FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 18th, 2019
PETER KING SPEAKS WITH LAMAR JACKSON & DISCUSSES COLIN KAEPERNICK AND MYLES GARRETT IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN; PLUS MORE FROM TIRICO, DUNGY, HARRISON, FLORIO & SIMMS EXCLUSIVELY ACROSS NBC SPORTS
“It’s no lock, but (Lamar) Jackson might have surged ahead of Russell Wilson in the MVP race.” – King
“If he shows proper remorse and works to make this right with (Mason) Rudolph and the Cleveland fan base over time, I’d lean toward allowing him back on the field for Week 1 next year.” – King on Myles Garrett’s Suspension
“I believe there is some (slight) NFL interest…Gut feeling: I bet sometime in the next six months…Kaepernick meets very quietly with a team.” – King on Colin Kaepernick
“Is anybody clearly better than what Baltimore is doing right now in this stretch? I can’t think of anybody.” – Mike Tirico on the Ravens on The Mike Tirico Podcast
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 18, 2019 – Peter King speaks with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has led Baltimore to six consecutive wins, following yesterday’s victory over the Texans in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses the full week in the NFL, including Colin Kaepernick’s workout and Myles Garrett’s suspension, and hands out his Week 11 awards.
Additionally, across NBC Sports, on The Mike Tirico Podcast, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio recap Week 11, while Florio and Chris Simms break down all of the action across the NFL on PFT Live and Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:
LAMAR JACKSON & THE RAVENS
King: “It’s no lock, but (Lamar) Jackson might have surged ahead of Russell Wilson in the MVP race…Every week it’s something with this guy. Something fun. Something exhilarating.”
King on Baltimore drafting Jackson: “One draft can change a team for 15 years; the 2018 draft probably did that for the Ravens, and it only did because their personnel leadership pushed the envelope before most front offices would have.”
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta: “We felt like there was a pretty good chance that Lamar might be there later in the first round, early part of the second round. We were willing, if we could, to trade back, trade back, accumulate capital…But, you know, it was a risk.”
DeCosta on moves during 2018 Draft to get Jackson: “We didn’t even interview Lamar at the combine because we didn’t want to be associated with him. We didn’t want rumors about us and him to start. They didn’t. We were proud of that.”
Jackson on his performance in last year’s playoffs: “It haunts me. I wanna get my team back there, and further.”
Jackson on his efforts to improve as a player: “I want to be a better practice player because everywhere I went I sucked in practice, but in a game I could show up. So I want to be a better practice player and a game player.”
COLIN KAEPERNICK
King: “(Colin Kaepernick) didn’t trust that the NFL motives were pure – inviting scouts to see him work out when the league never does it for anyone else. One…excuse…after…another. Does someone dying for a tryout place all these obstacles in front of him at age 32, and then cancel the NFL workout and move the workout to a high-school field 60 miles away, while his last chances to play in the NFL fade away more and more by the day?”
King: “You may be surprised at this, but I believe there is some (slight) NFL interest…Gut feeling: I bet sometime in the next six months (we probably will not find out about it) Kaepernick meets very quietly with a team.”
King: “One person I spoke with said he thinks three coaches would fit with Kaepernick: Frank Reich of the Colts (nothing bothers him, and he’s a good teacher), the Chiefs’ Andy Reid (signed Michael Vick out of Leavenworth, doesn’t care about fires outside his door), and Bruce Arians/Byron Leftwich in Tampa (good teachers, tough-love guys).”
MYLES GARRETT
King on Garrett: “I certainly hope he doesn’t win his appeal. My experience in two short interviews has been that he’s a thoughtful person and serious about being great at football. It appears he simply snapped.”
King: “If he shows proper remorse and works to make this right with (Mason) Rudolph and the Cleveland fan base over time, I’d lean toward allowing him back on the field for Week 1 next year.”
King on Maurkice Pouncey suspension: “The NFL I believe got this mostly right. I’d have given Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey two games instead of three…I’m quibbling about the length of suspension, but he certainly deserves it.”
King on Mason Rudolph: “I would fine Mason Rudolph but not suspend him for his role. I agree that he went overboard trying to get Garrett off him…and if that prompted Garrett to spin out of control, that’s 90 percent on Garrett, who’s got to have more self-control.”
KING’S WEEK 11 AWARDS
Offensive Players of the Week: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco, & Dak Prescott, Dallas.
King on Prescott: “Prescott has thrown for 841 yards in consecutive games, more than Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman or Tony Romo – or, for that matter, any Dallas quarterback ever – has compiled. Pay the man, Jerry.”
Defensive Players of the Week: Maxx Crosby, Oakland, Matthew Judon, Baltimore, Jamal Adams, New York Jets, & Joe Schobert, Cleveland.
King on Adams: “Adams might have played his best game as a pro Sunday in Washington. Lining up both in the box and deep, Adams was unsolvable by Washington.”
Coaches of the Week: Wink Martindale, Baltimore, & Josh McDaniels, New England.
King on McDaniels: “For hanging in there when nothing was going right…McDaniels knows with the talent gap on offense he’s going to have to pull some stuff out of his hat while new offensive pieces develop (he and Tom Brady hope).”
Read the rest of the FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of The Mike Tirico Podcast:
Mike Tirico on if the Ravens are the best team in the NFL: “You start to go through those other teams at the top, is anybody clearly better than what Baltimore is doing right now in this stretch? I can’t think of anybody.”
Mike Florio on Rob Gronkowski potentially returning: “I think if Tom (Brady) called him, that would be a factor. But at one point this season Brady said he’s not going to do that, but maybe after today he realizes maybe he should.”
Rodney Harrison on the Falcons defeating Carolina: “Last week I thought, ok maybe the Falcons just got hyped up and they came out and they played well, but this is the real deal.”
The following are clips from last night’s edition of Football Night in America:
-
- Noah Lyles Joins FNIA: Noah Lyles joins Football Night in America to explain his victory celebrations, as well as the style he plans to bring to Track and Field.
- Thanks Mom: Eric Weddle: Rams safety Eric Weddle thanks his mother for the support and love she has given him over the course of his long career.
- Myles Garrett Update: Mike Florio helps to break down the Myles Garrett suspension, his appeal process, and what could come next.
- Tony Dungy and Mike Florio on Colin Kaepernick.
-
- Week 12 SNF Preview: The Packers head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers next week on SNF. Mike Tirico, Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy preview the SNF on NBC matchup.
- Week 12 Sunday Night 7 Picks: Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison make their Sunday Night 7 picks for Week 12’s Packers-49ers matchup.
The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage heading into Week 10:
-
- Mike Florio and Chris Simms, with guest Peter King, discuss all things NFL on PFT Live, including handing out their Week 11 superlatives, sharing updated power rankings, and making their Week 12 game picks.
- On Chris Simms Unbuttoned, Simms deep dives into film of two games from Week 11 decided by the fans.
A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on NBCSN’s and NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.
—NBC SPORTS—
