PATRIOTS, COWBOYS AND QUARTERBACKS HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEK’S “INSIDE THE NFL”
Premieres Tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME®
To Watch Arizona Head Coach Bruce Arians on Sunday Reacting
To The Reversed Touchdown Against San Francisco
NEW YORK (Oct. 3, 2017) — This week’s installment of Sports Emmy® Award-winning studio show “INSIDE THE NFL” premieres tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Host James Brown is joined by expert analysts Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason and former veteran NFL linebacker Ray Lewis in-studio to discuss the ups and downs of NFL Week 4.
Tonight’s episode is highlighted by discussions about the struggles of the New England Patriots defense and the Dallas Cowboys offense, as well as talk of whether or not it’s time for some teams including the N.Y. Giants, L.A. Chargers and Baltimore Ravers to move on from their current franchise quarterbacks.
Plus, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan are wired for sound.
INSIDE THE NFL covers every game, every week, with trademark highlights from NFL Films, special in-depth features and spirited debate on the hottest topics in the NFL. The show is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films and airs every Tuesday during the NFL season through Feb. 6, 2018.
The show is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports and Ross Ketover and Pat Kelleher of NFL Films. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.
For more information about INSIDE THE NFL, visit SHO.com, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #INSIDETHENFL.
Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:
On whether or not it’s time for some teams to move on from their current quarterbacks…
Boomer Esiason – “I do believe that three of these quarterbacks on this list [Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer] will not be with their team next year… I would say Drew Brees, Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers will not be on their teams next year. That’s what I believe.”
Phil Simms -“We are in a new age. And what’s the age? It’s where the quarterback is paid so much money you can’t fire him… They call them the face of the franchise because they are… You can’t put Eli Manning in the same category sometimes because he’s won two championships. In the last two weeks, it looks like they’ve kind of figured out what they’re going to do on the offensive side. So he has more give than any of these guys, in my estimation, because of the fact he has two MVP’s in the Super Bowl.”
On New England’s defense…
Boomer Esiason -“They [New England] are missing a spark on that defense. In past years, whether it be [Rob] Ninkovich or [Mike] Vrabel or Patrick Chung coming up with the big play or Devin McCourty coming up with the big play, they’re not getting that right now for their defense.”
On the mobility of quarterbacks…
Ray Lewis – “You think about Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Alex Smith, Deshaun Watson. Those guys get out of the pocket. They make things happen outside of the pocket. They [New England] don’t have that spark.”
Phil Simms – “They thought they had two shutdown corners [Patriots cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore]. So when you have two corners like that, you think ‘Well, we got those two. We can put the rest in a certain position to give us a chance for great success.’ That has not happened. They have blown assignments. When I say blown an assignment, I mean guys that are running down the field uncovered and it has cost them two games [Carolina and Kansas City]… They never did that before.”
On parity around the league…
Ray Lewis – “Home teams aren’t safe at home any more. I’m looking at the Minnesota Vikings lose at home. I’m looking at the New England Patriots lose at home. The Atlanta Falcons lose at home. The Baltimore Ravens lose at home. The Dallas Cowboys lose at home … [It’s all about] matchups… It’s certain teams that you run into that you don’t normally play [and] you don’t know how to prepare for them.”
Phil Simms – “From the top to the bottom, it’s a fine line. It really is. From one to 32, I’ve never seen it this close.”
