I was hoping to do some linkage today, but my car battery died so I spent a couple of hours dealing with that so the links are out of the window. I do have your Sunday pregame quotage.
Let’s begin with NFL Network’s Gameday Morning. When you have a four hour pregame show, you’re going to have plenty of quotes.
News and Sound Bites From Week 3 Edition of NFL GAMEDAY MORNING
“It was definitely a blessing. I would have never changed.” – Eagles QB Michael Vick on His Time in Prison
“You only have leverage two times in this league – when you are a free agent and when you’re drafted.” – Marshall Faulk on 49ers WR Michael Crabtree’s Contract Situation
“The reality is Tom Terrific isn’t Tom Terrific.” – Michael Irvin on Patriots QB Tom Brady
NFL GameDay Morning, the FIRST pregame show on the air Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM ET with a new four-hour expanded format, taking viewers straight up to kickoff. Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Jason La Canfora, and hosts Spero Dedes and Stacey Dales bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews.
‘Sunday Sit-Down’ – Sterling Sharpe Sits Down with Eagles QB Michael Vick:
NFL Network’s Sterling Sharpe sits down with Eagles QB Michael Vick for a candid conversation on making his comeback to the NFL and his role with the Philadelphia Eagles:
“I’m ready to go out and do what I’m asked to do right now.” – Vick on being ready to play
“I always tried to stay optimistic, but I really didn’t know what was going to happen. I knew that I was not forthright with the Commissioner and that there was a chance that he wouldn’t let me back in.” – Vick on his thoughts prior to being reinstated into the league
“That was special. At first I didn’t believe it when my agent called and told me. I thought it was a hoax. I just thought, ‘why would Philadelphia want to bring me in?’ and ‘what could I do for them?’” – Vick on his thoughts after signing with Philadelphia
“It wasn’t the ideal situation…I missed all the OTAs, all the minicamps, most of the preseason and training camps, so where could I go and be ‘the guy’ and do I want that kind of pressure? I knew that anything I did would be scrutinized to a tee. I would have been a focal point on the team and that would have taken away from the team. I didn’t want to be selfish in that regard.” – Vick on his return
“I get in a 7 AM in the morning to work out and I never did that before. I watch film and I never did that before. I don’t know if I can reach the playing level that I was at, but I know there’s potential and I still feel like I got it.” – Vick on his new work ethic
“It was definitely a blessing. I would have never changed. I would have never changed as an individual off the field, as a player in the film room and just being one of the guys in the locker room…I wouldn’t change a thing. I would go through the same things, the prison and all. It was tough, but it brought me closer to my family. From the outside looking in, I was able to sit back and see what was missing in my life.” – Vick on his time in prison
To view Sharpe’s interview with Vick, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d812ecda1/Michael-Vick-1-on-1
Kara Henderson 1-on-1 Live Interview with Falcons Owner Arthur Blank
Falcons owner Arthur Blank chats with NFL Network’s Kara Henderson prior to the Falcons matchup vs. New England:
“I certainly have forgiven Michael and I’ve moved on and hopefully he has as well, and I believe he has.” – Blank on Eagles QB Michael Vick
To view Henderson’s entire interview with Blank, please visit NFL.com.
‘Super Bowl Journey,’ Week Three Edition – Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and Redskins TE Chris Cooley’s Preparation for Week 3 On and Off the Field
The Super Bowl Journeys of Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and Redskins TE Chris Cooley continue with a look at how Jones-Drew recuperates after a hard-hitting week two and what Cooley does in his free time:
“In this league, your body is your resume.” – Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew on his recuperation process
To view the week two installment of Super Bowl Journey, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d812efd74/Super-Bowl-Journey-Cooley-s-B-B – part I
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d812efc35/Super-Bowl-Journey-MJD-Monday-s – part II
Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning:
“Take your money now. It’s your second contract where you make the money.” – Warren Sapp on 49ers WR Michael Crabtree’s contract situation
“I think he’s throwing away more than just the money, but his entire rookie season. Even if he comes back tomorrow, it will be sub par.” – Steve Mariucci on 49ers WR Michael Crabtree
“You only have leverage two times in this league – when you are a free agent and when you’re drafted.” – Marshall Faulk on 49ers WR Michael Crabtree’s contract situation
“When I did not train with the team, I would over train because you know no matter how hard you’re out there running, it’s not game speed and you’re going to lose something.” – Michael Irvin on 49ers WR Michael Crabtree’s contract situation
“There are some of the things we heard that Michael Vick wasn’t doing before the problems came and now he’s doing them after. Maybe we haven’t seen the best Michael Vick yet.” – Irvin on Michael Vick’s new game preparation routine
“If I’m a coach, I don’t want a guy who wants to be the backup. You better want to be the starter.” – Faulk on Vick’s comments regarding being a starting quarterback
“The reality is Tom Terrific isn’t Tom Terrific. I saw him missing guys on the goal line last week.” – Irvin on Patriots QB Tom Brady
“Bill Belichick has had to take out about 40 percent of the defensive playbook with all the new faces.” – Patriots TV analyst Steve DeOssie in ‘Word on the Street’ segment live from Foxboro
“When you go 0-3, all of a sudden as coaches you start thinking, ‘if we’re
out of the playoff race, do we start playing some young players to evaluate?’ Does Josh Freeman start entering the picture?” – Mariucci on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers possibly going 0-3 vs. the Giants
“Never have the Giants had two receivers go for over 130 yards like Steve Smith and Mario Manningham did last week. Never did Plax and Amani Toomer do that.” – Irvin on the Giants receiving corps
“When you‘re on the road, you must pack your defense.” – Sapp on the Titans-Jets matchup
“Frank Gore is facing the Pro Bowl law firm of Williams, Williams & Allen.” – Mariucci on the 49ers-Vikings matchup and Minnesota’s defensive line featuring Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Jared Allen
“I want to know about these linebackers that Mike Singletary is coaching right now. They’re facing the premiere back in the game. If you’re a linebacker, you want to face the best. You can make your name off a matchup like this.” – Sapp on the 49ers-Vikings matchup
“Here’s a little advice from being there: Get the man the ball.” – Mariucci on Bills WR Terrell Owens
La Canfora’s News Reports:
Ÿ Things are at a ‘status quo’ in regards to WR Michael Crabtree and his contract negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers. Crabtree has his eyes on the contract that Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey got from the Oakland at the number seven spot, which includes about $23.5 in guaranteed money. The 49ers have a slotted deal on the table that includes about $16 million in guaranteed money. That’s a huge gap that hasn’t been closed. At this point, Crabtree has not taken up the 49ers on their offer to get together in a room with ownership to sit down together and try to hash it out. Both sides talk incrementally, but no real progress has been made.
Ÿ There was a positive sign this week between the NFL and the NFL Players Association when both sides got together and jointly sent out a memo to all players reinforcing their drug policies and the discipline that will come if you violate the league’s drug policy. So you can see if they were able to agree on something and jointly issue a memo, then this week when they are scheduled to get together for negotiation talks on the CBA, perhaps they’ll be a li
ttle positive momentum that comes from getting together on this StarCaps issue.
For additional thoughts from La Canfora, check out his blog at http://www.nfl.com/news/author?id=09000d5d8112986c
Here are your news and notes from ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.
2009 “Sunday NFL Countdown” Notes and Quotes — Week 2
ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson previewed today’s NFL action.
Some excerpts:
On whether Tom Brady is struggling as a result of the knee injury which forced him to miss last season …
Johnson: “Any player with a major knee injury is going to struggle out the gate. That’s just it. … As the season continues to go, Tom Brady will continue to get better. Now, I don’t know if the team will continue to get better but Tom Brady will continue to get better.”
Jackson: “There are players who have had knee surgeries who are never the same again. That has happened in the past. So we don’t know whether that’s going to happen. … He certainly doesn’t look the same right now. The other thing is, he’s a victim of game plan. When you drop a guy back 50 times a game to throw a football, you not only make it hard on that guy – empty backfield – you make it hard on the five guys in front of him. But what were they going to do? They won 18 games in row doing this.”
Carter: “I don’t know what Brady I’m going to see because I don’t know what kind of protection he’s going to get. … There’s only one guy that I could see that could take pressure, and that was Joe Montana. That’s why when people ask me who’s the best quarterback, it’s always Joe. What I saw last week was a guy who didn’t want to get hit.”
Ditka: “When you have success, you get confidence. When you have failure, you get doubt. Now this is not his failure as much as the football team’s failure. They don’t have the people, the receivers. I don’t care how good Randy Moss is, you can take one guy out of a football game, and they don’t have the other weapons around. … This kid’s a great football player, but he’s got to have some help.”
ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer (pre-recorded): “Let’s not get too caught up in his mechanics. Sometimes that’s the easy thing to say. The NFL position of quarterback is played under chaos. You must throw from multiple platforms and multiple arm angles. The problem is Tom Brady is being asked to do it too much this year, and that’s the problem. It’s with the Patriots, not Tom Brady.”
To View Video Clip, Click Here
On the Patriots’ struggles this season …
Jackson: “You have to make some commitment to the run game. When you look at the Patriots’ offense, it’s all about throwing the football. … As the game goes on, they tend to get away from the run game to where you get to the fourth quarter – the last three full games that Tom Brady has played, they’ve only run the ball four times, four times in three football games. When you do that, you make yourself one-dimensional and teams are taking advantage of that and putting pressure on top.”
Johnson: “There’s a lack of personnel on the defensive side of the football … and the depth offensively is just not there.”
From Sal Paolantonio interview with Michael Vick …
Vick (on the wildcat offense): “I like to drop back and throw the football. I like to drop back, read the defense, throw the football. That’s when I make the plays that I’m able to make, whether it’s with my arm or with my legs. That’s when things happen naturally. Now, more so, it’s almost like when I come into the game it’s like I’m coming in as a decoy or I’m coming in to run the wildcat. I like it, it’s cool, but it’s more effective when you are out there full time, you know, but we’re going to make it work here.”
To view Paolantonio’s interview with Vick, click here.
On Vick and the Eagles quarterback situation …
Jackson: “He’s got to play. … His strength is, ‘I’m a better athlete than anybody else on this field.’ If he’s a better quarterback (than Kevin Kolb), then you’ve gotta let him play. You’ve got to figure out how to get him on the field.
“You heard that he wants to be a full-time quarterback again, dropping back to pass the football. One of the more amazing athletes we’ve ever seen in this league, touching the football on every play. I think that really is eventually the ultimate threat, but today look for him to do what he does, do what Andy Reid wants him to do out of that wildcat formation, and make a few plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Ditka: “I believe Michael Vick is one of the best football players in the National Football League. I don’t care if you put him under center, put him in the shotgun, put him in the wildcat – use him.”
On Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and his performance on Monday night …
Jackson: “What he’s doing right now, it’s magic.”
From Rachel Nichols feature on the attitude and toughness head coach Rex Ryan has brought to the New York Jets, reminiscent of his father, Buddy Ryan, architect of the Bears’ famed 46 Defense …
Rex Ryan: “I learned a ton of what to do from my dad and maybe a couple things that maybe what not to do.”
Jets assistant coach Doug Plank, who wore #46 for the Bears (for which the Bears’ 46 Defense is named): “What Rex has done over the last 20-30 years, I think he’s taken the body of what was the 46 Defense and added so many different components to it, and variations, it’s almost like that toy the Transformer. It starts out as one thing, as an automobile, and you can turn it into 50 different things.”
Rob Ryan, Rex’s brother and Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator: “If you make a Ryan guarded, it’s dumb. If you want to harness him back, and pull him back, it’s ridiculous. It’s like having a Ferrari and not going over 15 miles per hour. Hell, let that thing burn. Let it go.”
To view the Nichols E:60 feature, click here.
From Trent Dilfer feature on 49ers head coach Mike Singletary and the hill he had built at the team’s training facility this offseason, creating a new conditioning program …
Singletary: “I always said that whenever I became a head coach, that’s one of the first things I wanted to do. … It’s just trying to give the guys just one more thing that I know builds endurance that’s different from what other teams are doing. … Everybody that I have known that worked on the hill had great careers – had long careers. A lot of guys that really worked on the hill, it did things that you can’t get in the weight room. … The biggest thing this team will learn from the hill is that it really is about the climb. ‘I’m going to get to the top of something and I’m going to conquer it.’”
On the New York Jets’ toughness and versatility …
Carter: “I give the Jets credit for style points — because they have an all-weather team.”
These are Fox NFL Sunday’s quotes.
FOX NFL SUNDAY NOTES – 9/27/09
Bradshaw: Vick Should Never Reference ‘Superman’ Again, It’s About Team
Glazer’s Conversation with Vick on Life In Prison
Strahan: Jim Zorn is in Over His Head
Johnson: It’s a Head Coach’s Job to Instill Confidence and Rex Ryan Has Done That
Long: Favre Must Hit Big Plays to Take Pressure Off Peterson
Co-host Terry Bradshaw on Michael Vick’s outlook: “I heard an interview with Mike this week when he said, ‘Superman isn’t quite ready yet.’ If I had the chance to talk to him I’d say, don’t ever say Superman again. Don’t ever reference me or I again because it’s all about team. Be thankful for Andy Reid and the job he’s doing with you and the fact that the Eagles really do want you there. Be a good team guy. Say how great it is to be a part of the Wildcat and that you’ll do anything you can to help them win.”
NFL Insider Jay Glazer’s conversation with Mike Vick on life in prison: “In a very revealing and open conversation I had with Mike yesterday, he said, ‘I’m about 80-85% of what I used to be. There’s a big misconception that all you do in jail is workout. I couldn’t really workout. They had a grass field but you couldn’t run on it. You have a couple of days where you can lift weights but it’s too crowded.’ Vick took a night job as a janitor and that’s when he was able to work out. He was able to go downstairs into the basement, use a treadmill and jump some rope. Other than that, Vick said, ‘I started from scratch.’”
Glazer on Vick trying to stay anonymous and diffusing one altercation while in prison: “Vick told me, ‘the problem is, other than missing your family; you’re in there with 500 other guys. You don’t know if anyone wants to take their frustrations out on you. You don’t know what anyone’s intentions are.’ “He used to be a big star and all the attention was on him and he said, ‘I tried to be as anonymous as possible.’ He did have one altercation while he was there on the basketball court. One guy threatened physical harm to him. He said, ‘the problem is, if you stand up for yourself you risk more jail time. If you don’t, then everybody goes after you. Luckily one of my friends jumped in and said, ‘Mike, this guy has nothing to lose and you have everything to lose and diffused it.’”
Co-host Curt Menefee: “That’s something that Plaxico Burress is facing right now and I know that the two talked and Mike gave him a little advice.”
Analysts Michael Strahan and Howie Long on Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn:
Strahan: “You start to wonder if Zorn is in over his head. That’s what I’m starting to wonder.”
Howie: “There are a lot of really high profile coaches sitting at home or on TV sets right now and owner Daniel Snyder tends to have attention-deficit. I think Zorn could be in trouble.”
Co-Host Terry Bradshaw on Jim Zorn: “This was a team that was 6-2 last year before they fell apart. I don’t think he’s going to get canned. I think they’re going to turn this thing around and get better.”
Analyst Howie Long on Brett Favre having to make some plays to ease the pressure on Adrian Peterson: “Brett Favre so far has been flawless, 77% completion. But 43 of his 48 passes have been for 10 yards or less. He’s going to have to get t
he ball down the field to Rice and Berrian some point in this game. Does he press a lot in the home opener? He’s got to hit a big play to take some pressure off Peterson.”Analyst Jimmy Johnson on playing with confidence:
On Rex Ryan and the Jets: “You heard me say last week that Rex Ryan has a little swagger and it could be a self fulfilling prophecy in effect. Well, the Jets beat the Patriots 16-9. It’s a head coach’s job to instill confidence in his players. Ryan has done that with the underdog Jets. His bravado has them believing they can win. Trust me; it all comes from the leader in his approach. You may not remember, but one year I said, ‘Go ahead and put it in seven inch headlines. Are we going to beat the 49ers? Yes, and win the NFC Championship Game.’ It wasn’t about having guts or bragging. All I wanted to do is let my players know that I had total confidence in them. I had a very good team and I wanted them performing at their highest level. They did and we won the Super Bowl that season.”
On the New England Patriots: “The Patriots are the NFL standard this decade. They play with confidence because they believe they are the best prepared team in the league. I’ve always said, ‘Treat a person as he is, he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were what he could be or should be and he’ll become what he could be and should be.”
Cowboys Tony Romo playing with confidence: “The big knock on Tony Romo is that he plays great against teams he should beat but plays tight in big games. This is not about talent, this is about confidence. How do you create confidence? You have to have him so well prepared in those big games that he knows that he will make the play. Also, simplify the game plan to where you don’t put it on his back. The bigger the game, the simpler the plan.”
To CBS and the NFL Today.
NEWS, NOTES & QUOTES FROM CBS SPORTS’ “THE NFL TODAY” WITH JAMES BROWN, DAN MARINO, SHANNON SHARPE, BILL COWHER AND BOOMER ESIASON FOR WEEK 3 ON SEPTEMBER 27
? NFL TODAY HOST JAMES BROWN SAT DOWN WITH PHILADELPHIA’S MICHAEL VICK
(On being prepared to take over Eagles’ quarterback spot for whole game should Kolb get injured)
VICK: I can do it. I can do it and everybody will see that.
(On media saying Vick will only be a “package quarterback”)
VICK: Not at all, that’s not what my future holds. I know I can play this game. I know I can play for a long time. I still have the speed, the quickness and I still have the mind to run an NFL offense. My future is bright, you know. I’m excited about it. I know what I can do, you know. And I let the critics talk and say what they want to say. But I will be a starter in this league in the future.
(On what Vick imagined being scenario of his return versus how it’s playing out)
VICK: This isn’t the exact scenario that I thought was going to play out.
JB: What did you think?
VICK: I actually thought I would be playing for a team and actually starting. But as it turned out, and I think the Lord makes things happen certain ways for certain reasons, and it wasn’t meant for me to be a starter. It was meant for me to be in the role that I’m in now. I’ve got time to work to get myself back into playing shape and learn from one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
(On reports of possible rift with Donovan McNabb and their relationship)
VICK: That’s all talk. That’s just, you know, the critics and the public saying what they want to say and they feel like Donovan and myself can’t co-exist. And like, how can we not? We’ve known each other for years. I grew up patterning my game after Donovan. I’m delighted to be here and he accepted me with open arms. He practically helped make the decision for me to come here.
REACTION TO VICK
BOOMER ESIASON: I think there are four or five teams he could be starting for today, Sunday. I will say this, I do like the fact that he said he wants to be an instrument of change. And I do believe that he is legitimate when he says that, and I love watching him talk to the kids as well. I don’t believe he will be a Philadelphia Eagle next year because of his contract status. They’ll have to pay him over $5 million if they want to keep him. I do believe he will be a starting quarterback in this league, and it will be on another team.
? QUICK HITS
(On transition of NFL becoming a passing vs. running game)
BILL COWHER: The game has changed. The rules have changed. I think right now, I hate to say this, but the running game is a complement. It’s not the foundation that it once was. You look at the last three AFC teams that were in the Super Bowl, that’s Pittsburgh, New England and Indianapolis. They’re all passing games. The running game is a complement.
DAN MARINO: Coach, do you have a fever? Listen, I can’t believe it. You’re the purist, run guy always. The Giants a couple years ago were a running football team, they won the Super Bowl. And I think if you look around the league, I have to disagree with you. If you asked any of the head coaches, they would rather have a balanced offense going into any game than throwing 300 times like New England did. They threw it 50 times and they didn’t win the football game.
(On whether Patriots are same team than before)
BOOMER: Right now I’m going to say no but this is still going to be a great Patriots team. Tom Brady isn’t even a year removed from his surgery on his left knee for the ACL and MCL tears. He’s rounding back into shape. The defense has a lot of different names. They’ve played reasonably well but you can’t expect Tom Brady to average 50 pass attempts a game and this team to win. I say today they’ll go back to run the ball, take pressure off Tom Brady and I am not going to panic yet on my Super Bowl pick. I still tell you he’s the best quarterback in football and that will bear itself out.
COWHER: I say no and I say this for a lot of reasons. They’ve got a lot of missing components on the defensive side: Seymour, Vrabel, Bruschi, Rodney Harrison and Asante Samuel. I agree with you, Tom Brady is going to work into it, but this is a football team that has a lot more questions than they have answers.
?“INSIDE THE NFL” WITH CHARLEY CASSERLY
(On Adrian Peterson’s durability)
CASSERLY: The way he runs, his running style, I think he’s putting himself in a position to have a serious injury. (Clip being shown) Watch here as he lowers his head and uses it as a battering ram to take on the defenders. Appears to me what he ought to do, when he takes on a defender put a move on him. If that doesn’t work, get out of bounds or take the blow with his shoulder. Here are the three things I think he’s putting himself at risk for: Number one, by lowering that head, you have a concussion; Number two he’s got an elongated neck and I think he has a greater potential than the average player for a stinger; and finally if he lowers that head any more he’s got a potential for a cervical spine injury.
NBC’s Football Night in America quotes will be posted when they become available.
And here is FNIA quotage for you.
FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA HIGHLIGHTS: WEEK 3Dungy's Coach's Clicker, Straight Talk from Rodney Harrison & Costas Interviews Fitzgerald, Caldwell, Schwartz, RyanPATRICK: "Do you think Brett Favre knows who Greg Lewis is?"
DUNGY: "He does now."
NEW YORK -- September 27, 2009 -- Following are highlights from NBC Sports' "Football Night in America." Bob Costas hosted the show live from University of Phoenix Stadium. The temperature outside was 110 degrees. Inside the retractable dome stadium it was 71 degrees. He was joined on site for commentary by Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. Co-hosts Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, and reporter Peter King were live from NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios, covering the news of the NFL's third week.
TONY DUNGY'S "COACH'S CLICKER" ON PEYTON MANNING AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE:
Dungy: "Every single thing he does has meaning. Every movement, every gesture he is getting information to players."
ON MICHAEL VICK'S FIRST GAME BACK
Dungy: "He was really excited, just happy to be out there. He told me he can't remember having butterflies before a game and he had butterflies today...He wants to be a drop-back quarterback. He wants to be part of the reason they win. But he'll do what it takes and what Andy asks him."
Harrison: "I saw him in the preseason and I saw him today. I think the wildcat is a joke right now. I think it's a joke for Michael Vick. He wants to be a drop-back quarterback. He's not a running back. He's lost some quickness. He's not as explosive as he once was. It's a complete joke. They're not getting any production out of this wildcat offense. If Andy Reid really wants to help Michael Vick, put him under center and let him drop back 10 or 12 times and let him become a quarterback. Let him get repetitions as a quarterback instead of this gimmick stuff. This is not Michael Vick's game."
ON THE REDSKINS PROBLEMS
Harrison: "It's many problems dealing with the Washington Redskins. One problem in particular is Jason Campbell, the quarterback. I don't know what they see in this guy. To me, he's a backup quarterback that's been elevated to a starter. He's a guy that's unpredictable. He's inconsistent. He's not a guy that defensive players look at and fear."
Dungy: "I wouldn't blame it all on the quarterback. He threw for a lot of yards today. They're having trouble scoring. I think it goes to a bigger thing, maybe an organizational thing. It's always new free agents, new players, all-star guys. They need to build a team concept there."
Patrick: "It seems like Daniel Snyder treats it like it's a fantasy league team. You bring in [Albert] Haynesworth. They were trying to get Sanchez. They're always looking for something different. There's no core there."
Dungy: "It's not always getting the best players. It's building a good team, building a team that everyone has confidence in, and, right now, they don't have confidence."
ON BRETT FAVRE'S GAME-WINNING TD PASS TO NEW WR GREG LEWIS
Patrick: "Do you think Brett Favre knows who Greg Lewis is?"
Dungy: "He does now."
ON TOM BRADY
Harrison: "Brady is obviously not himself right now. He has to learn patience. He has to know he's coming off an ACL-MCL injury. It's going to take a year or year-and-a-half. I had a similar injury as Tom Brady. It took me at least six-to-eight weeks to really feel comfortable. As a quarterback dropping back, looking downfield, the timing is going to be off course a little bit and he's not going to be the Tom Brady of old."
ON TERRELL OWENS' POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Dungy: "You really don't want that. But I think you know that's what you get with Terrell Owens. When things aren't going well, you're going to get stuff like that. That's hard to coach."
Harrison: "He's just a clown, a straight up clown. He's more concerned with individual stats as opposed to the team's success. Just a clown."
ON REX RYAN
Harrison: "He's got a big mouth. He's super arrogant. But he's a great coach. That team believes in him."
ON THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS BEING 1-2
Dungy: "The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-2 because they can't run the football. They're putting all the pressure on Ben Roethlisberger to win games. They've got to run it better."
COSTAS INTERVIEWS
"Football Night" host Bob Costas interviewed Colts head coach Jim Caldwell and Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald prior to the game, and conducted a live interview with Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, who led the Lions to a win today to break their 19-game losing streak and, at halftime, 3-0 Jets head coach Rex Ryan.
CALDWELL on what he learned from Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, who he worked for as an assistant coach from 1986-92: "I can sum it up in one saying. I actually have the saying in our locker room in Indianapolis. 'Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.' Play smart. Play fast. Play physical. All the other things will fall into line."
FITZGERALD on thoughts of the Cardinals near-win in the Super Bowl: "A frown. It brings up bad memories. We talked about it as a team and we tried to put that behind us. That was last year and we have to continue to move forward."
SCHWARTZ on the college atmosphere at Ford Field after the game: "We were in the locker room and the players were celebrating. It felt good after the game. I just told the players this win is more than just about us. This is the city of Detroit. Let's get out of the locker room and share this win with our fans. The fans that stayed around were lucky enough to have the players come out and high five with them."
RYAN on his dad, former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan, being the defensive line coach for the Jets' Super Bowl III team: "I speak to him a couple of times a week. When I took this job, when I got this amazing opportunity to be the head football coach of the Jets, he just told me 'not to mess it up because this was his team.' So I'm trying not to mess it up. He's proud as any father would be of his son coming back to his stomping grounds. We think we have great karma here. The first year my dad was a head coach [sic] he went to the Super Bowl."
That’s it.
