FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 13th, 2013

NOTES & QUOTES FROM “FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” — WEEK 6

“You’re going to see more of these with the way the rules are, low hits by the DBs.” – Tony Dungy on injury to Packers WR Randall Cobb

 “He might be the best defensive player in the game, outside of J. J. Watt.” – Rodney Harrison on Seahawks S Earl Thomas

 “You’re playing at home, you know your quarterback is under siege, you’ve got to step up and nobody did.” – Dungy on Texans

NEW YORK – Oct. 13, 2013 – Following are highlights for Football Night in America, the most-watched pre-game show in sports. Bob Costas opened the show live from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys are hosting the Washington Redskins. Costas was joined on-site by Sunday Night Football commentators Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst).

Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from famous Studio 8H at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios in New York City. He is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy; two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison; Peter King of Sports Illustrated; Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSports.com and NBCSN; and Scott Pioli, the former NFL Executive of the Year and newest addition to the NBC NFL team. Carolynn Manno reported from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on the Saints-Patriots game.

Hines Ward did not appear on Football Night because he competed yesterday in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. In response to a text sent by Florio (and read by Costas) about when he will next compete in the Ironman, Ward texted, “Never.”

Following are highlights from Football Night in America:

ON PATRIOTS

Harrison: “You can’t give the ball to Tom Brady three times inside three minutes and expect him not to beat you.”

ON SAINTS

Dungy on game-losing TD: “The defense let them down…This is just not good, sound defense.”

Harrison on game-losing TD: “It’s just not smart defense.”

ON SEAHAWKS

Harrison: “They had a great pass rush, but the secondary is definitely a beneficiary of that pass rush. Richard Sherman, interception, he is the best cornerback in the league…Earl Thomas, the free safety, he might be the best defensive player in the game, outside of J. J. Watt.”

ON PACKERS

Dungy on Randall Cobb’s injury: “You’re going to see more of these with the way the rules are, low hits by the DBs.”

ON CHIEFS

Dungy: “They had good players last year, they just never had the lead. This year, with Andy Reid and Jamaal Charles running the ball, they’re getting the leads. In the second half, that defense can tee off and create pressure…They’re playing great defense.”

ON BRONCOS

Patrick: “Peyton struggled today.”

Dungy on Jaguars defense: “These guys were able to get pressure without blitzing.”

ON JAGUARS

Patrick: “Moral victory?”

ON TEXANS

Dungy: “Everybody wanted to point the finger at (Matt) Schaub these last couple of weeks. But this week, you’re playing at home, you know your quarterback is under siege, you’ve got to step up and nobody did…This was a team loss.”

ON STEELERS

Harrison: “They showed flashes of the old Pittsburgh Steelers defense.”

ON BROWNS

Patrick on Travis Benjamin: “This is like Josh Cribbs 2.0.”

ON COWBOYS

Collinsworth on Jerry Jones’ comment about last week being a moral victory: “I do think that he loves seeing his quarterback match throw for throw with Peyton Manning and that great offense and point for point until the very end. I also think that Jerry Jones is a pretty smart guy and when he sees that his quarterback is going to be under siege for throwing that last interception, what does he do? He comes out and said things like, ‘it’s his best game,’ ‘it’s a moral victory.’ So now, some of the headlines the next day are talking about Jerry Jones and what he said instead of his quarterback’s interception.”

ON REDSKINS

Patrick to Harrison: “You had the same knee surgery (as RGIII) and it took two years before you didn’t think about it when you played?”

Harrison: “Correct.”

ON REDSKINS NAME

Florio: “The next tangible event will be a meeting between the NFL and the Oneida Indian Nation tentatively set for November 22, but efforts are underway to accelerate that meeting.”

ON MINORITY COACHES

King: “A lot of criticism last January when all 15 head coach and general manager hires were white. The NFL formed an eight-man committee that had its first meeting in New York last Thursday to address the issue. And on that committee, our Tony Dungy.”

ON NFL DRAFT

King: “We’ve assumed all along that the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft would either be the pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney or the quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. But not so fast. (I) talked to two quarterback-needy teams over the weekend who really love Marcus Mariota of Oregon. He’s going to be draft eligible, so stay tuned.”

ON TRADE DEADLINE

Pioli trade activity: “Teams that might be involved, the New England Patriots, who’ve been looking for a wide receiver, and now with today’s events, I think that the Green Bay Packers might be in the market for a receiver as well. You look at Hakeem Nicks, who is in the last year of his contract with the New York Giants, who are 0-6, and you also have to look at Emmanuel Sanders, who, during the off season, he was signed to an offer sheet by the Patriots. Those might be two names that might be moving.”

INTERVIEW: Below are excerpts from Costas’ interviews with Ware and Garcon.

DEMARCUS WARE WITH BOB COSTAS

On Monte Kiffin saying the defense lost last week’s game vs. Denver: “I feel the same way. If the offense is going to put up 48 points, you’ve got to win the game no matter if someone throws an interception at the end of the game or how someone plays in the last two minutes. We preach finish.”

On if there are any moral victories: “No. At the end of the day, an L is an L and a W is a W. We lost that game. There aren’t any moral victories. When we lose, we lose and it hurts. You have to find some way to fight back, and we’re going to do that this week.”

On recovering from Broncos game: “What are we going to do this week? We’ve got a divisional opponent coming here this week; a late-night game, and you’re playing the Washington Redskins. So, (we) have an opportunity to put the smack down. We gotta get it done.”

Click here to watch the interview: http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/ware-ready-put-smack-down-washington

PIERRE GARCON WITH BOB COSTAS

On which DB he’s looking forward to playing against: “All of them. Every play is an opportunity to make a play. It’s a matchup. It’s a battle.”

On having a bounce in his step: “I’m enjoying it. I’m enjoying life. It took a lot of hard work to get here. I come from D-III where not too many guys make it here. I’m representing those guys and I’m giving them effort.”

On his excitement to play tonight: “The energy is crazy. The blood’s flowing, and everything’s going. There’s just so much intensity going when I’m out there, sometimes I tire myself out just by being so excited.”

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA