Quick Quotes from NFL GameDay First & NFL GameDay Morning
– “We know that Tom Brady and what he does works; we really don’t have that understanding for everybody else…It’s more on the receivers than it is on Tom Brady to get this right.” – Michael Irvin on the New England Patriots
– “Obviously with the record, it’s disgusting; it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But this is my last year so I’m really enjoying myself.” – Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez on this season
– “Whenever you get that Tony Romo that is going to run around and make plays, he’s unbelievable. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in this league.” – Warren Sapp on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
– “You just don’t do that. There are ways to measure yourself, there are ways to size a guy up – you don’t do it with your mouth, you do it with your play.” – Marshall Faulk on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant
– “I see a common link in the way he coaches but remember back then…they had John Elway. Now they have that guy; he has Robert Griffin III.” – Doug Williams on Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s current offense compared to his season in Denver
***For complete quotes from ‘NFL GameDay First’ & ‘NFL GameDay Morning,’ see below***
Interview with Former Grambling State Head Coach Doug Williams on NFL GameDay First
Former Grambling State head coach and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams joined NFL Network’s NFL GameDay First as a guest analyst and discussed the situation at Grambling State:
On if he was fired for his on-field performance or for his off-field fundraising efforts:
“I would certainly think it wasn’t for my on-field performance because I had a 64 percent winning percentage and had just won a championship [in 2011]. But it was two groups that were helping the football program. Friends of Football was a group of alumni who went to Grambling – a lot of them a long time when I was there – and the Grambling Legends, who include James Harris, Willis Reed, Willie Brown, Willie Davis and Charlie Joiner and guys like that. The misunderstanding was that we were doing something illegally but we weren’t because the money went into the program. If you look at the NCAA manual, it states that [if] either you’re an affiliate or you’re outside affiliate, all you have to do is make sure you have the receipts and everything. One of the mistakes they said is I didn’t get permission, but one thing we did is we did the field. We got somebody from facilities to come and mark the servitudes which is the pipeline when you bring in heavy equipment.”
On if the president of Grambling State was specifically a problem:
“It comes from the top. All of those orders come from the top and when you write a letter to the Legends and tell the Legends that you don’t want any affiliation with them, it’s hard. The legacy that was built at Grambling, when you tell guys who built Grambling that we don’t want any affiliation with you, that’s a tough situation to be in.”
On if the poor conditions of the weight room and the long bus rides were the main issues that sparked the boycott:
“Let me be honest with you here: I was fired September 11. Nobody talked to these kids; nobody came out and talked to these kids about anything that had just [gone] on. Five weeks later, the president decided to come and talk to the kids. I think what happened, the emotion of what had taken place five or six weeks earlier came out on these young guys after a 16-hour bus ride. My thing is if you don’t go talk to the kids, we never get here. It was never addressed.”
On if he had any knowledge of or played a part in the boycott:
“No, I didn’t know the tension was mounting like that because I didn’t even know they had a meeting. At that time I was down in Zachary, [Louisiana]. My mom and my sister, we were out eating when I got a text message telling me that the players had walked out on the president…I’ll be honest with you, I never would have thought this would have come out like it did because like I said, if you don’t go talk to these kids five weeks later, we don’t have all of this.”
On if he was shocked by the boycott:
“No question. To walk out on a president? Yes [I was shocked].”
On what role he played in ending the boycott:
“On Sunday, Naquan Smith who is the leader called me…I recruited most of the kids and I was always honest and straightforward with them. When you remove somebody like that that the kids believe in, it’s a tough situation. He called me and he said, ‘Coach, what do you think we should do?’ I just flat-out said hey man, go play football. That was the end of the conversation.”
On if he will have a future role at Grambling State:
“No. I love Grambling, going to always have it dear to my heart. When you get blindsided and something like this happens to you, I don’t think it was about what I had done at Grambling as much as it might have been from a personal [standpoint] and people that were in the president’s ear.”
