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57-462: Sports USA began broadcasting NFL games in 2002 . The company broadcasts two games every Sunday during the NFL regular season for a total of 36 games. Sports USA broadcasts at least one major college football game every Saturday during the college football season. In addition, Sports USA periodically broadcasts a Thursday night match up, along with select bowl games . In February 2021, Sports USA reached

114-433: A color analyst on CBS 's NFL coverage in 1981 and 1982. In the early 1980s, when producers/creators Glen and Les Charles and James Burrows were developing the soon-to-be hit sitcom Cheers , Dryer and two other actors were considered for the role of lead character Sam Malone . Ted Danson ultimately won the role, but Dryer appeared in episodes as a sportscaster and Sam's former Red Sox teammate Dave Richards in

171-563: A deal with NBC Sports , which was phasing out of both radio and hockey, to take over its rights to national radio broadcasts of the National Hockey League . That season , it aired two outdoor games, selected early round playoff games, and all games from the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Finals. Later in 2021, Sports USA renewed its rights until the 2024-25 season. Unlike other league's major championship coverage, this coverage

228-664: A few teams before the Reebok deal, challenged the NFL in court over Reebok's exclusive deal, with the NFL effectively stating that it was a " single-entity league " instead of a group consisting of various owners. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States . In 2009, the Supreme Court agreed to hear American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League . In 2010,

285-421: A fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend , the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth-seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received a first-round bye . In the second round, the divisional playoffs ,

342-659: A game between the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field ended in a 34–34 tie, the first NFL tie game since November 23, 1997 , when the New York Giants and Washington Redskins ended in a 7–7 draw. No more games would end in a tie until 2008 . With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the teams were realigned into eight divisions: four teams in each division and four divisions in each conference. The league tried to maintain historical rivalries from

399-431: A game from 1973. Dryer is also now a spokesman for the law service Injury Solutions. He starred in the drag racing film Snake & Mongoose , which depicts the rivalry between drivers Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen and their groundbreaking accomplishments in the world of drag racing. Dryer played "Ed Donovan", McEwen's engine builder, who coined the nickname "Mongoose". Dryer appeared in

456-521: A host of others. Snakes Takes with Jake Plummer is a weekly podcast hosted by former Pro Bowl quarterback who played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. Jake Plummer is currently an NFL game analyst on Sports USA's Sunday Doubleheader package as well as a college football analyst on the Pac-12 Network . The Fred Dryer Show is a weekly podcast hosted by

513-452: A multi-year contract with the Rams. In his first year with the Rams, he backed up left defensive end Jack Youngblood making only four starts but playing in every game despite a broken hand and broken nose. His primary role in 1972 was to come in on likely passing downs and rush the passer. He had 40 tackles (17 solo) and 4½ sacks. In 1973, Dryer started all 14 games on the right side and became

570-402: A neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference. The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season: Reebok took over the contract to be the official athletic supplier to the NFL for all 32 teams' uniforms. Previously, all teams had individual contracts with athletic suppliers. American Needle , which had a contract with

627-519: A starting job as a rookie. He was the starting right defensive end from 1969 through 1971. Although the NFL did not officially recognize quarterback sacks until 1982, teams did record their own sack data for the time. As such, he led the team in sacks each of those three seasons with 8½ in 1969, 12 in 1970 and 8½ in 1971. He was among the defensive leaders in other categories as well. In 1969, he tallied 58 tackles (39 solo), six passes deflected and forced two fumbles, recovering both. The next season, Dryer

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684-619: A successful career as a film and television actor, notably starring in the series Hunter , with his height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and physique proving useful for action roles. Fred Dryer was born and raised in Southern California . His parents were Charles F. Dryer and Genevieve Nell (née Clark) Dryer. He played football at Lawndale High School in Lawndale, California . Dryer attended El Camino Junior College before transferring to San Diego State University (SDSU) . Dryer

