“I can’t believe in the Cincinnati Bengals. I try each and every week. I just can’t believe in them.” – Rodney Harrison
“The Colts are not an elite team. They are the best team in the AFC South, but they are not elite.” – Tony Dungy
“The whole Aaron Rodgers MVP thing is now a little up in the air.” – Cris Collinsworth
Stamford, Conn. – December 14, 2014 – Following are highlights from NBC’s Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports. Bob Costas opened the show live from inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., to preview Cowboys-Eagles. Costas was joined on site by Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, NBC NFL analyst Hines Ward, and NBC Sports’ Josh Elliott.
Dan Patrick co-hosted Football Night from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1. He was joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy; two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com, and NFL Insider Peter King. Alex Flanagan reported from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif., on the Broncos-Chargers game.
In addition, Costas interviewed Eagles RB LeSean McCoy, and Elliott spoke with Cowboys WR Dez Bryant.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America:
ON PACKERS
Ward: “The team was sloppy. Aaron Rodgers had an off day, but the wide receivers had way too many dropped passes. Jordy Nelson dropped a huge touchdown pass. I give credit to Buffalo’s defense.”
Collinsworth: “The whole Aaron Rodgers MVP thing is now a little up in the air. I had already cast my ballot. I was going to vote for him. It was over, but now it’s a little shaky.”
Harrison on Packers: “I don’t think we need to panic with Green Bay. They played one bad game and they were red hot the last five weeks. I do believe that this team will win the division. They will bounce back next week and they will beat Detroit in Week 17.”
ON SEAHAWKS
Collinsworth: “Seattle is back. Seattle could end up with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.”
ON COLTS
Dungy: “The Colts are not an elite team. They are the best team in the AFC South division, but they are not elite. They have some holes in their run defense. They have some skilled position players, but they are not a great team.”
Harrison: “They win a lot of close games. This is a very resilient team, but their offensive line is not very good. They are going to have problems in the playoffs.”
ON BENGALS
Harrison: “I can’t believe in the Cincinnati Bengals. I try each and every week. They gave up 42 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers and they come back and they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one point. I just can’t believe in them.”
King on Bengals’ defensive approach to Manziel: “The Cincinnati Bengals did something really bright in the game against Johnny Manziel. They looked back at his college career and saw that the worst game he played in college was against LSU last year. The key in that game, don’t let Manziel go left. They forced him to the right. The biggest play in this game, he throws a terrible interception. Give credit to Bengals’ defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, for finding that.”
ON VIKINGS
Florio on Adrian Peterson: “Despite talking about retiring and making a run at the Olympics, Adrian Peterson intends to play football in 2015. One of the primary goals of the lawsuit to be filed as soon as Monday, is to secure his reinstatement as soon as possible in the 2015 offseason, so that he can plan his next move. And that next move could include a new team.”
ON CARDINALS
King on Cardinals next Sunday: “One of the things that you’re going to see, or that you could see, is a relief pitcher at quarterback, for the new starter Ryan Lindley. Head coach Bruce Arians told me that he could have a package of plays ready for Logan Thomas, the rookie from Virginia Tech.”
ON GIANTS
Dungy on Odell Beckham Jr.: “He has put the “O” back in the New York offense.”
Dungy on Giants’ offense: “Maybe they don’t need a new quarterback. Maybe it’s just receivers. If Eli had Beckham and Cruz the whole year, I think he’d be doing alright.”
Harrison on Odell Beckham Jr.: “As long as Eli can avoid those interceptions, he’ll be fine. When I look at Odell Beckham, he’s one of those receivers. He’s so irritating to try to defend, because he plays with so much energy and he plays for four quarters. He’s amazing. He can do everything on the football field.”
ON STEELERS
Dungy: “They are not great, but now they have two home games. All they have to do is win their last two home games and they win the division.”
Patrick on Le’Veon Bell’s second touchdown: “That has got to make A.C. Slater, Screech, and Mr. Belding happy.”
ON RAVENS
Harrison: “I like Baltimore. I think they will make the playoffs, whether it is by winning the division or by Wild Card.”
ON BROWNS
Dungy on Manziel: “He hung in there, but I don’t know what people expected to see. This is what rookie quarterbacks look like. It’s not college. There are some good defenders out there.”
ON CHIEFS
Dungy on De’Anthony Thomas: “I’ve seen him live. He’s fast, fast.”
ON COWBOYS
Tafoya on Tony Romo in the team’s previous matchup with the Eagles: “Romo told me before that Thanksgiving day game, he didn’t take his usual painkilling shot for his back. He thought he was feeling pretty good. Afterwards, he had serious regrets about that and he assures me that tonight he will be getting that shot before the game.”
Collinsworth on Romo’s pregame painkilling procedure: “He comes out for pregame warm-up, goes all the way through warm-up, goes back in, takes off his pads, gets the shot and then comes back out on the field. We asked him, ‘How long does it take?,’ and he said, ‘About 30 minutes or so.’”
