Let’s go to the NFL on Fox for Week 10.
FOX NFL SUNDAY NOTES – 11/13/11
Johnson: Stick a Fork in Philadelphia’s Chances of Making the Playoffs
Glazer Reports Players Facing Disciplinary Action for Recreational Drug Use
Bradshaw on Criticism of Rivers: This Guy Can Flat Out Play
John Lynch on Reid Benching Jackson: It’s a Good Decision That Will Help the Eagles———————————————————————————————–
Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Philadelphia’s playoff hopes: “Just because they have a bunch of Pro Bowlers doesn’t guarantee success. You’ve got to have good players that don’t make mistakes. Philadelphia will probably win big today and they’ll probably win about eight games. However, Philadelphia for the playoffs, I’m sticking a fork in them! They’re not going to make the playoffs.”
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NFL Insider Jay Glazer on players facing disciplinary action for using recreational drugs: “Many of the players figured that there was going to be a reprieve, some sort of grace period after the lockout ended they wouldn’t be tested right away, but they were. It was reported there were 11 players, I’m told there could actually be more, that tested positive for marijuana. I’m told three are on the Redskins alone. There are several players facing fines or suspensions for this. Right now they’re trying to overturn that because they thought there would be some sort of grace period.”
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Analyst Howie Long on San Francisco’s surge and their chance to be the NFC’s top team: “Four of San Francisco’s victories have been back East, on the road. They’ve only played one game in the NFC West. Not only are they poised to win the division but perhaps a first-round bye. With Green Bay’s schedule being brutal, they might take a little bit of a side-step and there’s a possibility San Francisco could maybe host the playoffs. But even if they have to travel to Green Bay, that offense travels well.”
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NFL Insider Jay Glazer expands on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton’s addition to the injury report: “There’s soreness in that throwing shoulder late this past week so they gave him an MRI Friday afternoon. The MRI was negative; however I’m being told there is fatigue in that throwing shoulder. They are going to have to monitor him, make sure he’s good to go the rest of the way.”
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Co-Host Terry Bradshaw believes in San Diego QB Philip Rivers: “You know they’re getting all over my man Philip Rivers down in San Diego but I’ll tell you what: this guy can flat out play. You took Darren Sproles away and sent him off to New Orleans. Ryan Matthews comes in and he can’t take Sproles’ place. San Diego is in good hands with Rivers and they still have a shot to win their division.”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Steve Spagnuolo’s future with the Rams: “Unless he has a fantastic finish, he’s probably out of St. Louis.”
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NFL on FOX analyst John Lynch, calling the Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles game today reported that Eagles WR DeSean Jackson has been benched for today’s game: “The Eagles will tell you that Jackson didn’t come to meetings yesterday but in my mind that’s just a culmination of a lot of things that have been going on. I re-watched the Eagles film from Monday night. The first play of the game he wasn’t the primary receiver, he was loafing down the field. At other times he threw his hands up when Michael Vick didn’t throw to him. He turned down contact blatantly on a couple of occasions. If I were his teammate, it would’ve burned me and I think head coach Andy Reid made this decision based upon that. I think it’s a good decision. It will help this team in the long run.”
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Analyst Michael Strahan on how the Patriots and Jets match up against one another: “Everyone talks about what’s wrong with New England’s offense, well they have trouble getting off of press coverage. What do the Jets do well? Press coverage. If you’re the Jets, you line up CB Darrelle Revis on WR Wes Welker which pretty much eliminates that threat for New England. Their deep threat option is WR Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco is out of synch-o so that takes that out. Their deep threat has become TE Aaron Hernandez. Anytime your tight end is your deep threat, you’re going to have a problem and they have a problem protecting QB Tom Brady.”
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Analyst Howie Long on the keys to the Falcons winning today’s pivotal NFC South game vs. the Saints: “There are enough head coaches that ask players, ‘can you go, can you shoot it up?’ To me, this is a huge game. The Falcons made the decision that they needed to get more explosive for games like Philadelphia, Green Bay and New Orleans and they did. They went out and paid a huge price for WR Julio Jones. Julio Jones, as we saw last week, is every bit the player they thought he was going to be and it bodes well for them down the stretch.”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Washington head coach Mike Shanahan: “A coach is just a part of the team. A good coach can’t make a bad team great.”
Co-host Terry Bradshaw added: “I don’t care who you are, you better have players to coach, they don’t have the weapons.”
Analyst Howie Long added: “He’s gutted that thing. It’s rebuilding time.”———————————————————————————————–
Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Dallas head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones disagreeing with him that Garrett should get an offensive coordinator: “I wasn’t surprised. Some owners want to be the guy that all the players answer to. A walk-around coach, he’s overseeing everything and the players answer to him.”
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Co-host Terry Bradshaw on which is more likely – Green Bay going 16-0 or Indianapolis going 0-16: “Indy 0-16.”
Analyst Michael Strahan disagreed: “I think Indy will win their first game today.”———————————————————————————————–
Analyst Jimmy Johnson on what the Giants need to do to beat the 49ers: “Eli Manning last week outdueled Tom Brady. He wants to be in that elite status? If he can avoid that three and four turnover day, the Giants have a great shot because they’ll score enough points to win”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte: “Chicago has a bunch of great players, but the key to their turnaround is Matt Forte running the football and catching the football. Pay the man!”
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Analyst Michael Strahan on who is the better team – the Chicago Bears or Detroit Lions: “Chicago. Chicago is that team that we all sit around and think how they are going to do it. They keep on winning. Same formula as the 49ers. Run the ball over 30 times a game. Forte has been leading that charge. And that’s the Achilles heel of the Detroit Lions – run defense. Detroit is No. 1 in 3rd down efficiency on defense. Chicago needs to run the ball, get into short 3rd down situations and make it easier on themselves.”
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Analyst Howie Long reflects on first half story lines in this week’s FIRED UP segment: “The AFC East, North and West are wide open — even Tim Tebow’s Broncos have a shot. In my 31 years around the league I haven’t seen a guy more revered and more venomously attacked than Tebow. Also to say that DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen are poised for a run at Michael Strahan’s sack record is like saying you’re at the halfway point of swimming the English Channel. By the way, Michael didn’t get his first sack that year until his third game. Here’s to hoping that the second half of the year is as unpredictable as the first.”
And that’s going to do it for the early Sunday NFL pregame show quotage. We’ll preview NBC’s Football Night in America interviews next.
