Well, we’ve never received Face The Nation quotage before, but when you have a Super Bowl edition from South Florida with NFL Commish Roger Goodell and the CBS Sports NFL crew, we’re going to get a full transcript. So for the first time and probably the last time, here’s Face The Nation quotage.
FACE THE NATION
February 7, 2010
HEADLINES & TRANSCRIPTLIVE FROM SUN LIFE STADIUM IN MIAMI, FLTOPIC: SUPER BOWL XLIV
GUEST: Roger Goodell
NFL Commissioner· On the collective bargaining agreement: “we want to get a deal”“I think that we’re having dialogue with our Players Association. And we want to get a deal. We want to get a fair deal. We feel the players should be paid fairly. And we will get a deal. It’s just a matter of when. Insofar as what it will do if we go into an uncapped season, I think will not affect the quality of our game. Because we have collectively bargained a number of restrictions in our — in our way players can move with free agency and other terms. And I think it will continue to be a high-quality product, which is what we’re focused on.”· Owners don’t win by having a lockoutSCHIEFFER: DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players’ union said the other day, on a scale of 1-10, he thinks the chances of owners locking out the players is — is a 14. What do you think? Do you agree with that?
GOODELL: Well, I — I don’t agree with that. I think the issue for us is to get an agreement. And we’ve got to work hard to get that agreement, and a fair agreement. I think what’s the ownership is focused on. The owners don’t win by having a lockout. Shutting down your business is not good for anybody. And it’s certainly not good for the players. It’s certainly not good for the fans. And that’s the most important to us. We want to structure something that really is going to lead us into the next decade in a way that’s constructive, so the players benefit; the teams benefit; and most of all, the game.· Players will continue to see growing salariesSCHIEFFER: Well, Commissioner, are you saying the players are going to have to take a reduction; they’re going to have to be willing to get less revenue than they’re getting now?
GOODELL: Well, what we’re asking them to do is to recognize the incredible costs, which they have already acknowledged, that are required to grow revenue. You have to invest in these stadiums that we’re in today. You need to find new ways of creating revenue, whether it’s international or otherwise. And that takes investment. And we need to make sure that the owners have the capital to be able to do that. And then the pie grows and everyone benefits. And so I think the players will continue to see growing revenue – growing salaries, but their salaries have doubled over the last decade.· NFL wasn’t late in recognizing danger of concussions“We have been on this since the mid ’90s. We’ve had a medical committee studying the effects of concussions, what we can do to minimize those concussions, what we can do with equipment to make sure the players are wearing the best possible equipment. But medical science is still trying to determine what are the long-term effects of concussions. How do we treat these? And I think what’s great about what the NFL has done is the awareness that has been brought to this issue in the last several years. And we’ve had medical conferences. We’ve had congressional testimony. All of that has brought an awareness to the public sector of the seriousness of this… For many years the culture had been quite different, that concussions weren’t serious injuries. I think we have changed that culture and made sure that people understand they are serious and they can have serious consequences if they’re not treated properly, especially if they’re not treated properly.”· NFL needs to find more ways to make the game safer“Well, we have changed the game and we’ve changed the culture. And I think the rules changes that we’ve made over the last several years have made the game safer for our players. We need to continue to find new ways. There are techniques that are in the game that we think can lead to more serious injuries, whether they’re head injuries, the high hits to the head. We’ve done a lot of changes to defenseless receivers to make sure that the players who are in that position are not subject to hits that can cause serious injury.”· Does the NFL foresee any changes in the rules?SCHIEFFER: I mean, can you ever foresee a time when linemen would not get down in a three-point stance in the NFL?
GOODELL: Well, it’s possible. A lot of times — as you’ll see tonight, you’ll see a lot of players that never get down in a three- point stance, so it’s possible that would happen.PLUS A ROUNDTABLE WITH:
Shannon Sharpe
Analyst, THE NFL TODAY· Is football more dangerous today than before?“I think the guys have gotten bigger. We’ve gotten faster. But the dimensions of the field have stayed the same. I think the thing is now the NFL is doing as good a job as they possibly can with the diagnosis of a concussion. When I first got into the league, they didn’t know any better. Now they know better, they do better. They diagnose it properly. They get the guys off the field. They’re doing everything they possibly can. I think they’re taking steps in the right direction but I think there’s more that can be done.”Phil Simms
Lead Analyst, THE NFL ON CBS· Equipment changes could revolutionize football“I think they’re making a lot of great changes in the NFL. I think the rule changes we see, that’s the one thing I love about the league. It’s not like the other sports. They’re not afraid to change it, whether its helps TV, helps the enjoyment for the fans and the safety of the players. So every year we see rule changes and the b
iggest thing is right now too they’re going to — the equipment is going to get better. The helmet, they’re going to revolutionize it, I think, in the next couple of years. And that will help all these head injuries. And they’re going in the right direction.Jim Nantz
Lead Play-by-Play Announcer, THE NFL ON CBSTRANSCRIPT
SCHIEFFER: And good morning again. The commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, is not our only guest; also on the set today, the Super Bowl trophy…(LAUGHTER)… the Vince Lombardi trophy, literally put there with kid gloves.(LAUGHTER)We may make some history, as well, today. If all goes as expected, this will be our first “Face the Nation” broadcast, Commissioner, that includes a blimp shot. So we’ll all be…(LAUGHTER)We’ll all be looking for that.Let’s — let’s just start with the state of the game right now. You have had — I can’t remember when the NFL had a better season than they had: great teams, great stories, climaxing in this story of this Cinderella team from New Orleans, playing against maybe the best player in the game today, Peyton Manning.But you’ve got some tough days coming up because the contract between the owners and the players is about to run out. If you don’t sign a contract, I take it, by March, this will be the first season in a long time when you have no salary caps.In other words, you can sign a player for as much as you want to or as little as that person is willing to play for. Is that — what would be the impact of that?GOODELL: Well, first off, Bob, we are very fortunate. We’ve got a great game. And today will be a great day for the NFL, and I think for the country. It will be a chance to really celebrate and come together and — and get away from our everyday troubles.But, you know, as it relates to our challenges going forward, we will have challenges going forward. I think that we’re having dialogue with our Players Association. And we want to get a deal. We want to get a fair deal. We feel the players should be paid fairly. And we will get a deal. It’s just a matter of when.Insofar as what it will do if we go into an uncapped season, I think will not affect the quality of our game. Because we have collectively bargained a number of restrictions in our — in our way players can move with free agency and other terms. And I think it will continue to be a high-quality product, which is what we’re focused on.SCHIEFFER: What the players are afraid of, right now, and what they’re predicting is — is a lockout for the 2011 season. They don’t want that. But DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players’ union said the other day, on a scale of 1-10, he thinks the chances of owners locking out the players is — is a 14.What do you think? Do you agree with that?GOODELL: Well, I — I don’t agree with that. I think the issue for us is to get an agreement. And we’ve got to work hard to get that agreement, and a fair agreement. I think what’s the ownership is focused on.The owners don’t win by having a lockout. Shutting down your business is not good for anybody. And it’s certainly not good for the players. It’s certainly not good for the fans. And that’s the most important to us.We want to structure something that really is going to lead us into the next decade in a way that’s constructive, so the players benefit; the teams benefit; and most of all, the game.SCHIEFFER: You split up the revenue. Now, what, players get 54 percent; the owners get 46 percent? A lot of people say the owners just want to — want to flip that.GOODELL: Well, it’s — actually, they get 59 percent. And what’s ha
ppened since we signed this new deal in 2006 is that they’ve actually gotten 75 percent of all incremental revenues since 2006.SCHIEFFER: You’re talking about the players?GOODELL: The players. We’ve generated about $3.6 billion in incremental revenues since 2006; $2.6 billion of that went to the players. And the owners are actually $200 million worse off.So there’s a way to structure this where the players continue to benefit and the owners have the opportunity to invest back in the game and grow the game so that there are more opportunities for our players.SCHIEFFER: Well, Commissioner, are you saying the players are going to have to take a reduction; they’re going to have to be willing to get less revenue than they’re getting now?GOODELL: Well, what we’re asking them to do is to recognize the incredible costs, which they have already acknowledged, that are required to grow revenue.You have to invest in these stadiums that we’re in today. You need to find new ways of creating revenue, whether it’s international or otherwise. And that takes investment.And we need to make sure that the owners have the capital to be able to do that. And then the pie grows and everyone benefits. And so I think the players will continue to see growing revenue — growing salaries, but their salaries have doubled over the last decade.SCHIEFFER: Are the owners on the same page on this?GOODELL: Yes. One of the things that’s very important is to make sure that there’s transparency in the process, not only with the players but with our owners and with our fans. And we want to make sure that that’s there so everyone understands the issues and we can address them reasonably.SCHIEFFER: This would be just kind of a layman’s question, I suppose. But is there anything — is there any concession that either side could make that would get these negotiations going and get it off the dime where it seems to be really stuck right now?GOODELL: Well, I don’t think so. I don’t agree necessarily that it’s stuck. I think where we are is trying to understand each other’s position, understand the economics. We need to make sure we’re on the same page from that standpoint and recognize the tremendous investment required to continue to grow the game.I think the players understand that. And we have to continue to find creative ways to address it so the players benefit and the game can benefit.SCHIEFFER: I want to ask you about the concussion question. Was the NFL a little late to recognize how serious this business of the possibility of brain damage is? I know now you’re on the case and you’re trying to do something about it. But it seems to me like it has taken a while for you to get to where you are.GOODELL: I don’t agree with that, Bob. We have been on this since the mid ’90s. We’ve had a medical committee studying the effects of concussions, what we can do to minimize those concussions, what we can do with equipment to make sure the players are wearing the best possible equipment.But medical science is still trying to determine what are the long-term effects of concussions. How do we treat these? And I think what’s great about what the NFL has done is the awareness that has been brought to this issue in the last several years. And we’ve had medical conferences. We’ve had congressional testimony. All of that has brought an awareness to the public sector of the seriousness of this.SCHIEFFER: Well, you got a lot of criticism from the Congress when you…GOODELL: Sure we do.SCHIEFFER: … talk — but let me just…GOODELL: But that was our study, too, Bob.SCHIEFFER: Well, let’s — that’s just what I was going to talk about here. The study that you conducted says that something like NFL players are five times more likely to have some sort of an injury, brain injury or memory-related illness than the public at large. And in the age group of 30 to 49, maybe 19 times as likely. So this really is a serious problem.GOODELL: Well, again, this was a phone service. This
wasn’t a medical survey. But what it has done has caused us to say, let’s go back and see if there is something here that we need to understand better. We understand our responsibility to the general public, to our players, and we will continue to be responsible and bring awareness to this so that people treat these injuries seriously and get the proper medical care.For many years the culture had been quite different, that concussions weren’t serious injuries. I think we have changed that culture and made sure that people understand they are serious and they can have serious consequences if they’re not treated properly, especially if they’re not treated properly.SCHIEFFER: I guess the co-chairman of the Atlanta Falcons, president — co-chairman of the competition committee, said everything is on the table. Everything from the thought of possibly changing the rules to changing the equipment. Where are you on that? I mean, football is a rough game. Can it be the same game if like some people are saying maybe we ought to do away with a three-point stance for the linemen? I mean…GOODELL: Well, we have changed the game and we’ve changed the culture. And I think the rules changes that we’ve made over the last several