THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME®
PITTSBURGH STEELERS WIDE RECEIVER HINES WARD JOINS VIA SATELLITE
NEW YORK (Dec. 14, 2011) – On this week’s edition of INSIDE THE NFL, Super Bowl XL MVP and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward speaks with Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp about approaching 1,000 career catches, James Harrison’s suspension and the health of Ben Roethlisberger.
Host James Brown and analysts Phil Simms, Collinsworth and Sapp discuss what they believe to be the season’s biggest story, Green Bay’s pursuit of perfection or “Tebow Time” in Denver. The program will also feature a special segment on Susannah Collins’ recent trip to take a lesson from the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders.
This week’s episode of INSIDE THE NFL premieres tonight, Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33rd season, airs every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.
INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.
Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:
On his feelings regarding the NFL suspending teammate James Harrison…
WARD: We can’t win this battle. For me to even comment on anything, I’m waving the towel. Some of the guys were teasing us that it’s like going into a Third World country and we’re throwing rocks at a tank. It’s not going to lead to anything. We’re just mad. We’re never going to win that battle. You even heard it from me, I’m throwing in the towel right now. We’re sorry. We’re throwing in the towel. We can’t win that battle.
On the health of Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger…
WARD: He’s walking around in a boot. I don’t foresee him taking any reps until probably Friday. But me knowing Ben [Roethlisberger], he’s a warrior. He’s going to go out there and try to do all he can to go out there and compete. He’s having a great year. And for us, you know what, it’s going to take all of us. If he’s not able to play, you know our defense guys have to step it up a little bit and maybe, you know, score a defensive touchdown. Or special teams, with [kick/punt returner] Antonio Brown back there, we always have a chance to make up for a loss of Ben on the offensive side.
On this weekend’s match-up against the San Francisco 49ers…
WARD: No disrespect to the teams we have left with three games left, this is probably our last time that we get a warm-up for playoff football. So it’s going to be a great test for our team to go out there and see if we can handle a hostile environment and playing on prime time.
On being nine catches away from 1,000 career receptions…
WARD: That would just be an amazing record. You know, only seven guys in NFL history have ever caught a thousand balls and for me to do it all with this great organization – who is pretty much known as a run-oriented offense…it’s just a big honor…
On which is the bigger story: Green Bay Packers pursuit of perfection or Tebow Time…
SIMMS: [Tebow Time] is the biggest story. It’s everywhere. And rightly so because so many people said he couldn’t do it and I think they are seeing a big transformation right before [their] eyes. As I watch him each week – you know I love this – all the ex-quarterbacks say that you can’t change the way you throw. Who made that rule? …Look at all the quarterbacks in the league that have gotten better as they’ve stayed in it. And the biggest one of all, Aaron Rodgers, look how he changed. I’m watching Tim Tebow definitely throwing the football better.
COLLINSWORTH: To me, [Tebow Time] is the best story. [The 2011 season] may be the best year of stories that I’ve ever been around in the National Football League. I mean, we have the potential of seeing the greatest NFL team ever. If the Packers win the Super Bowl and go undefeated in a 16-game schedule – which has never been done before – and win a second Super Bowl, you have to say that this is the greatest team that’s ever played. So that’s a great story. But what’s going on with Tim Tebow…this is unbelievable. Plus, you have the added dimension of his religious beliefs and how that sort of divides everybody at the same time.
Delving further into the topic of Tim Tebow…
COLLINSWORTH: I ask you a question, JB, if Tim Tebow were of any other religious faith – okay, any other – and he were persecuted the way Tim Tebow has [been] – and if you think [“persecute”] is too strong a word, I’ll show you some articles that were written about Tim Tebow – any other faith, I’m telling you every major newspaper in the world would be coming to his defense. I’m saying, what do we expect out of this kid? He’s almost the perfect guy that you’d want to have marry your daughter. He’s playing great football. He’s out there and finally people are starting to jump on the bandwagon. And I’m laughing at them. I’m laughing at them right now.
BROWN: I am not going to run from that question because you know I could deliver a sermon on that one. There is no question [Tim Tebow] would not be ridiculed if he were of any other persuasion.
COLLINSWORTH: I think the first three quarters are about skill and talent and the raw ability of these incredible athletes in the NFL. And the fourth quarter – when you are dead on your feet, you’re exhausted, you’re out there just fighting for whatever you have and it turns into a fist fight for that last quarter to see who is going to get the thumbs up or the thumbs down on the day – and that’s when Tim Tebow is at his best. This guy, he used to wrestle defensive linemen at the University of Florida. He would take on anybody. He’s just a fighter and it shows up in the fourth quarter.
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