During the NFL postseason, the pregame quotage press releases become spotty, but I don’t fault the networks for this. Even with the different schedules and games scheduled at different times, NBC Sports still comes through with a preview of its interviews on Football Night in America for Wild Card Saturday.
With two games today instead of its normal one, Bob Costas will do interviews for the Detroit-New Orleans game and Alex Flanagan will handle the queries for the Houston-Cincinnati contest.
For Texans-Bengals, Alex talks with Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. Bob Costas has a heart-to-heart talk with New Orleans quarterback and MVP candidate Drew Brees.
We have partial transcripts and you play with your friends to get money from them as you “correctly” predict what will be said.
Here’s the NBC Sports press release with a blurb on TNT’s Charles Barkley hosting Saturday Night Live tonight.
“FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” PREVIEW – WILD CARD SATURDAY SPECIAL EDITION
BOB COSTAS INTERVIEWS SAINTS QB DREW BREES
ALEX FLANAGAN INTERVIEWS BENGALS QB ANDY DALTON AND WR A.J.GREEN
NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley hosts Saturday Night Live Tonight and Makes Guest Appearance Today on Football Night in America
“Every time I step onto the field, I’m playing for Coach Payton.” – Brees
“I know how blessed I am to play this game and I don’t take it for granted for a second.” – Brees
“He’s the real deal.” – Dalton on GreenNEW YORK – January 7, 2012 – Alex Flanagan interviewed Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green, together, for today’s special Wild Card Saturday edition of Football Night in America, and Bob Costas interviewed New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for an interview that will appear at halftime of today’s Bengals-Titans Wild Card game.
The NBC Sports Group kicks off its NFL postseason coverage today with a Wild Card Saturday doubleheader featuring the Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET and the Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints at 8 p.m. ET. NBC’s NFL postseason coverage also includes the 2012 Pro Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 29 and Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, Feb. 5.
NBC’s live coverage begins today at 4 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America co-hosted by Bob Costas and Dan Patrick, who are 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.
NBA Hall-of Famer Charles Barkley, who is hosting Saturday Night Live tonight, will make a guest appearance on Football Night today with Dan, Tony and Rodney.
The Sunday Night Football broadcast team of Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya will call Lions-Saints while the NBC Notre Dame Football broadcast team of Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan will call Bengals-Texans.
INTERVIEWS: Below are excerpts from Costas’ interview with Brees and Flanagan’s interview with Dalton and Green.
DREW BREES WITH BOB COSTAS
COSTAS: “All the successful quarterbacks have some kind of meaningful relationship with their head coach. But others really seem to be linked: Shula with Marino, Walsh with Montana. That kind of thing has developed here with you and Sean Payton, right?”
Brees: “Well that’s pretty good company, those that you mentioned. My relationship with Sean goes back to when I am sitting in a hospital room in Birmingham, Alabama, two months after my shoulder surgery and he calls me up and tells me that he wants me to be his quarterback here with the New Orleans Saints, in his first head coaching job. His belief in me from the very beginning, and how much confidence he’s given me, and all that he’s taught me. Certainly he’s the guy that every time I step onto the field, I’m playing for Coach Payton. Just because of the opportunity he gave me and how much belief he has in me.”Costas: “We’ve sited your numbers. Matthew Stafford threw for 41 touchdowns. Threw for better than 5,000 yards himself. He’s from Dallas, you’re from Austin, could we have a Texas shootout here on Saturday night?”
Brees: “I was thinking about the Texas quarterbacks that are in this league. You know Chase Daniel, our back-up, is a Dallas product as well. I root for all the Texas high school quarterbacks, although on this (Saturday) I can’t say that I’m rooting for (Stafford).Costas: “This can be a brutal game. Some guys though seem to enjoy it. Seem to be able to derive a smile out of it even in the midst of battle. You strike me as one of those guys. Why do you think that is?”
Brees: “I know how blessed I am to play this game and I don’t take it for granted for a second. This game is meant to be fun. As difficult and stressful as it is at times…that anxiety turns into confidence and turns into this feeling of, ‘We’re going to go out and we’re going to have a great day and we’re going to pitch and catch and we’re going to win.’ Life is too short not to have fun.”ANDY DALTON AND A.J. GREEN WITH ALEX FLANAGAN
ON FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Dalton on Green: “The first time he went up and got one, made a couple of guys miss and scored a touchdown, I thought, ‘He’s the real deal.’ He caught on pretty quick.”Green on Dalton: “I saw something in him that I didn’t see in a lot of quarterbacks. Andy is different in his approach and the way he carries himself on and off the field. He’s a natural leader and has a lot of confidence in himself.”
Dalton on reaction in Cincinnati on Bengals success: “Everybody’s excited. That’s been one of the best parts about it…just being around town and seeing how everybody’s coming up and saying, “You’ve really changed the attitude of this city and turned this city around.’ So that’s just great to see.”
ON A.J. GREEN’S TALENT FOR JUGGLING
Flanagan: “A.J., we heard you can juggle. We read about it and now we need proof.”
Green: “I was on the juggling team for six years.”
Dalton: “The juggling team? There’s a juggling team?”
Green: “From kindergarten through fifth grade. We used to perform at halftime of basketball games.”GREEN THEN DEMONSTRATES HIS JUGGLING
Dalton (to the camera): “So thank you to his kindergarten teacher. You’re the reason he is who he is today.”
That’s all.
