We only have NFL Network and that may be the only network that sends its quotage for today and that’s ok. Here is what we have thus far.
News and Sound Bites From Championship Sunday Edition of NFL GAMEDAY MORNING“This guy is a regular General Schwarzkopf because he can lead a football team. He is asked to do more than anyone else in the league is asked to do.” – Steve Mariucci on Peyton Manning“If Drew Brees wins the Super Bowl in New Orleans, he will become the equivalent of Brett Favre in Green Bay.” – Marshall Faulk“It would give some kind of peace to all of us if at least he ended with a Super Bowl. Then we could say, ‘okay, there was a reason he did all of that.” – Michael Irvin on QB Brett Favre“Defense doesn’t win championships. It just gives you a chance. Offense has to win it for you.” – Warren Sapp“It’s going to be the combo platter…” – Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan on the Jets Defensive Plan vs. ColtsNFL GameDay Morning remains the FIRST pregame show on the air Sunday mornings, expanding from four to SIX hours on Championship Sunday from 9:00 AM ET straight up to kickoff of Jets-Colts.Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Jason La Canfora and hosts Rich Eisen and Stacey Dales bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews to set the stage for both NFC and AFC championship games.Final Predictions from NFL GameDay Morning Crew:Jets-Colts Vikings-SaintsMarshall Faulk Jets SaintsSteve Mariucci Colts VikingsWarren Sapp Colts SaintsMichael Irvin Colts SaintsQuotes from NFL GameDay Morning:“It all comes down to if they lose this game, then they were wrong…shut us up by winning the game.” – Marshall Faulk on the Indianapolis Colts decision to rest starters in Week 15 loss vs. Jets“They stayed for this reason alone. So they could win this game. This game is really bigger than football right now. This is a platform that displays the spirit of this city.” – Steve Mariucci on what a Super Bowl would mean to New Orleans“He understands how to win big games, no matter what level it’s on.” – Marshall Faulk on Jets QB Mark Sanchez“They have to mix it up. They can’t just solely depend on the run.” – Marshall Faulk on what the Jets have to do to beat the Colts“Defense doesn’t win championships. It just gives you a chance. Offense has to win it for you.” – Warren Sapp“Any one of these teams could win two more games, hoist Lombardi’s trophy and still be as legitimate a champion as the NFL has ever crowned.” – Rich Eisen on the final four championship teams“To Adrian Peterson’s credit, he’s become a better all-around back. As the pure runner, I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t know if he can play 10 years in the league running like that.’ This offense allows him lengthen his career, but the long runs just aren’t there.” – Marshall Faulk on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson“There’s nothing wrong with Adrian Peterson. He’s having a heck of a season, he’s just in a balanced offense right now.” – Steve Mariucci on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson“The Colts will win if Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have productive days.” – Steve Mariucci“If the Saints have a balanced attack, it will let Drew Brees use the weapon that most quarterbacks forget about – the hard count. They have to get this defense on its heels.” – Warren Sapp“He (Percy Harvin) was last year’s ‘steal of the century’ in the draft.” – Steve Mariucci on Vikings WR Percy Harvin“This guy is a regular General Schwarzkopf because he can lead a football team. He is asked to do more than anyone else in the league is asked to do.” – Steve Mariucci on QB Peyton Manning“To be the best of all-time, he has to lead his team again to the ultimate destination and that is the Super Bowl.” – Steve Mariucci, when asked if Manning is the best of all-time right now“He is a gadget guy. He is a guy that you have to do special things to get him the ball.” – Marshall Faulk on RB Reggie Bush“He is definitely a finesse player…(Bush) has to know when to take the contact to get the added yards.” – Marshall Faulk on RB Reggie Bush“The Vikings have not been to the Super Bowl since the Bicentennial. And then to have Brett Favre do it for the Vikings – it would be something that families would talk about for years to come in the NFC North. This would be a fable to be discussed forever.” – Rich Eisen on what a Super Bowl would mean to the Minnesota Vikings“It would give some kind of peace to all of us if at least he ended with a Super Bowl. Then we could say, ‘okay, there was a reason he did all of that.” – Michael Irvin on how a Super Bowl win for Brett Favre would relate to his past retirement dilemmas“If Drew Brees wins the Super Bowl in New Orleans, he will become the equivalent of Brett Favre in Green Bay.” – Marshall Faulk“I have to go with Kevin Williams, because last week he was essential to the Vikings ability to stop the run and the ability to mount a pass rush against Tony Romo.” – Warren Sapp, choosing only one Vikings defensive lineman as the key to stop the Saints“Not this Super
