Once again, NFL Network has issued quotage from the Thursday Night Football game while it’s still in progress. This was sent at 10:34 p.m. ET while the game had just started the 4th quarter of the Steelers-Browns game. Very impressive.
Here is the press release:
Thursday Night Football Telecast Notes
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa Analyst: Matt Millen
Quotes from Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
Dec. 10, 2009 on NFL Network
FIRST HALF:
“Josh Cribbs is a big play waiting to happen.”
– Matt Millen on Browns WR Joshua Cribbs
“He’s protecting the ball and he’s making better decisions.”
– Matt Millen on Browns QB Brady Quinn
“Cribbs just showed you why he’s one of the most dangerous players in the league.”
– Matt Millen on Browns WR Josh Cribbs’ 53-yard punt return
“Rule number one: Don’t beat yourself, and that’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing right now.”
– Matt Millen on the Pittsburgh Steelers
“This is a playoff game right here for the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you have any hope of salvaging your season, it started at kickoff of this game.”
– Matt Millen
“He might be the most underrated tight end in the National Football League.”
– Matt Millen on Steelers TE Heath Miller
“As poor as the Steelers have played to this point, they’re one play way from taking the lead.”
– Matt Millen, midway through second quarter
“Rob Ryan is in control of this Browns defense.”
– Matt Millen on Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan; Browns defense tallied 5 sacks and held Steelers offense to 75 yards
“It’s been the Josh Cribbs show here in the first half.”
– Matt Millen
QUOTES FROM THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF PREGAME SHOW
Host: Rich Eisen Analysts: Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk
Play-by-play Announcer: Bob Papa Game Analyst: Matt Millen
Reporters: Jason La Canfora, Scott Hanson
Quotes from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s Interview with Deion Sanders:
“The reality is we’re not putting together a winning formula; we’re not making significant plays at the end of games to close games out; we’re missing a few red-zone opportunities, special teams has been suspect at times…That’s the formula for being an average football team, a 6-6 football team, which we are right now.”
– Tomlin on what led the Steelers to a 6-6 record
“Sometimes words are meaningless. A lot of times when you’re faced with the kind of adversity and circumstances that we’ve faced at this point, you’ve got two choices. You can either fight or not fight. I choose to fight and I think our team chooses to fight.”
– Tomlin on where the Steelers go from 6-6
“You tell them to put their hand in the pile, play for one another and you say Steelers on three. There’s not a whole lot that needs to be said in the midst of these circumstances because these guys know what’s at stake. They know where we are; we all do and we have got show [up].”
– Tomlin on what he says to get his team motivated
For a clip of Sanders’ sitdown with Tomlin, please visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-interviews/09000d5d814de7c4/Tomlin-interview
Jason La Canfora’s 1-on-1 with Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini:
“They’ve worked hard and practiced hard the entire season. One thing we haven’t been able to do as well as we’d like is execute consistently. I’ve seen good things in all three phases and what I’m looking for tonight is for our team to execute consistently.”
– Mangini on the Cleveland Browns
“I’m really happy with the way he’s protected the football. The whole offense has done a much better job of eliminating self-inflicted wounds.”
– Mangini on QB Brady Quinn and the Browns offense
“I believe in the philosophy and vision we have and it’s a commitment to a certain type of player – smart, tough hard-working guys. Guys that are competitive, selfless and the game is important to them.”
– Mangini on the progress that’s being made in Cleveland
Quick Quotes:
“He’s not saying anything about four games. He’s saying ‘we’ve got to win tonight.’ One game at a time, one play at a time. He’s got their attention.”
– Steve Mariucci on what Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is saying to the team
“They’re missing Josh McDaniels and at times there’s a little disconnect between Randy Moss and Tom Brady.”
– Marshall Faulk on the New England Patriots
“I don’t think he’s lost the locker room. I don’t think he ever had the locker room.”
– Marshall Faulk on Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
“They’ve got this city riding high right now. I think Sean Payton is going to go for it.”
– Steve Mariucci on if the New Orleans Saints will go for an undefeated season
“This team has digressed tremendously.”
– Deion Sanders on the Cleveland Browns
“How many times are they going to rebuild?”
– Marshall Faulk on the Cleveland Browns
“He may be the most versatile player in the National Football League…I’d be surprised if the Steelers kicked to him tonight.”
– Steve Mariucci on Browns WR Joshua Cribbs
“He’s so inspirational, I almost thought about coming back, but then I remembered that I’m 42 [years old]. I may not believe in the [Steelers’] secondary, but I believe in him.”
– Deion Sanders on Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
“James Harrison must leave an impression on Brady Quinn.”
– Marshall Faulk on Steelers LB James Harrison
Jason La Canfora News Reports:
- It’s not looking good that Falcons QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner are going to play this week. They can’t get on the practice field and that’s especially troubling for a young quarterback like Ryan who’s missing valuable reps during the week. The offensive line is also beat up, with tackles and guards that might be out as well. It’s a bad combination to expose both Ryan and Turner to that. Turner has a high ankle sprain and while the Falcons are optimistic he can come back in two weeks, it’s far from certain and even if they do play, what are we looking at in terms of production?
- Everyone thinks Mike Holmgren being named the next GM for Seattle is a slam dunk, but it’s not. The Seahawks have a head-hunting firm looking at candidates. If Holmgren ends up there, it’s probably not in the ‘end-all, be-all’ decision-making role. If he wants that, Cleveland may be his best option. I talked to someone close to Holmgren and they said [Cleveland] is a possibility. I also talked to someone close to Browns owner Randy Lerner and Cleveland may have someone in place before 2010. One wild card in this is Bernie Kosar. It continues to look like he’s going to have some role in the organization and to some candidates, that’s a bit of a turn-off. Kosar does not have a lot of personnel experience.
- Talking to a coach who has studied the tape on the Patriots in the last month, you can see when Patriots WR Randy Moss wants to be a factor and when he doesn’t. To use this coach’s words, he’s been ‘dogging it’ at times and quitting on routes. Sometimes he’s mentally involved and all there and sometimes he’s not. And when he isn’t, the body language is so obvious on the coach’s tape, it’s sending a poor message. Clearly Bill Belichick is seeing this if the opposing coaches are seeing it.
- Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has one more year on his deal and I’ve heard from team sources that they will start talking contract extension after this season, whenever that ends. There’s a very good chance both sides will get together and work a multi-year deal out. The Steelers want to keep Tomlin and he wants to stay.
- Barring some sort of setback, Steelers S Troy Polamalu will be back this season. All the doctors have said he’ll be ready to go Week 15 vs. Green Bay. The team has planned for several weeks now for Polamalu to be back against the Packers and he wants to be back.
- Many people are unaware of how close Bill Cowher came to coming back the sidelines last year. He was very close to getting a deal done with the New York Jet
s, but ultimately it fell apart. He definitely has the coaching bug and there are four situations that really would appeal to him. Carolina where Cowher resides is somewhere that would definitely have some appeal. Tampa, if the Buccaneers decided to make a move. Chicago is another placer Cowher has his eye on, as well as Houston.
**Additional videos from NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football coverage of Steelers vs. Browns can be viewed on NFL.com**
- Pilobolus: Steelers vs. Browns – A theatrical look at the Week 14 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-pilobolus/09000d5d814de436/Pilobolus-Steelers-vs-Browns
NEXT WEEK ON NFL NETWORK’S THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 at 8:00 PM ET
DALLAS COWBOYS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTSSATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 at 8:00 PM ET
Always good to get quotage. And it’s great to get it before the event is finished.
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