Archives for November 2010

Football Night In America Notes & Quotes – Week 12

November 29, 2010 By admin

“Maybe it’s time to reboot the system.” – “Football Night’s” Bob Costas on the NFL’s Instant Replay system

“I didn’t try to minimize what we did at all.” – Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels to “Football Night’s” Peter King on the team’s video taping scandal

“I don’t know if they’re great or even really good. But they’re dangerous.” – “Football Night’s” Dan Patrick on the Bears

NEW YORK – November 28, 2010 – Following are highlights from NBC Sports’ “Football Night in America.” Bob Costas hosted the show live from Lucas Oil Stadium and was joined on site for commentary by Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. Co-host Dan Patrick, analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, and reporters Peter King and Mike Florio covered the news of the NFL’s 12th week live from NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios. Alex Flanagan reported from Soldier Field in Chicago on the Eagles-Bears game.

Also included below is Costas’ halftime essay on the NFL playoff picture.

EMBEDDED NBC SPORTS VIDEO: Video highlights from “Football Night” and other NBC Sports programming are available at NBCSports.com. Click on the following links for:

Patrick, Dungy & Harrison on the Instant Replay system:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40410115#40410115

Florio, Patrick, Dungy & Harrison on Spygate II:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40409954#40409954

King on trouble in Tennessee & Denver:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40409955#40409955

Costas’ interview with Philip Rivers:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40406401#40406401

Costas’ interview with Bill Polian:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40407170#40407170

Costas & Collinsworth on Polian’s career:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/40409679#40409679

ON BRONCOS’ SPYGATE

(Later in the program) King on speaking with Josh McDaniels postgame today: “I talked to him minutes ago and we obviously talked about the report earlier on Fox Sports where it was said in a staff meeting on Friday that Josh McDaniels basically minimized what had happened in Denver versus what had happened in a systemic way in New England. And he told me and I quote, “I didn’t try to minimize what we did at all. What we did was very serious and I feel bad it’s being represented that I have any inside knowledge of the New England situation because I really don’t.” I also asked him, are you worried that you are just not going to be able to right this ship and you are going to lose your job? And he said, ‘I have no control over that. I’m just going to try to coach this team the best I can and get wins down the stretch.’”

(Earlier in the program) Patrick: “Earlier today, Jay Glazer of Fox reported Josh McDaniels met with his staff to explain the circumstances surrounding the so called “Spygate II” and distinguished the situation from what happened with the Patriots controversy, saying that it was a one-time-only thing whereas in New England it was ‘practice, coached and worked on’…Does this have legs (regarding further discipline for New England)?”

(Earlier in the program) King: “I don’t think it has many more legs right now because I talked to both the Patriots and the league today. The Patriots want this whole thing to die. They are not going to be issuing any statements. They had no comment to me about this report. Also, the league told me flat out, ‘We have no plans to re-open the Patriots investigation.’”

Florio: “The storm clouds have been gathering for weeks around Josh McDaniels. He came in 6-0, 5-16 since then, a series of bad personnel moves, ugly losses this year, and now this stigma of cheating. And more than just the cheating, the idea that he violated a pretty obvious requirement of the league’s Integrity of the Game policy, which mandates reporting if the head coach knows about cheating. He failed to do that. This is the kind of thing that can get the fans who are already unhappy with Josh McDaniels really lathered up like the fans were in Minnesota. Buy out or no buy out of his contract, if he makes it to the end of the season, it’s very hard to imagine Josh McDaniels sticking around beyond the end of the 2010 campaign.”

Patrick to Harrison: “You were there with the New England Patriots for six years, were you ever aware of any video taping that was going on?”

Harrison: “I had absolutely no idea if anything like that would ever go on.”

Patrick to Dungy: “Coaching fraternity here. Here’s Josh McDaniels, who was a ball boy, ends up becoming a head coach and he’s speaking about Belichick and what went on almost systematically with the Patriots.”

Dungy: “That is really a violation of honor code of coaches. You talk to your staff, ‘Here’s what we do at our place. We don’t talk about what anybody else does. What happened in the past.’ I don’t think he should have talked about that.”

Patrick: “But you get the feeling that this was done all the time with the Patriots, right?”

Dungy: “If he’s referring to video taping, that’s a completely different story than stealing signals. If you’re video taping walk throughs, opponents’ practices, that is really, really a serious allegation.”

Patrick to Harrison: “How did the Patriots use this as motivation? Knowing Belichick saying, ‘Now we’re back on the front burner. People think we’re cheating.’”

Harrison: “First of all, it won’t be a distraction. This team is 9-2 and Belichick is a mastermind, absolutely a mastermind of keeping guys focused on the task at hand. In 2007 this similar situation happened to us, and as players we said, ‘Someone’s attacking our coach. We’re going to protect him.’ We went out there, went 16-0, 18-1 overall, and we blew everybody out by 20-25 points.”

Harrison on McDaniels: “Josh is a good guy and I felt like he was a loyal guy. He was a guy that Bill Belichick gave an opportunity to and it really surprised me that he would come out and say something like this.”

ON INSTANT REPLAY SYSTEM

Costas narrated a piece about the NFL Instant Replay system that highlighted numerous controversial plays from this season. Patrick, Dungy and Harrison then reacted to the piece.

Costas: “With a growing list of reviewable plays and with so many evenly matched teams playing close games, replay challenges can have enormous impact. The result is increased pressure on coaches with some keeping the red flags in their pockets in key situations. Sometimes at significant cost…Overall, the replay system has been a plus. But on those occasions when its design complicates its core function, providing an efficient mechanism to correct obviously erroneous calls, then maybe it’s time to reboot the system.”

Dungy on a solution: “I think it’s the college system where they review all scoring plays. We were at the Notre Dame-Army game and a play happened right in front of us, looked like a touchdown. They looked at it quickly, saw that it wasn’t, put it back at the one-yard line. It only took a minute. I think they can do that. It would take a lot of pressure off the coaches.”

Harrison: “The players don’t care. They think, ‘Review every single time you get an opportunity. We don’t care.’”

Patrick: “We saw this in the Falcons game today. This could have ramifications in the playoffs because this was a call that should have been reversed with Tony Gonzalez. It’s a fourth-down call and he doesn’t make the catch. But Mike McCarthy, the visiting coach, he can’t replay this.”

Dungy: “Right. He’s not going to get a view of this. The home team is not going to show this in the stadium. This happened just outside of two minutes. If it had happened in the two-minute situation, it would have been reviewed and overturned automatically.”

Harrison: “The bottom line is, the players just want the officials to get it right, whatever that entails…Whatever it takes because we don’t want our playoff hopes or our Super Bowl hopes to get affected by one missed call.”

ON ANDRE JOHNSON-CORTLAND FINNEGAN FIGHT

Dungy: “When I was at Indy, we played against Tennessee twice a year. I always warned my players, ‘You have to keep your cool, especially against Cortland Finnegan. He’s going to try to get on your nerves.’”

Harrison on the Titans: “This is no surprise to me. This is their personality. They’re dirty. They’re cheap. Whenever we played this team, the coaches would always say, ‘Guys, beware. They’re going to take a cheap shot at you. They’re going to try and provoke you to doing something.’”

Patrick: “You paid the price, too. They went after your knee when you played.”

Harrison: “They tore my knee up.”

ON CHARGERS

Costas: “Peyton Manning is already established as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Phillip Rivers is quickly establishing himself as one of the elite quarterbacks of today.”

Michaels on Rivers and Manning: “It wouldn’t surprise me if either of these guys wound up winning the MVP award…Philip Rivers has everything that Manning does except an MVP award and a Lombardi Trophy. But Philip Rivers, while some people haven’t been looking, has been having one of the most spectacular seasons ever.”

Collinsworth: “This football team now, you have to say, they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, if they can get there. To me, it is so clear cut that they are the most talented football team (in their division).”

Harrison on Rivers: “I think he’s the MVP.”

Patrick: “But you look at an offense that’s great, a defense statistically that’s been great, they’re 5-5, why?

Dungy: “Only one reason. Early in the season, special teams really let them down… They’ve had four punts blocked and it’s really just lack of communication…(While describing a play) the guard blocks the wrong man. He blocks number four instead of number three. They’re going to let someone come clean. This has happened four times to San Diego and it’s only happened six times to the other 31 teams. That’s why they’re 5-5.”

Harrison: “Great teams and great coaches realize the importance of special teams. When I played for Belichick he said, ‘I don’t care what your accolades are. I don’t care how many Pro Bowls you’ve been to. If you’re a starter or not, you’re going to play on special teams. I played on three Super Bowl teams and we only had two punts blocked over 50 games.”

ON COLTS

Costas: “It’s inevitable that some day Bill Polian is going to be in the Hall of Fame.”

ON FALCONS

Harrison: “Not only the best team in the NFC, probably the most physical. They came out with Michael Turner and completely dominated this Green Bay defense, and Matt Ryan made some key throws.”

ON BEARS

Patrick: “I don’t know if they’re great or even really good. But they’re dangerous.”

Cutler to Flanagan: “It’s just attitude. The offensive line is really taking responsibility. I have a lot of pride in that and you know they played well today…We want to fly under the radar. We’re not worried about anybody else. We’re worried about the guys in the locker room, our coaches, our systems. We just got to keep winning. We don’t want a target on our back. The more we win though, people are going to start taking notice.”

