“It’s obvious that Manning and Brady was to football, for this generation, what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were three decades ago in the NBA.” – Bob Costas
“That defense is no longer the Legion of Boom.” – Tony Dungy on the Seahawks
“The Washington Redskins are going to win the NFC East? It almost sounds insane.” – Cris Collinsworth
“You don’t need more effort, you need a quarterback.” – Rodney Harrison on the Rams
“No matter what happens during the regular season, we’re still waiting to see what they do in the post-season. This is just window dressing.” – Dan Patrick on the Bengals
STAMFORD, Conn. – November 29, 2015 – Following are highlights from Football Night in America, which aired prior to NBC’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Bob Costas opened the show live from inside Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., and was joined on site by Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, and NBC NFL analyst Hines Ward.
Dan Patrick co-hosted Football Night, the most-watched weekly studio show in sports, from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. He was joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy; two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison; and NFL Insiders Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com, and Peter King. Carolynn Manno reported from CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash., on the Steelers-Seahawks game.
Costas interviewed Broncos QB Brock Osweiler.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America:
ON SEAHAWKS
Harrison: “Seattle is a very dangerous team. They’re an experienced group of guys that can play well under pressure. I like this team, especially if Russell Wilson is throwing a bunch of touchdowns like he did today.”
Dungy: “Russell Wilson is going to have to throw a bunch of touchdowns like he did today because that defense is no longer the Legion of Boom. They’re not what we’re used to seeing. If they win, they’re going to win as an offensive football team.”
ON STEELERS
Dungy on fourth-down FG: “I would have gone for it (the touchdown).”
Harrison: “There are not many teams that have the unique players, the skill-set players that the Pittsburgh Steelers have.”
ON TEXANS
Dungy: “Look out for Houston. I’m telling you, this team is playing great defense.”
Harrison on Colts or Texans: “I don’t like either of these teams to be honest with you…Both of them are bottom feeders. You look at Houston, they have Brian Hoyer. You cannot convince me to believe in Brian Hoyer; maybe to get to the playoffs, but to win a game? Absolutely not.
Dungy: “Houston scares me because they play great defense. Romeo Crennel has them playing defense where they can win with Brian Hoyer playing quarterback.”
ON COLTS
Harrison on Matt Hasselbeck, who complimented Andrew Luck in his post-game comments: “He’s been very complimentary to Andrew Luck, but he’s playing completely opposite of Andrew Luck. He’s spreading the ball around to the wide receivers, to the tight ends, to the backside of the backfield, and he’s content with the five- and 10-yard gains. Everything doesn’t have to be a home run.”
Dungy: “He knows he doesn’t have a great offensive line so he doesn’t put a lot of stress on them. He’s making quick decisions getting rid of the ball, he’s been very accurate, and he’s staying away from the turnovers.”
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ON CHIEFS
Harrison: “I’m going to tell you who’s playing great defense and great team ball and that’s the Kansas City Chiefs. They have an easy schedule, and if you look at their schedule, they could easily run the table.”
ON VIKINGS
Harrison: “They’ll make the playoffs, but they won’t go very far. When you look at Teddy Bridgewater, he’s a good young quarterback, but he’s not good enough to take them to that next level.”
Dungy: “They are legitimate because of Adrian Peterson, and their defense, and the fact they’ll be playing outside, if they can win that division and get to the playoffs. Outside in January up there with that defense, I think they can make some noise.”
ON BENGALS
Patrick on today’s win: “No matter what happens during the regular season, we’re still waiting to see what they do in the post-season. This is just window dressing.”
Harrison: “This is a different team. I promise you, Dan.”
ON REDSKINS
Collinsworth: “The Washington Redskins are going to win the NFC East? It almost sounds insane.”
ON RAMS
Dungy on Jeff Fisher’s post-game “effort” comments: “No one’s questioning their effort, maybe their discipline and some things, but not their effort.”
Harrison: “Why is he so concerned what everyone thinks? Who cares what we think or what someone else is thinking. You don’t need more effort, you need a quarterback.”
ON CARDINALS
Dungy: “They didn’t play well today, they didn’t play their best game, but that’s a mark of a good team — when you can win these ugly games on the road. You just did enough to win and that’s what Arizona did today.”
ON RAIDERS
Harrison: “They won’t make the playoffs. They have a tough schedule. They have a lot of young talent. I think they’re heading in the right direction. They have a franchise quarterback and a really good young wide receiver.”
Dungy: “They’re a team that’s coming, but they’re a year away.”
ON EAGLES
Dungy on whether Chip Kelly will abandon ship: “I don’t think he will. I know Chip very well. He believes in this team. He also believes in himself. He thinks he’s the right guy for the Eagles. I think he’ll be there next year.”
ON JAGUARS
Patrick: “We return to the highlights with the NFL’s longest active losing streak on display in Jacksonville, and for a change it didn’t belong to the Jags.” (Chargers had lost six straight)
ON BRONCOS
Costas on Brady/Manning: “It’s obvious that Manning and Brady was to football, for this generation, what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were three decades ago in the NBA…We thought we’d see it renewed tonight, but instead it’s Brock Osweiler. He was impressive last week in his first NFL start on the road in Chicago.”
Collinsworth on Osweiler: “The one thing I learned from watching him in practices, his teammates love this guy. They’re poking fun at him, even the defensive side of the ball, everybody was going after him…Is he going to be able to handle the pressure that you know you’re going to get from this New England Patriots team?”
Costas: “He has a confident air about him. Not cockiness, but he believes in himself.”
ON PATRIOTS
Costas on Patriots history of successfully overcoming injuries: “(Tom) Brady and (Bill) Belichick have been able to do this throughout the years…Somehow they patch something together.”
Collinsworth on Brady dealing with injuries to his wide receivers plus the Broncos pass rush: “He has to find some quick release moment in this game to be able to get it out of his hands to keep from getting hit.”
BROCK OSWEILER WITH BOB COSTAS
On what Peyton Manning told him about the Patriots: “He was probably the first conversation I had. We got that victory Sunday against Chicago, and then Monday morning the first person I went and found as soon as I entered the building was Peyton. I wanted to pick his brain, and I wanted to know everything that he could remember from his past experiences against New England. We’ve communicated all week long and he’s been a huge help preparing for this great football team.”
On his confidence level this week compared to last week before the Broncos’ victory over the Bears: “It’s very high. I think the biggest thing for anybody playing in the National Football League is that you have to have confidence. To go out there in Chicago and play a good team football game and get a big team victory on the road, it’s huge for my confidence moving forward.”
On whether he got antsy playing behind Peyton Manning: “It’s hard not to, but at the same time, I think you need to take a deep breath and you just really need to look at the big picture. I’m sitting behind one of the greatest to ever play this game at his position. I reminded myself every single day with a little note that I have in my car – and that was just, stay patient and make the most of every single day.”
On being put in the Broncos’ game against the Patriots in 2013 to attempt to block a punt with his 6’8” stature: “I think our special teams coordinator forgot that I’d been sitting on the bench for four hours in below zero temperatures. I don’t know how high my vertical was that night. I don’t think it was very great. I got as warm as I possibly could in the time that was allowed, and went out there and did my best to block the kick, but I don’t think my hand was anywhere near it.”
–FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA–
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