Tom Brady, Eli Manning
Four years after the New York Giants stunned the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII, both teams have clawed their way back into the Big Game.
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Aaron Rodgers
It's time for the NFL's most efficient passer to throw the regular season out the window. "The hottest team in the playoffs," says Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, "is the one that's going to be the last one standing."
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NFL
It was the $9 billion question: Could NFL owners and players reach an agreement to end the bitter lockout threatening the 2011 season? After a resounding yes on July 25, teams scrambled to get ready. Record-setting TV ratings last year cemented the game's status as America's favorite sport, but what can fans expect on the field in the wake of the time-consuming labor dispute? "Teams that had very little change are going to have a huge advantage once the season starts," says CBS analyst Rich Gannon. "Some teams that have new quarterbacks, new systems, they're going to struggle." As the season kicks off tonight, TV Guide Magazine asked NFL analysts to tackle five burning questions...
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Two major NFL-related TV announcements came down Monday. Ex-ESPN anchor Dan Patrick is joining NBC's Football Night in America pregame studio show as co-host. He will reteam with his former SportsCenter deskmate Keith Olbermann. "I'm delighted to be reunited with my tag team partner," Olbermann said, and in an homage to a favorite SportsCenter catchphrase, "I can't stop Dan Patrick from working with me again, I can only hope to contain him."Patrick left ESPN last summer after 18 years with the company. He continues to host his eponymous radio show and write a column for Sports Illustrated.Meanwhile, over at Inside the NFL, which is moving to Showtime from HBO, James Brown, Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth were named cohosts. Brown and Simms will continue their work for CBS (which owns Showtime), as host of The NFL Today and lead game analyst, respectively. Collinsworth is a holdover from the HBO incarnation, and will remain on the Football Night in America panel and as analyst for ...
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Bryant Gumbel by Nathaniel Welch/HBO
At Monday's Sports Emmys, HBO led all networks, taking eight trophies. Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel was honored along with its Ghosts of Flatbush documentary and the network's boxing coverage.ESPN scored seven total Emmys (including three for ESPN.com) and Fox picked up five Emmys. CBS and NBC won three statues apiece.It was a big night for NBC's football coverage. Sunday Night Football's Al Michaels won best play-by-play honors and his boothmate John Madden took top analyst honors. Football Night in America co-host Cris Collinsworth was named best studio analyst. James Brown won best studio host for CBS' The NFL Today.Other Emmys went to Fox's Fiesta Bowl coverage along with NASCAR on Fox. ESPN's College GameDay won best weekly studio show, and TNT's Inside the NBA snared the Emmy for best daily studio show. —J.R. Whalen
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