Peppers to Flanagan on how the defense has been carrying the offense: “We carry each other. We’ve been playing well on defense but offense, they’ve been coming along for the past couple of weeks. We carry each other at times and that’s how it works.”

ON VIKINGS

Dungy on Leslie Frazier: “He was excited. First game, they get a win. He had talked about protecting the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage. They did it and he was really happy.”

ON 49ERS

King on Mike Singletary: “Very thin ice. Unless Mike Singletary has a remarkable last month or so with this team, I think he will be fired at the end of the season. Two of the candidates for this job: No. 1 is going to be Jon Gruden. No. 2, unless…Jim Harbaugh takes the Michigan job before that, I believe the Stanford coach would be very high on the 49ers list.”

ON BUFFALO

Harrison on Fred Jackson: “Best player you’ve never heard of.”

Following are highlights of Bob Costas’ interview with Philip Rivers:

Costas: What’s with the slow starts and the fast finishes?

Rivers: We know how to do the fast finishes. We haven’t figured out how to change those slow starts. We seem to get a hold of it when it matters late, and able to make a run and push towards the postseason. We’re in the midst of one right now.

Costas: How long did it take you to get over that defeat (to the Jets in last year’s playoffs)?

Rivers: It took a long time. I’m not so sure that I didn’t think about those plays up through training camp this season. It’s tough to handle but you learn from it, you gear back up and you go at it again. As soon as that Super Bowl was over after that year, talking amongst the guys, ‘Hey, everybody’s 0-0 now. Everybody’s back to even.’ Because as soon as that Super Bowl champion is crowned everybody’s chasing the next one.

Rivers on Norv Turner’s detractors: He’s a lot of the reason why we have gotten out of the slow starts we have been in, and it’s carried us into the postseason. If there’s a guy that’s misunderstood maybe more than anybody as a head coach for lack of passion and lack of fire and lack of leadership; he’s just the opposite of how he’s portrayed on the outside.

Costas: You grew up in Alabama, that’s SEC territory. Peyton was an SEC god at Tennessee…You’ve been following him for a long time.

Rivers: Ten years ago if you had said I would be the opposing quarterback going against Peyton Manning-led team, I would have believed that I could get there but it’s certainly quite a long way from where I sat watching him as a spectator. Even as a rookie, I remember coming to Indianapolis as a backup and just remember watching and how awesome and what great command he had of that offense. Here seven years later, we’re both leading our teams, going after each other in the heat of both teams trying to make a playoff run.

Costas: I’ve come across very few guys who wear their enthusiasm and their delight in being an NFL player on their sleeve the way you do.

Rivers: Truly, living a dream. I remember ever since I was little, I wanted to be a quarterback in this league. When it stops being that way, like it was for me in the backyard in Alabama, then I don’t want to play anymore. It’s that way. It’s a combination of loving to play and hating to lose; wanting your team, our team, to win. That drive. There’s nothing better. Nothing better than Sunday night.

Following are highlights of Bob Costas’ interview with Bill Polian:

Costas: Do you fear the window may be closing?

Polian: No. No. We were asked that seven years ago. As long as we’ve got No. 18 and he can go out there and play, and as long as we can continue to build a defense that’s competitive, I think the window is open. Once his time is over, then we have to approach it from a different perspective because he’s a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback. But as long as he’s here, the window’s wide open.

Costas: How different is your approach in terms of payroll and the salary cap from other teams. The conventional wisdom is that Polian and the Colts say, ‘We’re going to pay superstar salaries to a relative handful of guys and then we’re going to use expert personnel decisions to fill out the rest of the roster. Pay these guys fairly but not as handsomely. Is that a different philosophy than most teams?

Polian: I don’t know that it’s different than most other teams. You correctly annunciated it. That’s exactly what we do. Tony (Dungy) probably gave you that. (laughs) You got a real good source there. (laughs) It is what we do.

Costas: How optimistic are you that there may be a possible deal that could avert a work stoppage?

Polian: I’ve always been optimistic because I believe that both Commissioner Goodell and (DeMaurice) Smith want the game to succeed and do well. We’ve been through this before in ’93. We can do it again this time. I’m hopeful.

Costas: What needs to happen for ownership to be happy?

Polian: We have to get a deal that fairly distributes the revenue in the game to both parties. Now, finding that deal, finding that compromise that ultimately arrives at that conclusion is the hard part. The devil’s always in the details but that’s the essence of it.

Costas: You can certainly see from a financial standpoint how an 18-game season could be part of the solution but the more we learn about the toll the game takes on players, the more problematic an 18-game season becomes. How do you see it?

Polian: If you have an 18-game season as the Commissioner has said, there have to be concomitant revisions of how we do things on the other side – on the off-season program, particularly, perhaps even training camp and the way training camp is conducted, especially for veterans who do a lot of playing.

Costas: Additional bye week, expanded rosters. Are all those things possibilities?

Polian: I don’t know that they’re possibilities but there has to be a solution that deals with the two extra games. I don’t think that that’s a difficult problem to solve.

Click here to see photos of the interviews: http://www.twitpic.com/photos/nbcsportspr

Bob Costas’ Halftime Essay

Back at Lucas Oil Stadium, where we note that over the past decade, by Thanksgiving or so, they are usually ready to print playoff tickets around here. But in this particularly unpredictable season, the injury-ravaged Colts need a comeback win tonight just to nudge a game in front of Jacksonville in the AFC South.
And it’s like that everywhere you look. If San Diego wins tonight, no division leader will hold a lead of more than a game. Several divisions are deadlocked. Looking at it another way, only eight of the 32 teams are without a realistic playoff shot as we hit the season’s final month.
A final month that will include likely division-deciders Indy versus Jacksonville; Eagles and Giants; Bears at frozen Lambeau on January 2; Baltimore-Pittsburgh next Sunday night; Jets and Patriots the night after that. Now that one, Jets and Patriots, could determine not only the AFC east, but home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. And then there’s New Orleans and Atlanta two nights after Christmas.
In case you haven’t noticed, at the moment, it’s Atlanta that surprisingly holds the upper hand in the NFC at 9-2 after today’s key win over the packers. This may be the perfect year for a team like the Falcons. Certainly not overwhelming, instead, consistent and efficient. With Michael Vick now an Eagle, it’s the former Boston College Eagle, Matt Ryan at quarterback. In most precincts, ‘Matty Ice’ is not exactly a household name, at least, not yet. The Falcons also have a very good coach, but one who practically defines low profile. I mean his name is Mike Smith — to be any more generic than that, he’d have to be John Doe.
But in a season like this, it may be an under-the-radar team that ultimately soars highest. And we can look to Georgia for the proof, because, as we speak, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Atlanta.

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–NBC SPORTS–

NFL TODAY’s Boomer Esiason questions Denver’s McDaniels Decisions

November 29, 2010 By admin

NEWS, NOTES & QUOTES FROM CBS SPORTS’ “THE NFL TODAY” WITH JAMES BROWN, DAN MARINO, SHANNON SHARPE,

BILL COWHER AND BOOMER ESIASON FOR WEEK 12 ON NOVEMBER 28

THE NFL ON CBS broadcasts its 5,000^th game today in its 51-year history of covering the NFL. The historic game, Miami Dolphins-Oakland Raiders, is called by Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker. THE NFL ON CBS’s first regular-season game broadcast was on September 30, 1956 as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Washington Redskins, 30-13. Jim Gibbons and Arch McDonald provided the call for the Redskins audience, while Joe Tucker and Bob Prince called the game for the Steelers audience.

THE NFL TODAY’S Shannon Sharpe was announced today as a semi-finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010

► FACE OFF

(On whether the $25,000 fine of Oakland’s Richard Seymour for hitting Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger would have been bigger if he hit Tom Brady or Peyton Manning)

DAN MARINO: They’d have probably thrown him out of the league. Seriously, Richard Seymour has been a Super Bowl player. I think if he’d known that that was Roethlisberger behind him, he probably wouldn’t have done it. He thought it was a lineman. But at the same time, I’m sure the fine would be higher if it was Brady or Manning.

SHANNON SHARPE: I totally agree with you, Dan. They completely changed the rules when a guy did a legal hit and put Tom Brady out for the entire season. If you go up and hit this guy knowing, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, they are the face of the National Football League, that’s going to cost you a quarter million, and you’re out of the League. You’re going to have to apply for reinstatement.

(On whether $50,000 fine each of Denver Broncos and Josh McDaniels for illegal videotaping was severe enough and is this it for McDaniels)
BILL COWHER: As far as the punishment, no, it’s not enough. The precedent was set when the New England Patriots were fined, Bill Belichick himself over $100,000, and draft picks should be taken away. I know they say he acted independently. I don’t agree with that because I think in every room, in every building, the dynamics, you always have to answer to a superior. I have a hard time believing this was done independently. It was not heavily fined enough. Draft picks should have been taken away.

BOOMER ESIASON: I agree with Coach, but you put that on the fact they’re 5-15 the last 20, the fact Josh McDaniels got rid of Cutler, Marshall, Sheffler and Hillis, also got blown out at home by the Oakland Raiders, and on top of that drafted Tim Tebow in the first round, you really have to question the decision making of one Josh McDaniels.

► “INSIDE THE GAME” WITH “NFL TODAY GENERAL MANAGER” CHARLEY CASSERLY

(On League fining Denver Broncos and Head Coach Josh McDaniels for videotaping a San Francisco 49ers’ walk-through before their game in London)

CASSERLY: I talked to the League and asked them to compare this to the Patriots. First of all, McDaniels was only fined $50,000 for these reasons: number one, they couldn’t find any evidence at this time that he authorized the videotaping or he looked at the videotape. Now, as to why they weren’t penalized any draft choices, the League said this, unlike the Patriots, who were penalized a first round pick, the Patriots gained a competitive advantage with the videotape they had. They didn’t feel the Broncos gained any competitive advantage with the videotape they had.

(On proposed 18-game schedule)

CASSERLY: In that proposal, there would be a bye on Labor Day, and the season would begin the week after Labor Day. I’ve learned there’s a group of Northern owners, cold weather owners, who want to start the season on Labor Day to have one less game in January. Their reason, it’s hard to sell tickets in January. There’s also going to be no shows with the people who already bought tickets.

► EXCERPTS FROM PITTSBURGH STEELERS FEATURE REMEMBERING UNITED FLIGHT 93

(Former Members of Pittsburgh Steelers and family members spearheading the building of a Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. remembering the heroes of hijacked United Flight 93)

ROCKY BLEIER: Sometimes we have a tendency to forget as time goes on what actually took place. Here was one in our own backyard.

CALVIN WILSON: None of them had a plan to be a hero that day. It was their spirit and their ability to not give in and not give up.

ART ROONEY II: We started to learn about what happened in Shanksville. Coach Cowher and I talked, and we decided to take our players and coaches and staff and went up there and participated in the prayer service.

FRANCO HARRIS: When Rocky calls, you do say yes and take the call because Rocky doesn’t take it lightly to ask. The way I feel about Rocky, I’m willing to be his teammate in just about anything, especially the building of this memorial.

BLEIER: Here is a place that puts in perspective everything that had taken place on 9/11. Not only here you think about the plane that crashed, but you think about the day, and you think about the images.

GORDON FELT: I want everyone, when they leave the park after visiting, to be able to ask themselves a question, could I have done that? If I were in their shoes, would I have been able to act as they did?

DAVID BEAMER: Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. They did. They fought back successfully, and they died. And all of their families and others miss each and every one of them terribly.

► REACTION TO PITTSBURGH STEELERS FEATURE

BILL COWHER: We all remember where we were on that specific day. And the Rooney family, it was very important. It was optional to go up to the memorial. We went up there. From Chris Henry to the heroes, the heroic efforts of the people of Flight 93, Thanksgiving is about not so much what people have accomplished, but it’s about the people they touched. Their spirits will live on forever. It galvanized the city what the people of Flight 93 did, and that whole area. You know, it was something we will always remember, and I was very much, very heavily touched.

* * * * *

“THE NFL TODAY” FEATURED PITTSBURGH STEELERS’ COMMITMENT TO MEMORY OF UNITED FLIGHT 93

THE NFL TODAY featured a special story on Sunday, Nov. 28 (12:00 Noon, ET) on the Pittsburgh Steelers and their commitment to the memory of the people on board United Flight 93 who heroically made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting back against hijackers of their plane on September 11, 2001.

To see this very special feature, log on to www.CBSSports.com and the link:

http://www.cbssports.com/video/player/play/videos

On that September day, 40 ordinary people became heroes when they prevented their plane from reaching Washington, D.C. as United Flight 93 crashed in a grassy field in Shanksville, Pa. less than 100 miles from Pittsburgh. In the days following the crash, the Pittsburgh Steelers went to pay their respects and provide whatever comfort they could to the families of the passengers and crew, and the people of the community. Now, nine years later, 40 former Steelers led by four-time Super Bowl Champion and former Vietnam War veteran Rocky Bleier stand in unison with the families of the 40 heroes to honor the memory of those on board and to create a “Flight 93 National Memorial” in Shanksville. Deb Gelman is the producer.

* * * * *

Glazer Reports Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels Admits to Spygate While Coaching in New England

November 29, 2010 By admin

FOX NFL SUNDAY NOTES – 11/28/10

Glazer Reports Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels Admits to Spygate While Coaching

in New England

Bradshaw to Titans Owner Bud Adams: “Get Out of the Way”

Strahan on Minnesota Vikings Troubles: “You Don’t Beg a Man to Come Back and Play”

————————————————————————————————

FOX NFL Insider Jay Glazer reported on news that broke yesterday that the Broncos and Josh McDaniels were each fined $50,000 for illegally taping the 49ers walk-through practice a couple weeks ago at Wembley Stadium in London. McDaniels was a member of the New England coaching staff during “Spygate 1.” Coincidence? “In his staff meeting on Friday, Josh McDaniels told his coaches he’s probably going to get fined, the team is going to get fined and brought up Spygate saying ‘this isn’t the same thing.’ He actually said, ‘Spygate – that was practice, that was coached, that was worked on.’ Then he told coaches that if this gets out, their jobs are on the line.”

Glazer: “Steve Scarnecchia, who was the video coordinator for the Broncos at Wembley Stadium, allegedly filming the 49ers, was seen by someone from the league that actually caught him doing it. At the time, Scarnecchia thought he got away with it. Here’s what happens from here: Scarnecchia has a couple days to call Ray Anderson from the NFL to set up an appointment with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. When he meets with Roger, there is a chance that Roger could ban him for life. Also, if the Commissioner gets new information, he could reopen this and levee more punishments against Josh McDaniels and the Broncos.”

So what is the reaction inside the Broncos complex?

Glazer: “There are a lot of raised eyebrows. Scarnecchia was fired and led away from the complex a couple weeks ago. Inside, they’re looking at Josh McDaniels like he threw Scarnecchia under the bus but also there has been a lot of animosity recently towards Josh McDaniels. After a loss to the Raiders a couple of week’s ago, McDaniels took his entire coaching staff and in front of the owner ripped his coaching staff to shreds which you can do but not in front of the team owner. So right now, there’s not a lot of love for Josh McDaniels behind closed doors there.”

————————————————————————————————

Analyst Jimmy Johnson doesn’t think all the controversy between Titans quarterback Vince Young and head coach Jeff Fisher should be put solely on Vince: “If you listen to the Tennessee coaches, Vince Young is young, immature, spoiled, and lazy and that may be true but you’ve got to hear the other side. Everything we’re getting is from the Tennessee coaches side but how about from Vince Young. He’s 30-17 as quarterback so he wins games. He’s been like an unwanted child from day 1. He gets benched at the drop of a hat so maybe he’s kind of defensive about it.”

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Analyst Terry Bradshaw relates to Vince Young’s struggles and believes it’s up to the Titans quarterback to make a change: “I share some of what Vince is going through. I too was emotionally immature and I don’t blame Chuck Noll for all the things that he did to me – the benching, the booing etc. I had to learn how to deal with each and every bit of it. Then I had to realize, am I going to allow all of this to destroy my dream of being successful in the NFL? Vince, you come to that point where you look in the mirror and say, ‘I’ve got to change. I’m going to take control, I’m going to study and I’m going to win Fisher over.’ I believe Fisher and Young need each other. Bud Adams this has got nothing to do with you, you’re the owner, get out of the way.”

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Analyst Jimmy Johnson believes Vikings interim Head Coach Leslie Frazier will be back next year: “He’s highly regarded and I think he will be the head coach next year.”

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FOX NFL SUNDAY host Curt Menefee asked, when did it go wrong in Minnesota?

Johnson: “When the jet went south.”

Strahan: “Before the jet went south. You don’t beg a man to come back and play.”

Long: “It went wrong in New Orleans on the interception in the NFC Championship Game.”

FOX NFL SUNDAY host Curt Menefee asked, what went wrong with the New York Giants?

Johnson: “There have been too many interceptions thrown by Eli Manning.”

Strahan: “They had great opportunities and inopportune turnovers.”

Long: “Too many fumbles.”

————————————————————————————————

Analyst Terry Bradshaw broke down this afternoon’s Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons game this afternoon:

“It’s all about balance. I come from the old school. If you can run it, you can throw it and Atlanta can run it with RB Michael Turner and they’ve got Roddy White and Matt Ryan at quarterback. I love them. On the other side, Green Bay is one dimensional. If Rodgers plays great and has his best game of the year, they can win otherwise they lose.”

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Analyst Terry Bradshaw unveiled his top 10 quarterbacks under 30 years of age.

10. Matt Schaub

9. Eli Manning

8. Josh Freeman

7. Mark Sanchez

6. Joe Flacco

5. Sam Bradford

4. Matt Ryan

3. Aaron Rodgers

2. Ben Roethlisberger

1. Philip Rivers

— FOX SPORTS —

ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown Notes and Quotes: Week 12

November 29, 2010 By admin

ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown Notes and Quotes: Week 12

ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson previewed today’s NFL action. Some excerpts:

On the Vikings playing better under (new coach) Leslie Frazier, like the Cowboys…

Jackson: “I don’t think so. Jason Garrett took over a (Dallas Cowboys) football team that was talented but not playing hard. There is a difference between that and a dysfunctional locker room, which is what Leslie Frazier is dealing with.”

Johnson: “The locker room was dysfunctional because of Brad Childress. That locker room has somewhat rallied around Leslie Frazier. I think that they feel like, this is a guy that’s been on both sides of the table, as a player and now as a coach, understands what it takes to be successful as a player. Then, he’ll transfer that to Brett Favre, the offense, the defense will get better … I think he will have that little bit of magic like Jason Garrett.”

