Fran’s preview of selected games this weekend:

COLLEGE
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators

PRO
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

Fran’s preview of selected games this weekend:

COLLEGE
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

PRO
Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys
Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Fran’s preview of this weekend’s games:

Minnesota Vikings vs. Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants vs New Orleans Saints
Chicago Bears vs http://www.atlantafalcons.com/
Georgia Bulldogs vs Vanderbilt Commodores
Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech
Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Longhorns

Fran’s continuing to be interviewed about his new book, Every Day is Game Day. You may want to catch some of Fran Tarkenton’s interviews this week. See details below:

Wednesday, October 14, 2009:

LIVE Telephone Radio Interview
Interview Time: 4:00 PM ET
Station: 1140 KHTK-AM
Show: “The Jim Kozimor Show”
Hosts: Jim Kozimor
Show Description: With his Midwest upbringing, “Koz” knows there’s more to life than scores and stats. “The Jim Kozimor Show”
is a daily slice of life inside and outside of the games.

Thursday, October 15, 2009:

2nd Radio Tour with ABC Radio Network Stations (all times TBD):
WBZ RADIO - Boston, MA
KEX RADIO - PORTLAND OR
KBOT RADIO - Detroit Lakes, MN
KWNG RADIO - Red Wing, MN
WDUN RADIO - Gainesville, GA
WXZZ RADIO - Lexington, Kentucky
WHWK RADIO - Binghamton NY
WKKX RADIO - Wheeling, WV
WCSX RADIO - Detroit, MI
KIBZ RADIO - Lincoln, Nebraska
WKLH RADIO - Milwaukee, WI
KFMA RADIO - Tucson, AZ
KCAL RADIO - Redlands, CA
WQBW/WZEE RADIO - Greenfield, WI
WRXR RADIO - Chattanooga, TN
KMOX Radio - St. Louis, MO
KZOK RADIO - Seattle, WA
KLOS RADIO - Los Angeles, CA

Friday, October 16th, 2009:

LIVE Telephone Radio Interview
Show: Morency
Outlets: Sirius/XM Radio (across North America), The Score
Television Network (across Canada)
Hosts: Gabriel Morency
Interview time: 6:00 PM ET
Audience: 12 million subscribers on Sirius radio and roughly 50,000 Canadian viewers on The Score and web

Did you watch that Monday Night Football game? Green Bay Packers - Minnesota Vikings. With all the circus that’s gone around that Brett Favre, you know, retiring not retiring, coming to Minnesota and so forth — and I’ve been very outspoken about it — it was theater at its best. I will bet you that was pretty much the highest rated Monday Night telecast every with all the theater and drama that you could want.

Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings: I played in the very first game back in 1961. In 1963 or ‘64 I played in the first game that the Vikings ever won against the Packers. So it’s a great rivalry but now it’s been made even more because Brett Favre, the icon of the Packers, is now wearing the Purple helmet and jersey of the Vikings. Tremendous controversy and a lot of feeling about whether he should or whether he shouldn’t. But here’s what happened last night.

Brett Favre looked like at 21-year old Brett Favre. He played an absolute great game. He made throws like I’ve never seen him make before. He’s got a great powerful arm and the ability to make all the throws. He made all the throws. He made great decisions. He played an absolute sensational game in the 30 - 23 victory over his old team, the Packers.

At the same time, Aaron Rodgers was at least equally as good because he got sacked 8 times. He had injuries in the offensive line going into the game and injuries in the offensive line coming out of the game. If you get sacked 8 times, that means your offense is just not functioning. You don’t have time to throw the ball. He threw the ball for over 380 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was a magnificent performance by Aaron Rodgers.

So kudos to both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. They put on a show. They gave their teams chances to win and the Vikings won. It was the the last game that Brett Favre will play in the 30’s — he’s now turning 40. I don’t think anybody in the history of football that was his age has ever had that kind of game. He’s back to the fountain of youth. If he continues to play that way — I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t — the Vikings are serious contenders to go to the Super Bowl this year.

Go Vikes!

Hear Fran interviewed on ESPN and on Fox Business Network tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7. He will be talking sports and promoting his new book, “Every Day is Game Day.”

All Times Listed are Eastern Time and approximate:

LIVE at 1:10 pm-The Herd (ESPN Radio also shown on ESPNU TV)

LIVE at 2:10 pm-ESPNews

LIVE at 2:40 pm-Scott Van Pelt (ESPN Radio)

LIVE at 7:30 pm - Fox Business Network on “America’s Nightly Scoreboard” with David Asman.

Also, look for Fran’s appearance on these channels. He is pre-taping these appearances tomorrow:

ESPN Digital Media
ESPN.Com Chat (15 minute chat)
NFL LIVE on ESPN
Outside The Lines on ESPN
The Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio

Schedule subject to change without notice.

Yesterday, Peyton Manning tied my record of touchdown passes of 342 touchdown passes in his career. I set that record a lot of years ago. It stayed for about 15 or 16 years and it was broken later by Dan Marino and then Brett Favre broke Marino’s record. Peyton Manning, one of my very favorites, tied it yesterday.

I wrote Peyton a note today, and I congratulated him on 342 touchdown passes and told him he’ll go on to set the record of touchdown passes and I believe Peyton Manning will go on to be known as the greatest quarterback that ever lived. And I think he deserves it. He has absolutely handled himself as good as a person can handle it. This year he’s off to his best start. He’s got a new coach. He’s got new receivers. It makes no difference because Peyton Manning is all about team. He’s just a consummate professional, handles himself great but he comes from great stock.

His dad, Archie Manning, I played against in pro football, and Archie also played at Ole Miss. Archie was certainly one of the greatest — if not the greatest — college quarterbacks that ever played. He was s big strapping tall guy 6′ 4″. He could throw it on the run. He could run. Different kind of quarterback than Peyton and Eli. He really had great great running ability as well as could throw the ball. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t play on a good team in pro football.

He played for the old New Orleans Saints. It kind of speaks to something that’s important for all quarterbacks. We cannot be great quarterbacks if we don’t have great teammates, great coaches and stable organizations. He just didn’t have that in New Orleans. And so he couldn’t set the records that his sons are setting but he was every bit as good. But he’s been a great father and a great role model and a great mentor to Peyton and to Eli and now in this family that’s just amazing.

You’ve got Eli who’s now, I think, coming to the top rung of pro quarterbacks. He is now matured. He is a great great player. And he compares with the great ones playing today and he’ll probably go after Peyton’s records too.

What an extraordinary family and the rock of it is their mother who has been the solid foundation for the boys and for Archie and she’s just a wonderful lady. As I told Peyton in the note I wrote to him that your mom, Olivia, has just been the rock.

A toast to the great Manning family: Boy, they just do it right. Great great production from the sons and the father in his day and they just are thorough professionals and they handle themselves well and they are great role models for everybody.

Peyton, go get the rest of the records, buddy!

Fran’s preview of this weekend’s games:

LSU Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs
New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers