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7:05 AM Wed, Apr 15, 2009 | Permalink
Barry Horn E-mail News tips
The majesty of a NFL franchise that has not been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 season and has not won a playoff game since 1996 was re-affirmed with the release of the 2009 schedule Tuesday.
The Cowboys get three prime time appearances on NBC, one on ESPN and one on NFL Network. Throw in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Raiders on CBS and the Cowboys have six national television appearances. The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers? They are back in the pack of teams that have five.
The Cowboys had been penciled in to open the season at Denver on Fox but those plans were erased in the wake of the trade of quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago. The Broncos, sans Cutler, will instead open up in the NFL purgatory known as Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Cowboys open at Tampa Bay in a noon game with no sizzle. Look for Fox's Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to call the Commanders-Giants opener at 3:15 p.m.
But the Cowboys do move center stage in Week 2 of the season when they host the Giants on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
That means Al Michaels and John Madden will call the regular-season opener at the billion-dollar JonesMahal. Trust me, that was exactly what Jerry Jones wanted. (Shout out to NFL Network's Rich Eisen who mentioned the "JonesMahal" in his opening remarks in introducing the lschedule rather than use the staid "JerryWorld" label.)
Speaking of Jones, NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol went out of his way to bow to the Cowboys' owner in cooing about his network'sSunday Night haul. "The schedule is made even more special in Week 2 with the national debut of what is expected to be the gold standard of all stadiums in the world," Ebersol said in a statement.
And as expected ESPN's Monday Night Football swoops in when the Cowboys host the Carolina Panthers the following week. ESPN likely will devote the vast majority of its Monday programming that day to proclaiming the JonesMahal one of the wonders of the world.
The Cowboys will finally visit Denver in Week 4 when they play their first 3:15 p.m. game on Fox, which happens to be the highest rated NFL window of the week.
And, oh yes, there is a chance the Cowboys can be "flexed" into a fourth NBC game late in the season. Of course, they will have to be playing well. Majesty can only get a team so far in the world.
Barry Horn E-mail News tips
The majesty of a NFL franchise that has not been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 season and has not won a playoff game since 1996 was re-affirmed with the release of the 2009 schedule Tuesday.
The Cowboys get three prime time appearances on NBC, one on ESPN and one on NFL Network. Throw in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Raiders on CBS and the Cowboys have six national television appearances. The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers? They are back in the pack of teams that have five.
The Cowboys had been penciled in to open the season at Denver on Fox but those plans were erased in the wake of the trade of quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago. The Broncos, sans Cutler, will instead open up in the NFL purgatory known as Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Cowboys open at Tampa Bay in a noon game with no sizzle. Look for Fox's Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to call the Commanders-Giants opener at 3:15 p.m.
But the Cowboys do move center stage in Week 2 of the season when they host the Giants on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
That means Al Michaels and John Madden will call the regular-season opener at the billion-dollar JonesMahal. Trust me, that was exactly what Jerry Jones wanted. (Shout out to NFL Network's Rich Eisen who mentioned the "JonesMahal" in his opening remarks in introducing the lschedule rather than use the staid "JerryWorld" label.)
Speaking of Jones, NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol went out of his way to bow to the Cowboys' owner in cooing about his network'sSunday Night haul. "The schedule is made even more special in Week 2 with the national debut of what is expected to be the gold standard of all stadiums in the world," Ebersol said in a statement.
And as expected ESPN's Monday Night Football swoops in when the Cowboys host the Carolina Panthers the following week. ESPN likely will devote the vast majority of its Monday programming that day to proclaiming the JonesMahal one of the wonders of the world.
The Cowboys will finally visit Denver in Week 4 when they play their first 3:15 p.m. game on Fox, which happens to be the highest rated NFL window of the week.
And, oh yes, there is a chance the Cowboys can be "flexed" into a fourth NBC game late in the season. Of course, they will have to be playing well. Majesty can only get a team so far in the world.