Ditka: “To be successful, he has to do it his way, not the quarterbacks’ way. It is not a popularity contest right now … These guys to me, they sound like a bunch of cry babies. I know the old Vikings, I played against them, I coached against them, they went after you. They played the game the way you’re supposed to play the game.”

Carter: “The only way you are going to change the offense is if Brett Favre has a tremendous impact. I want Brett Favre to stand up. He’s telling Ed (Werder) about his injuries – my foot hurt, my elbow hurt, my everything is hurting. When are you going to play better? He is the worst quarterback in the NFL … Brett Favre has stunk this season …

“Let me tell you what the Vikings got. The Vikings got a bunch of chumps on their team – talking, whispering, ‘Oh, I don’t like the coach’.”

On whether the Jeff Fisher-Vince Young relationship is beyond repair…

Ditka: “When respect is gone out of a relationship, the love is gone and then the divorce is final. Jeff (Fisher) wants to move forward in a different direction. Vince Young has had every chance in the world. He’s shown a great amount of immaturity, I feel sorry for him … But you can’t do what he did.”

Johnson: “He’s definitely a winner, we all know that. But Jeff Fisher has to be the guy to bring this relationship closer again. I don’t know that Jeff would do that … And now you have the owner taking sides saying you have to embrace this quarterback. At some point in time, people have to go their separate ways.”

Jackson: “Beyond repair, I believe it is. People have to understand, first of all, what was said to Jeff Fisher in that locker room. We cannot repeat it. The expletives were such that you totally showed disrespect for your coach … And then to text. Let me tell you how you do this Vince. You issue your apology the same way you issued the insult. You get the team together, with the coach in front of you, and you say, ‘I’m sorry what happened. I hope I can win the respect of Jeff Fisher and my teammates back again.’ With the same passion and intensity with which you cursed the coach out and left that locker room. Try that, and see if it works by March. Right now, I don’t see that happening.”

Carter: “It’s just like a marriage … The thing about marriage is to keep them successful, you can’t fall out of love at the same time. The first incident in 2008, Fisher was still in love with him, so they brought him back into the team. Now, after this incident where Fisher has been embarrassed, they have to have a divorce. The only problem is, the judge is Bud Adams and he’s writing the check.”

On how Michael Vick vs. Bears defense will play out…

Carter: “The Bears are going to try to keep Michael Vick in the pocket. My biggest concern is playing in Soldier Field, I played there 14 games. This surface is not like any other surface in the National Football League. The grass is very very thick … This is not like Lambeau Field. Lambeau Field, they have heaters under the field, so the players don’t slip as much. The grass is longer. Michael Vick would have to stay in the pocket.”

Jackson: “He is dealing with the team that has outstanding athleticism … This team has Julius Peppers, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher. These guys would be able to track him down. I don’t know if they’ll get the sacks, but it is the hits on him that will take their toll. Let’s see how he looks going into the third quarter, fourth quarter.”

Ditka: “The reason we don’t have those heaters (on the field turf) in Chicago was a political decision. We have problems with that in Chicago … Bears are a pretty good defense. They play that cover two and they’re going to have a lot of guys looking at him.”

Carter: “One thing the Bears have to do is swallow their pride. Earlier in Bran Urlacher’s career, he could spy. He can’t spy on Michael Vick, because he can’t run the field like that.”

Who has the edge – Josh Freeman vs. Ravens defense?

Johnson: “He’ll come out okay, but he won’t come out with a ‘W’. Ray Lewis isn’t going to let a young guy come into his stadium and come out of there with a victory. Warm weather teams going to a cold weather city, no matter what anybody says, that’s a problem. Those receivers are not accustomed to running routes in cold weather, catching those types of football. Not only that, you’ve got Ed Reed back – four games, four interceptions. Enough said.”

Carter: “The graphic said six comebacks in the 4^th quarter. That means they’ve been down a whole bunch. That’s what Ed Reed and Ray Lewis; they key right in on what you’re going to do. You become one dimensional, and you’re behind in the game, Baltimore will dominate.”

Ditka: “I guarantee you, he (Freeman) doesn’t care about Ed Reed or Ray Lewis. All he cares about, getting his team in the end zone. This is a pretty good young football team. They emulate their head coach.”

Which team needs the win more: Chargers or Colts?

Jackson: “The Chargers – that slow start this year included a couple of division losses … As bad as the Colts look to us right now, they’re still tied for first in their division with a couple of games coming.

Johnson: “It’s the San Diego Chargers. They can’t afford another loss.”

Ditka: “The Colts have lost two out of three. If they lose another one, that’ll be three out of four. If they get three out of four, they’ve got a problem.”

On the unwritten NFL rules each Sunday NFL Countdown analyst subscribes to…

Jackson: “No spitting.”

Carter: “I don’t believe in all that shake your hands before the game.”

Johnson: “Players talking about other players’ contracts, publicly.”

Ditka: “They talk about all these shots head-to-head. Mine was, you never go low on a guy if you don’t have to.”

Special Thankgiving “No Huddle”

Biggest “turkey” in the NFL this season?

Jackson: “Randy Moss. Considering that he’s had the chance to play with so many different people this year and deliver a few things at every stop.”

Carter: “(Randy) Moss has had a bad year.”

Johnson: “The Washington Redskins, the Shanahans, the staff, everybody there, plus the Monday night when they bamboozled us on the (Donovan) McNabb contract.”

Ditka: “It’s Randy Moss.”

– 30 –

Crosby, Price and Stamkos are the Leaders in NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by XM

November 29, 2010 By admin

CROSBY, PRICE AND STAMKOS ARE THE LEADERS
IN NHL ALL-STAR FAN BALLOTING, PRESENTED BY XM

NEW YORK (November 29, 2010) – Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby leads all vote-getters for the second straight week in the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, presented by XM with 218,791 votes. Climbing into second place is Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price, whose 145,726 votes are the most among write-in candidates. Tampa Bay Lightning phenom Steven Stamkos is a close third with 141,818 votes. More than 6.11 million votes have been cast to date.

The leading vote-getters by position are forwards Crosby, Stamkos and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, who has 139,570 votes; defensemen Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks and Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers with 137,642 and 137,549, respectively; and goalie Price.

Facts & Figures from the First Two Weeks of Voting

Top players via write-in votes – Goalies Price and

Sergei Bobrovsky

(116,725) of the Philadelphia Flyers; forwards

Claude Giroux

(103,620),

Tomas Plekanec

(93,528) of the Canadiens and

Alexander Semin

(41,521) of the Washington Capitals; and defensemen

Kris Letang

(115,862) of the Penguins,

P.K. Subban

(89,050) of the Canadiens and

Dustin Byfuglien

(59,138) of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Approximately 35 percent of the top 154 vote-getters are via write-in votes, up from 33 percent last week – 28 percent of top forwards, 43 percent of top defensemen and 31 percent of top goaltenders.

About NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by XM
For the fourth straight NHL® All-Star Game, the balloting process is entirely digital, offering sports’ most tech-savvy fans the ability to vote as often as they like via mobile devices and online at NHL.com/vote and Facebook (facebook.com/NHL).

Through Jan. 3, NHL fans will be able to select up to six players by position – three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender – without regard to the Conference in which their teams play for in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover in Raleigh, N.C.

As part of a new format for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, the three forwards, two defensemen and goalie with the most votes will be named first NHL All-Stars.

Each player ballot on NHL.com/vote includes video highlights and real-time player statistics. Fans will be permitted to select as few as one player – a balloted player or write-in – per online ballot. The NHL.com/vote ballot is optimized for iPad users.

Mobile users in the U.S. and Canada are able to cast their votes via text message using any mobile device and wireless carrier. To vote via text message using any wireless carrier, fans should text their favorite player’s last name to the shortcode 81812. Message and data rates may apply. Fans in North America have the additional option of a mobile ballot available on iPhone, Android and all Blackberry devices, using any wireless carrier.

Eligible residents of the United States and Canada who vote online at NHL.com/vote or via NHL on Facebook (facebook.com/NHL) are able to enter for a chance to win one grand prize: a trip for two to attend the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh. There is no purchase necessary to enter or win. For sweepstakes rules, visit NHL.com/vote.

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will mark the first time Carolina has hosted NHL All-Star activities. The League’s mid-season spectacular will take place Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30 and will include Honda NHL SuperSkills and the 58th NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover at RBC Center. Live television coverage of both nights will be provided by VERSUS in the U.S. and CBC and RDS in Canada. The Honda NHL SuperSkills will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover will start at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.

