Let’s do some Sunday NFL pregame quotage. As usual, we begin with NFL Network’s quotage from this morning.
News and Sound Bites From Week 15 Editions of FIRST ON THE FIELD & NFL GAMEDAY MORNING
“They have to make a statement that we can be the champions.” – Michael Irvin on the Atlanta Falcons “If Kyle Shanahan delivers a win with a backup quarterback…he shows the rest of the NFL he is ready to be a head coach.” – Michael Lombardi on Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan“I don’t believe that they are going to make the playoffs.” – Marshall Faulk on the Chicago Bears
Quotes from First on the Field
Every Sunday morning at 7:00 AM ET, NFL Network is First on the Field with Melissa Stark, LaDainian Tomlinson, Sterling Sharpe and Michael Lombardi providing the first analysis of the day’s games.
– “If Kyle Shanahan delivers a win with a backup quarterback [Kirk Cousins] – a backup rookie quarterback – he shows the rest of the NFL he is ready to be a head coach and take the next step. What he has done with Robert Griffin III is remarkable, but we knew Griffin had talent. If he does it with Cousins, then all of a sudden all those teams who will be looking for a head coach soon are going to take notice.” – Michael Lombardi on what a Washington Redskins win would mean for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan
– “This is a big moment for Kirk Cousins to shine because if he can prove to desperate teams in the NFL that need quarterbacks, like the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs, it gives them the opportunity to trade for him in the offseason.” – Michael Lombardi on Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins
– “The Patriots will miss Rob Gronkowski. To beat the 49ers, you have to control the middle of the field and I’m not sure New England can do that without Gronkowski.” – Michael Lombardi on the San Francisco 49ers facing the New England Patriots
– “No quarterback and no offensive line. Those are the two sins you can’t have as an NFL team.” – Michael Lombardi on the struggles of the Arizona Cardinals
– “I look at the Chicago Bears and I question who they are. What’s their identity? This is a hard-nosed city that used to have a hard-nosed defense, but their identity is now Jay Cutler throwing a million passes to Brandon Marshall. That identity will not get you into the playoffs.” – Sterling Sharpe on the 8-5 Chicago Bears
Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning
NFL GameDay Morning is the most comprehensive pregame show on Sunday morning, airing at 9:00 AM ET on NFL Network and taking viewers straight up to kickoff. Host Rich Eisen joins analysts Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Warren Sapp and Michael Irvin to bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews.
– “They have to make a statement that we can be the champions because that’s who the New York Giants are.” – Michael Irvin on what statement the Atlanta Falcons need to make against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants
– “I look at the Falcons and go, ‘What do they hang their hat on?’…I don’t see one dominant area for this Falcons team. I believe if you go to the playoffs and you’re going to win in the playoffs, you have to be dominant somewhere.” – Kurt Warner on the 11-2 Atlanta Falcons
– “The Giants have the biggest ceiling. The problem is they just haven’t been consistent enough to make them the favorite at this point in time.” – Kurt Warner on who should be the favorite in the NFC
– “The key is Hakeem Nicks. When he’s healthy, this offense goes…He makes everybody on this offense better when he’s playing to his potential, when he’s bringing that big play type of capabilities.” – Kurt Warner on New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks
– “I don’t believe that they are going to make the playoffs.” – Marshall Faulk on the Chicago Bears
– “Everybody on this team benefits with Robert Griffin III back there…[Without him], receivers are going to have to get open on their own, Alfred Morris is going to have to find holes on his own and that defense is going to have to shut people down on their own.” – Kurt Warner on how the Washington Redskins handle the loss of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III
– “I see him in a same mode as a Juan Castillo, as a Tony Sparano because he’s never called plays. It’s one thing to put your list together; it’s another thing where now you have to call those plays rapid fire during a game and you get stuck.” – Marshall Faulk on new Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell
– “When they get down early and they have to play a drop back game – we saw it against the Packers, we saw it against New England – this team struggles and there is a lack of confidence because they don’t know if they can play in those kind of games.” – Kurt Warner on the Houston Texans
– “What they’re going to see today from the San Francisco 49ers that they don’t get to see from the rest of the AFC: they’re going to see more than one pass rusher, more than two pass rushers. The 49ers have three guys who can get after the quarterback. When they lost to the Giants those two times in the Super Bowl, it’s because multiple guys are rushing Tom Brady.” – Marshall Faulk on what else the New England Patriots have to prove in the regular season
On NFL.com the following video clips from First on the Field & NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:
Remembering Victims of CT – After the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, teams around the NFL are paying tribute to the victims:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111379/Remembering-victims-of-CT?campaign=Twitter_nfln_videos‘First on the Field’: Time to Shine – Michael Lombardi believes Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will let quarterback Kirk Cousins take the helm of his team today:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/0ap2000000111388/First-On-The-Field-Time-to-shineIndianapolis Colts Linebacker Robert Mathis on Slowing Down his Rookie QB – Sterling Sharpe talks with Indianapolis Colts linebacker Robert Mathis on how the Colts are approaching the game against the Houston Texans and even having to slow down quarterback Andrew Luck:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111382/First-on-the-Field-Mathis-on-slowing-down-his-rookie-QBRunner & Receiver: Atlanta Falcons – LaDainian Tomlinson and Sterling Sharpe break down the Atlanta Falcons run game with Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111384/Runner-and-Receiver-Atlanta-FalconsBold Predictions – Listen in as the NFL GameDay Morning crew go out on some major limbs to make bold predictions for Week 15:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000111385/Bold-predictionsHow will the Redskins Offense Differ without RG3? – How will the Redskins play with quarterback Kirk Cousins? The NFL GameDay Morning crew breaks down what the Redskins offense might look without their star quarterback Robert Griffin III:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111380/How-will-the-Redskins-offense-differ-without-RG3Who are the NFC Favorites? – Are the Falcons, Packers, 49ers or Giants the team to beat in the NFC? Find out who the NFL GameDay Morning crew thinks is the toughest in the NFC:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111381/Who-are-the-NFC-favoritesWarner’s Corner – Kurt Warner breaks down the play of San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith and how he can break the single-season sack record:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap2000000111387/Warner-s-CornerBatch’s Incredible Journey – Pittsburgh Steelers running back Baron Batch’s path to the NFL was filled with many hardships, but the help of hope and a paintbrush led him to his dream:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/pittsburgh-steelers/0ap2000000111386/Batch-s-incredible-journeyFootballogy: Improvising QBs – Extending plays, or improvising, has become a necessary skill for quarterbacks like Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger. “Footballogy” host Brian Unger visits a famous stage in Los Angeles to find out how actors who improvise are like quarterbacks who also have to think on their feet:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000111389/Footballogy-Improvising-QBs
More quotage is coming up.
