We now wrap up our early Sunday NFL pregame press releases with NBC’s preview of tonight’s Football Night in America interviews. Tony Dungy gets involved by talking with New York Giants QB Eli Manning while Bob Costas interviews Philadelphia Eagles running back Lesean McCoy. Here’s the preview.
“FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” PREVIEW – WEEK 11
TONY DUNGY INTERVIEWS ELI MANNING; BOB COSTAS INTERVIEWS LESEAN MCCOY
“I think we can run the table.” – Eagles RB McCoy
“I need to win some games before I tweet anything.” – Eagles RB McCoy
“I think I am a great quarterback. I think I play at a high level, but all I was trying to say that day is I think I can win games for the Giants and play at a very high level.” – Giants QB ManningNEW YORK – November 20, 2011 – Tony Dungy interviewed New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Bob Costas interviewed Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy for tonight’s Week 11 edition of Football Night in America, which will also include highlights, analysis and reaction to Week 11’s afternoon games.
Football Night airs each Sunday at 7 p.m. ET with Costas hosting the program live from inside the stadium. In addition to his interviews, Costas is joined on site by Sunday Night Football commentators Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) for reaction to the afternoon games.
Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from Studio 8G at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios and is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Peter King of Sports Illustrated and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com. Alex Flanagan will report from Soldier Field in Chicago on the Chargers-Bears game.
Football Night is averaging 8.9 million viewers and a household rating of 5.4/9 (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET) through the first 10 weeks, both up 10 percent from last year’s first 10 weeks.
INTERVIEWS: Below are excerpts from Dungy’s interview with Manning and Costas’ interview with McCoy.
ELI MANNING WITH TONY DUNGY
ON THE GIANTS THROWING THE FOOTBALL MORE THIS YEAR:
Eli Manning: “As a quarterback you always want to throw the ball. Sometimes we are trying to run, we’re trying to establish it and it’s just not working. I go to Coach Gilbride and say, ‘Let’s just throw it.’ He likes to throw it also. He likes to do whatever is working. Coach Coughlin has that attitude, ‘we are going to run it. We are going to be tough.’ Sometimes when it’s not working, you’ve got to mix it up. You have to throw the ball and that’s what I am here to do.”ON MANNING DECLARING HIMSELF AN “ELITE QUARTERBACK”:
Tony Dungy: “Going into the year, someone asked you about being an elite quarterback. You kind of came off out of character for you, but I know you’re just trying to be honest about your feelings and confidence. Looking back on it, do you wish you would’ve just let your play speak for itself?”
Manning: “I think I gave an honest answer. I didn’t try to retract from the answer at all. What would’ve been the best way to answer that would’ve been to say, ‘I’m not in the business of comparing myself to other quarterbacks.’ I think I am a great quarterback. I think I play at a high level, but all I was trying to say that day is I think I can win games for the Giants and play at a very high level.”ELI VS. PEYTON:
Dungy: “If I am coming back into coaching, and I get to pick a quarterback, do I take you or Peyton?”
Manning: “That’s a good question. I don’t know if I have an honest answer on that. He is my brother and obviously his resume speaks for itself. I had a good first seven years, but I think my best football is on the rise.”Dungy: “If I did take you, would you be easier to coach than Peyton?”
Manning: “(Chuckles) I think so. You know a lot of things about my big brother. It’s all in the right intentions and he wants to win. He’s dedicated 1000 percent to football but I know he can be tough at times.”(Dungy Laughs)
Manning: “Having him as a big brother, I have seen those sides. But he’s got a big heart, He’s a competitive guy, and just the hardest working guy you will ever see, so I don’t think you can go wrong with either quarterback.”LESEAN MCCOY WITH BOB COSTAS
ON ‘TWITTER WAR’ WITH OSI UMENYIORA:
Bob Costas: “What do you think happens the first time Osi Umenyiora tackles you?”
LeSean McCoy: “He’s a good player. We had our little twitter war so he’ll be happy to hit me a little bit, but I can’t let that affect my game. We may have our little individual battles, but it’s still a team game.”Costas: You tweeted over the summer, ‘hey, this guy is overrated. He’s only the third-best defensive lineman on his own team.’ He seemed more offended by that because it came in the midst of a contract dispute and he thought it might’ve lessened his leverage. More upset about that than just some back and forth trash talk among competitors.”
McCoy: “It kind of got blown out of proportion. I didn’t mean to really stir anything up with his contract negotiations with the team. It was more of an individual type of rivalry.”Costas: “Are you going to curtail it (tweeting) a little bit, or are you right back out there with it?”
McCoy: “I’m going to sit back a little bit. Step away from Twitter a little bit. I need to win some games before I tweet anything.”ON EAGLES BEING 3-6:
Costas: “Looking at this realistically, you might have to run the table. You might have to win seven in a row, you would just to go to 10-6. Usually that’s the cutoff. Sometimes a team can grab a Wild Card at 9-7, but 10-6 is where you’d like to be. Can you win seven in a row?”
McCoy: “I think so. Not only me, but everyone in that locker room thinks the Eagles can win out. The talent is there. You ask defenses that we play; when they turn the tape on they don’t see a 3-6 team. I think if we just take care of the small things we are in good shape. I think we can run the table.”
I’ll be back with the Football Night in America quotage and Bob Costas halftime commentary later.