Bowl. But if he loses this Super Bowl, it will hurt for a long time because we watched this team walk itself off the field…But as far as his career, he’s done more than enough to solidify himself as maybe the best quarterback of all time.” – Warren Sapp on QB Peyton Manning and if he needs a Super Bowl XLIV win to solidify his legacy“What he may lack in championships, he makes up in numbers and wins.” – Marshall Faulk on QB Peyton Manning“Special teams always plays a huge role in big games, whether you make a play or you cause a play.” – Marshall Faulk“For Brett, whether he wins it or he doesn’t, it’s worth it for him. He’s getting what he wants out of this and that’s to play football. Brett doesn’t play the game thinking, ‘I need to win the Super Bowl.’ There’s no pressure on Brett. That’s why you like watching him; the guy plays the game not caring if it’s his last play, or what’s on the line… For the Minnesota Vikings, I believe it’s a win-win regardless if they get to the Super Bowl or not. They found out a lot about their team. Rick Spielman found out they made the right decision with [Sidney] Rice, [Visanthe] Shiancoe, Percy Harvin. They found out Adrian Peterson, with a good quarterback, can catch the ball out of the backfield and they didn’t know that about him coming out of Oklahoma.” – Marshall Faulk on whether it was worth the gamble for both Brett Favre and the Vikings if they do not win a Super BowlDescription of Colts WR Reggie Wayne in two words or less:“A technician.” – Marshall Faulk“Well-respected.” – Steve Mariucci“Very complete.” – Michael IrvinNFL Network’s Michael Lombardi Pregame 1-on-1 with Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan:“I only said that because it was the end of the game and it was the thing to do after we gave up that touchdown. [Today] It’s going to be the combo platter. We’re going to come after them some, play some coverages and mix in some coverages that [Peyton’s] never seen before.” – Ryan on previously saying the Jets defense was ‘conservative’ vs. the Colts and what to expect from the Jets defense today“We just do what we do and we’ll find out. We’re here to win this game. We’re very confident.” – Ryan‘Super Bowl Journey,’ Championship Sunday Edition – All-Access with WR Sidney Rice & A Look Back at the Jets-Chargers Divisional Matchup Through the Eyes of Jets’ Kerry Rhodes and Chargers Shaun Phillips:“We have to come out focused and ready to execute on our plays and I believe everything will go well for us.” – Rice on NFC Championship matchup vs. New Orleans“As far as the Super Bowl Journey goes, we think that we can get it done. We’re a confident team right now and we’re clicking on all cylinders. We’re a team to be reckoned with.” – RhodesTo view Rice’s latest Super Bowl Journey, please visit:To view Rhodes’ and Phillips’ Super Bowl Journey, please visit:To view previous Super Bowl Journey editions from all five contributors, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-journeyNews Reports from Jason La Canfora:· (John Mara’s comments) resonate throughout the league because in essence he was speaking for the league. The league authorized him to vent and express his frustration with the lack of movement towards a new deal. This was the same as [if you had] Commissioner Goodell doing it so obviously that brings certain connotations with it and people are going to pay attention and say ‘What’s really going on here?’ There has been a sense from the ownership that the union has dragged its feet for as much as DeMaurice Smith and union executives have talked about wanting a deal, the feel they haven’t received a solid counterproposal from the union in terms of solidifying a new CBA. The union is saying that they are frustrated as well and that the owners are not cooperating. They would like the owners to open their books. They want to see exactly what the owners make. The owners feel like they have saying ‘we’ve given you four sheets documenting all of our revenues.’ This is what the pie is. It is $8.5 billion. How are we going to divide it up? Right now players get about 60 percent of that pie. The owners would like to ratchet that back 18-20 percent. Maybe they ultimately meet in the middle around 10 percent and they share revenues. But right now they can’t agree on the fundamental issues which are how much money is brought in and how to divvy it up. Until you get over those hurdles — you talk to people on both sides of the issue who say there’s not anywhere you can go.· The more big games Reggie Bush has, the greater the likelihood that he will become an unrestricted free agent. He is due to make $8 million next year in base salary. That’s monumental money for a running back and Bush has been a specialist to this point in his career. He has a $500,000 roster bonus coming up in a few months. That is as much money as Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas, who carried the load at running back this year, make for their entire season. Talking to people involved with this situation, I don’t see any way Bush comes back. They will likely come to him and say will you take a little less, or probably a lot less to stay and he is not inclined to do that especially with these big playoff performances. There is a sense in his camp that there will be suitors out there and maybe there is someone out there who gives him four years at $20 million with five or six million guaranteed and he has a chance to earn more on the back end. Perhaps that suitor will be his old USC coach Pete Carroll in Seattle. That is certainly something to keep an eye on should he hit the market.The Following Segments from Championship Sunday Edition of NFL GameDay Morning are Available on NFL.com:M&M – Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin debate some big topics for Championship Sunday:What Will We Learn? – Steve Mariucci brings insight into ‘what we will learn’ on Championship Sunday:Rex’s Roots – Steve Sabol examines Rex Ryan’s rise to head coach of the New York Jets:Favre goes to the Tape – Steve Sabol takes a look at Brett Favre’s performance in Super Bowl XXXI
If I get quotes from ESPN, CBS and Fox, I’ll be sure to post them.
