bigger picture.

The Saints (2-0) were led by Drew Brees, who overcame three early turnovers and passed for 353 yards with two touchdowns. Running back Deuce McAllister added two scores.

Favre, whose Packers (0-2) were shut out last week, passed for 340 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. It was his first multi-touchdown game since a loss to Minnesota on Nov. 21, 2005.

"That's a game we should have won, and we didn't do it," Favre said. "We may not be in that situation too often this year where we're up 13-0 at home."

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PARTNERS: 

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The NFL is our odds-on obsession

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
Originally uploaded by brucesingman.

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White and seven other outstanding NFL players and Coach Don Shula ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

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http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/suncal/cl-ca-brownfield17sep17,0,6710351.story

SPORTS
The NFL is our odds-on obsession
Think of it as a reality show, an expensive one, with people in elaborate costumes.
By Paul Brownfield
Times Staff Writer

September 17, 2006

Do they still call baseball America's pastime? Because it isn't. America's pastime is betting on the NFL. Also, pretending to work while you make your NFL office-pool picks; also, pretending to work while you're checking an injury report on one of your fantasy league players.

Pro football's hold on the collective American psyche is a phenomenon you can measure anecdotally (the Encino bar, in a city with no pro football team, showing a pre-season Packers-Bengals game while the Dodgers are in a pennant race) and more scientifically — the somewhere-in-the-neighborhood of $500 million a season NBC is reportedly shelling out for the right to broadcast pro football on Sunday nights, in prime time.

Think of it as a reality show, an expensive one, with people in elaborate costumes. For the NFL has become in this country what soccer is in Europe — a year-round obsession, an itch that simply cannot be scratched to satisfaction. Although here, unlike there, the football is played by relatively few of the many millions who watch.

No small wonder, then, that the man-boys who don't play have resorted to chatting and fantasizing and wagering; it's how you get the heart rate up.

More than $1 billion was gambled on pro football in Nevada last year, according to statistics from David Schwartz, director of the University of Nevada Las Vegas' Center for Gaming Research.

That's more than a billion bet legally, in one state; never mind the rest of us. Gambling is the elephant in a room becoming too small to contain its bulk. On TV, gossip fills the wagering jones afflicting millions during the roughly 36 weeks of the year in which games aren't being played.

When the season starts, the tone goes from anticipatory to orgasmic.

Take two weeks ago, when, after the Steelers-Dolphins "Sunday Night" game on Thursday, I turned to "The Fantasy Show" on ESPN2.

"The quest for fantasy glory begins right now," the host, Rob Stone, said exuberantly. "Fantasy glory" is slang for "how to win a lot of money." Fantasy football puts the armchair quarterback in the position of armchair owner and general manager; each week, you field a team, the standings kept according to various player statistics. It's a sport built for a network — hey! — that has popularized the partial-score ticker and game-day stat.

"A new coach I don't like, from a fantasy perspective," they were saying on "The Fantasy Show," and "Fantasy-wise, what are we to make of this whole Deon Branch situation?"

Yes, from a fantasy perspective, read you loud and clear. Of course, as the teases told you, the fantasy league on ESPN.com is a free game. Host Stone and Matthew Berry, another guy who looked as if he'd never played football, were arranged on a living room set with someone who had — analyst Ron Jaworski (all the guys call him "Jaws"). Standing off to the right, as if making the guys snacks in the kitchen, was Danni Boatwright, the comely brunet winner of CBS' "Survivor: Guatemala."

She was fantasizing too, about Houston Texans running back Wally Lundy. Jaws, meanwhile, was fantasizing about the Giants' Brandon Jacobs. "You can't arm-tackle this guy," Jaws said. "He'll rip right through a defender, take it to the house."

He even showed a highlight. It was a clip of Jacobs' cartoon image from EA Sports' new version of the "Madden NFL" video game. Taking it to the house.

*

PLAYING THE GAME

The '07 version of the hyper-realistic "Madden NFL" was unveiled in August in a pay-per-view special on ESPN called "Inside Madden NFL '07."

No figure since Howard Cosell has been a better ambassador to the commercialization of the NFL than John Madden, the irascible-seeming but ultimately huggable ex-coach.

Madden and Al Michaels, the last of the great "Monday Night Football" broadcasting teams, now call NBC's "Sunday Night Football," while ESPN takes over "MNF," with the Washington Post's Tony Kornheiser in the Cosell role. He joins Jaws and Boomer but not the Bus, Jerome Bettis, NBC's new hire.

The competition has the networks trying to out-Busby Berkeley each other; regular season games are to the Super Bowl what the Golden Globes are to the Oscars.

Studio shows are like sports books without the cocktail waitresses, Howie Long sitting next to you instead of some guy wanting to compare parlay cards. You watch these shows long enough and you become mesmerized by the sheer size of a guy's tailor-made shirt collar, the expert craftsmanship on display. Talk itself is about football, at a decibel influenced by "Meet the Press" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." For me, though, it's all about having one of those suits. You know, fantasy-wise.


paul.brownfield@latimes.com

Brownfield is a Times TV critic.


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Frank Winters To Serve As Honorary Captain Sunday, In Pro Shop Saturday

Brett Favre
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The 150,000,000 football fans in America want the multi-award winning inspirational and entertaining collectible "All Pro Sports Football Series" See http://www.allprosportsfootball.com .

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the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage Original URL:
www.packers.com/news/releases/2006/09/14/2/

Frank Winters To Serve As Honorary Captain Sunday, In Pro Shop Saturday

posted 09/14/2006

AUTHOR OF NEW PACKERS BOOK, PACKERS ESSENTIAL, SIGNING COPIES SATURDAY; OTHER FAN NOTES FOR WEEKEND

Former Packers center Frank Winters, a member of the Super Bowl XXXI Championship team, will serve as honorary captain for Sunday's game against the Saints.

As part of the organization's season-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Super Bowl win, General Manager Ted Thompson has invited members of the 1996 team to serve as honorary captains for each of the Packers' remaining home games.

Winters also will be at the Packers Pro Shop Saturday, Sept. 16, from 3 to 4 p.m., visiting with fans. On Sunday, Sept. 17, from 10:15 to 11 a.m., Winters will be visiting with fans on the Associated Bank Club Level, an area accessible to game attendees with private box or club seat tickets.

Also featured at the Pro Shop Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m., author Rob Reischel will be signing copies of a newly published book about the Packers: Packers Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan! The book, with a foreword by Fuzzy Thurston, promises to give Packers fans a one-stop book that contains everything they would want to read about their favorite football team. Packed with anecdotes, history, explanations of traditions, statistics, trivia and photos, Packers Essential is the primary source for anyone wanting to be an expert on everything Packers.

Reischel has covered the Green Bay Packers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Packer Plus since 2001. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Reischel has won several writing awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

Other fans notes/reminders for the weekend: The Packers Ultimate Playhouse marks its second weekend in the Lambeau Field Atrium Sunday. The Green Bay Packers have partnered with Thirvent Financial for Lutherans, MasterFoods and Ashley Furniture to raffle off a 10'x10' playhouse which includes a couch, flat screen TV, Packers recliner and Packers memorabilia. Raffle tickets, priced at $1, will be available all season long at the house in the Atrium on game days and in the Packers Pro Shop on non-game days. A winner will be selected Feb. 16, 2007. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Habitat for Humanity projects in northeastern Wisconsin.

Materials for the project were provided by Faber Building Center of Oakfield, Wis., and the house was designed by Playhouses by Sean Mason and built by Towne Construction of Fond du Lac, Wis.

The parking lots will open for game attendees at 8 a.m. (four hours prior to kickoff), with stadium gates opening at 9:45 a.m. (2 hours, 15 minutes prior to kickoff).

Fan assistance centers are located on the main concourse (Section 109), upper concourse (Section 353) and guest relations desk in the Atrium. Fans may also contact ushers or security personnel for issues that need to be addressed.

Additionally, Curly's Pub will open to non-ticketed patrons 45 minutes after the conclusion of the game.

More detailed information can be found online in the Lambeau Field A-Z Guide.

