FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 12th, 2014
NOTES & QUOTES FROM NBC’s FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA – WEEK 6
“This is a serious team.” – Rodney Harrison on the Cowboys
“They demolished the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are playing the best football in the AFC North.” – Tony Dungy on the Browns
“I thought I’d never say it, but the Steelers are a finesse offense right now. I don’t even know who these guys are.” – Hines Ward
“Aaron Rodgers looks like the hero, but the Dolphins really blew it.” – Rodney Harrison on the game’s final plays
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 12, 2014 – Following are highlights from NBC’s Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports. Bob Costas opened the show live from inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Costas was joined on site by Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, NBC NFL analyst Hines Ward, and NBC Sports’ Josh Elliott.
Dan Patrick co-hosted Football Night from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1. He was joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy; two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison; Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com and NBCSN, and NFL Insider Peter King. Carolyn Manno reported from Century Link Field in Seattle, Wash., on Cowboys-Seahawks.
Costas interviewed New York Giants QB Eli Manning, while Elliott talked with Philadelphia Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America:
ON COWBOYS
Harrison: “They are serious contenders. They go into Seattle — which no one ever does — they win, they run the ball, and they completely dominate the line of scrimmage. This is a serious team.”
Dungy: “They have a great formula. They run the ball and are playing tremendous defense.”
http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/demarco-murray-i-have-give-credit-o-line
ON PATRIOTS
Dungy: “Last week we were asking, ‘What’s wrong with the Patriots?’ In six days, they have proved nothing is wrong with the Patriots. Tom Brady is on fire.”
ON BROWNS
Dungy: “They demolished the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are playing the best football in the AFC North.”
Harrison on Brian Hoyer: “I’m impressed with his mental toughness. The way he handled the Johnny Manziel situation, all the distractions. He’s staying aggressive. He’s taking shots down the field and not looking over his shoulder.”
Florio on QB debate: “They have to decide for 2015, is it going to be Hoyer or is it going to be Manziel? The longer they wait, the more expensive it is going to get if Hoyer continues to play like he has.”
http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/brian-hoyer-becoming-qb-future-cleveland
ON STEELERS
Ward: “They’re very close to hitting that panic button…They just look like an inconsistent football team right now. The defense looks soft. Guys are just able to run the ball up and down the field. I look at their personnel; they can’t cover anybody in the secondary. Offensively, I thought I’d never say it, but the Steelers are a finesse offense right now. I don’t even know who these guys are.”
ON PACKERS-DOLPHINS
Dungy on game’s penultimate play: “We talked about situational football. Aaron Rodgers made a great play with this fake spike, but this game should be over. Cortland Finnegan is a veteran, just tackle the outside leg (which would keep the player in bounds).”
Harrison: “Just run to the sideline and force him to come back into your safety and the game is over.”
Dungy after a replay of the touchdown: “The game should have been over before that. You have to practice those situations.”
Harrison: “Aaron Rodgers looks like the hero, but the Dolphins really blew it.”
ON PANTHERS-BENGALS
Harrison: “The overtime rule is ridiculous. You have the best players on Earth fighting their hearts out for three or four hours and you walk away with a tie. But you also do a disservice to the fans, who have paid a lot of money, for parking, for food and for tickets…Somebody has to win…There’s no way the best players on the planet should walk away with a tie.”
Dungy: “I wouldn’t want to keep playing forever. These guys spent a lot of energy out there.”
http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/should-nfl-games-be-able-end-tie
ON JAGUARS-TITANS
Patrick on Jaguars: “What happened at the end of this game?”
Dungy: “People just don’t practice situational football. There were mistakes on both sides coming down the stretch…If you’re Tennessee, you can’t let them get out of bounds.”
Harrison: “But why are you attempting a 55-yard field goal? It’s third down, you’ve got 12 seconds left. Run another play and trust your young quarterback.”
Dungy: “Trust your quarterback. ‘Hey, Blake. We’re going to put you in. Do the same thing and if it’s not there, throw it away.’”
