FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 16th, 2022
NOTES & QUOTES FROM WEEK 6 EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC AND PEACOCK
“Cooper Rush does not wow you physically. He’s kind of a duck-footed guy, he’s got slopy shoulders, he doesn’t run that great, he doesn’t have a powerful arm. But he’s smart, he’s prepared, he knows the game, he sees the game, and he’s a great decision-maker.” – Jason Garrett
“The reason why we won back-to-back championships (in New England) is because we had a deep defensive line. You can rotate these guys, keep them fresh, keep them healthy, and that’s what the Dallas Cowboys have.” – Rodney Harrison
“Opening night in L.A., we said they got Von Miller to be Mariano Rivera — give me a closer, give me some 98 miles per hour fastballs in the fourth quarter — and he did that. He got the sacks when they needed them.” – Tony Dungy on Bills LB Von Miller
“They’re just making the game close waiting for you to make a mistake. They’re very comfortable in those one-score games late in the fourth quarter.” – Chris Simms on the Giants
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STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 16, 2022 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season began tonight from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys (4-1) facing Jalen Hurts and the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (5-0) on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Football Night in America was hosted by Maria Taylor, who was on site in Philadelphia along with former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry, and co-host Kathryn Tappen. Co-hosting from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., was Ahmed Fareed, who was joined by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms and NFL Insider Mike Florio.
In advance of tonight’s game, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts spoke to Maria Taylor about his leadership style, how he stays focused, and his strong relationship with his family. See below for a link to the entire interview and transcribed highlights. Before the game, Tappen interviewed Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Garrett spoke with Cowboys G Zack Martin.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game. Tirico also reported from the field during FNIA.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON EAGLES
Garrett on playing and coaching in Philadelphia against the Eagles: “I have played or coached here 25 times in my life, and this place is always nuts. I’ve been here when eggs have been thrown at buses, golf balls are on the field. My most vivid memory though is we’re leaving here one night after we beat them, and there’s a 75-year-old woman in a Ron Jaworski jersey in front of our bus giving us the finger. It was unbelievable. This place is crazy.”
Head Coach Nick Sirianni to Tappen on the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry: “The one thing that’s really special about this division is this is the one division that feels like college football where you get the great rivalries with the Cowboys and Giants and Washington. It’s pretty special to be a part of, but at the end of the day, no opponent is going to motivate us more than what we want to do for each other.”
Garrett on Eagles WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith: “Philly can run it, and when you run the ball well, you get one-on-one’s outside and those two Batmen, they’re killing it…Brown, what a great addition. He’s physical, he’s tough, contested catches, run after the catch. And then the complement, DeVonta Smith. He doesn’t have to make contested catches because nobody’s ever around him. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s a great route runner. What a combination.”
Simms: “That’s the impressive thing about their offense. They’ve got answers for everything. Checks and balances for everything.”
Taylor on Hurts overcoming adversity: “If I had to describe (Hurts) and what he actually stands for, it’s stoic perseverance…He said all of his adversity he’s turned into the fuel that he uses in locker room talks, the leadership that he has, and knowing that adversity is never going to slow him down.”
Harrison on Hurts: “This is a young man that’s gone through a lot, and he’s always handled it with class, and he’s always been a professional. I got a chance to talk to some of his teammates and they absolutely love him, and they believe in him because they know he works hard, not just in the weight room but in the classroom. And they love his toughness.”
ON COWBOYS
Garrett: “The best unit in the National Football League right now is the Dallas Cowboys defense. They haven’t given up 20 points yet and it starts with that defensive front. They are unbelievable up front, and their star player Micah Parsons is a difference maker.”
Simms on the Dallas defense: “It’s special. I want to know how good is it? We know it’s top-five good, but are we talking one of the top defenses of all-time type of good? I think they have that type of potential. They can almost win games by themselves. This is a different test tonight though.”
