FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

KEVIN STEFANSKI ON ADJUSTING OFFSEASON PLANS; THOMAS DIMITROFF ON THE 2020 NFL DRAFT — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODES OF LUNCH TALK LIVE WITH MIKE TIRICO AND THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“We had plans…then it changes which is a great message for our players and coaches. When you are in a game, if a play is not working, you just have to go to the next one.Cleveland Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski on adjusting the team’s offseason

“We are using baseline technology. We’re trying not to go overboard on this…We’re trying to make it as simple as possible.” – Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff on his at-home setup for the 2020 NFL Draft

“I think this is probably as clear a No. 1 pick as we’ve had in a long time.” – NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport on the Bengals drafting Joe Burrow

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 14, 2020 – Mike Tirico hosted today’s episode of Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN and was joined remotely by:

    • Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski
    • NBC Sports’ Cris and Jac Collinsworth
    • NASCAR driver Joey Logano
    • NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen
    • Sports impersonator Conor Moore, host of new GOLFPASS comedy series The Conor Moore Show

 

The Rich Eisen Show followed Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN, as host Rich Eisen was joined by:

    • Actor and comedian Joel McHale
    • Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff
    • NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport

 

Following are highlights from Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN:

Kevin Stefanski on adjusting to the COVID-19 situation: “We had plans and mapped it out exactly how things would go. Then it changes which is a great message for our players and coaches. When you are in a game, if a play is not working, you just have to go to the next one.”

Stefanski on Cleveland’s new offense: “I’m looking forward to getting our players together and teaching a new system. We have a lot of players with different skill sets, which is intriguing for our staff. We want to be multiple and attack the defense in a bunch of different ways.”

Cris Collinsworth, who played for the Bengals, on the top quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft: “I think Joe Burrow is the player. Once (Bengals owner) Mike Brown thinks he’ll have a quarterback, he will stick with that guy.”

Jac Collinsworth on Joe Burrow: “I’m all in on Joe Burrow. I have seen enough through the playoff and national championship game. He’s more mobile than people think and I love that he is an Ohio guy, his girlfriend is from Cincinnati, and he has roots from everywhere around here.”

Cris Collinsworth on Tua Tagovailoa: “I think someone will jump up to No. 2, 3, or 4 and take him and that’s well deserved, too. I think he is someone that is going to make it, assuming the hip is ok. I like his energy, frenetic style, throwing motion and think he will be a top three to four player.”

Jac Collinsworth on top NFL Draft prospect WR Chase Claypool of Notre Dame: “Chase Claypool is one of those monster guys that looks like Michael Thomas. A tight end body and just so aggressive when going up to get the ball.”

Kathryn Tappen on the possibility of the NHL’s timeline: “I think Memorial Day would be a great time to start the Stanley Cup Final or the next phase of what’s going to happen here…But I think that date is a little ambitious as well, I think we’re looking a little further past that…This is a major pandemic and there are reasons we have to stay home and stay in place and can’t resume activities with these players.”

Tappen on Alex Ovechkin: “Over the years, I have seen a total transformation of Alex Ovechkin. We are witnessing one of the greatest players that will play the game. He is a future Hall of Famer, there is no question.”

Joey Logano on his knowledge of racecars: “You get to the point (as a driver) where you don’t physically get to work on the car anymore, but you’re constantly in communication about the parts and the pieces and what makes the racecar go. You’re in communication with the engineers, your crew chief, to make those decisions. If you’re a driver that’s not in tune with the technical side of the sport, it’s hard to bridge that gap.”

Logano on Kyle Larson: “It’s a tough situation for the whole sport…The facts are when we sign up for this, we know we’re supporting and we’re representing these Fortune 500 companies…and even more importantly you’re representing your own brand…Moments like this are good reminders…things like that are not accepted in our society and shouldn’t be.”

Conor Moore on his new show on GOLFPASS: “My goal is to make people laugh. Just trying to fill the void and do something cool for golf fans, so they don’t have to think about all the bad news. I know there isn’t golf for the next couple of weeks, but I do live in the land of make believe and can just make it up.”

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Thomas Dimitroff on his at-home set up for next week’s NFL Draft: “I’m only allowed one technology person here at my house…Understand this, we are using baseline technology. We’re trying not to go overboard on this. We have the capacity to do that and the ability to do that, but we’re trying to make it as simple as possible so that if something does goes down it’s going to be a fairly easy fix.”

Dimitroff on the draft: “When I came from New England, our draft room was probably eight to 10 people in the draft room. Atlanta, 45 to 50…Everyone has different approaches. This will be very interesting to be back in the house doing a draft as I’m going to with basically me and my 12-year old son.”

Dimitroff on the likelihood of draft day trades: “This is a very aggressive general manager wave these days. They’re not sitting back on their hands, they want to trade…so I really believe there will still be trades…I do believe, however, that there will be more discussions the week before the trade to get some things set up, general compensation set up with certain teams if something did happen. That’s how I think it’s going to happen.”

Dimitroff on running backs in today’s NFL: “The thing with this position, as you know, is the idea that you can win and significantly win and produce with running backs in the middle of the draft – it’s a really attractive thing for a lot of people. Not to say that the position is devalued, I just think it’s such an important position and maybe not a position that you’re holding onto someone for many years at. So, I think there’s a big turnover there.”

Joel McHale on his walk-on football career at the University of Washington: “(Mark) Brunell and then you also had Damon Huard and Billy Joe Hobert (in the quarterback room)…I knew that I should be out of football when the night that the team had the most respect for me was on skit night.”

Ian Rapaport on Jordan Love being this draft’s wild card: “I think Jordan Love’s tape two years ago was really, really good. The person – people like. Interviews have been good. The tape last year was not good. So I think teams are trying to figure that out and what kind of prospect is he actually?…It doesn’t feel to me from the people I’ve spoken with that that sounds like someone who goes early in the Top 10…The thought is someone in the late teens potentially trading up for Jordan Love and having him sit a year.”

Rapaport on Joe Burrow: “The Bengals have maxed out their video time with Joe Burrow…I mean they have gone above and beyond the conversations they’ve had with him…From the Bengals sources I’ve spoken with, they almost like wave me off (when asked about trading the pick)…I think this is probably as clear a No. 1 pick as we’ve had in a long time. ”

Rapaport on Tua Tagovailoa: “I wouldn’t be that surprised if (Justin) Herbert goes over Tua (Tagovailoa)…With Tua, there’s just a lot more questions…No amount of discussions are going to help you predict what’s going to happen with his body.”

Rapaport on Cam Newton: “Cam wants to be a starter, I mean at least the chance to compete for a starting quarterback job…My sense is Cam is going to wait until there is one…I would not be surprised to see Cam waiting until it’s August and there’s an injury.”

–NBC SPORTS–