NBC’s Football Night in America Previews Tonight’s Week 1 Show

And one more Sunday NFL pregame show press release, but this is previewing NBC’s Football Night in America show at 7 p.m. ET. The highlight show-pregame mix will have interviews with the head coaches of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets in advance of tonight’s Cowboys-Jets game on Sunday Night Football. Let’s take a look at what the interviews of Jason Garrett and Rex Ryan will entail. Bob Costas talks with them both. We have the press release advance.

“FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” PREVIEW – WEEK 1

BOB COSTAS INTERVIEWS REX RYAN & JASON GARRETT
“Until we do, there’s no way I’ll be satisfied.” – Rex Ryan to Bob Costas on winning the Super Bowl
“It’s going to be very, very emotional.” – Garrett to Costas on playing in New York on 9/11

NEW YORK – September 11, 2011 – Bob Costas interviewed New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett for tonight’s Week 1 edition of Football Night in America, which will also include highlights, analysis and reaction to Week 1’s afternoon games.

Football Night, which enjoyed its best viewership ever last season by averaging 8.3 million viewers, 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 FedExField in Landover, Md., on the Giants-Redskins game.

INTERVIEW: Below are excerpts from Costas’ interview with Ryan and Garrett.

REX RYAN

Costas: Did you watch the Super Bowl?
Ryan: “Nope. I couldn’t bear it because I wanted to be there so bad…I want my team to be in there. That’s kind of what drives us. We feel it. We feel our fans — 42 years or whatever it’s been that the Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl. We feel it. We want to win this thing so bad.”

Costas on if Ryan cannot fulfill his Super Bowl predictions: Will the media and fans say you’re crying wolf?
Ryan: “Maybe so. But I’ll be consistent. I’m gunning for it every year. (If) I’m a head coach in this league 15 years, I’m going to think we’re going to win it 15 years. I know we’re 0-2 right now. Why would you do it (otherwise)? I don’t want to be average. I don’t want to be content on, ‘Hey, we made the playoffs. Isn’t that great?’ No. I want to win. Until we do, there’s no way I’ll be satisfied. And when we do, I’ll want to win it the next year.”

Costas: Can you win with Mark Sanchez being a good, but not elite quarterback?
Ryan: “He’s played like an elite quarterback in the playoffs. I don’t know if we’ve had – and not just Mark but overall as a team – I don’t know if we’ve been consistent enough to be an elite team in the regular season. I sense that we have improved and that’s why I think it’s our year. I come out and make that statement but I believe it. And you’re absolutely right; nobody should come out and make that statement if you don’t truly believe it. Well, I truly believe it. Now we’ll see if I’m right or not.”

JASON GARRETT

NOTE: Garrett was a backup quarterback with the New York Giants during the 2001 season.

Costas: The Giants played the Chiefs in their first game after 9/11 and you received an unusual reception.
Garrett: “We did. It was the most interesting game that I’ve ever been involved in in the NFL. Like you said, Arrowhead Stadium and the Kansas City fans are known for making it a tough environment for opposing teams. I was holding for the first time in that game. I can remember being out really early before the game getting some snaps and the fans were so warm to us. They were playing some Bob Dylan, ‘the times they are a changing.’ It was just a very different warm up, very different atmosphere there in Arrowhead. We ended up winning the game and I can remember those fans, who are typically so tough on opposing teams, just being really receptive to us. It was an emotional day. I remember a number of the players and coaches crying during the National Anthem.”

Costas: What do you tell your team about playing in New York on 9/11.
Garrett: “I don’t think anybody who wasn’t there can fully understand the emotion of this situation. This is a day like none other in our nation’s history, 10 years ago, 9/11, 2001. The people in this area of the country were probably the most affected by it. It’s going to be very, very emotional. There’s going to be a flag on the field before the game. There’s going to be firemen around, a lot of political figures and music figures. It’s just going to be an emotional time leading up to this game. It’s important to recognize that, get caught up in those emotions, but at some point you have to understand that there’s going to be a ball kicked off and we’ve got to go play football.”