Roy Williams jokes with Joe Torre on HBO show
Bengals safety Roy Williams, a former OU standout
On this week’s episode of “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre makes an appearance.
In a hilarious exchange, Bengals defenders Tank Johnson and Roy Williams, who both played for the Dallas Cowboys last season, pay a visit during batting practice as the Reds prepare to host the Dodgers in a recent series at the Great American Ballpark.
Johnson, who is on a quest to meet Torre (“He’s an American icon.”) wants to take a photo with him and ask him to have a beer. Finally, they greet Torre in the visitors dugout and ask the four-time World Series winner for any words of wisdom that he can share.
Johnson: “That might be the coolest thing I’ve done since I’ve been in Cincinnati.”
In the program, Johnson brushed up on his NFL history with a little twist. “I just learned who Donnie Walsh was and why he was so important to the NFL. That dude was a coaching genius. That damn West Coast offense.” When a Bengals assistant corrects Johnson and says it was Bill Walsh, who once coached in Cincinnati, Johnson remarks, “Who’s Donnie Walsh?”
Former head coaches give their own spin on NFL
Former Rams coach Mike Martz
This fall, NFL Network will give fans more inside access into the game with the debut of “The NFL Head Coaches,” 5:30 p.m. Mondays. Hosted by Charles Davis, the weekly half-hour show features a trio of former head coaches – Steve Mariucci, Mike Martz and Jim Mora – who review the previous Sunday’s games and analyze the big plays and tough decisions NFL head coaches encounter. With 50 seasons of NFL coaching experience combined, the coaching trio will share situations and experiences from their careers that remain applicable to today’s head coach.
The show premieres Sept. 14.
“The head coach’s point of view is similar to that of a CEO of a company,” said NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger. “They manage so many different areas of a team, from evaluating talent to the split-second decisions made during a game. There’s a very unique point to view that a head coach provides and our panel of experts can shed some light on what separates a win from a loss.”
Showtime presents a full-color look at AFL
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker pours champagne on team owner Lamar Hunt after the Chiefs won the AFL champiionship on Jan. 1, 1967.
Showtime and the NFL are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the start of the maverick American Football League, from its tumultuous beginnings to its unlikely merger with the rival NFL, through a five-part documentary, “Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League,” which premieres at 7 p.m. Sept. 16.
The documenary, produced by NFL Films, will air every Wednesday night until Oct. 8.
“The AFL is one of the great American success stories, and it is a story with a lot of colorful characters,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “In this project we celebrate the AFL while also debunking myths about why the league succeeded.”
Weaving through the social, cultural and political events of the turbulent 1960s, “Full Color Football” examines the daring vision of league-founder Lamar Hunt and his dream to challenge the NFL.
Through rare interviews from some of the biggest names in the AFL, including Joe Namath, Al Davis and John Madden, long lost game highlights and never-before-seen footage, “Full Color Football” tells the inside story of the outsiders who forever changed the game.
NFL honoring old AFL teams with legacy games
Look for plenty of throwback uniforms this NFL season, celebrating the 50th season for the eight original American Football League teams. The NFL has scheduled 16 AFL legacy games, including the Dallas Cowboys playing the Kansas City Chiefs (former Dallas Texans) at noon Oct. 11 at Arrowhead Stadium and hosting the Oakland Raiders at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 26 in the Raiders’ first Thanksgiving Game since 1970.
The AFL played its first season in 1960 with eight teams. The original eight teams were the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs), Boston Patriots (now the New England Patriots), Titans of New York (now the New York Jets), Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans).
The schedule:
Aug. 9, 7 p.m., Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio. Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans, NBC.
Sept. 14, 6 p.m., Buffalo BIlls at New England Patriots, ESPN.
Sept. 14, 9:15 p.m., San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders, ESPN.
Sept. 27, noon, Tennessee Titans at New York Jets, CBS.
Oct. 11, noon, Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs, Fox.
Oct. 11, 3:15 p.m., New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, CBS.
Oct. 18, 3:15 p.m., Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (Boston Patriots), CBS.
Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers, ESPN.
Oct. 25, noon, San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, CBS.
Oct. 25, 3 p.m., New York Jets at Oakland Raiders, CBS.
Nov. 1, noon, Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, CBS.
Nov. 15, noon, Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans, CBS
Nov. 15, 3 p.m., Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders, CBS.
Nov. 26, 3:15 p.m., Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys, CBS.
Nov. 29, noon, Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, CBS.
Dec. 6, 7:20 p.m., New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
A look back at Deion Sanders’ draft students, including OU’s Lendy Holmes
At 7 p.m. Wednesday on the NFL Network (Cox 252), the five defensive back draft prospects of Prime U. reunite for a look at how they stand after the NFL draft. For OU’s Lendy Holmes, South Carolina’s Emmanuel Cook and Penn State’s Lydell Sargeant, that’s unhappy after not being drafted.
Connecticut’s Darius Butler went in the second round to New England and South Carolina’s Captain Munnerlyn was selected in the seventh round by Carolina. The five have spent months receiving training and guidance for life on and off the field in the NFL from Deion Sanders. This updated episode of “Under Armour Presents: Prime U” takes a look at the hard work and dedication shown by these five draft hopefuls and where they stand now after the NFL Draft.
Another NFL Network show, “Draft Journey: Crabtree–Stafford–Cushing–Life on the Road to the NFL,” airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The one-hour documentary tells the stories of three of the top draft prospects — Matthew Stafford, Michael Crabtree and Brian Cushing — as they make the journey from their final days of college football to the moment they are drafted into the NFL. The program goes behind the scenes to capture intimate moments in the lives of the college stars that will ultimately affect their NFL careers. Draft Journey concludes with the end of the waiting game at the NFL Draft.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, the “2008 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Swimsuit Special” is a one-hour look inside the making of the swimsuit calendar of one the most recognizable cheerleading squads in the world. At 8 p.m. is the NFL Network debut of “Hard Knocks: 2008 Dallas The latest edition of the NFL Films-produced series offers an inside look into the training camp that shaped the last Cowboys roster to call Dallas Stadium home.
Lendy Holmes celebrates after OU defeated Missouri to win the Big 12 championship
