FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: FOOTBALL NIGHT IN KANSAS CITY
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 8, 2016 – Following are highlights from Football Night in Kansas City, which aired prior to Thursday Night Football tonight on NBC and featured the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Mike Tirico opened the show live from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. He was joined on site by Super Bowl-winning and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy and two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison.
In addition, NFL Network host Rich Eisen and NFL Network analysts Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, and Steve Mariucci provided coverage from a set outside of the stadium.
Football Night coverage also included NFL Insider Peter King’s interview with Raiders QB Derek Carr as the pair traveled to Raiders practice in Carr’s car earlier this week.
Following are highlights from Football Night in Kansas City on NBC:
ON WEATHER
Dungy on the Chiefs approach to the cold temperatures: “I was at their hotel and had breakfast with some of their coaches this morning. They told me, ‘We’re not going to let the cold be a factor. We’re not going to acknowledge it.’”
ON IMPORTANCE OF TONIGHT’S GAME
Dungy: “If I was coaching either team, I would say, ‘We could lay out an easy path to the Super Bowl tonight. If we win, we’ve got a chance to set ourselves up to play at home, get a week off and get that home-field advantage. If we lose, we’ll probably play three games on the road, so this game is so meaningful.’”
Harrison: “If you’re the Raiders, you definitely don’t want to lose this game, because that means you might have to come back here and play in these frigid conditions – and you might have to go to New England and play against Brady and Belichick in Foxboro.”
Dungy on rivalry: “I coached here for the Chiefs for three years, and ‘Raiders Week’ is always huge. I came in last night and the taxi driver took me through every game in the last 25 years of the Raiders. He was so fired up he wouldn’t let me out of the car.”
ON RAIDERS
Dungy on Carr: “He was the perfect quarterback to come in and lead this team. He talked about wanting to be a role model for kids, but he also wanted to be a role model for his teammates. That’s something that they needed – somebody to be in that building at 5:45 in the morning.”
Harrison on Carr: “He is a great quarterback. I love this kid, but he has not faced this type of pressure. The Raiders as a team, as an organization, haven’t played a meaningful game in 14 years, since they made the playoffs.”
Dungy on WR Michael Crabtree: “He has been fantastic. He’s helped Amari Cooper learn how to be a pro. He makes big plays.”
Harrison: “When it comes down to field position, the Raiders’ punter, Marquette King, can be an asset. He is one of the best in the league.”
ON CHIEFS
Dungy on how to defend Kansas City’s offense: “You have to be on point, because they are only going to do a couple of things, but they’ll window-dress it. If you don’t read your keys, you can get lost, and this happened to the Raiders (defense) over and over in that first game this season. They were so frustrated because they weren’t difficult plays, it’s just a matter of being disciplined and doing your job.”
Harrison on Kansas City’s offense: “I played against Andy Reid 12 years ago in the Super Bowl, and offensively nothing has changed with him…the thing that they do is test the discipline of the defense.”
Dungy on DB Eric Berry: “It’s not so much the plays that he makes, it’s the emotion and inspiration he brings that is sensational.”
Dungy on WR Tyreek Hill: “This guy brings energy and quickness. He can do it a lot of ways – as a runner, as a receiver, and as a returner. In a game like this that figures to be low-scoring, one play can make the difference. He can go the distance anywhere on the field.”
Harrison on Arrowhead Stadium: “This is the loudest stadium I’ve ever played in.”
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NBC’s NFL coverage continues this Sunday, Dec. 11, with a Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
ON COWBOYS-GIANTS
Harrison on impact of injury to Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul: “It’s a devastating loss. You can’t just look at his sack numbers and truly appreciate his impact on this team. His teammates say he’s the best defensive player they have. He’s the most important player on that team.”
Dungy on Dallas’ defensive vulnerabilities: “In that first game, Eli did have the formula. What he did was read the defense so well. When (Dallas’ defense) tried to pressure him and play man coverage, they could not handle Odell Beckham Jr. That forced Dallas into a zone, and Eli ate that zone up with intermediate passes.”
Harrison: “Minnesota almost beat Dallas with Sam Bradford not throwing the ball down the field. Eli Manning has three really good (receiving) weapons. He’s going to test this defense. He’s played in a lot of big games, and he should put up a lot of points on this defense.”
DEREK CARR WITH PETER KING
Carr on the status of his pinky injury: “It’s great now. Then, it wasn’t too good.”
King: “What’s that pain like?”
Carr: “It was insane. I’ve broken bones. I’ve torn muscles. I’ve done all of those things. That little pinky finger was the worst.”
Carr on the Raiders vying for the top spot in the AFC: “It’s exciting. It’s nice to be playing games that matter. My first year, we didn’t play too many games that mattered past Week 8. When you start 0-10, you kind of put yourself in a hole.”
Carr on Chiefs fans and playing at Arrowhead Stadium: “The Chiefs fans that sit behind (the bench) are very obnoxious. I can’t even repeat what they say. They hate the Raiders, oh my goodness, they hate us. It doesn’t stop either. It doesn’t stop from kickoff until the end of the game. I enjoy that, though – it’s all part of the rivalry.”
Carr on what it means to lead the Raiders: “It’s a blessing. These were dreams I had in my heart, of being that leader, being someone that kids and grown-ups could look to and say, ‘He does it a little different. I’m okay with my kids watching him or buying his jersey.’”
King: “What would Al Davis be thinking this week?”
Carr: “Win. Just win, baby. Treat them all big, because when you’re playing for this organization, they are all big. It’s starting to turn into that, and it’s pretty cool.”