2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by XM
(As of 11/29/10)

*write-in candidateForwards
Sidney Crosby 218,791 Pittsburgh
Steven Stamkos 141,818 Tampa Bay
Jonathan Toews 139,570 Chicago
Alex Ovechkin 120,966 Washington
Patrick Kane 108,649 Chicago
Michael Cammalleri 107,575 Montreal
Mike Richards 107,322 Philadelphia
Evgeni Malkin 106,136 Pittsburgh
*Claude Giroux 103,620 Philadelphia
Pavel Datsyuk 96,577 Detroit
Marian Hossa 96,216 Chicago
Danny Briere 93,652 Philadelphia
*Tomas Plekanec 93,528 Montreal
Brian Gionta 77,671 Montreal
Henrik Zetterberg 77,509 Detroit
Eric Staal 62,113 Carolina
Jeff Carter 61,464 Philadelphia
Johan Franzen 57,797 Detroit
Nicklas Backstrom 48,554 Washington
Henrik Sedin 42,517 Vancouver
*Alexander Semin 41,521 Washington
*Patrick Sharp 41,196 Chicago
*Sean Avery 38,551 NY Rangers
Daniel Sedin 38,462 Vancouver
Phil Kessel 32,981 Toronto
Marian Gaborik 32,134 NY Rangers
Anze Kopitar 31,923 Los Angeles
Joe Thornton 29,432 San Jose
*Jeff Skinner 27,958 Carolina
*Chad LaRose 26,481 Carolina
Martin St. Louis 26,108 Tampa Bay
Teemu Selanne 25,545 Anaheim
Patrice Bergeron 24,436 Boston
Paul Stastny 24,386 Colorado
Patrick Marleau 23,956 San Jose
Dany Heatley 23,481 San Jose
Rick Nash 22,902 Columbus
Ryan Getzlaf 20,800 Anaheim
Jarome Iginla 20,165 Calgary
Bobby Ryan 20,063 Anaheim
Milan Hejduk 17,938 Colorado
*Brandon Dubinsky 17,933 NY Rangers
Corey Perry 17,894 Anaheim
TJ Oshie 17,552 St. Louis
David Krejci 16,810 Boston
Ryan Smyth 16,465 Los Angeles
*Chris Stewart 16,189 Colorado
Brad Richards 15,751 Dallas
Derek Roy 15,401 Buffalo
Zach Parise 14,661 New Jersey
Thomas Vanek 13,952 Buffalo
*Paul Bissonnette 13,332 Phoenix
*Jussi Jokinen 13,146 Carolina
*Maxime Talbot 12,879 Pittsburgh
Daniel Alfredsson 12,741 Ottawa
RJ Umberger 12,676 Columbus
*Ryan Kesler 11,758 Vancouver
*Ryan Callahan 11,260 NY Rangers
Ilya Kovalchuk 10,487 New Jersey
Mikko Koivu 10,440 Minnesota
Jason Spezza 10,137 Ottawa
Vincent Lecavalier 9,691 Tampa Bay
John Tavares 8,844 NY Islanders
*Nathan Horton 8,775 Boston
*Justin Williams 8,486 Los Angeles
*Milan Lucic 8,114 Boston
Ales Hemsky 7,891 Edmonton
*David Perron 6,791 St. Louis
Shane Doan 6,656 Phoenix
Brenden Morrow 5,999 Dallas
*Chris Kunitz 5,565 Pittsburgh
*Dustin Brown 5,312 Los Angeles
*Ville Leino 5,302 Philadelphia
*Andrei Kostitsyn 4,992 Montreal
*Matt Duchene 4,779 Colorado
*Loui Eriksson 4,731 Dallas
David Booth 4,653 Florida

Defensemen
Duncan Keith 137,642 Chicago
Chris Pronger 137,549 Philadelphia
Nicklas Lidstrom 134,626 Detroit
*Kris Letang 115,862 Pittsburgh
Kimmo Timonen 110,599 Philadelphia
Drew Doughty 94,606 Los Angeles
Brent Seabrook 92,501 Chicago
*P.K. Subban 89,050 Montreal
Mike Green 80,572 Washington
Brian Rafalski 67,873 Detroit
Zdeno Chara 62,611 Boston
*Dustin Byfuglien 59,138 Atlanta
Paul Martin 51,516 Pittsburgh
Marc Staal 47,396 NY Rangers
Andrei Markov 43,517 Montreal
Dan Boyle 41,857 San Jose
Shea Weber 37,061 Nashville
Joni Pitkanen 36,710 Carolina
Brian Campbell 34,316 Chicago
Dion Phaneuf 32,284 Toronto
Sergei Gonchar 31,966 Ottawa
*Tim Gleason 25,373 Carolina
Tomas Kaberle 24,176 Toronto
*John-Michael Liles 21,533 Colorado
Dan Hamhuis 19,296 Vancouver
*Josh Gorges 19,287 Montreal
*Brooks Orpik 17,367 Pittsburgh
*Dan Girardi 13,708 NY Rangers
*Luke Schenn 13,579 Toronto
Stephane Robidas 12,942 Dallas
*Jack Johnson 12,871 Los Angeles
John Carlson 11,965 Washington
Tobias Enstrom 10,070 Atlanta
Ryan Suter 10,043 Nashville
Ed Jovanovski 9,623 Phoenix
Jay Bouwmeester 8,606 Calgary
*Douglas Murray 7,977 San Jose
*Christian Ehrhoff 7,977 Vancouver
Marek Zidlicky 7,672 Minnesota
*Joe Corvo 7,621 Carolina
*Alexander Edler 7,146 Vancouver
*Lubomir Visnovsky 7,137 Anaheim
*Cam Fowler 6,938 Anaheim
*Erik Johnson 6,689 St. Louis
*Tyler Myers 6,689 Buffalo
*Adam Foote 5,977 Colorado
*Alex Goligoski 5,819 Pittsburgh
*Johnny Boychuk 5,122 Boston
*Niklas Hjalmarsson 4,778 Chicago
Mark Streit 4,154 NY Islanders
Bryan McCabe 3,947 FloridaGoaltenders
*Carey Price 145,726 Montreal
*Sergei Bobrovsky 116,725 Philadelphia
Marc-Andre Fleury 92,095 Pittsburgh
Jaroslav Halak 78,168 St. Louis
Tim Thomas 76,967 Boston
*Jimmy Howard 56,999 Detroit
Ryan Miller 56,967 Buffalo
Cam Ward 46,633 Carolina
Jonathan Quick 40,140 Los Angeles
Roberto Luongo 39,103 Vancouver
Henrik Lundqvist 39,000 NY Rangers
Antti Niemi 27,367 San Jose
*Marty Turco 21,489 Chicago
*Michal Neuvirth 21,274 Washington
Craig Anderson 18,765 Colorado
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 17,704 Toronto
Martin Brodeur 16,936 New Jersey
Niklas Backstrom 12,587 Minnesota
Miikka Kiprusoff 11,682 Calgary
Ilya Bryzgalov 11,313 Phoenix
*Jonas Hiller 9,791 Anaheim
Pekka Rinne 9,553 Nashville
*Antero Niittymaki 8,917 San Jose
*Jonas Gustavsson 6,153 Toronto
Nikolai Khabibulin 5,152 Edmonton
Tomas Vokoun 4,588 Florida

### (11/29/2010)

“Keep Fisher. Vince Young has to go.” — MARSHALL FAULK — News & Sound Bites from Week 12 Edition of ‘NFL GameDay Morning’

November 29, 2010 By admin

News and Sound Bites From Week 12 Edition of

NFL GAMEDAY MORNING

“Keep Fisher. Vince Young has to go.” – Marshall Faulk on the Tennessee Titans

“What complicates the entire issue is Jeff Fisher only has one year on his contract, Vince Young only has one year left on his contract and if you get rid of one of them, you might lose the other a year later.” – Steve Mariucci on the Tennessee Titans

“This is the week the Chargers show everyone, by beating the Colts that they are making a run.” – Michael Irvin on the San Diego Chargers

NFL Network’s Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk & NFL Films Founder Ed Sabol Among Semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011

Unveiled Exclusively on NFL GameDay Morning

NFL GameDay Morning, the FIRST pregame show on the air Sunday morning is in its third season on the air at 9:00 AM ET, taking viewers straight up to kickoff. New host Rich Eisen joins analysts Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci to bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews.

Semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 Announced Exclusively on NFL GameDay Morning:

Jerome Bettis RB

Tim Brown WR

Cris Carter WR

Don Coryell Head Coach

Roger Craig RB

Terrell Davis RB

Dermontti Dawson C

Edward DeBartolo Jr. Owner

Richard Dent DE

Chris Doleman DE

Marshall Faulk RB

Kevin Greene LB

Ray Guy P

Charles Haley DE/LB

Lester Hayes CB

Cortez Kennedy DT

Curtis Martin RB

Art Modell Owner

Andre Reed WR

Willie Roaf T

Ed Sabol NFL Films Founder

Deion Sanders CB

Shannon Sharpe TE

Paul Tagliabue NFL Commissioner

Aeneas Williams CB/S

George Young General Manager

For video of the exclusive reveal of the semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2011, please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c76836/2011-Hall-of-Fame-Semifinalists – part I

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c76c6f/2011-Hall-of-Fame-Semifinalists-Pt-2 – part II

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c771f6/2011-Hall-of-Fame-Semifinalists-Pt-3 – part III

Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning:

“They’re going to peak at the end, but they’re not in Super Bowl form just yet.” – Steve Mariucci on the New Orleans Saints

“Michael Turner is a player that can control the pace of the football game.” – Marshall Faulk on Falcons RB Michael Turner

“Don’t ask Matt Ryan to win this game by himself against a defense that’s capable of knocking a quarterback out of the game and taking the ball away when you put it up in the air.” – Marshall Faulk on what the Atlanta Falcons’ game plan should be against the Green Bay Packers

“[The Patriots] wear you down with precision and that’s something the Jets can’t do.” – Michael Irvin on who’s better – Jets or Patriots

