Quick Quotes from NFL GameDay First & NFL GameDay Morning
– “Andy Dalton is better without A.J. Green. The Cincinnati Bengals, therefore, in the playoffs will be better with a better quarterback.” – Michael Robinson on the Cincinnati Bengals
– “This is the one thing that Andrew Luck struggles with: he wants to make every single play for this football team and you just can’t do it.” – Kurt Warner on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck
– “If he doesn’t make every play, then who is?…This team on offense they are winning because of Andrew Luck and the only way they’re winning is because of Andrew Luck.” – Marshall Faulk on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck
– “I would want it to be that Reggie is a damn good teammate. I want them to see that I was there for them, [that] I would have done anything for them.” – Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne on what he would like for his legacy to be
– “Matthew Stafford has to play the best game of his career.” – Nate Burleson on Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford
– “I feel like I live for this. I’ve been wanting to be in these kinds of moments…I love looking at the greatest and I want to one day say that about myself.” – Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant
– “They finally got continuity. When I say continuity, we’re not talking about Tony Romo. We’re not looking at Tony Romo this time of year screwing this thing up…So if you go out now and you allow Scott Linehan to get out of that building, that would be a travesty for the Dallas Cowboys players.” – Sterling Sharpe on the Dallas Cowboys
– “If Detroit plays like they really know how to play, they have two number ones at wide receiver. This is an easy game for Dallas to lose.” – Michael Irvin on the Detroit Lions facing the Dallas Cowboys
– “I’m not sure he’s the best quarterback in the National Football League but what I love about him is he plays his best at the biggest moments…It’s never like the situation is too big for him.” – Kurt Warner on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco
***For complete quotes from ‘NFL GameDay First’ & ‘NFL GameDay Morning,’ see below***
Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Dez Bryant with NFL Network Analyst Michael Irvin
NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin sat down with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant for an interview on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay First and NFL GameDay Morning.
On what separates himself from everybody else:
“Nine times out of 10, I know I’m feeling better than the guy across from me. I feel like I live for this. I’ve been wanting to be in these kinds of moments. I love going back and looking over Michael Jordan’s story. I love looking at your [Michael Irvin’s] story. I love looking at [Jerry] Rice’s story. I love looking at the greatest and I want to one day say that about myself.”
On if he has visualized what his first playoff run will be like:
“I have yet to even think about Sunday. I’ve thought about it but I have kept myself calm and focused on the task that is going on that day. Like, I can’t wait to go watch myself on film. I like to see how did I run this route. I want to see how well did I prepare. That’s what I go off of. I prepare, prepare, prepare. All smiles on Sunday.”
On his 12 touchdowns over the last nine games:
“[My] mind was right. The team’s mind was right. Everybody was on the same page. I’m telling you, when everybody is on the same page and we all want the same thing, I think it’s just hard to beat a team like that.”
On how much it bothered him when he heard criticism about what he could and could not do when he first came into the NFL:
“I was in a point in my life to where I just have to prove these people wrong. I got out of that. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I’m just going to do it, I’m going to continue to keep doing it. I’m going to continue keep watching them try to pull up every negative thing that they can find and then watch me throw it right back in their face on Sunday. Watch what happens. All you’re doing is adding fuel to the fire.”
On what he expects from playing in the playoffs:
“One thing that I do know is one-and-done. I’m not trying to be done; my teammates aren’t trying to be done. I’m not predicting anything but I honestly feel if you work and you prepare the right way, you should have no worries. I think we’re doing a great job of that.”
On what his New Year’s resolution is:
“To win this game. To win this game and prepare for the next.”
On how he would rate this season if they fall short of the Super Bowl:
“Wasn’t good enough. We didn’t work hard enough. Didn’t work hard enough. It’s just that plain and simple.”
To view the entire interview with Bryant, visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453237/Dez-Bryant-I-prepare-prepare-prepare
Indianapolis Colts Wide Receiver Reggie Wayne with NFL Media’s Steve Cyphers
NFL Media’s Steve Cyphers sat down with Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, as well as teammates T.Y. Hilton and Coby Fleener for a feature on the 14-year veteran on NFL GameDay Morning.