To view the interview with Williams, visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
On NFL GameDay Morning, NFL Network analysts Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin provide their thoughts on the Grambling State situation:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Quotes from NFL GameDay First
Every Sunday morning at 7:00 AM ET, NFL Network is first on the field with NFL GameDay First. Host Melissa Stark, co-host/analyst Sterling Sharpe, and analyst Shaun O’Hara provide the first analysis of the day’s games, while NFL Network reporters stationed across the league report from stadiums with the first on-location reports of the day. This week, Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams joined as a guest analyst.
– “I see a common link in the way he coaches but remember back then they had that guy: they had John Elway. Now they have that guy; he has Robert Griffin III…The last couple of weeks he is playing the way he wanted him to play.” – Doug Williams on Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s current offense compared to the one he had in Denver
– “When I look at the Indianapolis Colts and what they have done this season in the way Andrew Luck is winning football games, they have much more balance on offense. But to lose your number one receiver [Reggie Wayne], it’s a blow to Andrew Luck in how opposing defenses play him.” – Shaun O’Hara on the Indianapolis Colts overcoming the loss of wide receiver Reggie Wayne for the season
– “This guy has so much confidence in what he can do…Every interview that I’ve seen coming after the draft and everything lets you know that this guy says ‘I can play’ and he has proved that he might be the quarterback that the Jets are looking for.” – Doug Williams on New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith
– “Tony is an excellent player, has been for a really long time and Tony has a real comfort level for what we are doing. Tony is playing really well right now.” – Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett on quarterback Tony Romo
– “The Carolina Panthers defense is for real. When that rush and this coverage play hand in hand, they are going to be very tough to beat if they can get this kind of production week in and week out.” – Sterling Sharpe on the keys to the Carolina Panthers’ success
‘Sunday Sitdown’ – Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan & Tight End Tony Gonzalez
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez sat down with NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci for an interview on NFL GameDay Morning:
On why the Falcons are 2-4 this season:
Matt Ryan: “Every game in the NFL seems to come down to five or six plays, and we were on the right end of those five or six plays a lot of the time last year. This year we haven’t been able to get on the right end of those. We’ve been really close; we just need to play a little bit better.”
On if he is enjoying this season:
Tony Gonzalez: “I guess yes and no. Obviously this isn’t what I envisioned when I decided to come back but I am enjoying the guys on the team. I got a question in the locker room about getting traded and I was like, ‘No’…Obviously with the record, it’s disgusting; it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But this is my last year so I’m really enjoying myself.”
On if he is sure this will be his last season in the NFL:
Gonzalez: “Yeah, I’m sure.”
On if he feels more pressure with the new contract he received:
Ryan: “I don’t feel that way. I have a ton of confidence in myself, and I don’t really worry about labels or anything like that…I know what I’m capable of doing, I know what I have around me and I know it’s good enough to get the job done.”
On the mentality within the locker room:
Ryan: “That’s what breeds confidence within our locker room right now is the understanding that we haven’t done it, we’re not where we want to be but we have everything we need to go where we want to go.”
On if they believe they can salvage this season:
Gonzalez: “I still have dreams of getting to a Super Bowl this year. We’re going to keep fighting; hopefully we’re going to turn this thing around.”
To view the entire interview with Ryan and Gonzalez, visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning
NFL GameDay Morning is the most comprehensive pregame show on Sunday morning, airing at 9:00 AM ET for four hours on NFL Network and taking viewers straight up to kickoff. Host Rich Eisen joins analysts Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Warren Sapp and Michael Irvin to bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews. Additionally, NFL Media’s national insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Media’s Mike Silver provide the latest inside information from around the league.
– “We know that Tom Brady and what he does works; we really don’t have that understanding for everybody else. One thing I’ve always said and I’ve always lived by as a receiver: it is never my quarterback’s fault. I don’t want to put it on my quarterback because I don’t want him hesitating in the next throw. Don’t worry about it, that’s on me. Certainly in this situation, it’s more on the receivers than it is on Tom Brady to get this right.” – Michael Irvin on who is more at fault for the New England Patriots’ offensive issues: Tom Brady or the wide receivers
– “You just don’t do that. There are ways to measure yourself, there are ways to size a guy up – you don’t do it with your mouth, you do it with your play.” – Marshall Faulk on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant comparing himself with Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson
– “Whenever you get that Tony Romo that is going to run around and make plays, he’s unbelievable. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in this league.” – Warren Sapp on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
– “Seattle can beat you any way across the board; you can go out and [be] bad in one area, but they can still win football games. When I look at the Saints, they have to beat you with Drew Brees; he has to pass the football.” – Kurt Warner on who is the best team in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks or the New Orleans Saints
– “It’s all about getting back to the basics with Frank Gore…They’re playing smash-mouth football and with that comes attitude.” – Marshall Faulk on the San Francisco 49ers’ four-game winning streak
– “This team is not the same San Francisco 49ers defensive team that we saw for so long that you couldn’t score a rushing touchdown [against]. We are not overlooking [them] – we are stating the facts…Get to beating the good teams and we will start talking about you.” – Michael Irvin on the San Francisco 49ers
– “This kid has brought a lot to this offense. His ability to break tackles [and] get the extra yards – kind of move the chains – that old Pittsburgh Steelers football is what that looked like when you watch this team.” – Marshall Faulk on Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell and his impact
– “Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams need to get pressure up front. That’s how you take away Jimmy Graham from the New Orleans Saints offense.” – Warren Sapp on the Buffalo Bills defense against the New Orleans Saints offense
NFL Media’s National Insider Ian Rapoport & NFL Media’s Mike Silver
On St. Louis Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens:
Ian Rapoport: “I reached out to a Rams source on this and he actually has a great relationship with some of these young receivers because of two reasons; one, when Tavon Austin and [Stedman] Bailey stay after practice, it’s Kellen Clemens who throws to them and he also was the quarterback during their pre-draft workouts. They hope to build on that relationship.”
On the Chicago Bears overcoming injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and linebacker Lance Briggs:
Mike Silver: “Remember, Marc Trestman does not need a big-armed quarterback like Jay Cutler necessarily to run his offense and Josh McCown may do just fine in the interim getting the ball out quickly to offensive weapons. On the defensive side with Lance Briggs out, rookie Jon Bostic will step in. Bostic ran with the ones all training camp because D.J. Williams was hurt. That will prove to be valuable experience.”
On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL GameDay First & NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:
– Week 8 Bold Predictions – The NFL GameDay Morning crew gives their Bold Predictions for Week 8:
– Mile High Return – Just one week after Peyton Manning’s emotional return to Indy, Denver fans will welcome back their Vince Lombardi, Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– Washington Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan Returns to Denver – The NFL GameDay First crew takes a look at the Mike Shanahan-coached Washington Redskins and answers if they see any similarities with Shanahan’s Denver Broncos of the past:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– Week 8 Sunday Statements – The NFL GameDay Morning crew gives their top storylines from the Week 8 action ahead:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– Best Team in the NFC? – The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks both only have one loss this season, but which team is at the top of the NFC? NFL GameDay Morning debates:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– Better Combination: Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo and Dez Bryant or Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson? – Which wide receiver has better chemistry with their quarterback? NFL GameDay First discusses:
– San Francisco 49ers’ Turnaround – The San Francisco 49ers have won four straight after a 1-2 start to the season, but is the turnaround thanks to their offense or defense?:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– How Teams Move Forward – Ian Rapoport and Mike Silver discuss how teams hit hardest by Week 7 injuries will move forward and continue to compete:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
– Sapp’s Dapp: Breaking Down Buffalo Bills Defensive End Mario Williams – Warren Sapp breaks down Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams and how he can play a role in an upset of the New Orleans Saints:
– Is Tom Brady to Blame for the New England Patriots’ Struggles? – With a struggling offense, should quarterback Tom Brady shoulder the blame for the New England Patriots’ woes? NFL GameDay Morning discusses:
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