The game is still ongoing, but I get quotage from the NFL Network from tonight’s Jets-Bills game. Take a gander.
Thursday Night Football Telecast Notes
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa Analyst: Matt Millen
Quotes from New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Dec. 3, 2009 on NFL Network
FIRST HALF:
“He’s brought in an air of confidence, but also a little bit of looseness you can really see in the defense.”
– Millen on Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell
“A lot of guys can tell you what they’re doing, but Bart Scott can tell you why he’s doing it.”
– Millen on Jets LB Bart Scott
“I talked to Braylon before the game and he said that he was going to put on a show. That’s obviously not what he had in mind.”
– Millen on Jets WR Braylon Edwards drop on wide open deep ball from QB Mark Sanchez
“It doesn’t matter who you put him against, he just shuts them down.”
– Millen on Jets CB Darrelle Revis
“He has excellent vision and when he’s in the hole, he makes good decisions.”
– Millen on Jets RB Thomas Jones
“The Bills have some pieces of the puzzle here in place…The offensive line is beat up, but they’ll get people back and they’re well coached.”
– Millen on the Buffalo Bills and offensive line coach Sean Kugler
“He has great speed. He’ll be effective when he learns how to take an inside move. He’s mostly an edge rusher right now.”
– Millen on Bills TE Aaron Maybin
“He makes amends after the big drop.”
– Bob Papa on Jets WR Braylon Edwards 12-yard touchdown catch
“The great ones have consistency, year in and year out.”
– Millen on Jets WR Braylon Edwards
QUOTES FROM THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF PREGAME SHOW
Host: Rich Eisen Analysts: Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk
Play-by-play Announcer: Bob Papa Game Analyst: Matt Millen
Reporters: Jason La Canfora, Scott Hanson
Quotes from Matt Millen’s 1-on-1 with Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan:
“We’re a team that no one wants to play right now.”
– Ryan on the Jets
“It’s emotion and passion at the same time. Some people may look at it as a sign of weakness. Trust me, that’s not the case. It’s a sign of passion and that’s what it’s all about. My team is going to get everything that I have.”
– Ryan on his personality on the sideline
“We believe we’re going to win every game and we’re going to be the most physically dominant team on the field.”
– Ryan on the mentality of his football team
“I have confidence in this football team, so when I make a statement I believe it to be true…I’m not afraid to say it and if I don’t believe in this football team, who’s going to?”
– Ryan on his comments and if he regrets any of them
“He’s going to bounce back, there’s no doubt about it…I think this guy’s going to be special, I really do.”
– Ryan on Jets QB Mark Sanchez
Quotes from Michael Irvin’s 1-on-1 Interview with Cowboys QB Tony Romo:
“If there is a difference, this team looks at themselves individually and asks, ‘How can I get better? How can I improve?’ It may not have been that way across the board last year.”
– Romo on the difference between this year’s Cowboys team and last year’s
“It feels like the commitment level is there. People support each other. When times get tough, they don’t turn and point fingers. Everyone asks themselves ‘how can we do better individually to help the team do better and help turn it around?’ That approach has got to be the right way, it just feels like it is.”
– Romo on what it would take for the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl
**The entire conversation will air on Sunday’s NFL GameDay Morning at 9:00 AM ET**
For a clip of Irvin’s sitdown with Romo, please visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d814b0173/Romo-s-December-hex
Quick Quotes:
“He can motivate players. He’s the right guy for the job and I hope the Bills are smart and they give Perry the job.”
– Marshall Faulk on Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell
“It’s doesn’t matter who goes undefeated. No one cares – ask the 2007 Patriots.”
– Deion Sanders on if the Saints or Colts go undefeated
“He’s doing some things that I haven’t seen done in this league since you were playing.”
– Matt Millen, to Deion Sanders on Jets CB Darrelle Revis
“We cannot give Jason Garrett a pass. He must put the players in place and call the right plays in certain situations. This offense can go. They have the talent.”
– Marshall Faulk on the Cowboys offense and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett
“You can’t do anything about injuries, but you can step it up and try to bring in good character guys that are going to work week in and week out, stay in Western New York in the offseason and be a part of the community.”
– Jim Kelly on the type of players needed in Buffalo
“He’s a confident guy and that permeates through the locker room.”
– Steve Mariucci on Jets head coach Rex Ryan
“He can be dynamite with the ball in his hands.”
– Steve Mariucci on Bills RB Marshawn Lynch
“This is a matchup of all matchups.”
– Deion Sanders on Jets CB Darrelle Revis covering Bills WR Terrell Owens
‘Super Bowl Journey’: Jets S Kerry Rhodes talks about being benched for the first time in his career and how it provided the motivation behind his two interceptions against the Panthers.
“I always want to be a catalyst on the field. I’ve been a guy that throughout my years of playing, I’ve been the one to make the big plays and changes games. You expect me to have a chip on my shoulder and I think that’s what coach [Ryan] wanted me to get back.”
– Rhodes on getting benched
Jason La Canfora News Reports:
- There has been no contact or communication between the Chicago Bears and Bill Cowher in regards to the Bears head coaching job. Even if there had been, Cowher is not going to talk to any team in season. What I am hearing is that Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is on the hot seat and a lot of people don’t see him surviving. There could be changes in the coaching staff, but unless it completely falls apart in Chicago, head coach Lovie Smith is expected to stay in the head coaching spot.
- Mike Holmgren would certainly welcome the opportunity to become the next GM of the Seattle Seahawks following the resignation of Tim Ruskell today. Talking to people close to him, it’s somewhat of a dream job for him and he wants to work more on the management side than the coaching side. However, I’m hearing that there’s other people the Seahawks are going to talk to about the position. Holmgren is not by any means a slam dunk. It could be that Holmgren returns to Seattle, but in an overseer-type role, but not the person running things day-to-day.
- A week ago, we all thought that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger would play [vs. Baltimore], but he was experiencing post-concussion symptoms later in the week and did not play. However this week, the Steelers feel very confident that he’s doing great, responding well in practice and will play vs. Oakland. As far as Cardinals QB Kurt Warner, his agent this afternoon said everything is looking good there for him as well. He hasn’t experienced the vision issues he was having in the past 48 hours. The Cardinals feel good and as long as none of the post-concussion symptoms sink back in, he’s good to go vs. Minnesota.
- The Buffalo Bills interviewed Mike Shanahan and contacted Bill Cowher, although he’s not talking to any team during the season. When you talk to people around the league, I’m not sure the Bills end up with an ‘A-list’ coach, even if they’re willing to pay $10 million. It’s still early and you never know; the Bills have been playing hard with Perry Fewell at the helm, so if they have a great finish, you never know.
- There’s been heavy talk in coaching circles going all the way back to last year’s Senior Bowl about a possible meeting of the minds with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and Mike Shanahan. Snyder really respects Shanahan and has for years. They’ve gotten to know each other. Shanahan thinks highly of Snyder and Snyder is an owner that’s similar in a lot of ways to Broncos owner Pat Bowlen. There’s not a whole lot out there with Jon Gruden off the market due to his contractual obligation with ESPN. Mike Holmgren doesn’t really want to coach; the Redskins want an A-list guy and Snyder’s had his eye on Shanahan for awhile.
- There were some reports this week that maybe Titans head coach Jeff Fisher would have an exit strategy based on Bud Adams having a say on who the starting quarterback of the Titans is, but there never was any huge rift between Adams and Fisher over Vince Young.
**Additional videos from NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football coverage of Jets vs. Bills can be viewed on NFL.com**
- Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly chats about the state of the Buffalo Bills and more:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d814b01e6/Kelly-on-Bills
- Pilobolus: Jets vs. Bills – A theatrical look at the Week 13 matchup between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-pilobolus/09000d5d814b0499/Pilobolus-Jets-vs-Bills
NEXT WEEK ON NFL NETWORK’S THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS
DECEMBER 10 at 8:00 PM ET
Thanks to the NFL Network. This is quite impressive.