741-427: A two-man booth, dropping the network's experiment with Micheals, Dan Fouts , and comedian Dennis Miller on MNF . Joe Buck , Troy Aikman , and Cris Collinsworth replaced Summerall and Madden as Fox's new lead broadcast team. The network opted to leave Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston as Fox's #2 team in a two-man booth, and not find a replacement for Aikman there. To replace Collinsworth on Fox NFL Sunday ,

798-493: Is an American actor, radio host, and former professional football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 years, participating in 176 games starting in 1969 until his retirement in 1981. He recorded 103 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams . He is the only NFL player to score two safeties in one game. Following his retirement from football, Dryer had

855-493: Is handled by Westwood One . Sports USA has a large list of announcers for its football coverage. Play-by play announcers include the network's founder and former USC Trojans football broadcaster Larry Kahn, Anaheim Ducks broadcaster John Ahlers , FOX Sports announcer Adam Amin , former USC Trojans football and Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson , former Colorado head coach Gary Barnett , former ABC announcer and quarterback Dan Fouts (Fouts also splits time with

912-626: Is not exclusive and stations that are affiliated with the participating Stanley Cup Finals team's radio networks will be allowed to carry and stream coverage. Sports USA Media also carries the Little League World Series , NFL Draft and horse racing from the Horse Racing Radio Network . HRRN also produces the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing ( Kentucky Derby , Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes ); however distribution

969-631: The NFL on CBS ), Ross Tucker , Golden State Warriors announcer Bob Fitzgerald , former USFL defensive back Troy West , and Eli Gold (voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide , perhaps better known nationally for his work on NASCAR ). Analysts include former Chicago Bears safety Doug Plank , former Indianapolis Colts tight end and ESPN , studio and game analyst Charles Arbuckle , and Anaheim Ducks color commentator Brian Hayward . Veteran Los Angeles reporter and broadcaster for KFWB Ted Sobel acts as

1026-544: The College Football Hall of Fame and is one of only three Aztecs in the collegiate Hall of Fame. When voted into the San Diego Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, he joined athletes such as Ted Williams , Dan Fouts , Dave Winfield , and Tony Gwynn in receiving the preeminent recognition for a San Diego athlete. Dryer was selected in the first round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft by the New York Giants and won

1083-483: The episodes Sam at Eleven , Old Flames , Love Thy Neighbor , and ' I' On Sports . He appeared on CHiPs as Lt. John LeGarre in the Season 5 episode Force Seven , about a secret LAPD unit implemented for special situations. Dryer's best-known acting role came in the 1980s television crime drama Hunter , in which he co-starred with Stepfanie Kramer , followed by Darlanne Fluegel , then Lauren Lane . He starred in

1140-420: The new scheduling formula , only two of a team's games each season are based on the previous season's record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games. An analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upward for top teams since this change; the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously. The playoff format was also modified from

1197-526: The 1970s. In January 1981, Dryer made the cover of Interview magazine , published by Andy Warhol from the late 1960s through the early 1990s and was considered the very essence of "magazine chic". In 2003 the NFL Alumni presented Dryer with its Career Achievement Award which is presented to former NFL players "For Getting to the Top of His Field". Dryer's record-setting game on October 21, 1973, at Los Angeles

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1254-507: The 20-yard TD interception. After 1975, rule changes affecting the offensive line hindered Dryer because of his small frame. He had a 55-tackle, five-sack season (33 solo) in 1976. He did deflect two passes and forced three fumbles to lead his team. In 1977, Dryer adopted a new diet and was winning praises from NFL sportswriters for the start he had. He recorded 35 tackles (28 solo) and six sacks. He also knocked down four passes, recovered three fumbles and caused one fumble. The next season, 1978

1311-685: The Aztecs topped both the Associated Press and United Press International polls as #1. In 1968 San Diego State was voted the champions by UPI and North Dakota State University topped the AP poll, and thus the two schools shared the College Division title. Dryer was voted the outstanding defensive lineman on the team and as such was the recipient of the Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy. One of Dryer's teammates

