Nice of the NFL to send this quotage from tonight’s Miami-Carolina game within minutes of the finish of the broadcast. That’s efficient!
Thursday Night Football Telecast Notes
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa Analyst: Matt MillenQuotes from Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers
Nov. 19, 2009 on NFL Network
FINAL: DOLPHINS 24, PANTHERS 17FIRST HALF:
“It all starts with the running game and the play-action off of it. That’s the recipe for this team.”
– Matt Millen on the Panthers offense
“Excellent discipline and a great athlete.”
– Matt Millen on Dolphins CB Vontae Davis
“Now is the time from here on that you have to be playing your best football.”
– Matt Millen on the importance of gaining momentum late in the season
“The running game is about patience – both offensively by the runner and defensively by the linebackers.”
– Matt Millen
“In this league, centers usually fall into two schools. They’re either the big, physical guys or the quick guys who get to the edge. But the common thread through all of them is they control the offensive line. They’re usually very bright and they make all the calls.”
– Matt Millen on playing the center position
“There’s a lot to like with him…he doesn’t get intimidated by much. For a young corner, the game doesn’t get too big for him and the player he’s playing against isn’t too big for him.”
– Matt Millen on Dolphins CB Vontae Davis’ coverage of Panthers WR Steve Smith
Halftime: Dolphins 14, Panthers 3
HALFTIME SHOW
Broncos WR Brandon Marshall chats with Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders on the Denver’s upcoming matchup with San Diego:
“Every game in the NFL is a must-win game.”
– Marshall on the Broncos upcoming game vs. San Diego
“Coach can get it done anywhere. He’s a genius and a legend.”
– Marshall on if Mike Shanahan potential return to coaching
“That will be a game-time decision. Kyle [Orton] will test it out tomorrow and if he can go, he’ll go. If not, Chris [Simms] will lead us.”
– Marshall on whether QB Kyle Orton will play Sunday vs. the Chargers
“When you look at Chris and where he comes from, you don’t have to say anything or try to inspire him. He’s a guy that probably works harder than anyone on our team. It would be good for him to go out and lead this team.”
– Marshall on QB Chris Simms
“We got away from the thing that got us to 6-0. That’s fundamental football, from defense to offense, to special teams. If we continue to get back to being fundamentally sound, we’ll be okay.”
– Marshall on the Broncos losing streak
“That forced me to take a step back and come up with a game plan on how to attack the next day when I came back from my suspension; how to attack my career and look at things in a professional way.”
– Marshall on how his suspension during the preseason changed him
For video of Marshall’s interview with Eisen and Sanders, please visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-thanksgiving/09000d5d814567c5/Brandon-Marshall-interview
SECOND HALF:
“If you’re the Carolina Panthers, right now you get back to your running game, play the play-action, don’t try to force anything and have Jake Delhomme find Steve Smith.”
– Matt Millen on the Panthers game plan, down by 11 late in the 3rd quarter
“He’s got to be happy with the offensive line tonight, particularly Jake Long working on Julius Peppers. They have not gotten a sniff of Henne.”
– Matt Millen on offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and the Dolphins’ offensive line
“He is a pure football player. I’d love to put him at safety.”
– Matt Millen on Panthers WR Steve Smith
“The entire 3rd quarter belonged to Carolina.”
– Matt Millen
“That’s a pretty well-thrown ball, but an even better catch.”
– Matt Millen on Panthers WR Steve Smith’s 27-yard touchdown catch from QB Jake Delhomme
Stat Graphic
Miami Dolphins 4th Quarter Points Allowed
Season Points Allowed NFL Rank
2008 62 2nd in NFL
2009 (through 10 gms) 99 31st in NFL
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
Quick Quotes:
“November [games] are not must-wins. Important, yes, but not a must-win.”
– Steve Mariucci
“Nobody rallies the troops when there’s adversity or controversy like Bill Belichick.”
– Steve Mariucci on Patriots’ Sunday night loss
“What did they draft Pat White for?”
– Deion Sanders on Dolphins QB Pat White being utilized in the wildcat
“Every week there’s another step forward from him.”
– Matt Millen on Dolphins QB Chad Henne
“Bill Belichick has always made the right decision.”
– Marshall Faulk on Belichick’s fourth-down decision vs. Indianapolis
“He is one of the top players in this league and he has been for some time. He’s the guy that you could put on defense and he’d lead your team in tackles.”
– Matt Millen on Panthers WR Steve Smith
“They haven’t played the kind of football that got them to 6-0 since their [Week 6] win vs. San Diego…when you’re 6-0 as a head coach, they’re buying what you’re selling. Now that you’ve lost three straight, I want to see if he can sell it to them now.”
– Marshall Faulk on the Denver Broncos and head coach Josh McDaniels
“He is a big play ready to happen.”
– Deion Sanders on Panthers WR Steve Smith
Quotes from Stacey Dales’ Sit Down with Panthers QB Jake Delhomme:
“I was told a long time ago by an ex-college coach, ‘paralysis from analysis.’ What that means is if you’re analyzing too much, you’re going to paralyze your play…you have to trust your preparation throughout the course of the week on the practice field and that’s something that I’ve gotten back to.”
– Delhomme on getting his passing game back on track
“I could care less what someone says about me outside the locker room, but you care about those guys in the locker room and that crushed us.”
– Delhomme on his 5 INT performance in the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoff vs. Arizona
“Absolutely not. That’s one thing that never crossed my mind.”
– Delhomme on his contract extension at the end of the 2008 season and if it has been the source of additional pressure
“We started out the season very poorly and certainly I was the reason.”
– Delhomme
“It’s something I would have thought about. If you’re not getting the ball there, not making the right run checks or not getting the ball in the end zone, somebody else has got to do it. That’s what this game is about.”
