Sunday NFL Countdown: Ricky Kalmon – The Hypnotist; Caliendo Investigates Ditka-gate; Cam Heyward Honors His Dad; and More
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman, with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson will preview NFL week 7 on October 25 at 11 a.m. ET. Reporter/host Wendi Nix will host select segments, NFL insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report the day’s headlines and news, with senior analyst Matthew Berry and special contributor Stephen A. Smith.
The two-hour program will include updates on the NFL’s second London game of the season – Bills at Jaguars – by NFL Nation Bills reporter Mike Rodak. Countdown will be preceded by a one-hour NFL Insiders: Sunday Edition at 10 a.m. featuring host Trey Wingo, NFL Insiders Mortensen and Schefter and NFL Front Office Insider Louis Riddick.
Reporter game assignments for week 7:
- Saints at Colts (Bob Holtzman)
- Steelers at Chiefs (Ed Werder)
- Jets at Patriots (Sal Paolantonio)
- Cowboys at Giants (Josina Anderson)
Features:
- Ricky Kalmon – The Hypnotist: Feature producer Tory Zawacki took an ESPN crew to meet Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry at the Ricky Kalmon Hypnosis Show. She provides an inside look at what happens when a hypnotist crosses path with a NFL player at one of his shows.
- Cam Heyward on Honoring his Dad: All Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward wanted to do was honor his late father, NFL great Craig “Iron Head” Heyward who died of cancer at 39, by writing “Iron Head” on his eye-black while playing in week 5. The league fined him for breaking the uniform code. After wearing the inscription again in week 6, he and the NFL reached a resolution. Heyward sat down this week with Countdown’s Michelle Beisner to discuss his attempt to honor his father.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick Soundtracks: Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback of the 4-1 New York Jets, who was miked up during the team’s home win over Washington last Sunday, is the subject of this week’s “Soundtracks.”
- Caliendo Investigates Ditka-gate: Live audio during last week’s Monday Night Countdown show picked up a sound that had social media buzzing. “No! He didn’t,” many argued. “Yes! He did,” others contend. Did legendary Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka fart on live television? In a comedic search for the truth, Countdown impressionist Frank Caliendo investigates.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football: Baltimore Ravens vs. Arizona Cardinals
Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals host Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on October 26 at 8:15 p.m. Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters will call the game from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Leading into the matchup, Chris Berman and Suzy Kolber host Monday Night Countdown at 6 p.m. on ESPN. NFL analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson and Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter review Sunday’s games and preview the MNF matchup with Berman in studio, while Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis, Steve Young and Kolber offer analysis from Arizona.
MNF is available on ESPN Deportes and will be streamed live on WatchESPN for fans with video subscriptions from affiliated providers. Highlights:
- Gruden’s Grill Session with Tyrann Mathieu: The Cardinals safety visits with Super Bowl-winning coach and MNF’s Jon Gruden, in this week’s edition of “Gruden’s Grill Session.”
- Steve Smith Sr. Conversation with Lisa Salters: When Steve Smith Sr. announced he would retire at the end of this year, he wasn’t thinking he and the Baltimore Ravens would be mired in a 1-5 start. MNF reporter Lisa Salters chats with Smith on how the receiver is handling retirement in the midst of a frustrating season
- Rick Reilly Feature – Justin Tucker: Cardinal Justin Tucker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history with an 88.7 percent completion rate. Rick Reilly puts him to the test – kicking with his left foot, blindfolded, kicking a soccer ball, volleyball, beach ball and a loaf of bread – for
NFL Sundays on ESPN Radio Features Jets at Patriots
ESPN Radio’s national coverage of Sunday afternoon NFL regular-season games continues Sunday, Oct. 25, with Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets visiting Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at noon. Ryan Ruocco, analyst Bill Polian and reporter Ian Fitzsimmons will call the action. ESPN Radio will broadcast a one-hour pre-game show before each week’s game.
NFL Matchup: Jets at Patriots; Philadelphia at Carolina; Baltimore at Arizona; and More
NFL Matchup host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Ron Jaworski and Louis Riddick, (filling in for a recuperating Merril Hoge), preview the weekend’s NFL matchups via film-room X’s and O’s analysis Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 (re-air on ESPN, Sunday at 4 and 6:30 a.m.). Highlights:
Key Preview Segments:
- Jets at Patriots: Riddick offers an Xs and Os analysis of the Patriots’ bulls-eye defense, and Jaworski highlights the success running back Chris Ivory and the Jets offense have had running the ball this season.
- Eagles at Panthers: Tight end Greg Olsen has been the focal point of the Panthers passing game, leading the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. Riddick shows how Olsen is utilized in the Panthers offense. Jaworski shows how play design allowed wide receiver Riley Cooper to beat the Giants cover-3 defense for a 32-yard touchdown reception Monday in Philadelphia.
- Matchup Extra – Ravens at Cardinals: Jaworski shows how the Arizona Cardinals full-field route in the red zone broke down the Lions coverage that led to wide receiver Jon Brown’s 18-yard touchdown.
E:60 Profiles New England Patriot Julian Edelman – Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. on ESPN
With time running out in Super Bowl XLIX and the New England Patriots, facing a third and 14 yards, trailed the Seattle Seahawks 24-14. In that moment, quarterback Tom Brady looked for his favorite wide receiver and unlikely hero – Julian Edelman, a 5-foot, 10-inch former college quarterback who wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine. Despite a punishing hit by the Seahawks defense, Edelman would hold on and make the play that turned the tide in the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory. In a one-on-one interview with E:60’s Jeremy Schaap, Edelman discusses the speculation that he played through a concussion in the Super Bowl, the alleged bromance he has with Tom Brady, and the grit and determination that was honed during long hours in the backyard with his father Frank, an auto-mechanic in Redwood City, Calif., and even his imitation of head coach Bill Belichick.
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