FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 28th, 2020

JOHN ELWAY, JOHN LYNCH AND KLIFF KINGSBURY ON THE 2020 NFL DRAFT AND OFFSEASON — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODES OF LUNCH TALK LIVE WITH MIKE TIRICO AND THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“It was our game plan and our goal to go in this year and give Drew Lock some help and get some people around him to where we get more explosive.” – Denver GM John Elway on Broncos’ 2020 Draft plan

“Not being able to re-sign DeForest Buckner. That was really tough, probably the toughest thing I’ve done as a general manager.” – San Francisco GM John Lynch on the DeForest Buckner trade

“The thing that really surprised me about the top of this draft is nobody wanted to trade down…People were locked in on their guys.” – Peter King on the lack of trades at the top of the 2020 NFL Draft

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 28, 2020 – Mike Tirico hosted today’s episode of Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN and was joined remotely by:

    • Denver Broncos President of Football Operations & general manager John Elway
    • San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch
    • GOLF Channel analyst & host of “Feherty Up Close (From A Distance)” David Feherty
    • NBC Sports NFL insider Peter King
    • Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan from AMC’s “Friday Night in With The Morgan’s”

 

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

    • Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury
    • Four-time NBA champion John Salley
    • Actor Dave Burd (aka Lil Dicky) from FXX’s “Dave”

 

Following are highlights from Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN:

John Elway on Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Draft: “He held to his guns and he’s had the foresight to see that this was going to be something that football fans needed out there and wanted to watch, but also that we could come together and make it work…I commend Commissioner Goodell because it came off great.”

Elway on the Broncos’ draft plan to surround QB Drew Lock with weapons: “It was a goal of ours and the game plan that we had. If it didn’t work in the first round, we were definitely going to pinpoint one in the second round. When it worked in the first round (with WR Jerry Jeudy), our second-rounder was still there in KJ Hamler, too…It was our game plan and our goal to go in this year and give Drew Lock some help and get some people around him to where we get more explosive.”

Elway on if his time as a quarterback helps in evaluating wide receivers: “That helps because you know what you like personally. Obviously playing a long time, you know the characteristics you like in football players.”

Elway on what he saw in Drew Lock at the end of last season: “He played with confidence and enjoyed it out there…I think he’s done a tremendous job and the guys rallied around him and really believe in him. I think that we got something in Drew that we can really build on.”

Elway on offenses evolving in today’s NFL: “The game is changing so much…They’re playing a wide-open game in college and so I think you’re seeing that influence coming into the NFL, because that’s what they know and that’s what they’re comfortable doing. I think you’re seeing coaches adjust to that and taking advantage of what they do…The days of three yards and a cloud of dust are behind us.”

John Lynch on the DeForest Buckner trade: “Some (roster) holes had come into fruition by virtue of us not being able to re-sign DeForest Buckner. That was really tough, probably the toughest thing I’ve done as a general manager because DeForest embodies everything that we want our 49ers to be…We had to deal with some economic realities, some salary cap realities.”

Lynch on building his team around the defensive line: “I would tell you that we built it the right way…It’s something that Kyle Shanahan and I connected on when we started talking in production meetings…When everything is set up for offensive success, how do you equalize it? Well, you knock down the quarterback…So we had to reload there.”

Lynch on the 49ers’ plan heading into the Draft: “We did have some voids, but we wanted to be sure that we loved the players and not just filling voids…It happened to be that we fell in love with Javon Kinlaw and then Brandon Aiyuk was one of the receivers that we really coveted in this draft.”

Lynch on trading up for Brandon Aiyuk: “We didn’t have any intention of moving up in this Draft. It was all about moving back to accrue some more picks, but when Aiyuk fell past Philly, we started scrambling on the phones saying here’s a guy we might have taken at No. 13.”

Peter King on trades in this year’s Draft: “The thing that really surprised me about the top of this draft is nobody wanted to trade down. That wasn’t because of this year…Jacksonville turned down a gigantic haul for the ninth pick in the Draft from Tampa Bay because Jacksonville wanted CJ Henderson so much. That was the big surprise to me, no trades. People were locked in on their guys.”

King on the Chiefs’ draft: “If (wide receiver Henry) Ruggs had been there as the picks got to around 20, 21, the Chiefs were aggressively going to try to trade up then and get the fastest receiver in the draft. Can you imagine adding a 4.27 sprinter to that room?”

King on the Packers selecting QB Jordan Love: “This was a pick for 2024, ’28 and beyond and that’s why they did it.”

King on the Eagles selecting QB Jalen Hurts: “The Philadelphia Eagles have a different task than a lot of teams do. Their starting quarterback (Carson Wentz) has missed 13 games in the last three years due to injury and he’s missed both deep playoff runs that they’ve had…They have a roster that you should pay special attention to the backup quarterback position…That’s why I really like what Philadelphia did.”

David Feherty on if he can see golf returning in six weeks at the Charles Schwab Classic in Texas: “I can. There’s tremendous anticipation for it down here in Texas…What’s going to be interesting to see is how we do this without a crowd. They’re such an integral part of any sport. How do you do it in silence?”

