The Monday Night Football/NFL Studio Shows session started with terrific Sunday NFL Countdown promos featuring Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and a host of other ESPN personalities. Very funny!

Jay Rothman (Sr. coordinating producer, MNF); Stephanie Druley (Sr. coordinating producer, NFL Studio shows); analysts Trent Dilfer and Tom Jackson were on hand to discuss the upcoming 40^th season of Monday Night Football, NFL studio shows and the upcoming season  during this morning’s session at the ESPN Media Workshop.

Druley gave a detailed rundown of ESPN’s NFL studio shows such as Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. NFL Insider Adam Schefter will appear on the aforementioned programs. In addition, Druley said football analyst Matt Millen will appear alongside Stuart Scott and analyst Steve Young on Monday Night Countdown.

“We don’t miss a game.” -and- “This will be our most comprehensive insider segment on television.” - Druley on Sunday NFL Countdown

Dilfer, who won the Super Bowl in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens, gave his thoughts on key story lines of the upcoming MNF season and the nuances of the quarterback position. Dilfer said there are more quarterbacks in the NFL league that can handle the complexities of the game.

“When we start watching these [Monday Night] games, the hair still stands up on my arms because I don’t have any on my head.” - Dilfer

Jackson shared his thoughts on the story lines involving quarterbacks Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) and Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings). Jackson said Favre succeeding is the better story but he doesn’t believe Favre can do it.

“He eventually could be the greatest story of redemption that ever lived.” – Jackson on Vick

Additionally, Jackson shared his thoughts on NFL PrimeTime and his relationship with longtime ESPN commentator Chris Berman.

“I thought that the simplest, purest form of talking football was when Chris and I were doing PrimeTime.” – Jackson

Rothman discussed MNF’s new booth lineup, Frank Gifford — the thread through 40 years of MNF, and his role this season — and the focus on football during the telecast.

“We will deliver football to fans at an unbelievably high level.” - Rothman on MNF presentation.

Some questions from the room answered:

Q - What are your thoughts on expanding to a 17 or 18-game NFL schedule?

A -  Jackson: If you’re actually a player and preparing to take a punishment … I’m not in favor of adding more games to a 16-game schedule.

Q - Do you have a Plan B if Jon Gruden goes back to the NFL?

A -  Rothman: I’m not worried about Jon. Jon wants to be great at this and is loving the experience.  He’s fired up I’m not worried about him walking out the door. We’re just getting better each week.

On Wednesday’s edition of SportsNation (weekdays, 4-5 p.m. ET, ESPN2), co-host Colin Cowherd was surprisingly passionate in his argument that newly annointed Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre has lost the luster that formerly made him synonymous with Wrangler Jeans.

SportsNation debated who is the better pitchman for Wrangler: Favre or NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr.

So passionate was Cowherd’s case (and impersonation of a whining celebrity), he went so far as to say that Favre is a former everyman and now more like Lindsay Lohan, unable to pick a side.

“Dale’s tough. Dale’s a guy’s guy,” he said. “Dale’s not a flippy, floppy guy. Brett Favre used to be everyman — he has literally turned off football fans.”

To Colin’s dismay, sports fans do not agree. SportsNation (and co-host Michelle Beadle) voted for Favre as the better Wrangler pitchman, 64% to Dale Jr.’s 36%. In the end, Colin attempted to show off his own appeal as a Wrangler man. View the segment of the show here.

Suzy Kolber is known for her sharp NFL analysis and ability to convey to fans what is happening on the sidelines during Monday Night Football. But did you know that Suzy’s insight comes not only from studying NFL rosters but also from her days as a player?

At the age of 10, Kolber tried out for and made the Upper Dublin Township football team in Pennsylvania. However, her love for the game of football was quickly overshadowed by resistance from parents and opposing teams. Would Suzy fulfill her dream to play? Suzy’s story is only one of several features on ESPN’s Her Story, a one-hour special Friday, March 27, highlighting the accomplishments of young female athletes, their contributions to advancing the world of sports and the challenges facing them today.

For downloadable photos please click here.

“You never know how the experiences you are going through at a particular time, something that is really difficult and challenging, what it is going to mean later on,” Kolber said. “That whole experience mapped not just my career but my life. Who would have thought that later on, I would be out on the field with the boys and if you really want to look at it, I made the pros.”

View Suzy’s feature from Her Story:

Former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards made his television debut this afternoon as a fulltime ESPN NFL studio analyst on NFL Live with host Trey Wingo and analyst Mark Schlereth.  The former coach and longtime player, whose media interviews had become famous among fans for his unique and passionate outbursts such as, “You play to win the game,” will appear regularly on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and other platforms.

He coached the Jets from 2001-05 and was most recently with the Chiefs (2006-08).

Prior to his coaching career, Edwards was known best as the Philadelphia Eagles cornerback who in 1978, on a play dubbed ”The Miracle at the Meadowlands,” recovered a fumble by New York Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik and returned it for a touchdown in the final seconds for a 19-17 Eagles win.

Week to week, it is ESPN’s NFL Matchup divulging the inner workings of an NFL playbook. This week, however, it was also Fanhouse’s Michael David Smith going behind the scenes to provide an X’s and O’s take on the show.