THIRD SEASON OF NFL FILMS’ THE TIMELINE PREMIERES THURSDAY ON NFL NETWORK
‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ Premieres Following Rams-49ers on ‘Thursday Night Football’
One-Hour Show Examines Rams’ Record Breaking Offense From 1999-2001
“It’s the best offense that the NFL has ever seen and we ushered in a new era of football that everybody is playing now.” – Kurt Warner
The third season of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated documentary series The Timeline from NFL Films premieres Thursday, September 21 following the Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco 49ers Thursday Night Football game on NFL Network with The Greatest Show on Turf, telling the story of the St. Louis Rams’ record breaking offense that pushed the team to two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory from 1999-2001.
Narrated by actor Michael Ironside, The Greatest Show on Turf examines the high-powered offense of the Rams from 1999-2001 which revolutionized the NFL. The one-hour show features sitdown interviews with former Rams players Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holtand Isaac Bruce, as well as former Rams coaches Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz.
Among the topics discussed in The Greatest Show on Turf are:
- Dick Vermeil naming Mike Martz offensive coordinator and signing quarterback Trent Green in free agency
- Kurt Warner taking over as the Rams’ starting quarterback following the injury to Trent Green and leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title
- Isaac Bruce injuring his hamstring in pregame warmups prior to the Rams’ first playoff game in 1999
- ESPN’s Chris Berman giving the Rams the nickname of “The Greatest Show on Turf”
- Facing the New England Patriots in Week 10 of the 2001 NFL regular season and in Super Bowl XXXVI
The Greatest Show on Turf includes interviews with the following people:
Kurt Warner – Rams quarterback
Marshall Faulk – Rams running back
Torry Holt – Rams wide receiver
Isaac Bruce – Rams wide receiver
Dick Vermeil – Rams head coach
Mike Martz – Rams offensive coordinator & head coach
Trent Green – Rams quarterback
Steve Savard – Former play-by-play announcer
Provided below are some select quotes from The Greatest Show on Turf:
– “I still believe that collection of talent and what we accomplished consistently as the Greatest Show on Turf, that it’s the best offense that the NFL has ever seen and we ushered in a new era of football that everybody is playing now.” – Kurt Warner
– “I think the 2001 team was better than the ‘99 team. We were just scratching the surface in ’99. The 2001 team, we embarrassed some teams.” – Marshall Faulk
– “We weren’t smarter than anybody else, we weren’t any better coaches than anybody else – we just weren’t afraid to try new things basically is what it comes down to.” – Mike Martz
– “You could come watch our team and you could leave every time with a different highlight in your head, a different moment where you said, ‘That guy is the best part of that team.’ And then you put it all together and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.” – Kurt Warner
– “Nobody, in my opinion, in the history of the league came into an organization and made the contribution [Mike Martz] made.” – Dick Vermeil
Airing throughout the 2017 season, The Timeline chronicles seminal moments that formed the NFL’s storied past, shape the present and, in some cases, set the stage for the future. Among the subjects featured this season are:
- The Tuck Rule (Thursday, October 5) – The story behind the controversial call that secured a playoff victory for the Patriots in a season that ended with a New England Super Bowl win. Former Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and entertainer Ice Cube are featured in the episode
- The ’91 Falcons (Thursday, December 7) – Chronicles the exciting season of the 1991 Atlanta Falcons which head coach Jerry Glanville called “the most fun team ever in pro football.” Pro Football Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Brett Favre, and hip-hop artist T.I. are interviewed
- The Ice Bowl (December; Exact Date TBD) – Explores the most memorable cold weather playoff game in sports history that featured the face-off of two legendary teams: the Dallas Cowboys, led by Tom Landry, and the Green Bay Packers, led by Vince Lombardi
- The Helmet Catch (Super Bowl Week; Exact Date TBD) – The story of the moment that New York Giants receiver David Tyree secured a seemingly uncatchable pass that thwarted the New England Patriots’ chance at a perfect season that was set to end in a Super Bowl victory. Tyree and Giants quarterback Eli Manning appear in the episode to discuss how this play changed their careers
To view the trailer for this season of The Timeline, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxSHdf5U_GI
Each episode of The Timeline – as well as all NFL Network programming – is streamed live on smartphones through NFL Mobile from Verizon, and via Watch NFL Network on tablet (NFL Mobile, Watch NFL Network and NFL on Windows 10 apps), PC (NFL.com/watch), Xbox One and Xbox 360 (NFL on Xbox app) and other connected TV devices (NFL app on Apple TV, PlayStation 4, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV).