September 27, 2009
NEWS, NOTES & QUOTES FROM CBS SPORTS’ “THE NFL TODAY” WITH JAMES BROWN, DAN MARINO, SHANNON SHARPE,
BILL COWHER AND BOOMER ESIASON FOR WEEK 3 ON SEPTEMBER 27
► NFL TODAY HOST JAMES BROWN SAT DOWN WITH PHILADELPHIA’S MICHAEL VICK
(On being prepared to take over Eagles’ quarterback spot for whole game should Kolb get injured)
VICK: I can do it. I can do it and everybody will see that.
(On media saying Vick will only be a “package quarterback”)
VICK: Not at all, that’s not what my future holds. I know I can play this game. I know I can play for a long time. I still have the speed, the quickness and I still have the mind to run an NFL offense. My future is bright, you know. I’m excited about it. I know what I can do, you know. And I let the critics talk and say what they want to say. But I will be a starter in this league in the future.
(On what Vick imagined being scenario of his return versus how it’s playing out)
VICK: This isn’t the exact scenario that I thought was going to play out.
JB: What did you think?
VICK: I actually thought I would be playing for a team and actually starting. But as it turned out, and I think the Lord makes things happen certain ways for certain reasons, and it wasn’t meant for me to be a starter. It was meant for me to be in the role that I’m in now. I’ve got time to work to get myself back into playing shape and learn from one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
(On reports of possible rift with Donovan McNabb and their relationship)
VICK: That’s all talk. That’s just, you know, the critics and the public saying what they want to say and they feel like Donovan and myself can’t co-exist. And like, how can we not? We’ve known each other for years. I grew up patterning my game after Donovan. I’m delighted to be here and he accepted me with open arms. He practically helped make the decision for me to come here.
REACTION TO VICK
BOOMER ESIASON: I think there are four or five teams he could be starting for today, Sunday. I will say this, I do like the fact that he said he wants to be an instrument of change. And I do believe that he is legitimate when he says that, and I love watching him talk to the kids as well. I don’t believe he will be a Philadelphia Eagle next year because of his contract status. They’ll have to pay him over $5 million if they want to keep him. I do believe he will be a starting quarterback in this league, and it will be on another team.
► QUICK HITS
(On transition of NFL becoming a passing vs. running game)
BILL COWHER: The game has changed. The rules have changed. I think right now, I hate to say this, but the running game is a complement. It’s not the foundation that it once was. You look at the last three AFC teams that were in the Super Bowl, that’s Pittsburgh, New England and Indianapolis. They’re all passing games. The running game is a complement.
DAN MARINO: Coach, do you have a fever? Listen, I can’t believe it. You’re the purist, run guy always. The Giants a couple years ago were a running football team, they won the Super Bowl. And I think if you look around the league, I have to disagree with you. If you asked any of the head coaches, they would rather have a balanced offense going into any game than throwing 300 times like New England did. They threw it 50 times and they didn’t win the football game.
(On whether Patriots are same team than before)
BOOMER: Right now I’m going to say no but this is still going to be a great Patriots team. Tom Brady isn’t even a year removed from his surgery on his left knee for the ACL and MCL tears. He’s rounding back into shape. The defense has a lot of different names. They’ve played reasonably well but you can’t expect Tom Brady to average 50 pass attempts a game and this team to win. I say today they’ll go back to run the ball, take pressure off Tom Brady and I am not going to panic yet on my Super Bowl pick. I still tell you he’s the best quarterback in football and that will bear itself out.
COWHER: I say no and I say this for a lot of reasons. They’ve got a lot of missing components on the defensive side: Seymour, Vrabel, Bruschi, Rodney Harrison and Asante Samuel. I agree with you, Tom Brady is going to work into it, but this is a football team that has a lot more questions than they have answers.
►“INSIDE THE NFL” WITH CHARLEY CASSERLY
(On Adrian Peterson’s durability)
CASSERLY: The way he runs, his running style, I think he’s putting himself in a position to have a serious injury. (Clip being shown) Watch here as he lowers his head and uses it as a battering ram to take on the defenders. Appears to me what he ought to do, when he takes on a defender put a move on him. If that doesn’t work, get out of bounds or take the blow with his shoulder. Here are the three things I think he’s putting himself at risk for: Number one, by lowering that head, you have a concussion; Number two he’s got an elongated neck and I think he has a greater potential than the average player for a stinger; and finally if he lowers that head any more he’s got a potential for a cervical spine injury.
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