FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 26th, 2018

BROWNS HEAD COACH GREGG WILLIAMS SPEAKS WITH PETER KING FOR “FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA” EXCLUSIVELY ON NBCSPORTS.COM

“I see the similarities to a young Drew Brees.” – Williams on QB Baker Mayfield

 “I guess it was a sign of respect.” – Buffalo QB Josh Allen on Jacksonville CB Jalen Ramsey shaking his hand post-game

“Think of a rule that has been made with the defense in mind in the last few years – I mean, a major rule. There isn’t one.” – King on defense in the NFL

“Football Morning in America” Runs Every Monday Exclusively on NBCSports.com

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 26, 2018 – Peter King’s Week 12 edition of “Football Morning in America,” available now exclusively on NBCSports.com, is highlighted by interviews with Cleveland Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.

This week’s edition also includes an in-depth look at the progression of Bills QB Josh Allen; the legacy of Bob McNair; the late Texans owner, this week’s ‘What I Learned’ with 49ers general manager John Lynch;, a look at defense in the NFL; awards, quotes, travel notes and more.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of “Football Morning in America”:

WILLIAMS

  • Williams on Mayfield: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. But I’ve had the luxury of being on teams with excellent quarterbacks, and I’ve gone against Hall of Fame quarterbacks in my 29 years coaching. And Baker has the innate leadership that shows me he belongs. Grown men can smell whether you belong. They know he does. In his mind, already, he can play the game at a slo-mo pace. I see the similarities to a young Drew Brees.”
  • Williams on making the playoffs and staying in the moment: “I showed them who was alive. And we are. I also showed them the remaining teams on our schedule, and how five of the six were still alive. I wanted them to see we’re in it. But my big thing is: One day at a time. One practice at a time. One game at a time. One meeting at a time. And they’ve listened well. They stay in the moment.”

WILSON

  • Wilson on Seattle’s future: “We’re gonna be good for a long time. Days like today are great for our confidence.”
  • Wilson following the Seahawks’ late-game heroics against the Panthers: “You either look forward to the moment, or you fear it. I know me, and I look forward to the moment—to the moments like we had today out there.”

ALLEN

  • Allen on Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey approaching him after Sunday’s game: “It didn’t mean much, to be honest. I just want to win football games. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I don’t pay much attention to him. I guess it was a sign of respect.”

 “WHAT I LEARNED” WITH LYNCH

Lynch on Reuben Foster’s arrest in Tampa for domestic abuse: “Was I shocked when I heard about it [Saturday night]? Yeah. Absolutely. This just totally came out of left field. But when [head coach] Kyle Shanahan heard about it, we knew what we had to do. That didn’t make it easy, but we knew. We went to ownership; they were thoughtful, supportive, and all on the same page.”

“More than anything, I think what I have learned is that these players we pick are young, and they are all human beings. It’s much easier to have some controls on players when they’re in college versus being in the NFL. We can’t be with them or watch over them 24 hours a day. If we were all Nostradamus in the front office, maybe things like this would not happen. But we are fallible.”

ON DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL

King: “For those saying the huge defensive plays last Monday in Kansas City’s loss to the Rams make all this a moot point, I say: There were three defensive touchdowns scored in the game, so would you say that a game with 84 points scored and 1,001 yards produced was big on D?… Think of a rule that has been made with the defense in mind in the last few years—I mean, a major rule. There isn’t one.”

King on defenseless receiver penalty and fine to Chiefs safety Eric Murray: “For that hit, Eric Murray, a third-year safety who makes $630,000 a year, was fined $26,739 by the league. His weekly gamecheck is $37,058. So it turns out for making a conscientious hit, Murray got 72 percent of his weekly earnings taken by the league….when the league’s Competition Committee meets to massage the rules beginning in February, something has to be done about the defenseless receiver call. I say make it interpretive, and make it reviewable.”

Read the rest of the column here.

A new “Football Morning in America” will post every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com. 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.

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