1368-753: The NBC series Crisis in 2014. In 2015, Dryer joined the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he played the evil HYDRA leader, Octavian Bloom, in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. On October 23, 2018, he played a Vietnam veteran on the CBS show NCIS . Dryer has had a long interest in nutrition . In the late 1970s Dryer was consuming 70 raw egg yolks a week. He has since excluded red meat from his diet and eats chicken and vegetables. He married actress and Playboy centerfold Tracy Vaccaro in May 1983;

1425-479: The NFL's championship match, then-editor Dick Schaap hired Dryer and Rams teammate Lance Rentzel for this journalistic assignment. Donning costumes inspired by The Front Page , "Scoops Brannigan" (Dryer) and "Cubby O'Switzer" (Rentzel) peppered players and coaches from both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings with questions that ranged from clichéd to downright absurd. He briefly served as

1482-658: The New York Giants on October 28 of that year, Dryer recorded a career-high five sacks. At last, the Rams would finally break through and reach the Super Bowl. Dryer played in Super Bowl XIV when the Rams met the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 20, 1980. The Rams led 19–17 against the defending champions, but the Steelers scored fourteen unanswered points to win the game in the fourth quarter 31–19. The following season, Dryer split

1539-581: The Packers' offensive line and dragged backup quarterback Jim Del Gaizo down for his second safety of the game, setting an NFL record. For his efforts, Dryer was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week. Prior to the start of his show business career, Dryer helped cover Super Bowl IX for SPORT magazine. In response to the perceived grandiose and self-important nature of

1596-537: The action-thriller movie Death Before Dishonor as well as playing Mike Land in the TV series Land's End (21 episodes, 1995–1996). In 1998, he portrayed Police Chief Masters in Diagnosis: Murder . He portrayed Sgt. Rock during his appearance on Justice League . In January 2009, Dryer was seen in a cable TV commercial for SMS research company, which obliquely makes reference to his NFL record of two safeties in

1653-503: The arrival of the Texans meant that the league could return to its pre-1999 scheduling format in which no team received a bye during the first three weeks or last seven weeks of the season. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week (including the preseason) because of an odd number of teams in the league (this also happened in 1960, 1966, and other years wherein the league had an odd number of teams). It nearly became problematic during

1710-517: The conference's championship game were wild cards. This 2002 revised format lasted until 2019 . In 2020 , the number of playoff teams expanded to 14, and the number of wild card teams went back to three. The 2002 NFL draft was held from April 20 to 21, 2002 at New York City 's Theater at Madison Square Garden . With the first pick, the Houston Texans selected quarterback David Carr from Fresno State University . The 2002 NFL expansion draft

1767-485: The court ruled that the NFL is not a single entity. Reebok remained the league's athletic supplier through the 2011 NFL season , when Nike took over the contract for the 2012 NFL season . Reebok had initially announced when the deal was signed in 2000 that aside from the expansion Texans, all NFL teams would be wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season. However, after protests from several owners—most vocally Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney —Reebok later rescinded

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1824-539: The end zone. Against the Eagles that day, he chose to celebrate by "rolling six", a touchdown celebration where the player scoring rolls the ball like an imaginary pair of dice with some of his teammates looking on. He ended 1975 with 12 sacks, behind only Jack Youngblood and was voted All-NFC. Additionally, Dryer played in the 1975 Pro Bowl. Statistically, Dryer was excellent against the run with 61 tackles (39 solo) and two passes deflection, two fumbles recovered to go along with

1881-517: The former All-Pro NFL Defensive End and star of the hit television series Hunter on NBC. Ted Sobel's Excellent Sports Adventure is a weekly podcast hosted by Ted Sobel, who joined Sports USA in 2004 as a sideline reporter and studio host for NFL and college football games. Ted Sobel is the recipient of three Golden Mike Awards for his work as a sports reporter/anchor at KFWB 980 in Los Angeles. 2002 NFL season The 2002 NFL season

1938-487: The highest paid defensive lineman in pro football. The Patriots refused to meet his demands and instead dealt him to the Los Angeles Rams for a 1973 first round draft pick (which they ultimately used to select fullback Sam Cunningham ) and backup defensive end Rick Cash , four days before Dryer would have become a free agent. This trade gave Dryer what he wanted all along—a move to a West Coast team—and he agreed to