Zack Martin to Garrett on QB Cooper Rush : “He’s just levelheaded. He doesn’t get too high or doesn’t get too low at all. He keeps that feeling in the huddle, right at neutral like we’re looking for. He’s done an excellent job. He’s got a ton of confidence. You can feel that swag he’s starting to get a little bit. It’s been great to be out there with him.”
Garrett on Rush: “Cooper Rush does not wow you physically. He’s kind of a duck-footed guy, he’s got slopy shoulders, he doesn’t run that great, he doesn’t have a powerful arm. But he’s smart, he’s prepared, he knows the game, he sees the game, and he’s a great decision-maker. He’s one of those guys who understands the pattern vs. the coverage…and he’s not one of the Charlie Checkdown guys either…He’s got a lot of big plays down the field for the Cowboys.”
Harrison on Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn: “He’s done a wonderful job and he’s done a great job of creating an environment of competition where you never can relax. You play hard, you play physical and if you don’t, the guy behind you, he’s going to take your spot.”
Garrett on Quinn and LB Micah Parsons: “He’s a fantastic coach, such positive energy. He instills it in his guys, and he likes to move these guys around, but he’d be the first to admit to you that he has the ultimate chess piece in No. 11, Micah Parsons. The rest of the defensive line and those guys on the backend, they benefit from his presence…You don’t have to know anything about football and this guy leaps off the tape…He’s been a transformative player for this franchise.”
Harrison: “They have so many guys up front that they can rotate The reason why we won back-to-back championships (in New England) is because we had a deep defensive line. You can rotate these guys, keep them fresh, keep them healthy, and that’s what the Dallas Cowboys have. This defense is awesome. ”
Garrett on WR Michael Gallup: “Michael Gallup is a critical piece to this offense. He’s like Gumby. He’s sneaky off the line, he’s sneaky off the top of the route, he can go get the deep ball and he can make that contested catch. He’s a big piece for them going forward.”
ON BILLS-CHIEFS
Simms on Bills QB Josh Allen vs. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: “Both quarterbacks were phenomenal, we know that, but Josh Allen I do think was the one that won the battle. He played the cleanest football game and probably made the most plays where we went, ‘woah,’ throughout the game…Special talent, this Josh Allen…I don’t think this is the last time we’re going to see this matchup, but that was a lot of fun to watch Mahomes and Allen going at it.”
ON BILLS
Dungy on Bills LB Von Miller: “Opening night in L.A. we said they got Von Miller to be Mariano Rivera — give me a closer, give me some 98 miles per hour fastballs in the fourth quarter, and he did that. He got the sacks when they needed them…That’s what they needed, that’s why they got him.”
ON COMMANDERS
Florio on Washington owner Daniel Snyder: “The NFL already had a meeting of all teams set for Tuesday in New York. Officially, nothing about Snyder and his role as owner of the team is on the agenda. Unofficially, however, what will happen is late in the afternoon there will be a session with just the owners, and I’m told there is no doubt that Snyder’s status will be discussed during that meeting of owners only. Doesn’t mean there will be a vote taken, but he will be discussed. And remember, there are two pending investigations — both the NFL and Congress are looking into allegations made directly against Daniel Snyder.”
ON BUCCANEERS
Simms: “Maybe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t as good as we thought they were. Defense hasn’t been as dominant as we’ve seen the last two years, not making as many plays. Brady and the offense, they’re all over the place on a week-to-week basis, not scoring points, not making a lot of big plays.”
Dungy: “We’re used to seeing Tom Brady for years and years with great timing and chemistry (with his receivers), and it just wasn’t there today. They’re not running the ball well and getting into a lot of long-yardage situations. And when he had to make throws in tight coverage, it just wasn’t there.”
Simms: “They’re an offense trying to find their way. They started the year trying to run the ball, now they’ve gone back to the pass game. We’re used to seeing them make big plays in the pass game or they just get surgical, but the pass game’s not there.”
ON GIANTS
Simms: “Playing smart football, what fits their football team. They’re just making the game close waiting for you to make a mistake. They’re very comfortable in those one-score games late in the fourth quarter.”
Dungy: “They’re playing with a winning attitude.”
