Have your pencil and scorecards ready, as FOX Sports has announced its broadcast crews for the 2011 "NFL on FOX" season.

Just like last year, FOX is keeping its top 3 teams in place for the upcoming season. That means in addition to his duties with Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal as FOX Sports' lead MLB crew, Joe Buck remains on the network's #1 NFL team with Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Pam Oliver. Kenny Albert remains on the #2 "NFL on FOX" team with Daryl "Moose" Johnston in the booth and Tony Siragusa on the field. Also, Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick stay intact, with Charissa Thompson on the sidelines as the network's #3 team.

There are a few changes in other "NFL on FOX" teams this season. Former All-Pro safety John Lynch gets promoted to the network's #4 crew this season. Instead of working with PBP voice Ron Pitts on a regional level, Lynch will be working this season with veteran PBP Dick Stockton. Dick's partners last season will have new PBP crews this season, too. Former Seahawks' head coach Jim Mora, Jr. will be working this season with Pitts full-time after part-timing last season with Stockton & Charles Davis. As for Davis, he'll be working a few games with newcomer Gus Johnson as a part-time crew starting with the Redskins/Rams' game October 2nd. Johnson came to FOX a few months ago after he was unable to agree to a contract extension with CBS Sports. Johnson is FOX's lead college football PBP voice.

If that's not enough, FOX has broken up the Sam Rosen/Tim Ryan team this upcoming season. The former Bears' defensive tackle working this season with Chris Myers, and the veteran PBP working this season with Chad Pennington, who is trying to make the transition from NFL QB to analyst. Pennington, who suffered a potentially career-threatening shoulder injury last season with the Dolphins, also suffered an torn ACL playing pickup basketball in the offseason.

Lions fans have a lot to look forward to this season.

I wish Tim Ryan was paired up with a flying sickle.

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Even worse, pair him w/ Michael Cole.

I think I would like Tim Ryan much better if he stopped talking about how he was a Chicago Bear.

Always shocked to see this guy was on the team for 3 years?

Year 1 0 Tackles 1.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. suited up for 16 games every year
Year 2 0 Tackles 3 sacks
Year 3 6 Solo tackles 2 assists

Career over.

Talks like he played all the time?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I would like to see Tim Ryan paired up with the Score's face eating chimp!

I am most excited about Papa, Miillen & Thiesmann being replaced on Thursday night football with Brad Nesler & Mike Mayock. I'm not a huge Mayock fan, but Brad Nesler is one of the best football pbp guys ever. The only way this could be better is if Gus Johnson was doing pbp, which was rumored before Nesler got the gig.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I'm not a football genius by any means, but how do you record a sack without making a tackle?

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I think it's possible if you are the defender closest to a QB who runs out of bounds before the line of scrimmage. I'd be a little surprised if that's the answer to the riddle of Year 1 in this case though.

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Fire Phil Emery

Intentional grounding?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

No tackle or sack on intentional grounding plays, which doesn't make a ton of sense, but whatever.

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Fire Phil Emery

I'm sure this news may disappoint some, but Charissa Thompson's no longer part of the Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick crew on the "NFL on FOX", let alone the FOX-owned Big Ten Network on the sidelines.

As it turns out, Charissa has been hired by ESPN, and she'll be co-hosting a new show on ESPN2 this fall, "Numbers Never Lie". She'll be paired with "Around the Horn" panelist and ESPN.com's Michael Smith starting September 12th at 2:30p (CT) pitting the wisdom of ex-pro athletes vs. the pragmatism of statisticians, whatever that means...

Charissa & Michael will get their first chances to work together Thursday & Friday when they sub for ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd & the Cameron Diaz-looking Michelle Beadle on ESPN2's "SportsNation" at 3p (CT) both afternoons.

Since were in Pre-Season Week 1, to look ahead to Week 1, I would say Bears-Falcons will get Albert, Johnston, and the Goose, as Buck-Aikman will go to Giants-Redskins.

I'm not sure about that, Reents, although it would make sense. Knowing how goofy FOX Sports tends to operate, we might get Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick and/or Dick Stockton/John Lynch instead for the regular season opener.

I just checked on AwfullAnnouncing.com, and it does have Albert,Johnston, and Goose in Chicago.

Thursday, September 8:

New Orleans Saints @ Green Bay Packers, 8:30 p.m. NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya

Sunday, September 11:

Early Games:

Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay Bucs, 1 p.m. FOX -- Chris Myers, Tim Ryan
Atlanta Falcons @ Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Philadelphia Eagles @ St. Louis Rams, 1 p.m. FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. CBS -- TBD
Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. CBS -- TBD
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans, 1 p.m. CBS -- TBD
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. CBS -- TBD

Late Games:

New York Giants @ Washington Redskins, 4:15 p.m. FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:15 p.m. FOX -- Dick Stockton, John Lynch
Minnesota Vikings @ San Diego Chargers, 4:15 p.m. FOX -- Ron Pitts, Jim Mora Jr
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:15 p.m. FOX -- Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Jets, 8:20 p.m. NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya

Monday, September 12:


New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m. ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber
Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos, 10 p.m. ESPN -- TBD

Also, does anybody know whose doing tonight's Bucs-Chiefs game, is it Albert group or Buck-Aikman and hear Buck complain about being there.

That's a good question, Reents. You would think it would be Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver, given the fact it is a preseason game that FOX Sports HD airs at 7p tonight. Then again, Kenny Albert's on "MLB on FOX" duty tomorrow.

Kenny, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal, bow tie and all, will be at Yankee Stadium tomorrow for the network's feature game, Evan Longoria and the Rays vs. Robinson Cano and the Yankees in the Bronx, says the506.com. According to the listing in the Sun-Times today, FOX is giving us Neil Walker and the Pirates vs. Ryan Braun and the red hot Brewers at Milwaukee's Miller Park come 3:10p tomorrow. Josh Lewin and Mark Grace provide the descriptions for that game.

Stop talking to yourself SHARK

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It turned out Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, not Mark Grace, worked the Pirates/Brewers' snoozer Saturday afternoon at Miller Park with Josh Lewin on "MLB on FOX". BOOORRRING!!!