NFL Thursday Night Kickoff aired from inside Lambeau Field tonight at 7:30 PM ET on CBS and NFL Network, with host James Brown and analysts Bill Cowher and Deion Sanders providing pregame analysis leading up to Vikings-Packers on Thursday Night Football.
NFL Thursday Night Kickoff Quotes:
– “I have sources that wear football uniforms, coats, suits and ties…This is real. You’re talking about Trent Baalke. We know there is a rift between he and [Jim] Harbaugh. We all know that…That has trickled down into the locker room. Not only are my sources correct, I checked [with] three insiders from different networks and it’s 100 percent. You can shoot the messenger but the message is real.” – Deion Sanders on his assertion that there is a disconnect between San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and the players
– “When I first came into this league, yes you are brash, you wear your emotions on your sleeve and you hold people accountable, but you learn to mature [and] you learn to deal with people. I hope that Jim does that over a period of time…He pushes the players and a lot of people are disgruntled because they’re not playing at their level they probably could play to.” – Bill Cowher on San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh
– “It’s the only call…To have Christian Ponder as your third quarterback, a guy who started for you a year, to me it made it an easy call because you have a veteran guy who has played in this atmosphere before.” – Bill Cowher on if the Minnesota Vikings made the right decision to sit rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
– “Aaron Rodgers is going to spell ‘relax’ with R-U-N…You’re going to see a lot of Eddie Lacy.” – Bill Cowher on what to expect from the Green Bay Packers offense
– “They’re impersonating Adrian Peterson to the utmost.” – Deion Sanders on Minnesota Vikings running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon
– “One of the biggest losses that has gone overlooked is the loss of Dante Scarnecchia. Their quarterback is not comfortable in the pocket, he’s not making connections with the outside receivers…You can’t underestimate the importance of an offensive line coach.” – Bill Cowher on the loss of New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia
NFL Network’s NFL Total Access Kickoff Notes & Quotes – Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
NFL Total Access Kickoff aired from outside Lambeau Field tonight at 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network, with host Rich Eisen and analysts Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci providing pregame analysis leading up to Vikings-Packers on Thursday Night Football.
Minnesota Vikings – Green Bay Packers Pregame Quotes:
– “When he came out of college at Florida State, he was the most athletic guy in terms of throwing the ball from the run…He’s not a rookie. He’s got some experience under his belt.” – Steve Mariucci on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder
– “I’m expecting a lot from Christian Ponder because you lean on your running game [and] your defense plays well. The Packers are 31st against the run. They just need a little play action and find an open [wide receiver] down the field.” – Marshall Faulk on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder
– “These two backs complement each other so well. You’ve got a guy who grinds it up in between the tackles and then you have a homerun hitter.” – Marshall Faulk on the Minnesota Vikings running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon
– “I like this one-two punch they have in the backfield right now…They’re going to have to run the football because Green Bay is not real good against the run. You’ve got a new quarterback that’s under-practiced so the recipe tonight is a lot of [Matt] Asiata and [Jerick] McKinnon.” – Steve Mariucci on the Minnesota Vikings running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon
– “The best [wide receiver] duo in the league this year is Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson.” – Steve Mariucci on the Green Bay Packers wide receiver duo
– “He’s averaging 15.8 yards per carry. You have to find a way to get the ball in his hands; short passes, hand it off to him. He’s very explosive as a runner.” – Marshall Faulk on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson
– “If [the Packers] can protect Aaron Rodgers and allow him to throw the ball down the field this game will not even be a contest. But if they do not, and Minnesota can come in here and run the football, we are going to have ourselves a good game tonight.” – Marshall Faulk on tonight’s game
– “They’re going to be heard from in this division.” – Bill Cowher on the Minnesota Vikings
– “The one thing you cannot do is not trust your offensive line. Right now, he’s not trusting his offensive line, he’s not trusting the blocking and therefore you see he’s not gaining a lot of yards.” – Marshall Faulk on Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy
Quick Quotes:
– “We have to look at him and say Bill Belichick has drafted awfully. Some of these guys that they’ve drafted, especially receivers to help Tom Brady, they’ve just not even come close to helping. When you think about the best two things that happened to Tom Brady: Randy Moss and Wes Welker. That’s it. They didn’t draft either of those guys.” – Marshall Faulk on the New England Patriots
– “I do [believe in the Cowboys]. It has nothing to do with Dez Bryant or Tony Romo – it has everything to do with the offensive and defensive line. This offensive line, they’re taking control of games.” – Marshall Faulk on if he believes in the 3-1 Dallas Cowboys
On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL Total Access Kickoff are available for viewing:
– Behind the Life of Teddy Bridgewater – Melissa Stark sits down with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to talk about growing up while his mom had breast cancer:
– Is This Vikings’ Offense Better for Ponder? – Phil Simms joins Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci on NFL Total Access Kickoff to discuss Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder:
– The Art of the Lambeau Leap – Steve Mariucci does the Lambeau Leap with the help of former Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler:
– Time to Change the Patriot Way? – Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci discuss whether or not the “Patriot Way” is still effective:
NEXT WEEK ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS — 8:25 PM ET
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