“Can you get rid of a head coach and [expect] this team follow Vince Young? I don’t believe that’s the case. I haven’t seen that from Vince Young just yet, but I do know that Jeff Fisher is a winner and his coaching staff and the structure of your organization must stay the same. Keep Fisher. Vince Young has to go.” – Faulk on the Tennessee Titans

“All of these young secondary guys are growing up fast and that’s what Bill Belichick does. His forte is on defense and he is growing that defense into championship form.” – Mariucci on the New England Patriots secondary

“I’m ahead of the curve with my quarterback and I’m not getting rid of him. That’s how I’m handling this situation. If I’m Bud Adams, I’m talking to [Jeff] Fisher and saying, ‘let’s get this resolved like men. Sit down and get it right.’” – Irvin on the Tennessee Titans

“Imagine if he had a system that accentuated his talent and not a head coach that doesn’t believe in him. He may be better than this.” – Irvin on Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young

“You have to make a decision Bud Adams: Do you want to go with the quarterback or the coach? If it’s me, I’m sticking with the coach because the coach brings me structure and brings me direction; I understand where I’m going with him.” – Sapp on the Tennessee Titans

“We always hear that jail does nothing good for anyone, jail is no place for anyone; I believe it not only saved Michael Vick’s career, it saved his life.” – Faulk on the success of Eagles QB Michael Vick

“That’s what football does. It teaches you how to get up after being knocked down and no one was knocked down harder than Michael Vick.” – Warren Sapp on the success of Eagles QB Michael Vick

“Offensively, I don’t see an identity. They live off the explosive play.” – Faulk on the Pittsburgh Steelers

“[This offense] is going to continue to roll because their defense continues to show up.” – Faulk on the Kansas City Chiefs

“This team is a year away. With the talent that they have, look for them next year to go deep and maybe even to a Super Bowl.” – Michael Irvin on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“When you get to that podium, you will find joy like you’ve never known.” – Irvin on being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

“Anticipating what it’s like.” – Faulk on being named a semifinalist for the 2011 Hall of Fame class

“This victory puts them over the top, solidifies all of those great stats that they have and says ‘we are in the race with a great team.’” – Irvin on the San Diego Chargers should they beat the Indianapolis Colts

“This is the week the Chargers show everyone, by beating the Colts that they are making a run.” – Irvin on Colts vs. Chargers

“They’ll keep Aaron Rodgers over by the Gatorade because of their ball control-type offense.” –

Mariucci on the Atlanta Falcons against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers

“The one thing that this team has done is they’ve taken advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to them. The ball has just bounced their way in games.” – Faulk on the why the Jacksonville Jaguars have had success this season

“Favre got Chilly fired and he deserved it because Chilly brought him in and allowed him to basically whatever he wanted to do with his team.” – Faulk on the Minnesota Vikings

“When you look at the tape, they just don’t frighten you.” – Warren Sapp on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense

Jason La Canfora News Reports:

On Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels’ future

There’s no doubt that these NFL sanctions have cast further doubt on McDaniels’ future with the Broncos. They’ve lost 15 of 20, many of them blowout losses. His credibility was already an issue with the fan base, a lot of controversial personnel moves. I would not be surprised at all if the Broncos explored other options in 2011. His failure to immediately report these transgressions to ownership and/or the league could ultimately cost him his job next year.

On the latest reports on the CBA situation:

There was a negotiation session last week. League officials I spoke to felt there was a modicum of progress that the union had a pretty good response to the 18-game schedule. However, some union officials I spoke to felt that the meeting was more or less ho-hum and they pointed out that as of this point there is no date set yet for future meetings. They also feel like the league won’t negotiate in earnest until after the Super Bowl. There is still a lot of work to be done there.

On the Minnesota Vikings:

The Vikings make their debut under Leslie Frazier. Players I talked to told me they feel like Frazier’s more open and direct line of communication is an improvement over Brad Childress. They said that they feel like they’re going to play hard for Frazier from the opening kickoff. They have been starting games slowly. Also, look for them to be more dedicated to the run game now under Frazier.

Jason La Canfora 1-on-1 with Vikings Interim Head Coach Leslie Frazier:

Frazier on if there will be tangible changes with the Vikings moving forward:

“We’re just hoping to go out and play our best game of the season That’s what we’ve been talking about all throughout the week and that’s what we expect to see (today).”

Frazier on if he knows how he will be evaluated:

“I’m really not overly concerned about that at all. I’m more concerned about how we play today and that’s where my focus is and where our team’s focus is.”

Frazier on the possibility someone other than Brett Favre plays quarterback:

“I expect him to play well like I expect the rest of our players to play well. I’m not looking ahead and thinking that he’s not going to perform to the standards that we set. I’m looking forward to him having a great game today.”

IN or OUT of the Playoffs: The NFL GameDay Morning crew gives their predictions on if playoffs are in the future of four teams.

Indianapolis Colts

Marshall Faulk: IN

Steve Mariucci: IN

Warren Sapp: IN

Michael Irvin: IN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Marshall Faulk: IN

Steve Mariucci: OUT

Warren Sapp: OUT

Michael Irvin: OUT

San Diego Chargers

Marshall Faulk: OUT

Steve Mariucci: IN

Warren Sapp: OUT

Michael Irvin: IN

New York Giants

Marshall Faulk: OUT

Steve Mariucci: OUT

Warren Sapp: OUT

Michael Irvin: IN

Who will be the best team in the NFL after today?

Marshall Faulk: New York Jets

Steve Mariucci: New England Patriots

Warren Sapp: New Orleans Saints

Michael Irvin: San Diego Chargers

On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:

In or Out? – The NFL GameDay Morning crew decides which teams are in and out of the playoffs, including the Colts, Giants, Bucs and Chargers.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c76784/In-or-Out

Who’s better – Jets or Patriots? – The NFL GameDay Morning crew discusses which team is better, the Jets or the Patriots.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c7657f/Who-s-better-Jets-or-Patriots

The surprising Michael Vick – How surprising is Michael Vick’s performance this season in his return to a starting role? NFL GameDay Morning debates.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c76b20/The-Surprising-Michael-Vick

Are the Saints the best team in the NFC? – Are the defending Super Bowl champions the best team in the NFC?

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d81c764a6/Are-the-Saints-the-top-team-in-the-NFC

EXTRA POINTS:

Thursday Night Football Features Houston Texans vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Thursday Night Football is back on NFL Network and features the Houston Texans vs. Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles kicking off NFL Week 13. Week 12 on Thursday Night Football featured the New York Jets earning their ninth win of the season in convincing fashion over the Cincinnati Bengals. New game analyst Joe Theismann joins Matt Millen and play-by-play voice Bob Papa in the booth with Alex Flanagan covering the sidelines. Coverage begins at 6:00 PM ET with the pregame show Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears. Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders and Kara Henderson are live from Philadelphia, while Fran Charles, Jim Mora, Jay Glazer, Sterling Sharpe and Kurt Warner provide analysis from Los Angeles.

‘The Coaches Show’ is Back: NFL Network’s The NFL Head Coaches is back for its second season airing Mondays at 5:00 PM ET. The weekly half-hour show features former head coaches Brian Billick and Jim Mora who have been on the sidelines and experienced the ups and downs associated with being at the helm of a team in the National Football League. Billick and Mora candidly break down the biggest storylines and decisions behind the final scores of Sunday’s matchups from a head coach’s perspective.

Sophomore Season Debut of Wildly Popular NFL RedZone: Following a rookie season that changed the way fans watch the NFL forever, NFL RedZone returns for 2010 at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. Hosted by Scott Hanson and produced by NFL Network from its state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles at NFL Network’s headquarters in Los Angeles, NFL RedZone whips around every NFL game on Sunday afternoons delivering the touchdowns and most exciting moments as they happen and in high definition. When a team goes inside the 20-yard line, fans see the crucial plays live. The channel keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights and a chance to see every important play. NFL RedZone has more than quadrupled its distribution roster since its rookie campaign last season with availability on 80 affiliates across the country including: AT&T, Comcast, DISH Network, Cox, Insight, Suddenlink, RCN and Verizon. In addition, the channel is also available at every NFL stadium. For more information visit: http://redzonetv.nfl.com/?icampaign=redzone_mb

NFL GameDay Morning begins the NFL Network schedule on Sundays, which will now be called “NFL GameDay.” Following NFL GameDay Morning will be NFL GameDay StatZone at 1:00 PM ET, NFL GameDay Scoreboard at 4:00 PM ET, NFL GameDay Highlights at 7:30 PM ET and NFL GameDay Final at 11:30 PM ET.

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork. NFL.com is the exclusive Internet home of NFL videos and NFL Network.

– NFL NETWORK –

Fans Select Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers for NBA TV’s Fan Night on Tuesday, Nov. 30

November 26, 2010 By admin

Fans Select Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers for NBA TV’s Fan Night on Tuesday, Nov. 30

NBA TV’s Tuesday Fan Night presented by 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11 game will feature the Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers, winning with 44-percent of the fan vote on NBA.com. The game will air on Tues., Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. (ET) with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Chris Webber and Kevin McHale on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET).

Fan Night presented by 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11 voting will continue on nba.com/nbatv/fannight from Tues., Nov. 30 (8 a.m. ET) – Thurs., Dec. 2 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for Tues., Dec. 7 between:

Denver Nuggets @ Charlotte Bobcats
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers
New Jersey Nets @ Atlanta Hawks
Detroit Pistons @ Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers

Tipping off on Tuesday is The Jump presented by 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11, a live, interactive show designed for the ultimate NBA fan. Fans can submit questions and comments via NBA.com, Facebook or Twitter. Host Kyle Montgomery, analyst Dennis Scott and ‘chat-master’ Sekou Smith will respond and give their comments and analysis on everything happening around the league. The show will stream live on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. (ET) on NBA.com and air at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on NBA TV.

The Beat returns this week to prep fans for game action with news and storylines across the league with host Marc Fein, regular contributors David Aldridge, SLAM’s Lang Whitaker and Craig Sager as well as reporters from across the country. The Beat airs Nov. 30 at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

In addition, NBA TV will also feature a live game on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. (ET) with the Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks and on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) with the New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs.

NBA TV GAMES OF THE WEEK:

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5

NBA TV SCHEDULE (all times ET): Nov.29 – Dec. 5
MONDAY, NOV.29
8:30 – 11:00 p.m.		NBA Regular Season: Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks	Local Announcers
TUESDAY, NOV. 30 Fan Night *presented by 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11*
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.	NBA Regular Season: Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers		Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber, Kevin McHale
SATURDAY, DEC. 4
8:30 – 11:00 p.m.		NBA Regular Season: Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks	Local Announcers
SUNDAY, DEC. 5
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.		NBA Regular Season: New Orleans Hornets @ San Antonio Spurs	Local Announcers

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports’ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com

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Bengals-Jets on Thursday Night Football Most-Watched NFL Network Thanksgiving Game; Viewership on Record Pace

November 26, 2010 By admin

BENGALS-JETS ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

MOST-WATCHED NFL NETWORK THANKSGIVING GAME

Thursday Night Football viewership on record pace,

up 37 percent from 2009

Last night’s Cincinnati Bengals-New York Jets game on NFL Network was watched by an average of 7.1 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Cincinnati and New York) – to rank as the most-watched Thanksgiving game in the five seasons of Thursday Night Football.

NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football is averaging 5.9 million cable viewers this season — its best mark through three games and up 37 percent from last year (4.3 million viewers).

With 7.1 million viewers (not including OTAs), Bengals-Jets is the third-most watched game in the five years of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network behind Dallas-New Orleans on Dec. 19, 2009 (10.5 million viewers) and Green Bay-Dallas on Nov. 29, 2007 (10.1 million viewers).

Thursday Night Football continues with the Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles next Thursday, Dec. 2 at 8:00 PM ET. The Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears pregame show begins at 6:00 PM ET.

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log onto www.nfl.com/nflnetwork. NFL.com is the exclusive internet home of NFL Network.

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Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, November 25, 2010

November 26, 2010 By admin

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, November 25, 2010

TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues on December 2 at 8 p.m. ET with an exclusive doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers followed by the Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Teams are going to start scheduling the Heat for homecoming.”

Charles Barkley on the Miami Heat

CLIP OF THE DAY:

Charles Barkley’s experience with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith

Barkley on the Miami Heat: “Teams are going to start scheduling the Heat for homecoming.”

Barkley on what the Heat need to do to turn their season around: “Everyone is going to overreact. The Miami Heat have a really good team and they are going to go deep into the playoffs. But they play way too slow. It’s the same thing we’ve been saying for a month. They’ve got to speed the tempo up. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are scorers but they are going to have to sacrifice part of their game to do other things. Chris Bosh has to become a better rebounder…and a better defender. They have to play at a much faster pace.”

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Game 1: Washington Wizards (96) @ Atlanta Hawks (116)

Announcers: Dick Stockton, Mike Fratello and Chris Webber with Craig Sager reporting

Fratello on Wizards forward Andray Blatche: “Blatche is a very solid offensive player. You can post him up or he can face-up from the outside and hit a 20-foot jump-shot. He also has the ability to put the ball on the floor. (He is) a well-rounded player who has really developed.”

Webber on Hawks reserve guard Jamal Crawford: “He’s instant energy off the bench. (He’s) an excellent scorer and ball handler.”

Fratello on Wizards reserve guard Nick Young: “(Young) is a great example of young players who the coach may not trust them initially but they have worked their way into earning more minutes. (Wizards head coach) Flip Saunders trusts (Young) because he started to do it on the defensive end. He goes out there and works hard every night.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Wizards head coach Flip Saunders following the first quarter

Saunders on the Wizards’ lack of energy: “Maybe too much turkey. We don’t have pace in the game, our pace is slow. We’ve got to get the ball moving. We only have a couple of guys that look like they have energy. We’ll have to go to our bench and try to get some energy.”

Fratello on what makes you tired after eating turkey: “I remember having a nutritional conversation with Craig Sager one time and I asked him why do you feel sluggish after eating turkey and I think he said it was the tryptophan.”

Webber: “Is that the color of his suit?”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley and Smith

Barkley on how LeBron James needs to do a better job of running the floor: “LeBron James has to do a better job of running the floor. I think he’s the best player in the NBA but he sucks at running the floor. When the team gets a rebound, you stand there and wait, you don’t run. My perfect scenario would be a fast break with LeBron on one wing and Dwyane Wade on the other end. They never do that. (James) got in a bad habit in Cleveland of playing like a point forward. The only time he should bring the ball up the floor is when he gets the rebound. That would be scary with him leading the fast break. He never runs the floor…he waits.”

Smith on why LeBron James should get the ball at the end of games for the Heat: “LeBron James gets the basketball because he’s the guy who can make the play not only for himself, but for other people. When Chris Bosh gets the ball, he can score for himself. Dwyane Wade is great at scoring for himself. He’s not as great of a passer as LeBron James and he doesn’t cause the foul contact to get people into foul trouble.”

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Webber on Wizards rookie guard John Wall having some frustrating games: “It’s very easy to get frustrated as a rookie in this league. You have so many great players, it’s hard to be consistent every night especially when you have a hampering injury like (Wall) has (now).”

Webber on players coming off the bench: “If you’re coming off the bench, you always have to be consistent whether it’s a 20-point blowout or a tie game. You have to be ready to come off the bench.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Hall of Famer and Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins during the fourth quarter

Wilkins on Wizards forward JaVale McGee: “(McGee) has a lot of jumping ability. He’s a very athletic kid. Once he figures out how to play the game on the ground as well as in the air, he’s going to be a pretty good player.”

Wilkins on the importance of players holding team meetings: “Sometimes the leaders (of a team) have to do that (hold player-only meetings) to reel the team back in and wake each other up and say, ‘if we don’t start to play better, this thing is going to slide away quickly so we better do something about it.”

Fratello on Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson’s recent comments on Heat team president Pat Riley taking over as head coach of the Heat: “Phil Jackson doesn’t know what went on behind the scenes between (former Heat head coach Stan) Van Gundy and Pat Riley nor does he know what’s going on between Pat Riley and (current Heat head coach Erik) Spoelstra. It’s inappropriate to make a comment like that and the best thing he can do is worry about his own team. He’s won more championships than anyone in the history of the NBA (as a head coach) and he has done such a nice job, why mess with someone else’s program? You don’t need to do it.”

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Game 2: Sacramento Kings (82) @ Los Angeles Clippers (100)

Announcers: Marv Albert and Steve Kerr with Cheryl Miller reporting

Kerr on who Clippers forward Blake Griffin reminds him of: “Griffin reminds me a little bit of Amar’e Stoudemire when he first came into the league in terms of the explosiveness and the dominant right hand. I see a little bit of Charles Barkley in him when he gets out in transition. He has incredible athleticism and power. It’s awe-inspiring.”

Kerr on Kings rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins: “He’s a force, an absolute monster down on the block and on the offensive boards but he’s just a puppy. He should be a sophomore at Kentucky right now. He’s really not ready to play at this level.”

Kerr on the Clippers lacking a veteran presence: “You look at the Clippers roster and it’s just amazing how much young talent (they have). Their starting lineup could’ve been in the NCAA Tournament with their collective ages. But this is the NBA and this is a totally different game. They are all young and talented but they’ve got a long way to go. They don’t have the veteran mentoring and leadership to really get them where they need to go.”

Kerr on Kings guard Beno Udrih: “He’s a nice player. I think he really needs to find a playoff team to go to. He’s the kind of guy who can fill a role and play either guard spot. He’s got a good feel for the game.”

Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin on the team’s losing culture: “Last year sitting (injured) and watching all of those games with all the negative talk and I heard everything. We started out kind of slow this year and you hear everything, you hear the jokes, you hear this and that. As a team, we haven’t been on the team for the past 25 or 30 years so you have to give us a chance but at the same time, I understand. We have to change that mindset.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley, Smith

Smith on Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin: “(Griffin) is able to do things off the dribble. It’s not always because someone gives him the basketball, he can do it himself and he can create his own shot. He is the future power forward in the NBA.”

Barkley on the Clippers needing leadership: “(The Clippers) have something most teams don’t have…they’ve got talent. There are a bunch of players who are older and can’t play dead. These kids (with the Clippers) have a lot of talent. The one thing they’re missing is leadership.”

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Kerr on young players needing to consistently improve their game: “So many young players are so talented but have one thing they have to get better at. Once you’ve established yourself in the league, the second time around, people have the scouting report. Everyone is going to play (Kings guard) Tyreke Evans the same way this year, they’re going to take away his right hand and make him shoot outside shots.”