years have made the game safer for our players. We need to continue to find new ways. There are techniques that are in the game that we think can lead to more serious injuries, whether they’re head injuries, the high hits to the head.We’ve done a lot of changes to defenseless receivers to make sure that the players who are in that position are not subject to hits that can cause serious injury.SCHIEFFER: I mean, can you ever foresee a time when linemen would not get down in a three-point stance in the NFL?GOODELL: Well, it’s possible. A lot of times — as you’ll see tonight, you’ll see a lot of players that never get down in a three- point stance, so it’s possible that would happen.SCHIEFFER: I want to just talk a little bit about this game today, and this whole incredible story of New Orleans. And here you’ve got the Manning family that were kind of the heart and the soul of New Orleans. Archie was a quarterback for the Saints and all of that. And now his son Peyton is going against New Orleans, a city that has come back from Katrina. What does that mean to you, Commissioner, and to the game?GOODELL: Well, it means a great deal to the people of the Gulf Coast. And that’s important for all of us because we’re a big part of that community. And we stood strong with them when the hurricane hit and their tragedy struck. And it was something that we wanted to be a part of, helping rebuild that community.And I think the team — the Saints became a symbol of hope. Not only did we physically help rebuild the city, particularly the dome, but we’ve now since extended our lease and we’ve actually awarded a Super Bowl in the future to New Orleans.GOODELL: So I think all of that has helped the people have a better sense of optimism and strength. They’ve inspired a country with their courage. I think the NFL has been a big part of that. We’re proud of that. But the people of the Gulf Coast make it special.SCHIEFFER: You are, as far as I know, the first commissioner of any professional sport that started out as an intern in the commissioner’s office. I mean you really did. Where along the way did you one day say, you know, I think I’d like to be the commissioner.GOODELL: You know, I really didn’t focus that, Bob. I was so fortunate to be a part of the NFL, just to have the opportunities that I had and great mentors along the way. And I just feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have this job. I was fortunate just to be part of the NFL. That was my career ambition. So the commissioner was just sort of — it’s a huge responsibility but something I take very seriously.SCHIEFFER: Commissioner, it’s a pleasure to have you with us today. And we’re looking forward to a great ballgame.GOODELL: Well, it’s great to have you, Bob. It will be a special day for the entire nation.SCHIEFFER: And we’ll be back in a minute.(COMMERCIAL BREAK)SCHIEFFER: And we’re back here at the Super Bowl in Miami. Right next to me, my man Shannon Sharpe. Phil Simms, that great New York Giants
quarterback, and right over there, of course, Jim Nantz. These two guys will be doing the play-by-play. You’ll be telling us how it is all going to come out.SHANNON SHARPE, FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER: Let me start by saying this. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I’d be on “Face the Nation.” My grandmother and sister are watching back home and all my friends and I’m on “Face the Nation.” Thanks for having me.SCHIEFFER: Well, I’ll tell you, I never in my wildest dream thought we’d have a blimp shot on “Face the Nation.” They tell me we’re going to have one. So when we see it, we’ll all wave. Shannon, I just want to start with you because the commissioner was talking about this whole idea of concussions and injuries and that the game has gotten pretty dangerous. Everybody is trying to figure out what to do about it. Can you have football if it’s not rough? I mean, I think that seems to be the question that everybody is grappling with?SHARPE: I don’t think you can. I think the guys have gotten bigger. We’ve gotten faster. But the dimensions of the field have stayed the same. I think the thing is now the NFL is doing as good a job as they possibly can with the diagnosis of a concussion.When I first got into the league, they didn’t know any better. Now they know better, they do better. They diagnose it properly. They get the guys off the field. They’re doing everything they possibly can. I think they’re taking steps in the right direction but I think there’s more that can be done.SCHIEFFER: What about you, Phil? I mean, some people say the game has gotten too dangerous for its own good. They’re going to have to do something here. I don’t think there’s any question people now see this connection between concussions and brain damage that they didn’t see before.PHIL SIMMS, FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER: Bob, I think they’re making a lot of great changes in the NFL. I think the rule changes we see, that’s the