ON JETS
Dungy: “The Jets are better than we thought…A lot of good things happening from that Jets offense and defense; young guns just hustling, fighting, playing well and just getting the job done.”
Simms: “Quinnen Williams was everywhere for the Jets defense, the star of the Jets defense so far this season…They’ve got young playmakers all over the field, both offensive and defensive side of the ball…(On Williams) He’s one of the better three-techniques in all of football right now. When he’s one-on-one with a guard in pass protection, you’re not going to stop him. He’s going to get pressure on the quarterback. He’s the MVP of their defense so far this year.”
Florio on his post-game conversation with Quinnen Williams: “He told me he went back and looked at the Grady Jarrett hit from last week, the Chris Jones hit from last week and he thought both of those were perfection. So what he’s trying to do – and I think other defensive players will have this same mindset – just don’t think about it, just go play. If you get flagged, so be it. There’s nothing you can do to stop it from happening. Obviously, the goal is to keep quarterbacks healthy.”
ON PACKERS
Simms: “Do too much? They’re not doing enough for me on the offensive side of the ball. What are they trying to get accomplished? It’s three- and four-yard gains in the passing game. They line up and act like they can just line up and beat you into submission, and that’s not the case.”
Dungy: “They’ve got to get those two runners going and they’ve got to make some passing plays up the field. Everybody’s squeezing down, playing for their short passes.”
ON BENGALS
Simms on QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase: “If it’s one-on-one, (Burrow’s) going to No. 1…When he has one-on-one coverage, they’re throwing to this guy and I don’t blame them.”
ON RAMS
Simms on WR Allen Robinson: “They need him to show up. The Rams offense is not very good right now. They struggled again today, and Allen Robinson at least showed up.”
ON SEAHAWKS
Fareed on rookie RB Kenneth Walker III: “He’s the guy now, and he looks like the guy.”
Dungy: “He gave them energy and toughness today. Their offense has been revolving around Geno Smith, but today it was Kenneth Walker.”
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JALEN HURTS SPEAKS TO MARIA TAYLOR
Click here to watch the full interview, portions of which aired in tonight’s FNIA. Following are highlights of the interview:
On how growing up around football his whole life impacted him: “Soaking in the knowledge of the game, the family environment the game brings, the importance of relationship-building within the game and the team, I saw all of that from a young age. I saw how my dad handled it as a coach and as a father. It’s crazy because those were my best times, that being my daycare, my playground. Just going out there and having fun just being around the game, that’s a big part of my journey.”
On being a leader
“It takes a special person to do it…I give a lot of credit to my teammates, me coming out here and earning their respect…Going in as a freshman at Alabama, you earn your respect by what you do on the field. When I came to Philadelphia, I just had the same mindset. I wanted to prove to my teammates and my teammates are the only one that matter to me. You earn their respect as a player, and then get to know them as a leader and as a friend…That’s always been my formula.”
On his relationship with his father and his nickname “bug”
“For whatever reason, he calls me that. Since I was a kid, he called me ‘bug’…Big Hurts was my dad, Little Hurts was my brother, and they called me J-Bug. J-Bug was mine, so it kind of stuck…We have a very special relationship because I know I can always call him; he’ll answer the phone and I do the same for him.”
On staying focused
“Keep on controlling what you can. And that, ironically, is stuff that I preach to the team now. It’s deeply rooted in my experiences. Keep the main thing the main thing. Control what you can and keep getting better as a player. Those are the things that I focus on.”
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Peacock Sunday Night Football Final, an NFL post-game show produced by NBC Sports, streams exclusively on Peacock following every Sunday Night Football game during the 2022 season. The show is hosted by NBC Sports commentators Kathryn Tappen and Chris Simms, who provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews. Football Night in America co-host Jac Collinsworth and analyst Rodney Harrison also provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments from the site of each week’s SNF game. NFL Insider Mike Florio provides injury and news updates. Matthew Berry provides fantasy football analysis and an early look at the fantasy waiver wire.
— Football Night in America —
