News and Sound Bites From Week 7 Edition of
NFL GAMEDAY MORNING
“Donovan really has not been putting the time in to be the great player. What happened in Washington, the lack of work habits in Washington, has now gone into Minnesota.” – Michael Lombardi on Vikings QB Donovan McNabb
“He said ‘that stuff’s crazy.’ He said he’s putting in his time. He says he’s doing what the coaches ask him to do in every situation.” – Kurt Warner on his phone conversation with QB Donovan McNabb and questions about his work ethic
“I don’t think they can. Unless maybe they swing by St. Louis and pick up Pujols’ bat because they need a big hitter…This is a team that does not have a home run hitter.” – Kurt Warner on if the Jets offense can get back on track
He is the reason, with [Chris Johnson] is having a slow start, why they’re in first place over there in the AFC South.” – Steve Mariucci on Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck
NFL GameDay Morning is the FIRST pregame show on the air Sunday morning at 9:00 AM ET, taking viewers straight up to kickoff. Host Rich Eisen joins analysts Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and new analyst Kurt Warner to bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews.
Faulk joins the pregame crew from London for the NFL’s International Series game featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Chicago Bears.
Michael Lombardi’s ‘Front Office View’
On Vikings QB Donovan McNabb:
Donovan really has not been putting the time in to be the great player. What happened in Washington, the lack of work habits in Washington has now gone into Minnesota. What I was told by people in the organization is that he is the last one in the building and he’s the first one gone. He’s not willing to put the time in. He’s late for meetings, late for practice; so they’ve just basically thrown up their hands and said, ‘we need to move on because ultimately, that’s not what we want in a quarterback.’
It happened in Washington and this is the reason he’s not in Washington. If you go back and talk to people in Philadelphia, there were questionable work habits. Donovan’s going to say, ‘hey, look, that’s not all true,’ but the reality of the situation is Minnesota knew this. Bill Musgrave, the [Vikings] offensive coordinator and Mike Shanahan have a relationship, so before Shanahan released McNabb and before Musgrave took him on; [Minnesota] knew exactly what they were getting. They were hoping they could change him. They were hoping he was going to rekindle his career, but essentially what’s happened in Minnesota is the same thing that happened in Washington.
For more with Lombardi on McNabb, please read his column Misguided Belief Leads Vikings to Turn to Rookie Ponder:
“He said ‘that stuff’s crazy.’ He said he’s putting in his time. He says he’s doing what the coaches ask him to do in every situation.” – Kurt Warner on his phone conversation with QB Donovan McNabb and questions about his work ethic
“I understand the text that he sent you and him calling back to defend himself, but the proof is in the pudding. The eye in the sky, the game film, does not lie. He looked like an unprepared quarterback out there on Sunday.” – Warren Sapp on the questions regarding QB Donovan McNabb’s work ethic
What’s wrong with McNabb – The crew explains what is really wrong with Donovan McNabb as of late after being benched by three teams in three years
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Football Freakonomics: Is Momentum a Myth?
Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the New York Times best-selling book “Freakonomics,” this feature segment asks “is momentum a myth,” and examines the impact that a series of positive plays can have on the outcome of a football game. With 31 fourth-quarter comeback victories so far this season, Dubner, co-author of “Scorecasting” Tobias Moskowitz, and SiriusXM radio host Chris Russo, comment on the subject and present their arguments if momentum in football is something quantifiable, or simply just a myth.
“Throughout sports, everybody believes in momentum. Fans believe it, coaches players; everybody subscribes to it.” – Tobias Moskowitz
“Statisticians talk about regression to the mean. That is, when you have an unlikely run of positive outcomes, you’re bound to fall to earth pretty soon. But in football, momentum is more likely a function of emotion, not math.” – Stephen J. Dubner
“There is a much stronger belief in momentum than is warranted by what we see in the data.” – Moskowitz
“It’s not a myth, it’s real.” – Warren Sapp on momentum
“Yes, I believe in momentum. It went from the G-Men to the guys in the red jerseys real fast and there wasn’t anything you could do about it.” – Steve Mariucci on the San Francisco 49ers 39-38 come from behind playoff win vs. New York Giants in 2002, Mariucci’s last game as 49ers head coach
To view the feature ‘Football Freakonomics,’ please visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning:
“I don’t think they can. Unless maybe they swing by St. Louis and pick up Pujols’ bat because they need a big hitter…This is a team that does not have a home run hitter. They don’t have big plays on this offense.” – Kurt Warner on if the New York Jets offense can get back on track vs. San Diego
“Every time that ball is thrown to him and he doesn’t make [the catch], it looks like this is the last place he wants to be and I am baffled to how he can look that way coming from where he came from. He should be so happy to be on the field.” – Michael Irvin on Jets WR Plaxico Burress