– Delhomme on benching himself
Jason La Canfora Pregame 1-on-1 with Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano:
“Losing a guy of Ronnie Brown’s caliber is hard to replace, but we have some young guys that I think will step up.”
– Sparano on losing RB Ronnie Brown
“Ricky’s [Williams] been involved in some of the wildcat. There will be a couple others involved one way or the other as we get going. We’ll see whether or not we use it and how much.”
– Sparano on the wildcat without Brown
“It’s interesting. Both teams are where they are right no
w for the same reasons. Both didn’t start the way we would have liked. They’re a physical team and like to run the football, we like to run the football, so who knows.”– Sparano on the Dolphins and Panthers being similar teams
Quotes from Rich Eisen’s 1-on-1 Interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Regarding the Newly Formed NFL Player Advisory Forum:
On NFL Player Advisory Forum and its purpose:
“The number one thing that we want to get is input from our players on what’s going on in their lives and how they feel about the game and issues on and off the field. That’s incredibly valuable to me as I go through thinking about different issues that we have to deal with at the league level.”
On players voicing their concerns and critiques on league rules and guidelines:
“The first point you make is a really critical point, Rich. We don’t want to just hear about everything that’s going great. We want to hear from the players on what’s not going well, what we need to work on and what we can improve on; How we can do things better. And the players are very vocal and they have always given me great input. They have been valuable to us in whatever changes are made from rules to the personal conduct policy to changes in the Pro Bowl. We want them to set the agenda to a large extent and Tony will help shape that with the players. Then, I’ll be able to hear their feedback and we’ll be able to take that, whether it [applies] to league meetings, policies, relationships with the NFLPA that will likely participate. These are all inputs to us to make better decisions.”
On the logistics of the meetings:
“Tony [Dungy] and I already talked about it. The likelihood is that we’ll do it on a Tuesday, which is the player’s off day. We’ll come to the players. As an example, we’ll probably do it someplace in the Baltimore-Washington area where we can get three, four or five teams that can conveniently get there. We want to make it convenient for the players since they’re taking their personal time to participate. They’ll help set the agenda. What are the issues they want to talk about, that they want me to be aware of? So we can take that into consideration.”
On the NFLPA’s involvement:
“I mentioned to De [DeMaurice Smith] and asked if he wanted to participate and I’d welcome that. We’d be glad to have him sit in, either De himself or a representative.”
On if the Commissioner will use the forums to give his thoughts on issues to players:
“You do learn a lot from listening, but I’m also not a wallflower when I have a strong view on a particular issue, so yes, I will share my opinion on things. However I’m really hopeful that I’m going to learn a lot from these sessions. You know I met with retired players a year ago and continue to see them as I will hope to work with George Martin and the NFL Alumni to be able to hear what are the issues that we’re dealing with so we can develop solutions that make sense.”
On discussions between Goodell and Smith regarding CBA negotiations:
“Discussions are ongoing. I think the two negotiating teams, the owners and players team, led by DeMaurice Smith, are meeting and the issues have been put on the table. It’s a very professional, very open dialogue. There’s some give and take and I think that’s all positive. So hopefully those discussions will continue in a productive way.”
On with he and the NFLPA are on the same page when there’s a deadline for making a deal:
“I don’t know because I’m not sure we’ve tried to determine when a deadline is. We’ve both feel some sense of urgency. We both believe the earlier an agreement can be reached is good for the players, owners and the game; the better off we all are. So I think we both feel a sense of urgency, but I’m not in for creating artificial deadlines. And I believe that’s all we would be doing if we did that right now. The point is we’ll work as hard as possible to try to reach an agreement and I think that’s true for the owners’ [negotiating] team and the players’ [negotiating] team.”
On when the first Player Advisory Forum will take place:
“We hope to do that by mid-December. I think our initial focus will start in the Baltimore-Washington area, where we can reach the Redskins, Ravens, Eagles and maybe the two New York teams. They can get there easily and make it convenient for them on an off day.”
For a video clip of interview with Commissioner Goodell, please visit:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81453f0f/The-Commissioner-Rich
Jason La Canfora News Reports:
- Mike Shanahan is someone that the Buffalo Bills are very interested in to replace Dick Jauron who was fired earlier this week, but I have a hard time seeing this come to fruition for a lot of reasons. Bills owner Ralph Wilson is willing to spend if the right person is out there and they will get a big name who is an estab
lished head coach. Bill Cowher is another name that they like as well. When we see this whole thing resolve itself, I could see them going in a different direction. It’s hard to lure those guys to Buffalo.
- With Clinton Portis out this week and possibly the following week, it means that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Ladell Betts. The interesting dynamic here is for a few years now there have been guys in the coaching and locker rooms who have felt that Betts could out-produce Portis, if given the chance, as age and all the poundings have taken a toll on Portis. If Betts plays well the next couple of weeks and Portis comes back, head coach Jim Zorn’s got a decision to make. Most of Portis’ contract is guaranteed for next year and he’s a big favorite of owner Dan Snyder, but the coaches like Betts.
**Additional videos from NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football coverage of Dolphins vs. Panthers can be viewed on NFL.com**
- Strategy for Success: Steve Mariucci and Co. break down how Miami is so successful running the wildcat offense.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d8145460d/Strategy-for-Success-The-Wildcat
- Around the League: Jason La Canfora has the latest on the Bills, important injuries, and more news.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d81455228/Around-the-league
NEXT WEEK ON NFL NETWORK’S THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
NEW YORK GIANTS VS. DENVER BRONCOS
ON THANKSGIVING NIGHT at 8:00 PM ET
That concludes the posts for tonight.
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