THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME®
Is the NFL Becoming Too Soft?
Plus a Discussion about Cam Newton and Tim Tebow; And What Is Stanford University Quarterback Andrew Luck’s Future in the NFL?
NEW YORK (Oct. 26, 2011) –On this week’s episode of INSIDE THE NFL James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp discuss whether or not the NFL is becoming too soft. Plus, they discuss the difference between two young quarterbacks; Cam Newton and Tim Tebow. And NFL Insider Michael Lombardi joins to discuss Stanford University quarterback Andrew Luck and his future in the NFL. The episode premieres tonight, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33rd season, airs every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.
INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.
Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:
On Ndamukong Suh and the League Becoming Soft…
SIMMS: You can’t say anything on the field anymore. They go running to the press. They tweet it and they cry about everything… You know you say things on the field. I remember playing for the Giants. It was a different (time). You would turn around and yell at the fans. I mean, I yelled at the fans everywhere. If you do that now you’d get fined by the league, probably suspended, and of course the fan would sue you.
COLLINSWORTH: If you put Ndamukong Suh back in with the reputation of being this dirty player and trash talker, he would be drafted even higher. I mean that is a valuable asset to an NFL team because defensively, offensively, special teams, it gets you going…You’ve got to be like this caveman out there for three hours.
SAPP: I think Suh’s playing a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing because he’s such a nice guy off the field and he plays a position where you need a screw loose to be a monster in this game. And I think he’s getting caught up to where, am I a nice guy or am I Hyde?
On Tim Tebow and Cam Newton…
COLLINSWORTH: The difference is, with Cam Newton, there is no longer any doubt what-so-ever. I mean this guy’s not just a good player, he’s going to be a star in this game for a long, long time. I think that is now a given. I think with Tim Tebow we are still trying to figure that thing out. Because it was one of those moments where the people that said he couldn’t play, they have three quarters of proof, and people who said he was a winner had the game winning moments at the end of the game to sort of turn that thing around. There is no question that Tim has a lot more work to do to be a proven commodity in the NFL.
(Referring to Tebow’s performance against the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday)
SIMMS: If Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, any of those guys played a game like that, how would it have been taken? You know, even their rookie year, they would have been destroyed for it.
On Andrew Luck…
SIMMS: There is no way if Peyton (Manning) is given a clean bill of health, I’m going to go on that assumption, there is no way he is going to let them draft Andrew Luck… We all know Peyton Manning. We’ve done a lot of games there. You know him. We’ve watched him all during the year. He wants to win with a team. He’s not going to put Andrew Luck there for three or four years. And in this day and age, even with Peyton Manning, people would be crying, ‘We’ve got to see Andrew Luck.’
COLLINSWORTH: I have to say, I would draft him. I just don’t think that you could take a chance on missing the next franchise quarterback. You’re talking about an Indianapolis franchise that is going to have issues after Peyton leaves. And if this guy is the next guy, I think you have to take him.
LOMBARDI: I agree. I think Jim Irsay makes the call. I think the owner makes the decision because it’s his franchise. He’s going to run this thing forward. He’s going to own the team forever and it becomes no longer your decision as the GM…You’ve got to protect the future of the franchise. You can’t think just today. Let’s find players from somewhere else. You know there is no rule against finding guys somewhere else in the league without being a first-rounder.
SIMMS: There is no way these two (Manning and Luck) are going to be on the same team. And not because Peyton doesn’t like him, I just don’t think they will. And when I say this about Andrew Luck, there is a part of me that feels bad for him. Because expectations and the talk, it’s just so over the top that I feel bad, because that is something to live up to.
Recent Comments