“He is the guy right now. He is the reason, with [Chris Johnson] having a slow start, why they’re in first place over there in the AFC South.” – Steve Mariucci on Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck
“At 3-3, three wins at home and three losses on the road, to me they’ve proven that they’ve lost their identity. What’s their identity the last couple years when they went to the AFC Championship game? Run the ball, stop the run. They haven’t done either one of those well at all.” – Steve Mariucci on what the New York Jets have proven
“Often times we say, ‘true character shows itself in adversity.’ This team is finally starting to face adversity what are we starting to see? Have they proven to us their character? They’re starting to point fingers in the locker room; they’re starting to talk about other teams and other teams’ coaches. Maybe that’s something that they’ve proven to us at this point in the season.” – Kurt Warner on the New York Jets
“You don’t get stronger running a marathon, you try to maintain. With the loss of Aaron Smith, that’s another notch off the belt and now you have to start another rotation.” – Warren Sapp on the Pittsburgh Steelers
“He trusts Tony Romo… I think the problem last week was that he trusted the defense. He put his trust in someone besides Tony Romo.” – Kurt Warner on if head coach Jason Garrett trust Tony Romo
“I can’t deny, just like Coach Fox couldn’t deny it, there’s an energy, there’s something that he brings to the table that the other quarterbacks don’t have.” – Kurt Warner on Broncos QB Tim Tebow
“The Bears definitely dropped the ball because there is nothing in Chicago that can help you in London right now. You should have taken your ball club over there earlier, let them get acclimated.” – Warren Sapp on the Chicago Bears’ decision to leave for London on Friday
“The fanfare out here is amazing. Everyone out here is wearing a jersey of the team that they like. I have not seen a team not displayed in a jersey. Everybody out here loves NFL football.” – Marshall Faulk on the atmosphere in London for Bears-Buccaneers
“Matt Forte is the last every-down back in the game. What is the 53rd guy or the 50th guy on the team thinking? What about me?” – Warren Sapp on Bears RB Matt Forte’s contract situation
Bold Predictions:
Steve Mariucci: Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray will have 150 scrimmage yards vs. Rams today
Kurt Warner: Saints TE Jimmy Graham gets his 5th straight games with 100 receiving yards, setting a new NFL record
Warren Sapp: Buccaneers RB Ernest Graham will have 100+ rushing yards and Tampa Bay beats Chicago in London
Michael Irvin: Jets QB Mark Sanchez will be benched today vs. Chargers
Jeff Darlington 1-on-1 with Broncos Head Coach John Fox:
“He is a gamer and I expect that leadership. I think the team’s responded to him. He’s taken a little bit more of a leadership role because he is now the starter, even though he is a second year player, I think the guys have responded to him.” – Fox on what he expects from QB Tim Tebow in his first NFL start
“Make plays on the practice field. The way he studies, the way he works out, how hard he works, it’s contagious.” – Fox on what Tim Tebow has done to show he’s ready to start
Steve Cyphers 1-on-1 with Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz:
It’s effective. I’ve been in a lot of loud stadiums, but none in the last couple weeks that have forced opponents into consistent timeouts, offsides and communication problems. Our fans know what they’re doing. – Schwartz on the Ford Field crowd noise
‘Inside Slant’ with Jason La Canfora
On WR Terrell Owens:
I’ve reached out to about a quarter of the GMs in the league and said to give me an ‘over-under’ on how many teams will be in attendance at Terrell Owens’ workout Tuesday in Los Angeles and that ‘over-under’ may be two, perhaps three teams. It’s not going to be a big contingent. One team in particular that does have some interest is the Tennessee Titans. We saw them reach and go for Randy Moss on waivers a year ago; they lost Kenny Britt for the season. They know they have a quarterback in Matthew Hasselbeck that can handle T.O.; that may be his best bet. Probably going to be way more media than teams at this thing Tuesday, but he is in great shape according to people who have been working out with him. I’m also hearing he may have been humbled a little bit by this experience; we’re halfway through the season and not much interest in him, so maybe some of the antics and some of the sideshow that come with him die down a little bit.
On who’s in charge in Oakland:
Hugh Jackson. It’s Hugh Jackson’s show, there’s no doubt about that. When they get to the stage of hiring a general manager, head of football operations or whatever title that man gets, Hugh Jackson will be involved in that as well and that man’s ability to work in concert with Jackson on personnel decisions will be integral. Four names have risen to the top already: Eric DeCosta of the Baltimore Ravens, Reggie McKenzie with Green Bay, Jimmy Raye with San Diego and Tom Gamble of the San Francisco 49ers – all personnel men who are going to be in the mix for that job. DeCosta is the guy in waiting behind Ozzie Newsome; I don’t see him leaving. The other three, perhaps but whoever it is, Hugh Jackson will have his stamp on that move.
On QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s contract situation:
It’s pretty close. It could well be before he plays his next game. He’s going to make around $10 million a year. They’ve made a lot of progress on this the last two weeks and no surprise here, things really kicked into overdrive when he beat the Patriots. That kind of got negotiations going again and they’ve been on a steady upward slant since then. Guaranteed money is still a little bit of a hold up, but the expectation on both sides was to get this done during the bye week. The Bills closed for business over the weekend, gave everyone a break, but they’ll pick it up again early this week and we could very well have this put to bed before next Sunday, which means Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson then are back on the table. Those two were taken off the table until they got the quarterback done.
On Lance Briggs’ comments regarding Matt Forte contract negotiations in Chicago:
What Lance Briggs really did was take what has been going on internally between the players and coaches as well, trying to figure out why Matt Forte hasn’t been taken care of. [Forte] is our best player on offense, he is a guy who makes us go; he is a guy who should be making DeAngelo Williams-type money. Then you have these other situations on defense as well with [Lance] Briggs and [Chris] Harris. Jerry Angelo is in a pressure cooker right now. There’s already chatter in the scouting community that if things go downhill there that maybe he just retires rather than make the Bears make a move there. But that’s a job that a lot of young, up and coming A-list GM types would be interested in, if it opens up. Lovie Smith got his extension, he’s not going anywhere for at least a couple of years. If it turns bad there and obviously, there are indications it might, you could see a move made in management, maybe a young, up and coming type GM stepping in.
On NFL.com the following video clips from NFL GameDay Morning are available for viewing:
Bold Predictions – Week 7 – The NFL GameDay Morning crew discusses their outrageous predictions for week 7 of NFL action.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
New QBs in Week 7 – The ‘GameDay’ crew goes over the quarterbacks starting in Week 7 that didn’t start in Week 6. See which ones are in for a letdown and which could succeed.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Problems with the Jets – The ‘GameDay’ crew goes over the problems facing the Jets this season and what they still have to prove if they are going to compete this season.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Surprise team of the season – Which team is more of a surprise this season, the Detroit Lions or the San Francisco 49ers?
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Season of spectacular catches – The Buccaneers travel to London for the second time in three years and adjust to how different it is from every other week of their season.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
QB vs. QB Killa – Kurt Warner and Warren Sapp go over the hot topics this week in the NFL including if they would prefer a coach calm or fired up and if the Redskins should have stuck with Rex Grossman.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Success for Tebow – What will it take to make Tim Tebow’s first start in 2011 a success? The ‘GameDay’ crew wants a little more than a win over the Dolphins.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
Raiders Revival – The Raiders have endured an emotional ride this season. The GameDay Morning crew explains how the Raiders can rebound with a win over the Chiefs and a much-needed bye week.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-
EXTRA POINTS:
- A Football Life: Mike Ditka Premieres Thursday: As a Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Ditka defined blue-collar grit and possessed an unyielding passion for the game of football. His career as a player, coach and broadcaster is chronicled in Mike Ditka: A Football Life Thursday, October 27 at 10:00 PM ET on NFL Network. The first tight end to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ditka brought a toughness and hard-nosed work ethic to the football field that few could match. As a head coach, that same intensity appeared on the sidelines and was a driving force behind the great Chicago Bears teams of the 1980s. Featuring interviews with Ditka, his wife Diana, former teammates, players and media personalities, the story of “Iron Mike” is examined and discussed. A Football Life is a new series by the Emmy Award-winning producers at NFL Films, offering untold stories into the lives of some the NFL’s most recognizable icons. Each documentary provides unprecedented access to each featured individual to tell the story of how their legacy is forever intertwined in the fabric of NFL history.
- The Coaches Show is Back: The Coaches Show returns for its third season airing Mondays at 6:30 PM ET. The weekly half-hour show features former head coaches Brian Billick and Jim Mora who have been on the sidelines and experienced the ups and downs associated with being at the helm of a team in the National Football League. During the 30-minute show, the duo share situations and experiences from their careers that remain applicable to today’s head coach.
- Third Season of Wildly Popular NFL RedZone: After a successful sophomore season that has transfixed NFL fans across the country, NFL RedZone is back for 2011 at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. Hosted by Scott Hanson and produced by NFL Network from its state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles at NFL Network’s headquarters in Los Angeles, NFL RedZone whips around every NFL game on Sunday afternoons delivering the touchdowns and most exciting moments as they happen and in high definition. When a team goes inside the 20-yard line, fans see the crucial plays live. The channel keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights and a chance to see every important play. NFL RedZone has more than quadrupled its distribution roster since its rookie campaign last season with availability more than 140 affiliates across the country. In addition, the channel is also available at every NFL stadium. For more information visit: http://redzonetv.nfl.com/?
icampaign=redzone_mb
NFL GameDay Morning begins the NFL Network schedule on Sundays, which will now be called “NFL GameDay.” Following NFL GameDay Morning will be NFL GameDay StatZone at 1:00 PM ET, NFL GameDay Scoreboard at 4:00 PM ET, NFL GameDay Highlights at 7:30 PM ET and NFL GameDay Final at 11:30 PM ET.
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