“I truly believe if we won that day we could have won the Super Bowl.”– Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on last season’s Divisional Playoff loss to the 49ers
“I want to win the Super Bowl. The only way to do that is to win playoff games. Those two wins aren’t going to be enough.” – Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on changing his 2-4 postseason record
“I think back to the night of the Miami game, when we lost Jimmy (Garoppolo) and had to play Brock (Purdy)…and I’m laying there in bed that night, and I say, ‘Man, it’s awful for Jimmy. But wait a second. Brock did play pretty good.” – 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reflecting on QB Brock Purdy’s first game in 2022
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 21, 2023 – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Dak Prescott, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen speak with Peter King as his 2023 Training Camp Tour continues with trips to the Cowboys, 49ers, Saints, and Bears in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses the Bears’ new offense with WR D.J. Moore, the 49ers’ QB situation, and more.
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The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:
COWBOYS
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on his team’s 27-year Super Bowl drought: “I know how hard it is to win one of those (a Super Bowl)…Just because we haven’t won it in so long doesn’t make what we’ve done meaningless.”
Jones on the Cowboys’ last offensive possession of last season’s NFC Divisional Playoff game against the 49ers: “Those 48 seconds…I truly believe if we won that day we could have won the Super Bowl.”
Jones on trusting QB Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl: “We’re relying on him, and I feel very good about that. His preparation, his presence, how the team responds to him. I believe he will get us there.”
Prescott on learning from last year’s playoff loss: “To say I’m continuing to relive it, it’s past me at this point. But a lot of the offseason was about that. With (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) taking over the play-calling we went into details and sometimes…there’s a lot of details in that that allowed those three plays to not be successful. That’s what we really focused on this training camp and this spring, cleaning that up.”
Prescott on his 2-4 postseason record: “I want to win the Super Bowl. The only way to do that is to win playoff games. Those two wins aren’t going to be enough.”
49ERS
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the importance of a great defense: “Year after year, all these quarterbacks. All these bad injuries. The one thing we believed in was having a great defense. That keeps games close, then you just figure a way sometimes on offense.”
Shanahan on Brock Purdy replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season: “I think back to the night of the Miami game, when we lost Jimmy and had to play Brock. The feeling after that game was very sad, because of what happened to Jimmy. And I’m laying there in bed that night, and I say, ‘Man, it’s awful for Jimmy. But wait a second. Brock did play pretty good.’”
Purdy on starting this season after offseason elbow surgery: “To be able to go out and practice and still make all the throws with velocity, on time, gives me a lot of confidence. I’m confident, ready to roll for this year.”
Shanahan on QB Sam Darnold signing with the 49ers this offseason: “Sam still could’ve gone other places for a lot more money. For him to come here—a huge leap of faith. He had no idea if he was coming for the one, two or three job.”
49ers GM John Lynch on his discussion with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the 2017 League Meeting: “Thank God John Harbaugh said this. ‘Could I talk to you for a sec?’ He said he couldn’t let me leave because of the respect he had for me and Kyle (Shanahan). He said, ‘The one thing (Ravens GM) Ozzie (Newsome) and I learned is if you feel really convicted on a player, it’s your job to sell Kyle on him. Tell him why you love him. Show him film as to why you love him. If you can’t agree, then you move on. But man, there’re not enough good players that if one of you doesn’t like him when you start talking, next! I can’t tell you how many times where Ozzie’s loved a player and I hated him. But by the end, Ozzie’s got me all in and vice versa.’ That was a great lesson.”
BEARS
First-year Bears WR D.J. Moore on QB Justin Fields: “Justin’s young. He’s a sponge. He’ll throw deep, intermediate, short—just wants to make the best choice on every play.”
Peter King on the impact of Moore on the offense: “Moore is the player this franchise needed for the care and development of the young quarterback, Fields…it’s apparent no one here wants a do-over on the trade that netted Chicago one of the game’s top 20 wide receivers.”
SAINTS
King on QB Derek Carr signing with the Saints after spending the first nine years of his career with the Raiders: “Carr leaving the Raiders was good for Vegas; the Raiders lost faith him as a player and leader…and the move was great for Carr, who needed a new start the way Aaron Rodgers did.”
Saints head coach Dennis Allen on Carr’s impact: “We’ve got the best quarterback in our division. Our team believes in our quarterback.”
Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael on WR Michael Thomas’ comeback: “I don’t need Mike Thomas to be the guy he was in 2019. If he’s 75, 80 percent of that, we’re good.”
NEWS & NOTES
King on the Colts naming rookie QB Anthony Richardson as the Week 1 starter: “I’m not crazy about the decision to name Anthony Richardson the starting QB after an in-and-out training camp, and after just one year as a college starter. I know he needs the experience, but what’s the rush, with Gardner Minshew a solid option to start the season?”
King on Browns K Cade York’s recent struggles: “I think when you hear Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t concerned that kicker Cade York missed 47- and 41-yard field-goal attempts with a preseason game on the line, and you hear York say he’s not concerned, you should be skeptical.”
Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.
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- The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King 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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