Harrison: “What’s the worst that could happen? You’re 0-5 at that point. Now you’re 0-6.”
Patrick: “Situational football here. Plus that 55-yarder, the launch angle is going to be a lot lower than if you were kicking a 45-yard field goal.”
Dungy: “You might have gotten closer. Give it a try.”
ON CARDINALS
Dungy: “Their defense is playing great football.”
Harrison: “If they can keep Carson Palmer healthy, they have a chance.”
ON CHARGERS
Dungy on Philip Rivers: “He’s playing incredible football.”
Harrison: “My biggest concern is that the Chargers defense gave up four touchdowns to a rookie quarterback.”
ON VIKINGS
Patrick on post-game comments by Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who said ‘you don’t see any of this (poor play) going on in practice’: “The reason why they don’t play like that in practice is they’re going against the Vikings in practice.”
ON GIANTS
Collinsworth on Jason Pierre-Paul: “When he is right as a pass rusher, this is a different team defensively, and we saw that last week.”
Dungy on Manning’s improved play in new offense: “He knows it better. But his young players are starting to come through for him, and he’s starting to trust those young players a little bit more.”
ON EAGLES
Collinsworth on LeSean McCoy’s performance this year in relation to OL injuries: “You can see just a slight hesitation when he’s running the football, and I think it’s cost him.”
ON PERSONAL CONDUCT
King on possible Personal Conduct Committee: “I’m told that the NFL is considering putting ex-players on that committee.”
Florio on player appeals: “One potential sticking point that could relate to the Commissioner’s power. There’s an idea out there that Commissioner Goodell would give up his current authority to make the initial decision when it comes to player discipline, but still maintain the ability to handle the appeal hearing. I’m told the NFL Players Association would never agree to an outcome where Roger Goodell still has final say of the appeals process.”
ELI MANNING WITH BOB COSTAS
On the transition from working with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride to working with Ben McAdoo: “It was difficult in the spring and even in training camp. I just had to try to forget the old offense… I don’t want to bring up old tendencies or old thoughts; I get in trouble that way. It’s been a grind and a lot of work, but I’ve enjoyed it.”
On Odell Beckham, who attended his high school: “Odell is a good kid. He has worked hard. I’ve known him for a long time. He was a sophomore in high school, and Peyton and I were back in New Orleans doing something and we wanted to go throw some routes. We called our high school coach and said, ‘Hey, can you send over a few receivers to the high school?’”
Bob Costas: “…And he said ‘Hey, I’m going to send you a guy that’s going to be in the league someday.’”
Manning: “Exactly. Out of four or five guys, Odell was at a different level.”
On the trash-talking between the Giants and Eagles this week, and a parody video made by Eagles’ fan Bradley Cooper: “I like to do my talking on the field and let the game be played. Sometimes it builds some good drama. You get a little back and forth. We try to use that to motivate us. I’m sure the Eagles are using some of the things that we’ve said to motivate them. But for this game, I don’t think you need a whole lot of talking. I think both teams know what we feel about each other and how important this game is. We hope we can back it up with our play Sunday night.”
http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/eli-manning-sits-down-bob-costas
JEREMY MACLIN WITH JOSH ELLIOTT
NOTE: Tonight’s episode of Football Night includes a feature piece on Philadelphia Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin, who at 15 years old went to live with his youth football coach Jeff Parres and his family when Maclin’s single-mother struggled to make ends meet. The piece shows how living with the Parres family positively shaped Maclin’s future.
Maclin on living with the Parres family: “I learned a lot of things growing up. I learned a lot of life lessons, but I think for me to get to where I am now, that was the turning point. It was the family dinner with everybody sitting down together, I wasn’t used to that. It was mom checking homework and dad going to work. I wasn’t used to that.”
On how much his biological mother remained in his life: “A lot. My mom was still very much a part of my life. I think for my mom to let her son go and live with somebody else in order for him to achieve what he wanted to achieve, that’s heroic.”
On the importance of family: “Everything you do in life is so much more enjoyable when you have family members to enjoy it with. Without family, which is my family and the Parres’, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
—FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA—