one thing I love about the league. It’s not like the other sports. They’re not afraid to change it, whether its helps TV, helps the enjoyment for the fans and the safety of the players.So every year we see rule changes and the biggest thing is right now too they’re going to — the equipment is going to get better. The helmet, they’re going to revolutionize it, I think, in the next couple of years. And that will help all these head injuries. And they’re going in the right direction.NANTZ: The media has a role in this too. We have celebrated and over-celebrated and replayed the big collisions. We’ve had them sponsored on the highlights, the hit of the week. And other various names that really promote players to go out there and viciously lay someone out.NANTZ: And you know what’s happened, Bob, is that the players are faster and they’re stronger.SCHIEFFER: And they’re bigger.NANTZ: And their collisions, they’re bigger. So the collisions, of course, create more damage.SHARPE: And football is based on the premise of imposing your will on someone. And what you try to do is hit someone physically as hard as you possibly can, legally, to impose your will to let him know you’re the toughest, you’re the most physical team that day and that’s the way a lot of teams win football games.SCHIEFFER: Well they’re talking, some people, as you all know, about maybe doing away with the three-point stance for the lineman except when you’ve got close to the…SIMMS: That’s one rule change they’re not going to get away with. That won’t happen. Like I said, the changes, what’s really changed a lot in football is now it used to be everybody was close together and you just kind of ran into each other. Now with the passing off, they spread the field from side line to side line so that just gives guys more space, more time and more speed. But like I said, I really have a lot of faith. I think they’re making some good choices.SCHIEFFER: But I think what you want, Phil, is that they would say you can’t tackle the quarterback.SIMMS: No, you’re wrong, completely wrong. No, I want to — well, I don’t want to say that. I was going to say, I want them to go back to the rules that we played under, but they have to be careful there too. You have to give the defense some chance. We can’t do every single thing in football for the offense.SCHIEFFER: I want to ask you guys about — let’s just talk about this game. I mean, my heavens. I probably know more about baseball than I do about football. But I think one thing I do know about it is a good story and I can’t think of a better story in a long, long time than Peyton Manning coming from New Orleans, the whole Manning family growing up down there. And now he’s going against New Orleans, the Cinderella team. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this.NANTZ: It’s a feel-good Super Bowl. There’s not a villain here, Bob. There’s not like a group that, you know, anyone has any reason to say I don’t like that team. I don’t like the way they play football. They’re class organizations. You know, Peyton is in the midst of building a career that might be one of the biggest, if not the biggest of all time. Today would be another step in that direction.SCHIEFFER: Is the best player in the league?NANTZ: Well, I think there’s no question he is right now. He’s won the MVP for the fourth time. That’s an all-time record. Then you’ve got the Saints story which I believe if they win here today, this is going to be the feel-good story of all feel-good stories in the history of the Super Bowl. I can’t imagine anything to match. The whole country will celebrate with them, except for Indianapolis.SCHIEFFER: Everybody talks about him but what about Drew Brees? I mean, I just wrote down some notes here. Here’s a kid that he took his team to two undefeated seasons in high school. Won the state championship in Texas which is a pretty good prize to win. He took his team Purdue to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 34 years. And now he takes New Orleans to is Super Bowl. I mean, this guy doesn’t do anything but win.SIMMS: Well, I want to say this about Drew Brees. I’m down in New Orleans practice and they all go, hey, don’t forget about our quarterback. And I go, nobody is forgetting about him. Just remember Peyton Manning has been doing it for 12 years. So he has built on to all of this success. Drew Brees, his fourth year under Sean Payton, I say let him do this for eight more years. He’ll be the only story when he comes to the Super Bowl.NANTZ: He said that to Drew the other day. We met with him on Thursday morning. He says he’s been playing for eight years longer than you have. Because Drew really gets it. He’s one of these compulsive personalities, perfectionist. He was talking about how he realizes this game could put him in that upper echelon with the Mannings and the Bradys. Roethlisberger has won a couple of Super Bowls. He knows his career, if it’s going to be a Hall of Fame career, rests on days like today.SHARPE: That’s what happens because in grading Drew Brees’ play, when you look at Peyton Manning, I think a lot of quarterbacks get overlooked because Peyton Manning played so well. And I was talking on radio the other day. I said when you really look at Peyton Manning, if you just take his career, he’s going to throw he’s going to win between 12 and 14 games every year. He’ll throw between four and 4,500 yards with 30 touchdowns. Unless somebody has a Tom Brady season of 2007, who else do you give the MVP to? Who?SCHIEFFER: Well now that I’ve seen “The Blind Side,” I’ve become an expert on blocking and the left tackles and all that, there are a couple of other guys out on the field today besides Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Who should we keep our eye on?SHARPE: Well I think biggest story line is Dwight because you don’t know if he’s going to play or how much he’s going to play and if he does play, how effective will he be? He’s the best defensive player that was going to take the field provided he’s healthy. And that greatly increases New Orleans chances of winning this ballgame. If he can’t get constant pressure on Drew Brees.SIMMS: I would say this, you know, as we talk up here today and all week long it’s been about what? Passing the football. And so the defense, we have to stop the pass. Well, if you’re putting everybody back there to stop the pass, who is going to stop the run? So it would not surprise me at all if one of the running backs for either team today has a special day and can be the MVP of the game when it’s over.SHARPE: Do you really believe Andy can run the football? The average may be a 9.5 a game.SIMMS: I really believe there’s a chance they can run the ball today.NANTZ: I believe there’s a good chance we are going to have a punt return for a touchdown today. Reggie Bush, there has never been a punt return in the history of the Super Bowl.NANTZ: Now, he has played in four play-off games in his Saints career. He scored five touchdowns. He scored in every single playoff game. He’s a game-changer, a game-breaker. I would say the X factor, Reggie Bush, and Reggie Wayne on the Colts’ side.SCHIEFFER: You think a high-scoring game or low-scoring game?NANTZ: I’m going high-scoring. Tonight, it’s going to be perfect. These little breezes we’re feeling right now, they’re
going to settle down. It’s going to be ideal weather for the quarterbacks to be able to throw the football the way they want to throw it.SIMMS: Both teams scoring at 20. Is that high scoring?(LAUGHTER)So that’s what I think, both teams will be in the 20s. I think it will be close.SHARPE: I think one team will be in the 30s. I don’t really see, with (inaudible) being out of the ball game, I just don’t see how they get constant pressure on him.And another thing, the field goal kicker, Garrett Hartley’s in his second year; Matt Stover’s in his 20th year.NANTZ: I see it this way, Bob. The temperature’s going to be in the 50s; the winner’s going to be in the 40s; and the loser’s going to be in the 30s.(LAUGHTER)NANTZ: Tune in, OK.(LAUGHTER)SCHIEFFER: Wow. That sounds good.Guys, it’s great to talk to you. We really appreciate it. Be back with a final thought in just a minute.(COMMERCIAL BREAK)SCHIEFFER: Finally today, several people asked me this week, with all that’s going on, how can you leave Washington and politics behind and broadcast from a football game? The answer is easy enough. We went to the airport and got a direct flight. And I don’t even follow pro football that closely. My interest in the game starts and stops with my college team, the TCU Horned Frogs, who, in case you missed it, had a pretty fair team last year.But here is the deal. On Super Bowl Sunday, it’s hard to get a conversation going about anything but the Super Bowl. Want to talk politics inside the Beltway maneuvering? Good luck. But on this one day, I don’t think so.The truth is the Super Bowl long ago became more than just a football game. It’s part of our culture, like turkey at Thanksgiving and lights at Christmas, and like those holidays, beyond their meaning, a factor in our economy.Even people who don’t like football tune in to watch the commercials. You can’t say that about many things.So you could argue we’re here because the Super Bowl is big news. I won’t. I believe it’s more important than that. I think it’s one of those breaks when we can put aside the things that really matter and, for a few hours, just gather with our friends and family and enjoy something that makes absolutely no difference in the course of human events.We need that every once in a while, maybe lately more than ever. I feel lucky to be a part of it. Back in a minute.(COMMERCIAL BREAK)SCHIEFFER: And that’s it for us. Tune in to our CBS sports coverage of Super Bowl XLIV starting at noon Eastern. Katie Couric will interview President Barack Obama during the pre-game show at 4:30. We’ll be back in Washington next Sunday.
Thanks to CBS Sports and CBS News for sending the transcript.
