TV-Game: NEW ENGLAND at ATLANTA

(Thursday, FOX, 8:00 PM ET/ ESPN America 02:00 AM CEST): Two of the game’s elite quarterbacks – New England’s Tom Brady and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan – will square off in the Georgia Dome on Thursday night.

Entering his third season, Ryan has led the Falcons to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. The young quarterback spent the offseason watching film on some of the league’s best at the position, including New England’s Brady.

“I learned several things about the game and about my own game during my film work,” says Ryan, “but I was mostly impressed with the patience under fire exhibited by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.”
Both teams opened the preseason with victories in Week 1. The Patriots defeated the defending champion New Orleans Saints 27-24 and the Falcons knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10.

“This is all about establishing an attitude every time we step on the field,” says New England tight end Alge Crumpler. “Regardless of who we are playing or what the circumstances are, if we play together as a team, good things will happen.”

NFL Pre Season
New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons
August 18th 10 | 02:00 AM CEST
Georgia Dome| Atlanta
TV: ESPN America

Super Bowl XLIV Game Notes

Super Bowl XLIV Game Notes

With their win, the New Orleans Saints become the 18^th different franchise to win a Super Bowl game. They join the Ravens, Jets and Buccaneers as winners in their only Super Bowl appearance. The first NFL championship for the Saints comes in their 43^rd season.

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The Saints are the first #1 Seed to win the Super Bowl since the 2003 New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII. The last NFC #1 Seed to win the Super Bowl was the 1999 St. Louis Rams who won Super Bowl XXXIV. The Saints are also the first team that led the NFL in regular season scoring to win the Super Bowl since that Rams team.

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In their path to victory in Super Bowl XLIV, the Saints became the first team ever to defeat three quarterbacks who previously won Super Bowls in Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. In the three games immediately prior to meeting the Saints in these playoffs, the three QBs combined for 12 TD passes without an interception. Against the Saints, they only combined for two TD passes and four interceptions.

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The Saints matched the biggest deficit overcome to win a Super Bowl by rallying from 10 points down. That deficit, 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, is identical to the 10-0 deficit overcome by the Denver Broncos against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1989. Washington scored the remaining 42 points in that game for a 42-10 win. These Saints outscored the Colts 31-7 the rest of the way.

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SEAN PAYTON is now the 28^th different coach to win a Super Bowl. This is the fifth consecutive year that a new coach has been added to the list (Mike Tomlin, Tom Coughlin, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher).

TRACY PORTER’s 74-yard TD interception return was the fourth-longest in Super Bowl history, the third-longest that went for a touchdown. The record is 100 yards by James Harrison of the Steelers in last year’s game.

It was the second time in an NFL game that Porter had scored a TD on an interception return – and that other INT TD was also at Sun Life Stadium. He returned a pass thrown

By Miami’s Chad Henne 54 yards for a score when the Saints also rallied for a victory. It also came in the fourth quarter with New Orleans holding a one-score lead and provided the final points in a 46-34 victory.

Teams that have scored on an INT return are now 10-0 in the Super Bowl, including in six of the last 10 SBs.

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DREW BREES tied the Super Bowl record of 32 completions with his touchdown p SEAN PAYTON is now the 28^th different coach to win a Super Bowl. This is the fifth consecutive year that a new coach has been added to the list (Mike Tomlin, Tom Coughlin, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher).

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The selection of DREW BREES as the MVP marks the 23^rd time the choice has been the winning quarterback.

Brees finished the game by completing 10 consecutive passes, which equals the second-longest streak in a Super Bowl. Joe Montana has the record of 13 in Super Bowl XXIV.

DREW BREES became the third quarterback from Purdue to start and win a Super Bowl. That ties Alabama for the most SB-winning QBs from one school. The other Purdue QBs to win Super Bowl games are Bob Griese (VII and VIII) and Len Dawson (IV). Bart Starr, Joe Namath and Ken Stabler are the three from Alabama.

By surpassing 169 yards passing in Super Bowl XLIV, PEYTON MANNING joined Brett Favre (5,855) and Joe Montana (5,772) as the only quarterbacks to have passed for more than 5,000 yards in the postseason in their careers. Manning now has 5,164 yards passing in his postseason career.

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With seven catches and 86 yards receiving, DALLAS CLARK became the most prolific postseason receiver among all tight ends. His 64 catches surpass the 62 in postseason play of Jay Novacek and Shannon Sharpe while his 847 yards receiving top Keith Jackson’s 834.

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With 66 yards receiving in Super Bowl XLIV, AUSTIN COLLIE has 241 in the postseason, coming one yard shy of Torry Holt’s record for the most yards receiving by a rookie in one postseason (Rams, 1999).

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Colts kicker MATT STOVER became the oldest player (42 years, 11 days) ever to participate in a Super Bowl game. His miss on a field goal attempt of 51 yards early in the fourth quarter ended a streak of 16 consecutive field goals made in postseason play. His last miss came in a Wild Card game on this field for the Ravens against the Dolphins on January 13, 2002.

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The Colts’ 96-yard TD drive in the first quarter tied the longest in Super Bowl history. The Bears also had a 96-yard TD drive against the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

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With his 47-yard field goal late in the third quarter, GARRETT HARTLEY became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to make three FGs of 40-plus yards in one game.

DREW BREES completed 82.1% of his passes (32-39) in Super Bowl XLIV. That is the second-highest percentage in a Super Bowl behind the record of 88.0% (22-25) by Phil Simms for the Giants in Super Bowl XXI. Based on a standard of 30 pass attempts, he did set a Super Bowl career completion percentage record, previously held by Troy Aikman at 70.0%.

