Now to Fox NFL Sunday and its quotage for Week 14. Laura Okmin interviewed Dallas Cowboys General Manager and owner Jerry Jones on the Josh Brent incident and there’s more.
FOX NFL SUNDAY NOTES – 12/9/12
Johnson: Anything Short of Super Bowl Appearance by Niners Would be a Failure
Strahan on NFL Potentially Eliminating Kickoffs:
“Pretty soon they’re going to put them in bubble suits and call it football.”
Glazer Reports Update on Bounty Gate Hearings————————————————————————————————–
Analyst Jimmy Johnson says anything short of a Super Bowl appearance by the San Francisco 49ers would be considered a failure: “With the success they’ve had last year, anything short of a Super Bowl appearance would be a disappointment. They have a great defense, great running game, and a great special teams but can the quarterback give them a big play? It wouldn’t surprise me if Colin Kaepernick starts turning the ball over, then head coach Jim Harbaugh would go back to Alex Smith.”
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Analysts Howie Long and Michael Strahan disagreed on whether the NFL should do away with kickoffs entirely:
Long: “I like it but don’t like the option they came up with.”
Strahan: “I don’t like it at all. It’s an important part of the game. It creates jobs for players and it’s certain players’ specialty. Pretty soon they’re going to put them in bubble suits and call it football.”—————————————————————————————————
NFL Insider Jay Glazer reports on the New Orleans Saints bounty gate hearings: “Earlier this week, the league tried to settle with the players. The players didn’t want to hear it, they rejected it, and didn’t want to have to admit to anything. I expect the former NFL Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue to have a ruling this week. I’ll be shocked if it’s the same ruling and penalties that Commissioner Goodell imposed.”
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NFL on FOX reporter Laura Okmin interviewed Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones from Cincinnati prior to the Cowboys taking on the Bengals this afternoon. Okmin asked Jones to describe the emotions of the team following the tragic death of Cowboys player Jerry Brown.
Jones: “For the last few hours our focus has been on Jerry Brown. Our team loved him. They certainly are conscience of wanting his family to know and have as much of them as they can give. At the same time, they know that one of the best things they could do for him in his memory is to go out and play well.”FOX NFL SUNDAY insider Jay Glazer reported that every NFL player has a car service number on the back of their card to try and prevent this kind of tragedy from happening: “There are a couple of things. One of them is that on the back of every single NFL players card, there is a phone number that you can call to setup a limo service so you don’t go out and drink and drive. Several teams also have their own program in place where you can call a service to pickup your car. I had one NFL head coach tell me that he uses it.”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson believes Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is playing scared: “This Minnesota team may have the best player in the entire league in Adrian Peterson and he may get 2,000 yards but points come with the passing game. Christian Ponder over the last couple months has been horrible, the worst quarterback in the league. He’s really struggling. Right now he’s playing scared, throwing check-downs. Check-downs might get you field goals but not touchdowns. They’re going to struggle because they just don’t have the explosive plays throwing the ball down the field.”
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Analyst Terry Bradshaw on the NFC North division: “It always comes back to the quarterback. The best quarterback in the NFC North is Aaron Rodgers. With Greg Jennings they’re explosive so I don’t see any change in the NFC North. The Packers will win the division.”
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Former defensive end and analyst Michael Strahan gave viewers his top five pass rushers under the age of 25:
1. Von Miller – Denver Bronco
2. Aldon Smith – San Francisco 49ers
3. J.J. Watt – Houston Texans
4. Jason Pierre-Paul – New York Giants Added Strahan: “The most impressive thing about Jason Pierre-Paul is that he doesn’t know the game yet. When he figures out the game, anything I ever did as a New York Giant defensive lineman may be obsolete.”
5. Geno Atkins – Cincinnati Bengals—————————————————————————————————
Analyst Jimmy Johnson on prospects of 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel: “He’s going to be great. He’s going to get bigger, stronger and he’s got a great feel for the game. I love him.”
Added analyst Howie Long on the new style of young NFL quarterbacks coming out of college: “Cam Newton and RGIII have changed the way teams are evaluating quarterbacks.”
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Following a feature on Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, analyst Michael Strahan evaluated the Seahawks as a team: “The Seattle Seahawks have four things: a rookie quarterback who plays like a veteran; Marshawn Lynch in the running game; great defense; and you have the 12th man. This is a team that could run the table or at least win three out of the final four games.”
On to NBC’s preview of the Football Night in America interviews.
