“The decision by [arbitrator Sue L.] Robinson is surprising in its leniency but not stunning…The NFL will not consider this fair, and I expect the league to appeal Robinson’s ruling.” – Peter King on Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension
“Bring…it…on. Quote me.” – Mike Tomlin on people doubting Pittsburgh post-Ben Roethlisberger
“This might be the most fungible roster of any in the league—and it could be the one that changes the most in the next two years.”– King on the Giants’ roster
“His dedication seemed so [Tom] Brady-like, so made for a Bill Belichick quarterback.” – King on Patriots QB Mac Jones’
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STAMFORD, Conn. – August 1, 2022 – Peter King addresses the Deshaun Watson decision and continues his 2022 NFL Training Camp Tour by visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and New England Patriots in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Deebo Samuel’s contract extension, Kyler Murray’s contract clause, and more.
For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET every weekday, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, The Peter King Podcast, The Rich Eisen Show, Brother from Another, and The Dan Patrick Show. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.
The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:
DESHAUN WATSON SUSPENSION
King on Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension: “The decision by [arbitrator Sue L.] Robinson is surprising in its leniency but not stunning…The NFL will not consider this fair, and I expect the league to appeal Robinson’s ruling.”
King on Robinson’s decision: “Robinson concluded that the pattern of behavior by Watson was egregious, but she called it non-violent sexual conduct. Technically that may be correct, but it feels like Robinson is minimizing what happened in these cases.”
King: “For now, the Browns and Watson have to be happy that, if this ruling stands, he’ll be eligible to play 11 of 17 games this season. But that’s a pretty big ‘if.’”
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on people doubting Pittsburgh after losing QB Ben Roethlisberger and GM Kevin Colbert: “Bring…it…on. Quote me.”
Steelers team chaplain and priest Father Paul Taylor on what makes Tomlin a successful coach: “He knows what’s important in his job. And he’s such a good communicator. I think he can see inside the players’ heads.”
Tomlin on handling the Steelers’ QB battle: “I’m going to talk about the elephant in the room. Our ability to put together a winning formula that allows us to go into stadiums and step out with victory is what it’s about… I don’t run from that. I run to that.”
Peter King on who he thinks will be the Steelers’ starting QB in Week 1: “From what I gleaned, the opening-day assignment, Steelers at the Super Bowl Bengals, is [Mitchell] Trubisky’s to lose.”
Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky on Tomlin: “Coach Tomlin is very transparent about the situation. Ever since I got here, it’s been really impressive to me how he leads the team as a football coach. He’ll even tell you. It’s not an accident that he gets the results he does because he’s such a great leader. I’m just trying to soak in all that knowledge so I can be the best player I can be and we can continue to go out and win games for the Steelers.”
- Watch Now: Click here to watch King interview Trubisky at Steelers training camp.
King on Steelers fans’ admiration for rookie QB Kenny Pickett: “Mark my words: Assuming Pickett doesn’t start, the locals will beat the drum for him very early if the starter struggles.”
NEW YORK GIANTS
King on the Giants’ roster: “This might be the most fungible roster of any in the league—and it could be the one that changes the most in the next two years.”
First-year Giants head coach Brian Daboll on QB Daniel Jones: “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s got good mobile skills. There’s a lot of different things you could do with a quarterback like that. We’re still tinkering with things to make sure that what I want him to do is be vocal back to me on things that he doesn’t feel comfortable with.”
King on Giants WR Kenny Golladay: “The Giants are waiting to see more from their $18-million-a-year 2021 free agent, Kenny Golladay, who’s not separating from DBs well early in camp. That signing looks like a disaster.”
King on Giants RB Saquon Barkley: “I keep thinking his future’s elsewhere…Like so many players on the roster, my guess is he’s auditioning for 31 other teams as much as the Giants this fall.”
Giants S Xavier McKinney on the Giants’ attitude this season: “We’ve touched the bottom…We can only go up. The energy is a lot different in the building. We finally feel that family atmosphere we’ve been wanting for a long time.”
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
King on Patriots QB Mac Jones’ similarities to Tom Brady: “In the practice I watched, with Jones, there was no wasted movements. His mechanics were precise, his confidence obvious… His dedication seemed—and seems—so [Tom] Brady-like, so made for a Bill Belichick quarterback.”
Mac Jones on his mental attitude and work ethic: “You’re always gonna get people who say that you’re not good enough to do something. I still have so much to prove. I’m always trying to be better than I was yesterday and be better than myself, really.”
- Watch Now: Click here to watch King’s full interview with Jones at Patriots training camp.
Patriots S Devin McCourty on what he told Jones: “Whoever you were in high school, in college, that guy, bring that guy here. You don’t have to be this guy or have to be that guy. We just need you to be Mac Jones.”
King on who he thinks could be calling the Patriots’ offense this season: “I won’t be surprised if Belichick eventually has a significant hand in play-calling.”
NEWS & NOTES
Bills QB Josh Allen on the team’s response to the mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store in May: “It’s something that still just feels very, very wrong. Feels very weird. But, to have and share that experience, show our support for the community, we’ve got to continue to find ways to not let it just be like a one-off thing. We want to continue to show that we support this community from all of Western New York.”
King on Tom Brady turning 45 this week: “Brady, assuming he lines up to play Dallas in Week 1, would be the first non-kicker at 45 or older to play an NFL game in 97 years… In other words, a starting quarterback for a Super Bowl contender playing at 45 is without precedent.”
King on 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s contract extension: “I like how it was handled…When [49ers GM John] Lynch made it clear he wouldn’t trade Samuel and then just put the story on simmer for two months, that gave all parties time to reset and cool off. Nice job getting Samuel back, and good for Samuel to cash in after one great season.”
King on Guardian Caps, the foam helmet supplement that players have been wearing in training camps: “It’s a good step. I’d like to see players wear them for every practice, in-season and out.”
King on Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s contract clause that states he must spend at least four hours per week studying film: “The damage was done to Murray’s reputation. And I can’t help wondering how long it will take to repair the relationship between him and the team.”
Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.
The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:
- PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
- ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
- NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
- The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe
A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 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 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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