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NFL Notebook | "Washed up" Warner Player of the Week

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
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Thursday, September 14, 2006 - 12:00 AM

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ROY DABNER / AP
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, 35, passed for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions Sunday.
NFL Notebook | "Washed up" Warner Player of the Week

By Seattle Times news services
TEMPE, Ariz. — Kurt Warner is off to a great start in his effort to show he's not "washed up" in the NFL. Squeaky clean in image as always, but washed up, not yet. Not even close.
In fact, he used the term "washed up" four times when asked about being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday.
"It always means something, at any point in time, no matter where you're at in your career," Warner said of his sixth player-of-the-week honor, "especially when you're old and washed up like I am."
The 35-year-old quarterback completed 23 of 37 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Cardinals' season-opening victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Three of his incompletions were dropped in the 38th 300-yard passing game of his career.
The Cardinals visit the Seahawks on Sunday.
So since he brought it up, does he believe he's shown that he's not washed up?
"That's up to you guys. You guys are the ones that say I'm washed up, so now you guys have got to come back and say whether I am or I'm not," Warner said.
"If you can be considered one of the best in the league at any given time, I think that goes to show you that you're not washed up," Warner said. "But I never felt like that and I don't think this organization or my teammates ever did. That's really the main thing, but it's always nice for the media to have to come back and say they were wrong at some point in time."
Bengal won't be punished
CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive lineman Robert Geathers won't be punished for the hit that sent Kansas City quarterback Trent Green to the hospital, the NFL said.
"I couldn't have done anything different," Geathers said, choosing his words carefully and sparingly.
Game officials saw nothing wrong with the play — no flag was thrown.
"The injury ... was unfortunate and has drawn much commentary, but it is not a foul," said Ray Anderson, the NFL's senior vice president.
Green took off on a third-quarter scramble. Geathers was blocked from behind by receiver Eddie Kennison as he closed in on the quarterback, who went into a slide just before he was hit. Geathers' shoulder landed high on the chest, providing the force that snapped back Green's head.
The capacity crowd at Arrowhead Stadium booed as Green lay motionless before being taken off on a cart with a severe concussion. He's expected to be out for a few weeks.
Brady distracted by Branch saga
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Three days after his mediocre performance in a 19-17 win over the Buffalo Bills, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady acknowledged his worries about whether Deion Branch would return distracted him from preparing for the game.
"Last week I spent a lot of energy thinking about it and, at the end of the week, it really wasted a lot of my time and a lot of my energy," Brady said. "It was a big mental drain and I think it affected the way I played."
Branch was traded to the Seahawks for a first-round draft pick Monday, ending Brady's hopes that his good friend and New England's best receiver would return.
"I'm a very emotional person and over the last four or five months it's been draining," Brady said. "It's tough because you develop relationships with players. Coaches don't have [those] relationships with players and the management doesn't know what guys are like.
"In that sense, it's probably tougher for players to see players go because we hang out. We're buddies. It goes far beyond the football field."
Notes
• Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens refused to get involved in a brewing quarterback controversy between Drew Bledsoe, the former Washington State star, and Tony Romo. "Quarterback controversy?" he said, rolling his eyes and laughing. "We're not even going to talk about that unless I move to the defensive side of the ball, become a defensive end or something like that. Any quarterback questions, don't ask me." Coach Bill Parcells said Bledsoe will start Sunday night at home against Washington.
• The Houston Texans acquired running back Samkon Gado from the Green Bay Packers for running back Vernand Morency.
• The Washington Redskins placed safety Pierson Prioleau (knee) on injured reserve and signed safety Curry Burns.
• The Buffalo Bills placed veteran free safety Troy Vincent on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The defense could be further depleted for Sunday's game at Miami with linebacker Takeo Spikes listed as questionable because of a right-hamstring injury. The Bills re-signed safety Jim Leonhard.
• The New Orleans Saints signed veteran fullback Corey McIntyre to fill a gap left when the team had two fullbacks injured at Cleveland. Fullback Keith Joseph (knee) was put on injured reserve.
• Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius did not suffer any broken ribs in Cleveland's season-opening loss to New Orleans but will miss Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan will not play in Sunday's game at Minnesota as he recovers from a concussion. All-Pro receiver Steve Smith (hamstring) and center Justin Hartwig (groin) also missed practice and were listed as questionable.
• The Kansas City Chiefs and free-agent receiver Rod Gardner agreed to terms of a two-year contract.
• Former Minnesota Vikings receiver Anthony Carter has ended his probation two years early, three years after he pleaded guilty in West Palm Beach, Fla., to charges related to domestic battery.
• San Diego authorities are seeking drunken-driving charges against Steve Foley, the Chargers linebacker who was shot and seriously wounded by an off-duty police officer earlier this month.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

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Blending PC and TV through fantasy football

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
Originally uploaded by brucesingman.

Blending PC and TV through fantasy football

the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage http://www.news.com/
Blending PC and TV through fantasy football

By Michael Kanellos
http://news.com.com/Blending+PC+and+TV+through+fantasy+football/2100-1026_3-6115072.html

Story last modified Tue Sep 12 21:00:02 PDT 2006

Companies have tried to blend the TV and PC experiences for years without much success, but Yahoo and Intel are going to see if fantasy football can do the trick.
The two companies have announced that consumers will be able to watch NFL games and observe what is going on with their Yahoo fantasy football league on the same screen, simultaneously.

The system requires a Viiv PC, an Intel-based PC designed to simplify access to and storage of movies, video, TV programs and music.
By clicking a remote, users will be able to check scores of fantasy or real games, get a bird's-eye view of league happenings, and get automated updates on specific teams.
Watchers will also be able to split the screen, so the game is taking place on the left side, while the stats from the fantasy league are updated on the right.
"It is one screen, which is great," said Patrick Barry, director of digital home at Yahoo. "When a commercial comes up, you can toggle off and figure out what Donovan McNabb is doing."
Yahoo has around 6.7 million subscribers in its fantasy sports league and football is the most popular sport. In Yahoo fantasy football, consumers develop fantasy teams from rosters of existing players. So, they cannot create games with the 1923 Chicago Bears or see what would happen if Johnny Unitas could travel through time.
Viiv PCs are selling well, but they're far from a household name. One of the difficulties in positioning Viiv has been identifying compelling services or capabilities that regular PCs can't offer.
In other news:
• Movies and iTunes: It's showtime
• Leak scandal costs HP's Dunn top job
• Search comes to mobile phones
• News.com Extra: New UI showdown: Apple vs. TiVo
• Video: Apple's iTV links televisions, PCs
In the first generation of Viiv services, which came out in January, users with a Viiv could take video downloaded from a particular service and view it on a TV. The video (from the particular Viiv-enhanced services) could not be transferred to the big screen if a regular PC was being used.
The Yahoo deal enhances Viiv by providing a single-screen experience, said Kevin Corbett, a vice president in the Intel Digital Home group.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini earlier in the year said the goal is to sell more Viivs than Centrino notebooks in the first year of sales. Centrino came out in 2003.


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Monday NFL Doubleheader Rates Well

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
Originally uploaded by brucesingman.

The 150,000,000 football fans in America want the multi-award winning inspirational and entertaining collectible "All Pro Sports Football Series" See http://www.allprosportsfootball.com .

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White and seven other outstanding NFL players and Coach Don Shula ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nfltv13sep13,1,7284807.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

Monday NFL Doubleheader Rates Well
By Larry Stewart
Times Staff Writer

September 13, 2006

ESPN scored record ratings in televising the NFL's first regularly scheduled Monday night doubleheader — and viewers may get a sequel.

The league, beginning next season, could schedule more Monday night doubleheaders, particularly on the opening weekend, according to Howard Katz, the NFL's senior vice president of broadcasting.

"We were pleased," Katz said Tuesday. "It's a little premature to talk about next year, but it's certainly food for thought."

There were some concerns about how well the six-plus consecutive hours of football would do Monday night, particularly when there was competing programming about the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and President Bush's address to the nation.

But the two games did much better than expected. The first game, a 19-16 victory by the Minnesota Vikings over the Washington Redskins, drew a national Nielsen rating of 8.2 for the full U.S. television audience of 110 million households. However, ESPN, basing the rating on the percentage of households among its audience of 90 million homes, said it was a 9.9. That is commonly referred to as a cable rating.

Overall, the game was watched in an average of nearly 9.2 million households, a record for ESPN and all other ad-supported cable networks, breaking the previous record of 8.9 million households for a Christmas Day ESPN game between the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.

Monday night's second game, a 27-0 blowout by the San Diego Chargers over the Oakland Raiders that ended past 1 a.m. in the East, still got a 7.1 overall national rating, an 8.5 cable rating, and was seen in an average of nearly 7.9 million households.

John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president of content, said he and Katz had had preliminary discussions on the Monday night doubleheader concept.

"I don't want to speculate, but we'd be interested in looking into the possibility," Skipper said. "It would be premature for me to say we would be in favor of it. There are scheduling and other concerns on the part of the league."

New York sports television consultant Neal Pilson said the idea of having more opening weekend Monday night doubleheaders "will get looked at, particularly since the league has put so much focus on the launch of the season in recent years. The league is not averse to capitalizing on success."

The doubleheader was scheduled for this season's opening weekend to give ESPN 17 games while avoiding a Monday night game on the final weekend. Playoff teams have complained that playing on Monday night the final weekend robs them of a day of practice as they head into postseason play.

In Los Angeles, Monday's first game, starting at 4 p.m., got a 6.2 overall rating and was seen in 345,000 homes. The second game got a 10.4 rating and was seen in 573,000 homes.

Not only did the ratings for the doubleheader apparently confirm America's insatiable appetite for pro football, so did the ratings for the entire opening weekend.

NBC's first Sunday night telecast, a 26-21 win by Indianapolis over the New York Giants in a quarterback battle of the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, got a 14.3 national rating. That compares to a 13.0 for the first Monday night game on ABC last season. "Monday Night Football" moved to ESPN this year after 36 years on ABC.

The 14.3 and a 12.6 rating for last Thursday's NFL season opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins gave NBC the two highest-rated prime-time shows for the week ending Sunday.

The L.A. rating for Sunday night's game was an 11.2, the highest rating for any prime-time show here last week. The Thursday night game got an 8.6 in L.A.

"We're thrilled beyond measure," said NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol. Fox and CBS also did well with their NFL coverage over the weekend.

Fox, with its national coverage of Dallas at Jacksonville, got a 14.3 national rating, the highest ever for Fox on opening weekend. The game got an 11.9 in L.A.

Fox's pregame show, which this year is being done from game sites and with Joe Buck as host, got a solid 3.6 rating, a 9% increase over last season's opening weekend. "We obviously got a bang for our Buck," said Fox Sports President Ed Goren.

CBS' "The NFL Today," with James Brown, formerly of Fox, as the new host, got an impressive 3.5 rating. That's a 25% increase over the show on opening weekend last year.

The overall success of the NFL this weekend didn't surprise Pilson. "The change in the network packages drew more attention to the league than in the past, and there was a public curiosity about the new talent assignments and the new packages," he said.

Said Ebersol, "It once again shows the NFL is the biggest guy in the neighborhood."


larry.stewart@latimes.com

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NFL on NBC Scores Big on Sunday Night

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Posted: Mon., Sep. 11, 2006, 4:22pm PT

Kickoff returns
Football debut scores big for Peacock

By RICK KISSELL

Sunday's marquee contest drew somewhere between 22 million and 24 million viewers.

ABC's controversial two-parter 'The Path to 9/11' drew a solid 13 million viewers but paled opposite NBC's 'Sunday Night Football.'

