Here is our weekly look at the quotes from Fox NFL Sunday and NBC’s Football Night in America. I did not watch FNIA this week as I was getting ready for the Amazing Race 13. Expect a recap either Tuesday or Wednesday.
First, Fox NFL Sunday:
NFL on FOX Insider Jay Glazer on Plaxico Burress and his history of fines: “Plaxico Burress has only been with the Giants for 50 games; I’ve learned that they have fined him anywhere between 40 and 50 times since he’s been with the Giants and about 10 times this year alone. Think about that, 40 or 50 times! The big problem they say with Plaxico is last year he did the same thing. [They] won the Super Bowl, now he says ‘Hey it worked last year. I didn’t practice; I didn’t show up, I didn’t do this and that.’ It’s kind of hard for him to go back now.”
FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Michael Strahan on the suspension of former NY Giants teammate Plaxico Burress: “I did talk to Plaxico…Plaxico said, ‘I did talk to them on Monday, I did talk to them Tuesday so the fact that they said I did not talk to them is not right.’ But the fact of the matter is he and [head coach] Tom Coughlin are like oil and water. I was always the counselor in between. Can you imagine me being a marriage counselor? Oil and water, me and marriage just doesn’t go together.”
Analyst Jimmy Johnson asked Strahan: “Was Plaxico wrong?”
Strahan: “Plaxico was wrong by not showing up but I think the extent of it, the two weeks, [suspension] that’s a lot.”
During Co-Host Terry Bradshaw’s one-on-one interview with Dallas QB Tony Romo, Bradshaw had this to say: “You haven’t won a playoff game Tony. You need to win a playoff game.”
Johnson on Scott Linehan’s decision to bench Marc Bulger: “This is a move of a desperate football coach about to get fired. You look at them and they’re last in defense, they’re last in running the ball…Bulger is in the top-third in passer rating. And as far as Trent Green; I wouldn’t have him on my team.”
Glazer on speculation that Scott Linehan will be fired: “Scott said, ‘usually when something like this goes down, you hear all these rumors, you’re given some sort of indication, something that this is going to go down, I’ve been given nothing. Nothing has been said to me, nobody’s given me any indication. Do I think it’ll happen? If we lose, yeah I think I’ll get fired if we lose.’”
During the ‘Rapid Fire’ segment, host Curt Menefee asked Strahan & Johnson: Is today St. Louis Rams head coach Scott Linehan’s last game?
Johnson: “Yes, because Buffalo is going to wear them out.”
Strahan: “No, because where are they going to go from here?”
FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Howie Long explained his ties to recently fired Lions GM Matt Millen: “The record is what the record is and the proof is in the pudding. I will never, never apologize for standing up for him. Matt Millen has jumped into some fracases with me that he shouldn’t have jumped into and I appreciated it all of the time and I will never apologize for standing up for him.”
During the shows ‘Fired Up’ segment, analyst Johnson offered advice to Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford following the firing of GM Matt Millen: “Mr. Ford, I realize these are difficult times but football wise, look at it this
way: it can’t be any worse than it was for the last 7 years. It’s easy to pile on Matt Millen, everybody’s doing it but he wasn’t alone in every decision. He did not negotiate some of those awful contracts. And I know how loyal you are to your employees but there are a bunch of good ‘ol boys and ‘yes men’ drawing paychecks in that front office. Now for the solution, you have time to find the best talent evaluator, one that understands how to put together a championship team. Just because someone played or coached, doesn’t mean they can evaluate and it doesn’t mean they know how to build a team. Just because someone can drive, doesn’t mean he can build a truck. Start with New England’s Scott Pioli. Pay him whatever he wants. He’ll pay for his salary with less first-round busts making millions and then let him do the necessary house cleaning. He’ll hire the right people to get the job done. If Pioli says no, give me a call. I’ve got a short list of names. And cheer up, you and your fans have brighter days ahead.”
Towards the end of his sit-down interview with Dallas QB Tony Romo, FOX NFL SUNDAY co-host Bradshaw asked Romo how he deals with being who he is.
Bradshaw: “Do you have a sports psychiatrist? Do you see a therapist?”
Romo: “Do you want to be mine?”
Bradshaw: “Ha-ha, I have enough experience!”
Now, Football Night in America:
CRIS COLLINSWORTH ON THE COWBOYS: "The Cowboys have to understand who their best players are and it's not their skill position players it is that offensive line. And for Marion Barber to only get eight touches, Felix Jones to get zero carries in this game is just a huge mistake. But you just go right down the list of the star players: Jason Campbell outplayed Tony Romo; Clinton Portis outplayed Marion Barber; Santana Moss outplayed T.O.; and everyone outplayed Terrence Newman."
COLLINSWORTH ON THE BEST TEAMS IN THE NFL: "Tennessee is undefeated. Buffalo is undefeated. It's getting weird out there."
"Right now you have to say the New York Giants. It's been a long road to get back to the world champs but it looks like that's where we are."
JEROME BETTIS ON THE BEST TEAM: "I'm thinking the Giants are the team to beat."
TIKI BARBER ON THE NFL'S BEST TEAMS: "It's going to be a team out of the NFC East that is the dominant team. They may end up just beating each other."
COLLINSWORTH ON PACKERS: "The Green Bay Packers are a team that is ready to go to the playoffs, possibly the Super Bowl but if Aaron Rodgers is out, this team is finished. They might not be able to win another game with the backup quarterbacks they have in play."
PETER KING ON STATUS OF RAMS COACH SCOTT LINEHAN AND RAIDERS COACH LANE KIFFIN: "Both teams have a bye this coming week, both coaches needed a win to survive, I believe both will be fired early this week so their teams can put a new coach in place heading into their bye weekend."
DAN PATRICK ON KIFFIN: "On to San Diego and Oakland, where Lane Kiffin is still coach but it's still early in the highlights."
KEITH OLBERMANN ON THE TEXANS BEING FOOLED ON A FAKE PUNT: "No punter on the field is usually a telltale sign."
DAN PATRICK ON THE CARDINALS' DEFENSE: "The guys in the Wrangler commercial play better defense."
As usual, the funny one-liners from both shows. I would bring you stuff from the NFL Today, but I don’t get e-mails from CBS Sports.
