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Home , Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan, Tony Siragusa

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

NFC East Playoff Hopes on the Line This Saturday on FOX

Oliver Visits with 2010 Giants Draft Pick Chad Jones and Documents His Road to Recovery on FOX NFL Special This Saturday

Siragusa: Ryan Adds Fire to Jets/Giants Showdown

GIANTS/JETS BATTLE FOR NYC SUPREMACY-EAGLES BATTLE COWBOYS FOR PLAYOFF LIVES – On Saturday, Dec. 24 FOX Sports kicks-off Week 16 with special Saturday doubleheader coverage of seven enticing matchups – each presented in true HD. The Battle of NY starts the holiday festivities as and the Giants take on and the Jets. Not only are NY bragging rights at stakeout, each team’s playoff chances hang in the balance. , and on-field analyst call all the action from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. In Charlotte, Cam Newton and the Panthers look to put on another offensive display as they host the Bucs. Coming off a convincing win over the Giants, the Redskins host the Vikings. Meanwhile the Steelers travel to St. Louis to face the Rams. Also, Andy Dalton , AJ Green and the Bengals host the Cardinals. The second half of FOX Sports’ doubleheader begins in Big D as , LeSean McCoy and the Eagles continue to fight for their playoff lives when they take on and the Cowboys. Joe Buck , Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call all of the action from Cowboys Stadium. Coming off their impressive win over the Steelers, Frank Gore and the 49ers take on the Seahawks in Seattle.

Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched Sunday afternoon pregame show, FOX NFL SPECIAL. and co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long , Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson . NFL Insider Jay Glazer presents the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SPECIAL studio while comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo contributes his weekly “Frank’s Picks” segment.

This week’s edition of “The Journey,” which opens the show, is narrated by singer Usher . Also, Oliver has a heartwarming story about a remarkable journey after a devastating injury. Just a few months after being drafted in the third round by the in 2010, former LSU standout Chad Jones was involved in a serious car accident. Doctors thought they might have to amputate his left leg because he lost so much blood and feared he may never walk again. Oliver visits with Jones a year and a half after the accident as he fights to make an unlikely comeback and reach his goal of playing in the NFL. This behind-the-scenes piece features Jones rehabbing from his injuries and shows the exercises he did to teach himself to walk again.

For instant updates during the week and games from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX . Follow the NFL on FOX on-air personalities @Jay_Glazer, @JimmyJohnson, @CurtMenefee, @MikePereira, @MichaelStrahan, @TroyAikman, @KennyAlbert, @CoachBillick, @TimBrewster, @CFD22 (Charles Davis), @DarylJohnston, @The_ChrisMyers, @LauraOkmin, @ChadPennington, @TimRyan99 & @TonySiragusa on Twitter as they provide insight and analysis all weekend. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports .

GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST/SIDELINE COV. TIME New York Giants at Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston 72% 1:00PM & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tulsa, West Palm Beach

Tampa Bay Bucs at Sam Rosen & 8% 1:00PM Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC MARKETS INCLUDE: Charlotte, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Orlando, Raleigh, Tampa

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins Chris Myers, Tim Ryan 7% 1:00PM & Jaime Maggio FedEx Field – Landover, MD MARKETS INCLUDE: Minneapolis, Norfolk, Richmond, Washington

St. Louis Rams at Dick Stockton, John Lynch 5% 1:00PM & Jennifer Hale Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, PA MARKETS INCLUDE: Pittsburgh, St. Louis

Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals . 3% 1:00PM & Laura Okmin – Cincinnati, OH MARKETS INCLUDE: Columbus, Louisville, Phoenix

Philadelphia Eagles at Joe Buck, Troy Aikman 88% 4:15PM & Pam Oliver Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

San Francisco 49ers at Ron Pitts, Charles Davis 8% 4:15PM & Drea Avent CenturyLink Field – Seattle, WA MARKETS INCLUDE: New Orleans, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle

SIRAGUSA: JETS USED TO BE NY’S SECONDARY FOOTBALL TEAM BUT REX HELPED CHANGE THAT – During his playing days as a member of the defensive line, NFL on FOX on-field analyst Tony Siragusa was under the leadership of then Ravens and current New York Jets head coach . Siragusa believes the outspoken head coach has most media attention focused on him by design. “Rex is dumb as a fox,” said Siragusa. “He draws all the attention to himself so his players don’t have to deal with it. They’ve had some ups and downs but just because you have ups and downs doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk about going to the . Rex is just saying what everyone else in that locker room thinks. Some coaches don’t like saying it but he’s outspoken as everyone knows and was the same when we he coached me in Baltimore.” As for this Saturday’s Jets vs. Giants matchup, Goose reflected on how the Jets head coach has helped fuel this rivalry in New York. “The Jets were the step child in the Tri-state area and Rex has tried to change that attitude. You can change that attitude by saying what’s on your mind and Rex has done that. Rex gives his team confidence and that’s all he cares about.”

PEREIRA: STEELERS SHOULD’VE RESTED ROETHLISBERGER – This week, NFL on FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira conducted a chat on FOXSports.com where he answered fans questions on a variety of topical issues in the NFL.

On the injury concerns of Steelers QB and whether he should’ve been benched on Monday night : “Benched is a little severe. Rested is the right word. There was a lot at stake for the Steelers but at some point, you have to get him healthy for the playoff run, first round bye or not.”

On the possible return of and how refs may treat him in the future: “He will be back and he will be treated the same as any would be treated. I don't know whether he should or should not come back. I just hope that he lives a healthy life. He has a lot of years ahead of him to live. Football is not the end-all.”

To read the entire chat please click here: http://on-msn.com/vCZBly

WHATIFSPORTS.COM CROWNS TRUE NATIONAL CHAMPION – Who's the best team in 2011? Year after year, no one really knows but everyone wants the answer. WhatIfSports.com, a unit of Fox Sports Interactive that specializes in online sports simulations and fantasy-style games, is using its award winning simulation engine to simulate a 16-team playoff called “December Madness.” The bracket consists of the 11 conference champions and the five best at-large teams. The 16 teams go through four rounds, with one champion being crowned January 5. The results, featuring detailed box scores with play-by-play, team and individual player stats for each game, can be found at http://www.whatifsports.com/decmadness/

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