Kerr on Clippers reserve forward Brian Cook: “(Cook is) an excellent perimeter shooter and a guy who can space the floor. What that does is give driving lanes to guys like (Eric) Bledsoe and (Eric) Gordon. Cook has a chance to be a valuable piece for the Clippers.”

Kerr on Clippers guard Eric Gordon: “It’ll be interesting to watch (Eric) Gordon in his career to see just how good he’ll become. He can create and take late-game shots. Gordon is a guy with the explosiveness and strength to get to the rim. He can make plays when there isn’t anything going.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Johnson, Barkley, Smith

Barkley on the Clippers: “The Clippers have a lot of talent and they have a bright future but unfortunately…this is the present.”

Smith on Clippers forward Blake Griffin’s feel for the game: “The one thing you always look at when you see highlights is dunks, finishes and plays. That’s not the reason why guys are great or have the potential to be great. It’s the understanding of the game and knowing when to (make a play) and when not to. Blake Griffin has a great understanding and a great feel (for the game).”

TNT’s Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith made their Playoff predictions

Eastern Conference

Barkley: 1) Orlando Magic; 2) Chicago Bulls; 3) Boston Celtics; 4) Miami Heat; 5) Atlanta Hawks; 6) Indiana Pacers; 7) New Jersey Nets; 8) New York Knicks

Smith: 1) Boston Celtics; 2) Orlando Magic; 3) Miami Heat; 4) Chicago Bulls; 5) Atlanta Hawks; 6) Milwaukee Bucks; 7) New York Knicks; 8) Washington Wizards

Western Conference

Barkley: 1) Los Angeles Lakers; 2) Utah Jazz; 3) Dallas Mavericks; 4) San Antonio Spurs; 5) Oklahoma City Thunder; 6) New Orleans Hornets; 7) Portland Trail Blazers; 8) Denver Nuggets

Smith: 1) Los Angeles Lakers; 2) Oklahoma City Thunder; 3) San Antonio Spurs; 4) Utah Jazz; 5) Dallas Mavericks; 6) New Orleans Hornets; 7) Denver Nuggets; 8) Phoenix Suns

Barkley on the Utah Jazz: “When they get (Mehmet) Okur back (from injury), the Utah Jazz are a clear and present danger to the Lakers.”

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“They have to win convincingly. Somewhere along the line, if you’re a number one seed, you have to pound someone.” — STEVE MARIUCCI on the Jets — Notes from Bengals-Jets ‘Thursday Night Football’ on NFL Network

November 25, 2010 By admin

Thursday Night Football Notes

Play-by-Play: Bob Papa Analysts: Matt Millen, Joe Theismann Sideline: Alex Flanagan

Quotes from Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets

Nov. 25, 2010 on NFL Network

QUOTES FROM THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF PRESENTED BY SEARS PREGAME SHOW

From Miami Host: Rich Eisen; Analysts: Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders

Reporters: Alex Flanagan, Kara Henderson

Play-by-play Announcer: Bob Papa; Game Analysts: Matt Millen, Joe Theismann

From Los Angeles Host: Fran Charles; Analysts: Sterling Sharpe, Kurt Warner, Jason La Canfora (remote)

Cincinnati Bengals-New York Jets Pregame Analysis and Quotes:

“They have to win convincingly. Somewhere along the line, if you’re a number one seed, you have to pound someone. They’ve been winning games last second and in overtime. This needs to be a statement win.”

– Mariucci on the New York Jets closing in on the top seed in the AFC East

“Chad Ochocinco has to have a record night if the Bengals are going to have a chance to win this football game. It’s on Cedric Benson and Chad to help Carson out.”

– Joe Theismann on the Bengals offense

“I want to see this matchup with T.O. because I believe T.O is at his best right now.”

– Marshall Faulk on the matchup between Bengals WR Terrell Owens and Jets CB Darrelle Revis

“It’s a little bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul. They’ve taken away from their run game that they were so good at last year.”

– Steve Mariucci on the Bengals offense

“Until they get the offensive line straight, he is going to struggle.”

– Matt Millen on Bengals QB Carson Palmer

“He is literally carrying this team as a passing quarterback.”

– Steve Mariucci on Jets QB Mark Sanchez

“He’s like the Mike Martz of defense. He’ll do anything and give you what you want.”

– Faulk on Jets head coach Rex Ryan

“He is a new age coach. He has the brains, he has the swagger and his guys believe in him.”

– Deion Sanders on Rex Ryan

Deion Sanders 1-on-1 with Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan:

“We’re excited about it, no question. Anytime we can get on primetime and show the kind of team we have and the players and talent we have, it’s a great thing.”

– Ryan on facing the Bengals in a nationally televised game on Thanksgiving

“We’re a physical football team. We’re a passionate team. We play the game aggressively; have a lot of talent and our guys have fun. That’s what it’s all about.”

– Ryan on the New York Jets

“That’s fine, I’ll take it. We got that luck of the green, that’s fine. The good teams are always the lucky teams and that’s how I look at it.”

– Ryan on talk that the Jets are lucky with the recent overtime and last-second victories

“No question. He can do it this year too.”

– Ryan on if QB Mark Sanchez can lead the Jets to the Super Bowl

“I look at it this way: I think the bull’s-eye is on our back. The bull’s-eye we place on our opponent is on their chest. That’s the difference. We come right out and tell you what we believe and yeah, we have a bull’s-eye on our back, but we’re telling you that we think we’re better than your team.”

– Ryan on the Jets’ mentality

“It’s going to be T.O. and Revis. Let ‘em go.”

– Ryan on tonight’s matchup featuring Bengals WR Terrell Owens and Jets CB Darrelle Revis

“I’m just going to be myself. I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in this organization.”

– Ryan

“I’m just an average person who was given an incredible opportunity.”

– Ryan on coaching the Jets

To view Deion Sanders’ 1-on-1 interview with Jets head coach Rex Ryan, please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81c69a57/Rex-Ryan-has-his-say

In Memoriam: Vikki Zimmer:

NFL Network looks at how the Bengals have coped after losing their team mom — defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife, Vikki Zimmer — last year.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-thanksgiving/09000d5d81c6a722/In-Memoriam-Vikki-Zimmer

Quick Quotes:

“They are the most explosive offense in the league.”

– Kurt Warner on the Green Bay Packers

“Tis the season to bring your defense.”

– Sterling Sharpe on teams with productive defense units having the advantage in November and December

“Terrell Owens is built like Tarzan and tonight he’s going to have to play like him as well.”

– Sharpe on Terrell Owens facing Jets CB Darrelle Revis

“It looks like the legs are being cut out from under Jeff Fisher.”

– Sharpe on Titans owner Bud Adams statement on picking up option on QB Vince Young

“The Dallas Cowboys are going to be a team to deal with, not because they’re going to make it into the playoffs, but because they have a chance to spoil some playoff hopes for some of these teams.”

– Warner on the Dallas Cowboys

Jason La Canfora News Reports:

On the CBA front…

Monday’s meeting went well. League officials felt like there was a possibility of some momentum moving forward. They agreed to some of the proposals the union is putting out there, but they still have a ways to go to get a deal done. However, the thinking is from some involved in this process is maybe now, coming out of the holidays that both parties would meet more frequently. These meetings last longer and ultimately, both sides have to sequester themselves in a hotel somewhere days, if not weeks, on end. A deal is not in place yet, but people at the meeting felt like this was a baby step in the right direction.

On the Cincinnati Bengals…

This looks like the end of an era in Cincinnati. Coach Marvin Lewis is out of contract next season and I can’t imagine him being back. Regarding Carson Palmer, if there is a new regime, the Bengals may want to draft a quarterback high or part with Palmer either way. He’s been beat up and his performance has dipped. There are a bunch of other players facing free agency as well: Terrell Owens and Cedric Benson are out of contract and will Cincinnati want to pay Chad Ochocinco $6 million next year? I tend to think not. Those are big names involved with their 2009 division-winning club that may not be back in 2011.

Quick Hits:

Tom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat NFL Network Premiere on Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM ET

Tom Landry: The NFL’s Man in the Hat, an NFL Films-produced documentary, looks into the life of one of the NFL’s most successful coaches in history and the powerful impact he had on his players, the city of Dallas and the league as a whole. The following is a partial list of people who were interviewed for the special documentary which premieres on Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM ET:

Mike Ditka – former Dallas Cowboys tight end
Drew Pearson – former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
Thomas Henderson – former Dallas Cowboys linebacker
Alicia Landry – Landry’s wife
Frank Gifford – teammate of Landry’s with the New York Giants

Special Thanksgiving Edition Sound FX: Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets – Saturday, November 27 at 8:30 PM ET

On Saturday, November 27 at 8:30 PM ET on NFL Network, an exclusive one-hour “all-sound” cut down version of the Thanksgiving Thursday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets will be shown.

“We are planning to have 15 players and coaches miked during the game, including both coaches and the coordinators. We’ll have 60 people at the game, which is more than we use for a Super Bowl, and then we’ll turn it around in 48 hours and show it to you through the eyes of the players. It’s something you won’t see anywhere else.” – Steve Sabol, NFL Films

NEXT WEEK ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

HOUSTON TEXANS VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

8:00 PM ET

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