1995-677: The league's eight-year broadcast contracts with ABC , CBS , Fox , and ESPN to televise Monday Night Football , the AFC package, the NFC package, and Sunday Night Football , respectively. This was the first season since 1980 without a Pat Summerall – John Madden lead broadcast team. Although Summerall had previously announced his retirement as a full-time NFL broadcaster after the 2001 season ended, he continued to call selected games for Fox in 2002. Meanwhile, ABC hired Madden from Fox to join Al Michaels in

2052-564: The league, and he was also voted the Rams Outstanding Defensive Lineman. He was named NEA First-team and AP Second-team All-Pro and All-NFC. Statistically, he had another solid year versus the run, totaling 49 tackles (34 solo) and two forced fumbles. Dryer scored his first NFL touchdown in 1975 on a 20-yard interception return against Philadelphia . After scoring his touchdown against the Eagles, Dryer promised that if he ever scored another, he would set his hair on fire in

2109-450: The network initially used a rotating series of guest analysts before Jimmy Johnson took over the seat permanently midway through the season. Boomer Esiason and Dan Marino joined The NFL Today as analysts, while Randy Cross went back to color commentating for CBS, Mike Ditka left the program, and Jerry Glanville was a reserve color commentator from 2002 to 2003. Fred Dryer John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946)

2166-458: The network's studio host and reporter. Sports USA also produces a variety of sports podcasts . Conversations with Joe Morgan was a weekly podcast from the Cincinnati Reds late Hall of Famer and two-time World Series Champion Joe Morgan . Previous guests on Morgan's program show included the late former President George H. W. Bush , Bill Russell , Bob Costas , Charles Barkley and

2223-452: The number 1 seed hosts the worst-surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games met in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl , the championship round of the playoffs, is played at

2280-463: The old alignment while organizing the teams geographically. Legally, three teams from the AFC Central ( Cincinnati , Cleveland , and Pittsburgh ) were required to be in the same division as part of any realignment proposals; this was part of the NFL's settlement with the city of Cleveland in the wake of the 1995 Cleveland Browns relocation controversy . The major changes were: Additionally,

2337-419: The one first used in 1990 : the number of playoff teams remained the same at 12, but four division winners and two wild cards from each conference advanced to the playoffs , instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the division winners were now seeded 1 through 4, and the wild cards were seeded 5 and 6. The only way a wild card team could host a playoff game was if both teams in

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2394-519: The only NFL player ever to have two safeties in the same game by tackling opposing passers in the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. He ended the season with ten sacks, three forced fumbles with three recovered fumbles (all three were second on the top-ranked Rams defense). After the season, he was a Second-team All-NFC pick by Pro Football Weekly . He finished the season with 39 tackles (21 solo), three forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered. In 1974, he had 15 sacks, which co-led (with Youngblood)

2451-732: The previous season due to the September 11 attacks , since the San Diego Chargers had their bye week during that week and the league considered cancelling that week's slate of games before ultimately rescheduling them after Week 17. The league also introduced a new eight-year scheduling rotation designed so that all teams will play each other at least twice during those eight years, and play in every other team's stadium at least once. Under scheduling formulas in use from 1978 to 2001, there were several instances of two teams in different divisions going over 15 seasons without playing each other. Under

2508-481: The proposal. Reebok did, however (by player request to reduce holding calls), shorten the sleeves on the jerseys for teams that hadn't done so already (most players had been for the previous decade tying the sleeves tight around their arms to prevent holding) and made the jerseys tighter-fitting. This is perhaps most noticeable on the Indianapolis Colts jerseys, where the shoulder stripes, which initially went from

2565-814: The reconstruction of Soldier Field . The NFL title was won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII , at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California , on January 26, 2003. It is the last Super Bowl held in January and the last to be hosted in San Diego. This was the first season to feature the "Equipment NFL" logo on the Yoke of the jerseys. On November 10, during Week 10,

