FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, September 25th, 2016
NOTES & QUOTES FROM WEEK 3 OF “FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” ON NBC
“Trevor Siemian won the ball game for them.” – Tony Dungy on the Broncos
“There is really no limit to what he can do.” – Cris Collinsworth on Dak Prescott
“They physically dominated the Carolina Panthers.” – Rodney Harrison on the Vikings
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 25, 2016 – Following are highlights from Football Night in America, which aired prior to tonight’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. Mike Tirico opened the show live from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was joined on site by Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth and SNF sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.
Dan Patrick hosted Football Night, the most-watched studio show in sports, from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. He was joined by Super Bowl-winning and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy; two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison; and NFL Insider Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk. Paul Burmeister reported from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA., on the Steelers – Eagles game.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America on NBC:
ON GIANTS
Harrison: “The Giants completely lost their composure today. You expect (Eli) Manning to make those clutch fourth quarter throws, but he wasn’t able to do that.”
Harrison: “Don’t sleep on the Giants. They had some penalties today, and some untimely turnovers, but I still like the team.”
ON BRONCOS
Dungy on QB Trevor Siemian: “Today he won the game for them. They had to have it. They couldn’t run the ball, and Trevor Siemian won the ball game for them.”
ON EAGLES
Dungy: “The Philadelphia Eagles put on the most dominant performance of the day.”
Dungy: “Don’t look now, the Eagles are 3-0. They have a rookie quarterback playing and they haven’t turned the ball over all year. Doug Pederson is doing a great job with that offense.”
ON PATRIOTS
Florio on the Patriots QB situation: “I’m told that the idea of adding another quarterback is a possibility… but is also a last resort for the Patriots. One of the reasons it’s a last resort, if you add a quarterback then you have to cut somebody. The Patriots don’t want to have to cut anybody currently on the team. A young player goes through waivers, somebody else takes that player. Also, they really do like what Julian Edelman could do running the offense. He was a quarterback at Kent State, and he knows the offense better than anyone they would sign. Also keep an eye on A.J. Derby. He’s a tight end who also played quarterback in college as well. He could be the emergency quarterback next week.”
ON VIKINGS
Harrison: “They physically dominated the Carolina Panthers on the road. It all began with getting pressure on Cam Newton, and their constant five-man pressure.”
Dungy: “That defense is for real.”
Harrison on QB Sam Bradford: “They have a great defense. I didn’t at first believe in Sam Bradford, but now I’m a believer.”
ON DOLPHINS
Dungy: “Coach (Adam) Gase is frustrated because he’s got a team with some talent. They are not playing well right now, but I still believe. I think they are going to be better and improve as the season goes on.”
Harrison: “Cleveland missed three field goals today. The Dolphins should be 0-3. I love Jarvis Landry, but I don’t love this Dolphins team.”
ON BILLS
Harrison on Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn: “He gave that offense a spark. They played at a different pace today.”
ON SEAHAWKS
Dungy: “There was not a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson. He was able to find those receivers and throw the ball well. You have to credit the offensive line, but they are going to have to be better with Wilson and his lack of mobility. We’ll see how he is, but that’s a big part of their game, getting him moving around back there.”
ON CARDINALS
Harrison: “The Cardinals are a one-dimensional team. They depend on the deep pass too much, and don’t have the patience to dink and dunk it all the way down the field.”
Dungy: “Carson Palmer has to play well for them, and right now he’s not.”
ON JETS
Dungy on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s six interceptions: “If you’re Ryan Fitzpatrick, you know you have a good defense. This defense is playing very well. You have got to take care of the football. You cannot turn it over like he did today. Especially in the red zone and give away points.”
Harrison: “Matt Forte is a valuable weapon. You can use him, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but there is no excuse for getting behind so early.”
ON BEARS
Collinsworth on QB Brian Hoyer: “He brought a little energy to that game the other night. That pace carried through into practice. His quick release is going to help Chicago’s offensive line. More than anything, the Bears need a leader, and they hope it’s Brian Hoyer.”
ON COWBOYS
Collinsworth on QB Dak Prescott: “There’s really no limit to what he can do, but it’s who he is off the field that is probably the most impressive.”
Harrison on Prescott: “I love him. I think he’s a really good, smart quarterback. Everyone is loading up the box, so they use a lot of movement, a lot of bootlegs to get him outside the pocket. Once he gets outside the pocket, then he can make good decisions. He can either run it or drop it off.”
–FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA–
