ABC'S NFL "MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" PRE-SEASON SPECIAL: ST. LOUIS RAMS VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS LIVE MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 8:00 P.M., ET

ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

ABC Sports continues its 35th anniversary season of "Monday Night Football" with a pre-season special, as Priest Holmes and the Kansas City Chiefs host Marshall Faulk and the St. Louis Rams in a battle of the NFL's highest-scoring offenses. Coverage for ABC's NFL "Monday Night Football" begins MONDAY, AUGUST 23 (8:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

The third and final game in ABC's pre-season coverage will see Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys host NFL co-MVP Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans on MONDAY, AUGUST 30 (8:00 p.m., ET). This will be the first time that Cowboys RB Eddie George will face his former team.

The 2004 MNF regular season campaign begins with the opening NFL game of the season, as the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 (9:00 p.m., ET). The 2003 schedule continues on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, as the NFC champion Carolina Panthers open their season hosting Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

COMMENTATORS:
Emmy Award-winning announcer Al Michaels returns for his 19th consecutive season as the play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football." Michaels, one of television's most respected journalists, has appeared on live, primetime, over-the-air television more than anyone in the history of the medium, with the approximate total number of hours now approaching 2,000.

Joining him for his third season on MNF is the legendary John Madden. Madden recently won his unprecedented 14th Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality/Sports Event Analyst.

New to the MNF team this year is sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, who has been the courtside reporter for ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals the last two seasons.

ST. LOUIS RAMS VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS:
Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and the St. Louis Rams will bring 'The Greatest Show on Turf' to Arrowhead Stadium to face the NFL's most exciting team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the latest edition of the Governor's Cup. This match-up of the NFL's best offenses features a combined 10 offensive players selected from last season's Pro Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs, with Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez and Dante Hall, started last season 9-0 and finished with a 13-3 record, winning the AFC West. Despite a shaky defense, the Chiefs' spectacular offense and special teams enable them to outscore most other teams and make them not only crowd-pleasers but Super Bowl contenders. This season the Chiefs are poised for a Super Bowl run, as Coach Dick Vermeil feels that this Chiefs team is the best team he has ever coached. The St. Louis Rams managed a 12-4 record and an NFC West title last year, despite injuries to star RB Marshall Faulk. NFL leading receiver Torry Holt and Pro Bowl MVP QB Marc Bulger lead the Rams, whose 2003 season ended with a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to the eventual NFC champion Carolina Panthers in the first round of the playoffs. With Faulk healthy, the Rams will look to claim their first victory in the Governor's Cup.

CREDITS:
Fred Gaudelli is the producer and Drew Esocoff is the director of "Monday Night Football" coverage.