2622-466: The time at his right defensive end position with third-year player Reggie Doss . They combined for 67 tackles (Dryer 31, 20 solo) and 12 sacks (Dryer 5½, Doss 6½). Dryer ended his career with 104 career sacks, although as mentioned the statistic was not recognized until after he retired. Dryer played on a tough Los Angeles Ram defense that allowed fewer points, fewer total yards, fewer rushing yards, and sacked more quarterbacks than any other defense during

2679-814: The time the school was 1-AA. Dryer played in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco , the Hula Bowl in Honolulu and the College All-Star Game in Chicago where the college stars played the world champion New York Jets . In 1988, Dryer was inducted into the San Diego State University Aztec Hall of Fame . In 1997, Dryer received college football's ultimate honor in being voted to

2736-526: The top of the shoulders all the way underneath the arms, were truncated to just the top portion of the shoulders. Although Reebok rescinded the idea of all NFL teams wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season, the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks did redesign their uniforms, with the Seahawks also unveiling an updated logo in honor of their move to Seahawks Stadium and the NFC. This was the fifth year under

2793-583: Was Carl Weathers , who played Apollo Creed in the first four films of the Rocky series. In 1967, the Aztecs allowed 12.9 points a game on defense, which is still ninth in program history. In 1967 and 1968, the Aztec run defense allowed just 80.1 and 100.1 yards per game, still fourth and fifth, respectively in school history after over half a century. Dryer was named to the Little All-America team in 1968 since at

2850-401: Was a 24–7 win over Green Bay. Down 20–7 in the fourth quarter, the Packers found themselves deep in their own territory when Dryer came storming in from the right side of the defense and chased down Green Bay quarterback Scott Hunter , dropping him in the end zone for a safety . On the Packers' following possession near their own goal line, Dryer attacked again. He looped through the middle of

2907-435: Was amended in 2015 to allow a roof to be opened or closed at halftime, at the home team's discretion. Within each conference, the four division winners and the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5–6. The NFL does not use

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2964-529: Was an alternate to the Pro Bowl but could not play due to a bruised hip. He was Second-team All-NFC after recording 59 tackles (43 solo) four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, while recovering two to go along with his 12 sacks. In 1971, he again led the team with 8½ sacks, and totaled 52 tackles (33 solo). He deflected two passes, forced two more fumbles and recovered two for the third consecutive season. After several run-ins with Giants management in 1971, Dryer

3021-462: Was held on February 18, 2002. 155 players were left unprotected by their teams for the Houston Texans to select to fill their initial roster. With the first overall pick, the Texans selected offensive tackle Tony Boselli from the Jacksonville Jaguars . Also, with the opening of the NFL's first stadium with a retractable roof , Reliant Stadium , the following rules were enacted: This rule

3078-712: Was inducted to the El Camino Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 as a charter member and was the Athlete of the Year for his 1966 performance on the football field. Dryer was also a 1966 Junior College All-American . During Dryer's junior and senior seasons at San Diego State, in which he lettered both seasons, the Aztecs had a combined record of 19–1–1. They were the College Division National Champions in both seasons. In 1967,

3135-437: Was much of the same. Dryer was the starting right defensive end on the NFL's #1 defense. Personally, he had 51 tackles (33 solo) and forced two fumbles, recovered three, blocked a kick and blocked one pass as the Rams went 12-4 and won their sixth straight division title. In 1979, Dryer would be named an honorable mention All-NFC after recording 49 tackles (31 solo), ten sacks, and three forced fumbles (with one recovery). Against

3192-506: Was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The league went back to an even number of teams with the addition of the Houston Texans ; the league has remained static with 32 teams since. The clubs were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each. Also, the Chicago Bears played their home games in 2002 in Champaign, Illinois , at Memorial Stadium because of

3249-591: Was traded to the New England Patriots in February 1972 for three draft choices (a first and a sixth in 1972 ; a second in 1973 ). The Giants used the first round pick to select defensive back Eldridge Small . Because Dryer had not signed a contract for the 1971 season, he was eligible to become a free agent in May 1972. He refused to report to the Patriots unless they signed him to a long-term contract making him

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