ABC's controversial 9/11 movie drew a sizable aud of roughly 13 million viewers on Sunday night, but that number was dwarfed by comparison with NBC's big showing for pro football.
On the eve of the five-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, America turned to the comfort of its most popular sport, as the heavily hyped opener of the Peacock's new NFL "Sunday Night Football" franchise stormed out of the gate.
Fox, meanwhile, went against the grain with the premiere of its "The Simpsons"-led comedy lineup, which opened pretty well.
According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, the opening night of the Alphabet's two-part dramatization of the events leading up to Sept. 11 averaged 13 million viewers on the net's affils from 8 to 11 p.m.
Pic, which concluded Monday night, had drawn criticism from Clinton administration officials who charged it fabricated scenes about actions prior to the attacks. ABC cut or changed several scenes from the movie and aired disclaimers before and during the pic that called "Path to 9/11" a dramatization, not a documentary.
Reliable numbers weren't available for CBS' repeat of its 2002 documentary "9/11," which also aired Sunday night. Two-hour program, updated with new interviews, was delayed by a tennis overrun in much of the country and didn't air or was delayed further on some CBS affils due to sensitivity over its salty language.
Both the ABC and CBS pics were not supported by advertising, so their national viewership figures won't be released by Nielsen.
At Fox, the indefatigable "The Simpsons" launched its 18th season with the show's best numbers in 10 months (preliminary 5.3 rating/14 share in adults 18-49, 11.5 million viewers overall) -- especially good given that it opposed NBC's football coverage on both coasts.
"American Dad" dropped off a bit at 8:30 -- opposite the start of the game in the east -- but scored a solid 4.1/10 in 18-49 and 8.9 million viewers overall in prelims. "Family Guy" then picked up at 9 (prelim 4.7/11 in 18-49, 9.9 million) before "The War at Home" took a tumble at 9:30 (prelim 3.5/8 in 18-49, 7.4 million).
A big weekend for football, meanwhile, was capped Sunday night by NBC's coverage of the Indianapolis Colts' 26-21 victory over the New York Giants (8:15-11:15 p.m. ET).
Marquee contest, pitting the Manning brothers against each other (Peyton's Colts beat Eli's Giants) should draw somewhere in the 22 million-24 million viewers range and an 18-49 rating of about 8.5 when Nielsen releases nationals today -- putting it above all but one of the "Monday Night Football" games of a year ago on ABC.
The other NFL broadcast carriers shone as well Sunday, with Fox's doubleheader action averaging a 12.1 household rating/24 share in the overnights, up 3% from last year (11.7/24). Its national game from 4:15 to 7:45 p.m. ET (Dallas-Jacksonville, Fla., in more than 70% of the country) scored a 14.9/28.
At CBS, its single game (five regional contests in the 1-4 p.m. ET window) averaged an 8.9/20 in the overnights, up 3% vs. last year.
In the pregame battle, Fox's show (3.3 household rating/9 share) won out in the metered-market overnights, although CBS (2.8/7), with Jim Brown back in the host's seat after a long run at Fox, was on the rise. Eye notes this is the closest gap between the two shows in the first week of a season.
College football performed well on the nets Saturday, with the Ohio State-Texas primetime matchup on ABC scoring an 8.8 household rating/16 share in Nielsen's overnights, up 19% from last year's same matchup (7.4/13). And NBC's afternoon Notre Dame-Penn State game did a sturdy 4.8/11.
And in other ratings news, preliminary nationals for last week's evening news had Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News" a dominant No. 1 in its first frame.
The CBS half-hour (2.8 rating in adults 25-54, 10.2 million viewers overall) won each night over NBC (1.9 in 25-54, 7.1 million) and ABC (1.9 in 25-54, 6.9 million), although the gap closed some by Friday.

Date in print: Tue., Sep. 12, 2006, Los Angeles

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Monday Night Football on ESPN

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Monday, September 11, 2006 - 12:00 AM
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MNF makes big move to new network, lineup

By The Philadelphia Inquirer
They are still three words that are uniquely special to the sports fan, despite a deluge of 24-hour programming, instant highlights and nonstop analysis.
"Monday Night Football" remains a sports institution even though this year brings the biggest shift in the show's 37-year history. For the first time, MNF shifts from over-the-air television to cable, from ABC to sister station ESPN.
"It still feels so big," said Joe Theismann, who joins Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser as the announcing team in the booth for ESPN.
Tirico, Theismann and Kornheiser will broadcast when Minnesota visits Washington at 4 p.m. in the first game of an ESPN doubleheader. Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil will announce the second game, when San Diego visits Oakland at 7:15. It's the year's only doubleheader; telecasts will start at 5:30 p.m. the rest of the season.
Vikings @ Redskins

Kickoff: 4 p.m. TV: ESPN Line: Wash. by 4 ?
Minnesota: If the Vikings are going to put any points on the board, they are going to need their running game to begin living up to expectations. This means that a highly touted offensive line is going to have to open holes for Chester Taylor.
Washington: The Redskins will unveil the new offense they kept under wraps in the preseason. Look for new associate head coach Al Saunders to try to exploit Minnesota's so-so linebackers.
What to expect: In the ESPN regular-season debut of "Monday Night Football," Joe Gibbs faces first-year Vikings coach Brad Childress. However, if the Vikings' ground game gets going, it might not matter for the Redskins, 0-4 in the exhibition season.
Seattle Times news services
Chargers @ Raiders

Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. TV: ESPN Line: Chargers by 3
San Diego: Philip Rivers takes over at quarterback in one of the NFL's worst places for foes — the Black Hole. Starting outside linebacker Steve Foley was wounded by an off-duty police officer, and has been lost for the year.
Oakland: Art Shell returns as coach of the Raiders and picked up quarterback Aaron Brooks, who was cut by New Orleans. While Shell is a favorite son in Raider Nation, the verdict is out on Brooks.
What to expect: If the Raiders hope to upset San Diego, the key lies in slowing LaDainian Tomlinson.
USA Today
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