On if he will play with a team other than the Indianapolis Colts:
Reggie Wayne: “I will not. This is where I want to be. I bleed blue.”
On Reggie Wayne:
Coby Fleener: “He is the epitome of what we want as a Colts football player. He is intelligent, hardworking, as loyal as all get out, stands up for his guys. He has the respect of the entire NFL.”
On what he would like his legacy to be:
Wayne: “I would want it to be that Reggie is a damn good teammate. I want them to see that I was there for them, [that] I would have done anything for them. That’s the thing that I want my teammates to remember me by.”
To view the entire feature, visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453855/Wayne-s-world
Quotes from NFL GameDay First
Today, NFL GameDay First aired at 7:00 AM ET, with host Melissa Stark, co-host/analyst Sterling Sharpe, and analysts Shaun O’Hara and Michael Robinson. Nate Burleson joined from Dallas to preview Lions-Cowboys.
– “Andy Dalton is better without A.J. Green. The Cincinnati Bengals, therefore, in the playoffs will be better with a better quarterback.” – Michael Robinson on the Cincinnati Bengals
– “Without A.J. Green, all of the focus is on Jeremy Hill. You can now crowd the box because we don’t fear Mohamed Sanu and those receivers on the outside…Where Cincinnati will miss him the most is in the run game.” – Sterling Sharpe on the Cincinnati Bengals without wide receiver A.J. Green
– “Matthew Stafford has to play the best game of his career. I played with Matt for four years and he showed glimpses of greatness. He showed that he can be elite but then there are times where he didn’t take care of the ball.” – Nate Burleson on what Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will have to do to win his first career playoff game
– “They finally got continuity. When I say continuity, we’re not talking about Tony Romo. We’re not looking at Tony Romo this time of year screwing this thing up. We’re looking at a Dallas Cowboys offense that is running the football well, great offensive line – Tony Romo is a bit player in this movie. So if you go out now and you allow Scott Linehan to get out of that building, that would be a travesty for the Dallas Cowboys players.” – Sterling Sharpe on the Dallas Cowboys
– “If they take DeMarco Murray away and they try to take Dez Bryant away, it has to be Jason Witten. He’s going to have to step up.” – Shaun O’Hara on the key to a Dallas Cowboys win
– “Zack Martin is the perfect guy to frustrate a guy like Ndamukong Suh, a guy that will bring some of that dirty play out of Ndamukong Suh and get the Detroit Lions in trouble.” – Michael Robinson on Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin
– “Joe Flacco in this instance has the ability, especially on the road, to slow that process down. If you watched this football game, he was never in a hurry…He is very patient, he is very precise when you get to this time of year. This is not something you coach. This is something you get out of bed with.” – Sterling Sharpe on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in the playoffs
– “The biggest thing was could they protect Ben Roethlisberger, and they couldn’t. [Elvis] Dumervil got to him, [Terrell] Suggs got to him and that’s what the Steelers had done down the stretch at the end of the season: they did a great job protecting Ben.” – Shaun O’Hara on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens
Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning
Today, NFL GameDay Morning aired at 9:00 AM ET, taking viewers straight up to kickoff. Host Rich Eisen joined 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 Insider Ian Rapoport provided the latest inside information from around the league, and Nate Burleson joined from Dallas.
