FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 7th, 2019

RUSSELL WILSON AND FRANK REICH SPEAK WITH PETER KING IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN; PLUS MORE FROM TIRICO, DUNGY, HARRISON, FLORIO & SIMMS EXCLUSIVELY ACROSS NBC SPORTS

“There’s no question in my mind this is his best season in his eight-year career.” – King on Russell Wilson

 “The rest of the world’s gonna be shocked tomorrow night when they see this game. But we’re not gonna be shocked.” – Reich on Speech to His Colts Before Facing the Chiefs

 “He’s become a singular force trying to save the Panthers’ season after the early-season bizarre-ness of Cam Newton’s play and injury.” – King on Christian McCaffrey

“This is Coach of the Year type stuff from Sean Payton when you look at what he’s done the last three weeks.” – Mike Florio on The Mike Tirico Podcast

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 7, 2019 – Peter King speaks with Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich after last night’s upset of the Kansas City Chiefs in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also talks to Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre, and shares his thoughts on the rest of the NFL weekend.

Additionally, across NBC Sports, on The Mike Tirico Podcast, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio recap Week 5, 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:

FRANK REICH & THE COLTS

King: “The Colts, entering their bye week, are shoehorned with Houston at 3-2 atop the AFC South…they have hardly been paralyzed by the body blow of losing (Andrew) Luck on Aug. 24.”

Reich on what he told the Colts before beating the Chiefs on SNF: “The rest of the world’s gonna be shocked tomorrow night when they see this game. But we’re not gonna be shocked.”

Reich on the Colts’ rushing game: “When we got here we said we wanted to be a top five rushing team. We had the players up front, and we were gonna commit to it…Before our last series (against the Chiefs), Jacoby (Brissett) said to me, ‘Hey, let’s go run it down their throats.’”

Reich: “This is a crazy game…It’s what so great about the game too. It’s so human. The cumulative effect of 53 guys practicing great with a great attitude and a great plan and hunger can do anything.”

Reich: “I’ve come to learn in the NFL that the game is about so much more than Sunday – it’s about who you are and how you work Monday through Saturday, and you have to get your players to believe you are what you do during the week.”

 

RUSSELL WILSON

King: “(Russell Wilson) is off to the best statistical start of his college or pro life…There’s no question in my mind this is his best season in his eight-year career.”

Wilson on working with Seattle’s young receivers: “This offseason, getting to know a lot of the young guys in offseason workouts was huge for us…The first thing I said to the new guys was, ‘This is your opportunity. No one cares how long it takes to get the job done.’ It’s paying off.”

Wilson on how baseball influences his throws: “God’s given me a lot of talent, but truthfully, that’s where baseball comes in. I went to spring training with the Yankees, and one of the things about infield play is you’re making these flips that really aren’t natural, moving your body in different ways that might be uncomfortable.”

Wilson on Paul Allen: “He thought big, believed big. Such a great man, and a great man to work for. We’ve got to think big and believe big too. We’ve got as good a chance as anyone this year.”

 

ON KIRK COUSINS & THE VIKINGS

King on Kirk Cousins: “Cousins has missed so many throws he needs to make for the Vikings to get their money’s worth on the three-year, $84-million guaranteed contract that he is midway through. One game in the Meadowlands is encouraging. But it’s not burying the Bears, or winning the division.”

Cousins on last week’s news cycle: “It was a pretty normal week for me…I can read between the lines when reporters are asking me things, so I guess there was a lot swirling around…But I can tell you I don’t pay attention to what’s out there. I just don’t…Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.”

Cousins on his expectations: “I am aware of the contract, and the expectations. I don’t pretend they’re not there. But I’ve never thought about the contract when I’m dropping back on third-and-seven.”

King on Stefon Diggs: “I think Stefon Diggs to the Patriots at the trading deadline makes sense, especially if the season goes south for Minnesota. Say, for second and fourth-round picks in 2020. A first-rounder strikes me as too rich for Diggs, but a low second isn’t enough.”

 

ON THE RAIDERS

King: “For the Raiders, winning three time zones away last week in Indianapolis was fun. Winning eight time zones away Sunday in London was exhilarating.”