Feherty on how a compacted schedule would impact players: “It has the potential to be a terrific spell. We’re going to see players that wouldn’t play three, four in a row maybe do that…It’s going to be interesting to see how they go about it.”

Feherty on the possibility of playing the Ryder Cup without fans: “That’s so difficult to imagine…The passion that the spectators have…It’s been such an amazing event throughout the years. The players have always found it an amazing experience to be on that team.”

Feherty on Rory McIlroy’s rise: “As broadcasters we’re not supposed to be biased, but I find it impossible not to root for Rory McIlroy. Such a wonderful young man and a great ambassador for golf… I don’t think anybody makes the game look more beautiful than Rory McIlroy. He’s the envy of pretty much any player out here and anybody who watches him.”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, an avid Seahawks fan, on raising the 12 flag at CenturyLink Field: “With the exception of my children being born — and maybe even then it’s debatable — it was the single greatest moment of my life. There’s not a bigger rush…As a lifetime Seahawks fan, there’s just nothing cooler.”

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Kliff Kingsbury on people reacting to his in-home NFL Draft setup: “I think people are quite bored these days. They are excited about live sports on TV and it just took off a little bit.”

Kingsbury on drafting Isaiah Simmons: “Simmons was a guy we targeted early with some unique talent in this day and age with the tight ends we deal with in our division…We felt like he was a guy we couldn’t pass up and are thrilled to have him as a Cardinal.”

Kingsbury on what’s in store for Isaiah Simmons: “We are going to give him different packages and give him stuff that he is comfortable with. Having an abbreviated offseason and not seeing guys until camp, we want to make sure where ever we put him, he will play fast and use his athleticism and attack mode that he played with at Clemson.”

Kingsbury on drafting tackle Josh Jones: “We got him in the third round and had him as first-round type talent. A tackle which we got later than anticipated.”

Kingsbury on acquiring WR DeAndre Hopkins: “Going into this draft, we were thinking of a position that we wanted to address and knew it was a deep class of wide receivers. We were able to get DeAndre (Hopkins) here and it was an opportunity too good to pass up.”

Kingsbury on his plan with DeAndre Hopkins: “You saw (Texans head coach) Bill (O’Brien) did a good job moving him around, doing different things and finding ways to give him the ball. He’s so good after the catch. We will have him all over the place and give him the ball as much as possible.”

Kingsbury on QB Kyler Murray’s performance last season: “I really thought he made huge strides by the end of the year. The beginning was really a little rough and a lot of it had to do with my decisions…The back half of the season, he did a nice job of eliminating the negative plays and that’s something that will continue.”

Kingsbury on his offseason program for the Cardinals: “We started our Zoom meetings this week…offensive, defensive and special teams installs. We are doing as much install-wise and we will evaluate in three weeks to see where we are at. If there is a date, we can get back to our facilities and go from there.”

John Salley, who played against Michael Jordan as a member of the Detroit Pistons and was a Bulls teammate in 1996, on what he learned from this weekend’s episodes of ‘The Last Dance’: “I learned that we didn’t realize that we still are on the mind of Michael Jordan. Imagine being the greatest player ever played in the NBA and he goes to sleep thinking about you. I really appreciated that.”

Salley on the 1991 playoff game when Pistons players did not shake Bulls players hands: “I understand they took a stand as a team. I didn’t agree with it. Personally, we are a 12-individual company…I understand that Isiah (Thomas) said it was an emotional time. Just me, it’s not who I am with my friends and fraternity brothers.”

Salley on the innerworkings of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls: “We didn’t know the innerworkings. I knew (former Bulls GM) Jerry Krause was shady, but I didn’t know what he did to Scottie (Pippen) and didn’t know Scottie had such bad representation on that seven-year deal.”

Dave Burd, an avid Philadelphia fan, on Andy Reid winning the Super Bowl with the Chiefs: “I was so happy when he won. No other (non-Eagles) team winning has made me that happy and brought me that joy. The man deserves one and is one of the best coaches ever. My takeaway is how that man kept his relevance in over a decade.”

Burd on wanting the Eagles to draft WR CeeDee Lamb: “The reality is I wanted CeeDee Lamb, so that was my main goal going into it. Adding to the fact that the Cowboys got him, which is a double whammy.”

Burd on the Eagles selecting QB Jalen Hurts in the second round of the NFL Draft: “Jalen Hurts in the second round, I don’t get it. What is the best-case scenario here…that (Eagles QB) Carson Wentz gets hurt and we have a good backup? It’s frustrating, I think we need to address more needs. Maybe they know something, we don’t?”

Burd on Jalen Hurts not getting the Eagles backup QB position: “I don’t think he will even beat out (Eagles QB) Nate Sudfeld. (Jalen Hurts) won’t even be the backup quarterback this year. I like Nate, he’s a good backup quarterback and I believe in him.”

–NBC SPORTS–