Brees achieved a passer rating of 114.5 in Super Bowl XLIV which ranks as the 11^th-best performance in a Super Bowl. With one more attempt, he would have qualified for the NFL’s career Super Bowl list, and that mark of 114.5 would rank third behind Joe Montana (127.8) and Jim Plunkett (122.8).

Brees completed this postseason with eight TD passes and no interceptions. He is the fifth QB to complete eight or more TD passes in a postseason without an interception – and all five of them won the Super Bowl. The other four are Joe Montana of the 1989 49ers (13-0), Steve Young of the 1994 49ers (9-0), Phil Simms of the 1986 Giants (8-0) and Troy Aikman of the 1992 Cowboys (8-0). Brees completed 72 of 102 (70.6%) passes in this postseason for 732 yards, eight TDs and 0 INTs. That figures to a passer rating of 117.0.

In his postseason career, Brees is 150 of 225 (66.7%) for 1,648 yards, 11 TDs and two INTs. That figures to a rating of 103.7, second in NFL postseason history to Bart Starr’s 104.8. Kurt Warner upped his mark to 102.8 in this postseason.

PEYTON MANNING finished with 31 completions, one shy of the Super Bowl record now shared by Drew Brees and Tom Brady. The combined total of 63 completions is a Super Bowl record and is just one shy of the NFL postseason record of 64 completions in the 1981 AFC Divisional Playoff Game in Miami (Orange Bowl) between the Chargers and the Dolphins.

The 63 completions is six more than any postseason game that did not go to overtime and 10 more than the previous Super Bowl record of 53 combined completions.

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The victory by the Saints was the second for the NFC in the last three Super Bowls but only the second in the last seven games and third in the last 10. The NFC now leads 23-21 in Super Bowl play.

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JOSEPH ADDAI of the Colts has now played in two Super Bowls – and in each he has rushed for exactly 77 yards. He had 77 yards on 19 carries in Super Bowl XLI and 77 yards on 16 attempts in Super Bowl XLIV. With his 154 yards rushing in two Super Bowls, Addai now ranks 12^th on the Super Bowl career list, seventh among those with two or fewer appearances.

Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday Share an Impermeable Bond

QB and Center are the Cover Athletes for ESPN The Magazine’s NFL Preview Issue

Plus – Introducing “Player X” – A New Column in The Mag

Every NFL quarterback needs someone to complement him -- a ying to his yang. Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts found his rock in center Jeff Saturday and their bond is recognized on the cover of and in ESPN The Magazine’s NFL preview issue on newsstands today. The cover athletes have been teammates for nine years constantly studying each others’ signs to produce an explosive offense that has been the Colts trademark for the past decade. With the retirement of head coach Tony Dungy and the departure of wide receiver Marvin Harrison, writer Alan Grant explains why this relationship is key to the Colts’ success in “Well Connected.”

The Mag also welcomes “Player X” to its staff and to its column line-up. Every issue through the NFL season, “Player X,” a NFL star, will write a column of the same name anonymously about life as a pro athlete. His identity will remain secret – unless he chooses otherwise: his team’s owner, coaches, and teammates … not even his family knows “Player X’s” identity. For his debut article, he discusses temptation in the professional world and why athletes’ find themselves in precarious situations.

“Player X” Quotes:

• “I want to share what athletes think…. I’m not here to snitch or call people out. I just want to show that the life of an athlete isn’t always what it appears to be.”
• “The majority of married players I know are very faithful. While a recent CNN report said 80-90% of pro athletes cheat on their wives, I’d say it’s closer to 30%. The older, established players have too much to lose. That’s why it’s hard for me to imagine why Steve (McNair) did what he did. He was one of those guys.”
• “But when it comes to temptation, I don’t care how strong you are. There are only so many times you can say No until you give in and say, Well, I’ll think about it. Then it’s Maybe. Pretty soon you’ve done something you never would have done before.”

Also in the NFL preview, senior writer Seth Wickersham profiles New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s disciples, including Eric Mangini, Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels in “It Takes A Genius.” Besides being the brains behind the Patriots’ success in the 2000s, Belichick is also credited with forming an elite football mastermind fraternity that has produced eight college or NFL head coaches and five general managers. All of Belichick’s prodigies would love to replicate his success, but can brilliance really be taught?

Other ESPN The Mag NFL Preview highlights include a feature on Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, a look at the inspirational words that motivate players, an offensive line glossary and analysis of all the divisions with commentary from KC Joyner, Ron “Jaws” Jaworski and Jon Gruden.

Additional Features:

IN HIS ELEMENT. Clay Marzo just won the Quiksilver Pro at Puerto Escondido and some say he might be the greatest surfer since Kelly Slater. Marzo battles more than just waves though, as he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder two years ago.Alyssa Roenigk reports. Watch an E:60 piece on Marzo here.

DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS. The Rangers have always had sluggers, but the franchise has never won a
playoff series. So team President Nolan Ryan is focusing on what he knows best -- pitching to change the teams’ luck. Tim Keown reports.

HOME IS WHERE THE HOOP IS.To say Rob Thomas, a 23-year-old St. John’s basketball player has battled adversity is an understatement. Now he vows to come all the way back.Chris Broussard reports.

“I RODE WITH LIVE CHICKENS.” BYU fans are familiar with sophomore Romney Fuga, but to the citizens in Madagascar he was just another 6-2, 300 pound guy on a Mormon mission. Gare Joyce reports.

COVERING JORDAN. Enjoy 60 majestic Michael Jordan magazine covers, coming out in time to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction, which takes place on Friday, September 11.