King: “Hard to tell where this season will take the Raiders, but they’re playing like the second-best team in the West…Who’d have thought when (Antonio) Brown was wreaking havoc on this franchise on Labor Day Weekend that we’d be seeing the Raiders a game out of first in the AFC West entering the middle of October?”

Raiders RT Trent Brown: “We’re beginning to figure out our identity. Our identity is running the football. Everything, for us, opens up by running the football.”

Brown on rookie RB Josh Jacobs: “Josh is a great running back…I really appreciate Alabama not giving him that many carries. Keeps him fresher for us in his NFL career.”

 

BRETT FAVRE

King: “Nine years removed from playing, and three years after being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brett Favre is happy with this quiet life… I visited Favre in August, and we recorded a 47-minute podcast to use around the time of his 50th birthday, which is Thursday.”

Favre on his playing career: “I wouldn’t trade any of it, the good and the bad…I wouldn’t change anything. It is what it is…If everything was good, if I completed every pass, we’d won every game, how would you ever know what a real great win would be like?”

Favre: “You’ve got to have the absolute best time you can have. But you’ve got to work hard at it. I know I did…I’m proud of what I did. I had a blast doing it.”

Favre on Mahomes: “He is more polished than I was. I think our styles are very similar. We use our feet, use our arm strength. You never know what’s gonna come out, including me, including him.”

 

KING’S WEEK 5 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Christian McCaffrey, Carolina, Deshaun Watson, Houston, the Oakland Raiders offensive line, Russell Wilson, Seattle, & Aaron Jones, Green Bay.

King on McCaffrey: “He’s better than any of us thought he would be…He’s become a singular force trying to save the Panthers’ season after the early-season bizarre-ness of Cam Newton’s play and injury.”

King on Jones: “Jones has some attitude to him, and it’s an attitude that has served the 4-1 Packers well in the first five weeks. More importantly, he has good instincts for a back around the goal line.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Justin Houston, Indianapolis, Za’Darius Smith, Green Bay, & Danielle Hunter, Minnesota.

King on Smith: “Playing with a sore knee, Smith continued to bolster the case of GM Brian Gutekunst for Executive of the Year after the latter went big in free agency…Green Bay’s defense, because of its edge rushers, has become a unit to be reckoned with.”

Coach of the Week: Jon Gruden, Oakland.

King on Gruden: “The Raiders won in Indy and then came back after some major adversity, giving up 21 straight points to Chicago, to beat the Bears. It’s the first two-game winning streak for the Raiders since Gruden returned to coach last season.”

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:

THE MIKE TIRICO PODCAST

Tony Dungy on the Cowboys: “The Cowboys look great when their offensive line is dominating…but they aren’t doing that. When they’re playing even games and they have to throw 28, 30, 35 passes, they’re not the same team.”

Mike Florio on the best team in the NFC: “I like the Saints and this is Coach of the Year type stuff from Sean Payton when you look at what he’s done the last three weeks…Here they are 3-0 without Brees.”

Mike Tirico on young quarterbacks: “These young quarterbacks who are making these exciting throws on the run are re-energizing the league…We’ve still got those veteran guys who have been around for a long time, but the way these young guys are being allowed to play impacts why we’re seeing young guys come in and do well in years one, two and three.”

 

The following are clips from last night’s edition of Football Night in America:

    • Thanks Mom: Mecole Hardman: Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman gives a heartfelt message to his mom, who he credits with keeping him on the right track on his path to the NFL.
    • Mahomes & Mozart: Playing off of head coach Andy Reid’s postgame speech in Week 4, this video shows the art of the Chiefs’ offense, which is led by Patrick Mahomes.
    • Sunday Night 7 Picks with Liam McHugh and Eric Stonestreet: McHugh and actor & die-hard Chiefs fan Eric Stonestreet make their Sunday Night 7 picks.

 

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage heading into Week 5:

    • Mike Florio and Chris Simms, with guest Peter King, discuss all things NFL on PFT Live, including handing out their Week 5 superlatives, sharing updated power rankings, and making their Week 6 game picks.
    • On Chris Simms Unbuttoned, Simms deep dives into film of two games from Week 5 decided by the fans (Twitter poll).

 

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.

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