Dungy on Tony Romo: “I think he will be better tonight and will have a big game.”
Harrison on playing on the road: “A lot of players like going on the road. I used to love going on the road. You have less distractions. You have quality time to yourself. When you walked in to that stadium and saw 70,000 people, it was like us against 70,000 people. It definitely motivates you.”
ON AFC NORTH
Harrison on Ravens: “I like Baltimore and I think they will make the playoffs, whether it’s they win the division or by a wildcard…That front seven. I love the experience of the coaching staff as well as the players. ”
Harrison on Steelers: “They have two tough games: Cincinnati, Kansas City. I think they will lose at least one of them.”
ON NFC SOUTH
Dungy: “I think it’s going to come down to Carolina and New Orleans. The winner of that game is going to win.”
Harrison: “I like the Saints. I like the experience of Drew Brees and I don’t trust Matt Ryan, nor do I trust Derek Anderson or Cam Newton.”
ON NFC WEST
Dungy: “Seattle is coming on. Arizona doesn’t have the quarterback, and might not have Drew Stanton. This game next week is going to be for the division title, and probably now, for the number one seed.”
ON NFLPA STATEMENT
Florio on NFLPA: “The NFL and the NFL Players’ Association continue to agree to disagree, and they’re disagreeing sharply on the new Personal Conduct Policy that was unveiled this week. In a statement issued by NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to NBC Sports, Smith accuses the NFL of embarrassing missteps, says the Commissioner repeatedly abused his discretion in handling player misconduct cases and engaged in egregious management. Ultimately, accusing the owners of missing the opportunity to bridge the credibility gap with players that is nearing the point of no return.”
DeMaurice Smith’s statement to NBC on the NFL’s new Personal Conduct Policy: “The NFL owners had an opportunity to show leadership and vision in the wake of the embarrassing missteps by the league office. Limiting a commissioner’s power who has repeatedly abused his discretion is a good start, but in light of the NFL’s wild inconsistencies and egregious mismanagement, it does not go far enough. If the only goal of this policy was to appease our sponsors in the short-term to get through this crisis, then they succeeded, but they missed an opportunity to bridge the credibility gap with players that is nearing the point of no return.”
ON DICK ENBERG
Costas on Dick Enberg’s election into the Baseball Hall of Fame: “We at NBC salute a longtime colleague and friend, Dick Enberg, who for so many years was the voice of so many sports on NBC. This past week, Dick was elected to the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ceremony is next summer in Cooperstown. For now, congratulations Dick. Oh, my. What a well-deserved honor.”
ON MARCUS MARIOTA
Dungy: “I think those teams at the top of that list (worst NFL record this season), including Tampa Bay, they are loving Marcus Mariota right now. He is a great young man. I know him well. Everybody loves Marcus, including me.”
Below are excerpts from Costas’ interview with McCoy, and Elliott’s interview with Bryant.
LESEAN MCCOY WITH BOB COSTAS
McCoy on matching up against Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray: “I’ll make sure if he wins the (rushing) title, I’ll send him the belt. Any competitive player looks across the field and wants to beat your position out, and feel like you can give your team the edge.”
McCoy on his unique cutback ability: “It’s just something I feel. I never predetermine if I’m going to do it or not. It’s my gift and curse. I’ve been blessed to do it and be successful with it for so long, that sometimes I try to do it and get a big loss. Then Chip (Kelly) is pissed.”
McCoy on the Eagles’ high-speed offense: “I feel like the whole game is like that. People don’t think we get tired, but I get tired. The mindset is that the defense is a lot more tired than we are, and that’s our advantage. The only difference is that the referees kind of slow us down.”
McCoy to Costas on his career success playing on Sunday Night Football: “It’s all about you. I don’t want to disappoint you (laughing). I think good players show up in big games, and I think Sunday night is one of the biggest stages to play on.”
DEZ BRYANT WITH JOSH ELLIOTT
Bryant on his chemistry with Cowboys QB Tony Romo: “Off the field, it’s not just about football. We know one another, we talk family with one another, we go out to eat with one another. I think that’s how you build that chemistry.”
Elliott to Bryant on his animated nature on the sideline: “Tony (Romo) has said that when we watch you on TV, one might think you’re ripping into a teammate. But when we hear you, when you’re mic’d for sound, it’s actually exactly the opposite.”
Bryant: “I want those guys to know that you’ve got a fan here on the sideline. As soon as you make that stop, as soon as you do something good, I want to be around and congratulate you. I want you to see that I’ve got your back and I’m here 100 percent.”
Bryant on the Cowboys’ 33-10 loss to the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day: “They were ready. They were more prepared. We watched the film. We saw a lot of things that we could have done differently. We’re going to fix those things, and it should be a very different ballgame.”
Bryant on importance of tonight’s game: “We just have to take advantage of the opportunity. We’ve got to stay together, work hard, and if we do what we need to do, I think we’ll come out on top.”
–FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA–
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