– “This is the one thing that Andrew Luck struggles with: he wants to make every single play for this football team and you just can’t do it. You have to be able to pull it down sometimes and leave it to your defense and other areas to win games for you.” – Kurt Warner on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck
– “If he doesn’t make every play, then who is?…That’s the problem when you are drafted to change a franchise when it looks like a franchise is not headed in the right direction. I believe it’s a part of his learning curve. He’s still finding out in this league can I fit the ball in there? Is my arm strong enough? Can I make all of those throws? When you put those people around him – when he gets the running back that, ‘I’m going to turn around and hand the ball off,’ or when he gets that big receiver that when I throw the ball up I can throw those I-trust-you balls – then he can rely on that. But right now, this team on offense they are winning because of Andrew Luck and the only way they’re winning is because of Andrew Luck.” – Marshall Faulk on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck
– “Peyton [Manning] had Marvin Harrison, he had Ken Dilger, he had Reggie Wayne, he had Edgerrin James – he had guys around him. T.Y. [Hilton] right now might be the only weapon that they have.” – Marshall Faulk on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
– “Jeremy Hill is going to have to carry more of the load and run the football more often.” – Steve Mariucci on Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill in the absence of wide receiver A.J. Green
– “If he loses this game, we’re going to start putting qualifiers on him and we’re going to start saying Tony Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the regular season the NFL has ever seen…He has to win. If it’s a shootout – he has to make more plays than the guy across from him, he has to win. If everybody else is playing well – he has to make enough plays for this team to win.” – Kurt Warner on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
– “To hear him in an interview talk about all he does is prepare, prepare, prepare [and] I want to go and watch film – a lot of us just didn’t know or didn’t think he could get there. He really has and I am proud of him…It is like I’m talking to a younger Michael Irvin or my son [when I speak with him].” – Michael Irvin on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant
– “We now don’t look at it as a negative. We look at how his energy is interjected into the rest of the team. It galvanizes those guys…It’s now his role to make sure everyone is up and ready to play each and every game.” – Marshall Faulk on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant’s energy on the sideline
– “The Dallas Cowboys must stick with what they’ve been doing: pressing the run. Everybody, we’re running the football because now everybody places their defense in to stop the run. What happens [is] you’re able to get those passes off outside one-on-one, you make great plays, big plays and that’s exactly what the Dallas Cowboys will do.” – Michael Irvin on what the Dallas Cowboys’ gameplan should be against the Detroit Lions
– “What Dallas has on offense, I really believe Detroit has on offense. They just haven’t played like that. If Detroit plays like they really know how to play, they have two number ones at wide receiver. This is an easy game for Dallas to lose.” – Michael Irvin on the Detroit Lions facing the Dallas Cowboys
– “I’m not sure he’s the best quarterback in the National Football League but what I love about him is he plays his best at the biggest moments…It’s never like the situation is too big for him. That’s what you love and that’s what you want as a quarterback. He could be inconsistent, he could be up and down, but when the game is on the line [and in the] biggest moments, he is going to show up the biggest.” – Kurt Warner on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport
On Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli’s futures with the Dallas Cowboys:
“The Cowboys face the very real prospect of having to replace both of their top coordinators: Scott Linehan, the passing coordinator and play caller – the offensive coordinator except in name – and Rod Marinelli, the respected defensive coordinator who has cobbled together this unit without a lot of big names and made the Cowboys viable this year. I am told that Scott Linehan signed a one-year deal when he arrived with the Cowboys earlier in the year which means he is up after the season. The Cowboys could face a significant bidding war for his services considering he led Tony Romo to his best regular season ever. That is certainly one to watch. For Rod Marinelli, he signed a two-year deal when he joined the Cowboys originally as defensive line coach before last season. He is also up after the season. There have been no talks yet between these two guys and Cowboys management. For Rod Marinelli, we know he has a close relationship with Lovie Smith from the Bucs. That is certainly a connection to look out for down the road.”
On the Oakland Raiders’ head coaching search:
“Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is set to interview with the Oakland Raiders today. There is a lot of mutual interest on both sides of this. For the Oakland Raiders, they are looking for someone to finally put them in the win category, someone to help them build maybe without all of the resources that some of the other NFL teams have. We know that Jack Del Rio had a consistent winning period during his time in Jacksonville. Plus, Jack Del Rio grew up a Raiders fan; his parents actually had season tickets for the Oakland Raiders. They’ve interviewed some let’s just say interesting candidates; Pat Shurmur, Eric Mangini. Tony Sparano is going to get a chance as well but Jack Del Rio may emerge as the favorite after today depending on how it goes.”
On the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching search:
“As soon as Doug Marrone opted out and took that $4 million check with the Buffalo Bills, the name Frank Reich became extremely important to pay attention to. Frank Reich is now the Chargers offensive coordinator, just finished his first year there and is considered when you talk to NFL general managers one of the rising stars in the coaching ranks. The thought was maybe after this year, after next year [or] the year after, Frank Reich would be a hot coaching candidate. That time may be mow. He is interviewing with the Bills today. A lot of mutual interest between the Bills and Frank Reich. They also do want to talk to Hue Jackson, the Bengals offensive coordinator, but watch how Reich does in Buffalo today.”
On Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton:
“Certainly a young guy but impressive in his second year in the Colts offense and of course helping Andrew Luck achieve all of the success. I’m told the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders have both requested permission to speak with Pep Hamilton. If you want to know what kind of a head coach is he going to be, I talked to several people close to him to explain. First of all, he is going to go with that Bill Walsh model of running his own offense, being the play caller; he’s going to be heavily involved with at least one side of the ball. One person who knows him well said, ‘I promise you he’s going to impress any owner he is going to sit down with, he is literally a machine with his wealth of knowledge.’ But the other part of it is Pep Hamilton does understand the good thing he has with Andrew Luck [and] a young talented skill position group with the Colts. He is going to be a head coach eventually; that he definitely believes so he can be a little choosy in doing so.”
On Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson:
“Hue Jackson also has considerable interest. I’m told the Buffalo Bills have requested to speak with Hue Jackson for their head coaching vacancy. They are speaking with Frank Reich today so if the Bengals lose that interview with Hue Jackson should happen this week. Hue Jackson we know went 8-8 with the Raiders which didn’t seem that impressive but actually is more impressive the more time passes. Just look at what he’s done with this Bengals team that has battled through injuries; A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert – he has guided them to some sort of offensive success despite all of these injuries. But Hue Jackson also learned from his past experiences. He knows he can’t be as brash, especially publically, as he was. He knows he can guide this locker room and this is a guy who has adapted his offense to whatever personnel he has. In Buffalo, we know they’ve had a little bit of a quarterback issue. Hue Jackson may be a guy to help them.”
On Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh’s future:
“It is very clear that Ndamukong Suh is going to be the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, regardless of his on-field actions or his off-field actions. And it is also true that it is basically impossible for the Lions to franchise him with a $27 million franchise tag. People assume that Ndamukong Suh is definitely leaving the Lions. I am told that is absolutely not the case. He is open to coming back. The Lions are more than open to having him come back. What they want him to do is go out, test free agency, gain your true value and then maybe he comes back and he lets them know here is what I can get. Then they can see if they can match.”
On the Atlanta Falcons:
“Do not assume that general manager Thomas Dimitroff is safe. Arthur Blank has told candidates that they will have a say in the future of the general manager.”
On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL GameDay First & NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:
– Rich Eisen Remembers Stuart Scott – Rich Eisen remembers friend and colleague, ESPN’s Stuart Scott:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453849/Rich-Eisen-remembers-Stuart-Scott
– Bold Predictions: Entire Playoffs – The NFL GameDay Morning crew provide Bold Predictions for the remainder of the playoffs:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453853/Bold-Predictions-Wild-Card-Sunday
– Players Only: What Would a Loss Mean for Tony Romo? – NFL GameDay Morning’s former players discuss what a loss would mean for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo:
– Will the Dallas Cowboys Rely on the Run to Beat the Detroit Lions? – Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp and Michael Irvin break down the Dallas Cowboys’ gameplan against the Detroit Lions:
– Will Andy Dalton Shake His Playoff Blues? – Michael Silver joins Kurt Warner and Steve Mariucci to discuss if Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton can win his first career playoff game:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453842/Will-Dalton-shake-his-playoff-blues
– Are the Cincinnati Bengals Better Without A.J. Green? – Kurt Warner joined NFL GameDay First to answer the question if the Cincinnati Bengals are better without wide receiver A.J. Green:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453820/Are-Bengals-better-without-A-J-Green
– Detroit Lions Defensive Line vs. Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line – NFL GameDay First breaks down the matchup between the Detroit Lions defensive line against the Dallas Cowboys offensive line:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453818/Lions-D-line-vs-Cowboys-O-line
– Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh Not Suspended – The NFL GameDay Morning crew discuss Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh having his suspension rescinded:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000453850/Sapp-Suh-knew-he-had-a-clean-slate
– Rod Marinelli and Scott Linehan Moving on From Dallas? – NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport joined NFL GameDay First to provide the latest regarding Dallas Cowboys coordinators Rod Marinelli and Scott Linehan:
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