We conclude the Sunday NFL pregame quotage with Football Night in America. We’ll wrap up our night with the transcript of Bob Costas’ inane halftime commentary. But before that post, here’s the quotage from Football Night in America. Once again, an action-packed show.
“FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” NOTES & QUOTES – WEEK 9
“If he doesn’t have the players on the backend to go out there and make those plays, it doesn’t matter how smart he is.” – Rodney Harrison on Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
“Sometimes you just have an off year. That is what Phillip Rivers is having so far.” – Chargers owner Dean Spanos to Alex Flanagan
“If he doesn’t get better, they will walk away and avoid $17 million of that supposedly guaranteed money.” – Mike Florio on the Titans and RB Chris JohnsonNEW YORK – November 6, 2011 – Following are highlights from Football Night in America. Bob Costas hosted the show live from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and was joined on site for commentary by Sunday Night Football commentators Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. Co-host Dan Patrick and commentators Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Peter King and Mike Florio covered the news of the NFL’s ninth week live from Studio 8G at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios in New York. Alex Flanagan reported from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif., on the Packers-Chargers game.
ON CALLS AGAINST DEFENSIVE BACKS TODAY
Dungy on two questionable pass interference calls in Jets-Bills game: “The same official on both plays. I think (he was) showing a little favoritism for the offense.”
Harrison: “I know what you need to start doing. You need to take money from these officials when they have calls like this. Take money.”
Harrison on Dolphins S Yeremiah Bell’s hit that was called a penalty: “What’s legal? What’s illegal? That’s a perfect hit. Yeremiah Bell is taught by the coaches, as you know, Tony, to lead with your shoulder pad. He led. His helmet was to the side. Perfect hit by Bell.”
Dungy: “I would be asking the referee right now, ‘What did I do wrong?’ That is textbook. We’ve seen a lot of this. They are erring on the side of caution but it’s costing teams 15 yards.”
Harrison: “Hopefully he doesn’t get fined.”
Dungy: “Oh no, he won’t. He can’t on that hit.”ON PATRIOTS
Patrick on Belichick and Patriots defensive problems: “He is a defensive-minded guy. One of the most brilliant defensive-minded guys we’ve ever seen.”
Harrison: “Yes, but I don’t care how smart he is. If he doesn’t have the players on the backend to go out there and make those plays, it doesn’t matter how smart he is.”Patrick: “But you’ve loaded up your offense. You’ve made a conscious effort to go out and get tight ends. They haven’t done much for that defense.”
Harrison on Patriots offense: “The one thing that I see in Brady is that he is not very comfortable behind that offensive line. That offensive line has given up a lot of sacks…You can’t feel comfortable behind that offensive line when every time you drop back, they are strip sacking, people around your knees, your arm is all over the place.”ON GIANTS
Dungy: “You have got to give a lot of credit to Eli Manning. He had one of those drives when they needed it.”
ON JETS
Dungy: “I’ve been waiting for someone in the AFC to go win a big game on the road, and the New York Jets did that today and got back in that AFC East race.”
Collinsworth: “Today was the first time I saw the New York Jets defense look like what I thought the New York Jets defense was going to look like all season long. So, maybe now that the weather is starting to turn, the defenses start to take over here.”
Patrick: “Should be interesting coming up next Sunday night, with New England going to the Jets, who had the big win in Buffalo.”
ON PACKERS
S Charlie Peprah to Flanagan on potential undefeated season: “We are excited that we are 8-0, but the thing we are the most excited about is that we have not played our best ball yet in all three phases. So, we have nowhere to go but up. We will go back in the lab, watch the film, put it behind us, and get ready for Minnesota.”
Harrison on Aaron Rodgers: “He’s proved throughout this year why he’s the best quarterback. Four touchdowns (today). Best player, not just the best quarterback, the best player.”
ON CHARGERS
Flanagan: “I watched the end of the game in the tunnel while it was raining with owner Dean Spanos, who told me about Phillip Rivers, ‘Sometimes you just have an off year. That is what Phillip Rivers is having so far.’ He said he hopes that he will rebound. He, too, admitted that Rivers has been pressing a little bit up until this point.”
Patrick: “Maybe an off game you would want your owner to say, not an off year.”
Dungy: “No. That’s not a ringing endorsement. But he has struggled. I think he is trying to press and make too many plays.”ON RAIDERS
Harrison: “The interception, the turnovers, the penalties, the special team blunders, the missed tackles, the blown coverages. You can’t expect to win the division like that.”
ON REDSKINS
King: “(Mike) Shanahan and Bruce Allen are a totally different story…Dan Snyder has given Shanahan and Allen full reign over this team. So, I think they have at least one more year, and probably at least two, before they are in any real trouble.”
Dungy, while Harrison and Patrick make him stare into camera and raise his right hand: “My Redskins will not make the playoffs. It’s officially a three-team race in the NFC East.”
Patrick following a clip of Shanahan’s postgame press conference: “Not a ringing endorsement by Mike Shanahan for those players.”
Dungy: “No. I’d be a little nervous if I was a player in that locker room.”ON SAINTS RB DARREN SPROLES
Dungy: “He does a lot of things for them. He makes big plays and he has been a very, very special player…He can make yards inside. He’s tough.”
Harrison: “He’s physical, he runs hard, and he finishes plays.”
Dungy: “Of course, as a third-down back, he might be the best in the league.”ON RBs MATT FORTE, RAY RICE & CHRIS JOHNSON
King on Forte and Rice, who are both reportedly looking for $30 million guaranteed: “The sticking point is the exact same for both men. Both of them could be franchised over the next two years for their team for a total of $17 million. That is where the stalemate is with both guys.”
Florio on Titans RB Chris Johnson’s $30 million guaranteed: “He’s actually only gotten $13 million. The other $17 million is pending in the future and there’s talk now that the Titans, if Johnson doesn’t improve — he had a decent day today but not like his former self — if he doesn’t get better, they will walk away and avoid $17 million of that supposedly guaranteed money.”ON STEELERS-RAVENS
Collinsworth: “There can only be one bully on the block and that’s what this game’s about.”
Michaels on how the Colts finally got over the Patriots hump: “This is where Baltimore is with Pittsburgh right now. Pittsburgh is Baltimore’s hump team.”
Bob Costas’ commentary which is increasingly annoying America is coming up next.
