The CBS Television Network, home of Super Bowl XLVII, continues its 53^rd year broadcasting the NFL with coverage of THE NFL ON CBS on Sunday, Oct. 7 (1:00-7:00 PM, ET) beginning with THE NFL TODAY, the Network’s one-hour studio show (12:00 NOON-1:00 PM, ET), live from THE NFL TODAY studio in New York City.

     THE NFL ON CBS lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the action from the Denver Broncos-New England Patriots game live from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.  Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.

     Sean McManus is Chairman, CBS Sports, and serves as Executive Producer of CBS Sports’ coverage of THE NFL ON CBS.  Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

 

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     THE NFL ON CBS quarterbacks weigh in on the classic Week 5 showdown between this generation’s greatest quarterbacks and their teams; Denver’s Peyton Manning vs. New England’s Tom Brady

 

PHIL SIMMS

Everyone is excited about the game this week with the two quarterbacks – the two biggest stars in the last 10 to 15 years in the NFL. The biggest thing is their talent and the fact that they know how to stay healthy and stay on the field, which is a talent itself.  What is most important is that both of them are coming into the game with confidence and playing probably their best games of the year.  And physically being on top. That’s what it’s all about. The other big thing about the game that’s different from the past is Peyton Manning has a different offense in Denver than he did in Indianapolis. Now there is truly a running game to go with his audibles and his passes. That running game is real.  When you play the Denver Broncos you just can’t say, "Let’s stop the pass."  Their running game could beat you by itself.  The same goes for Tom Brady.  The Patriots have made a great effort to get their running game to be part of what they do. And we’ve seen that if you play the pass and Tom Brady and Wes Welker and those tight ends, they’ll just run the ball even more.  It’s going to be a good “chess match” to watch both quarterbacks. 

 

BOOMER ESIASON

I love when these two guys are able to get together on the field because it is truly the best of the best.  Even though Tom Brady holds an 8-4 advantage over Peyton Manning in head-to-head games, I’ve always felt like Peyton has had to work harder to beat Tom’s team than Tom has had to work to beat Peyton’s team.  This will be the case this Sunday as well, because Peyton is in a new surrounding on a new team with new players.  And he is only four games into that.  Tom has been in the same system since 2001 with the same head coach, and has an arsenal of offensive weapons around him that very few players in the league have.  While I can appreciate the brilliance and greatness of Tom Brady, I also recognize the difficulties Peyton Manning will have again in this game because of the newness and coming back from injury.  If he can pull this off, it will be a great victory in their head-to-head history. 

 

DAN FOUTS

I can only relate to it like when I played against a John Elway, Dan Marino or Joe Montana, you just know that you have to be at your very best because that is what you’re going to get from them.  It’s fun.  It’s a long season.  It’s tough to get up for every game.  But it’s not tough to get up for a game when you are playing against a great one.

 

RICH GANNON

Anytime you get these two guys together special things happen.  This game changes the way you call a game if you’re (offensive coordinators) Mike McCoy or Josh McDaniels.  This is one of those games where you say, ‘We have to stop them and hold them to field goals.’  The focus from a head coaching perspective is, ‘We have to score 40 to win.’  That has to be the mindset.  It changes the way the play-callers call the game.  You have to be aggressive and attack.  A game like this between these two players usually comes down to who has the ball for the last possession.  The last guy to have the ball in his hands is probably going to win it. 

 

STEVE BEUERLEIN

You can’t say enough about Peyton Manning and what he has accomplished so far after coming back from his injury.  Except for about a six-minute span of one quarter where he threw three interceptions, he’s played pretty darn good football.  Despite the fact that he has played so well, this game is going to be a different animal going to Foxborough against a Bill Belichick team that seemed to awaken last week in the second half against Buffalo.  It’s going to be a very tall task for Denver.  Belichick is going to find a way to try and make Peyton force the ball up the field to see if he can make throws.  I think he’s going to struggle this week.

Tom Brady showed last week that when he gets his rhythm and confidence going, they are very hard to stop.  He looked very, very comfortable.  The Patriots still have a lot of weapons.  

 

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Following are THE NFL ON CBS assignments for Week 5, Week 6 and Week 7 (subject to change).

 

WEEK 5 – Oct. 7 – CBS DOUBLEHEADER

 

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST            PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:              

·Cleveland @ N.Y. Giants        Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf              Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

·Miami @ Cincinnati                Marv Albert/Rich Gannon                Ross Schneiderman/Andy Goldberg

·Baltimore @ Kansas City        Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts                      Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith

 

4:25 PM, ET starts:

·Denver @ New England          Jim Nantz/Phil Simms                    Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

·Buffalo @ San Francisco        Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots        Jim Rikhoff/Mark Grant

·Tennessee @ Minnesota        Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker              Victor Frank/Chris Svendsen

 

 

WEEK 6 – Oct. 14

 

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST            PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:              

·Oakland @ Atlanta                 Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf             Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

·Kansas City @ Tampa Bay     Marv Albert/Rich Gannon               Ross Schneiderman/Andy Goldberg

·Indianapolis @ N.Y. Jets         Jim Nantz/Phil Simms                   Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

·Cincinnati @ Cleveland           Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots        Jim Rikhoff/Mark Grant

 

4:00 PM, ET starts:

·Buffalo @ Arizona                  Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker               Victor Frank/Chris Svendsen

·New England @ Seattle          Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts                       Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith

 

 

WEEK 7 – Oct. 21 – CBS DOUBLEHEADER

 

GAME                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST            PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:              

·Baltimore @ Houston             Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf               Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

·Cleveland @ Indianapolis        Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots         Jim Rikhoff/Mark Grant

·Tennessee @ Buffalo             Marv Albert/Rich Gannon                 Ross Schneiderman/Andy Goldberg

 

4:25 PM, ET starts:

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

·Jacksonville @ Oakland          Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts                       Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith

 

 

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Follow CBS Sports on Twitter: @CBSSportsGang and @NFLonCBS

 

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