NOTES & QUOTES FROM THE HALL OF FAME SPECIAL EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC & PEACOCK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 4, 2022

NOTES & QUOTES FROM THE HALL OF FAME SPECIAL EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC & PEACOCK

“Doug Pederson changed that environment. He is the father figure that these young boys needed.” – Tony Dungy

“Arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. He will make a huge impact. He will make everyone better.” – Jason Garrett to Raiders WR Davante Adams

Football night A team of Maria Taylor, Matthew Berry, Tony Dungy, Jason Garrett, Chris Sims, Jack Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio were on location in Canton, Ohio

Maria Taylor interviews Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker

Sunday night football Announce a team of Mike Tirico, Chris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark putting the first game together for tonight’s Hall of Fame game

Football analyst Matthew Berry makes NBC Sports debut

STAMFORD, CT – August 4, 2022 – NBC Sports kicks off the 2022 NFL season tonight with a special edition of Football night in America leading to Hall of Fame game coverage in 2022, as Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders took over the Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hall of Famer Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The kickoff of the match was delayed by 40 minutes due to lightning delay.

The special edition on the spot of Football night featured the NBC Sports debut of the football analyst Matthew Berry as well as FNIA debut of former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. The show also includes Maria Taylor in his debut as host, Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungyformer NFL linebacker Chris Simsand NFL Insider Mike Florio. Landlord Jack Collinsworth and a two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison provides on-site analysis and reporting.

Pregame coverage also included Taylor’s interviews with Jacksonville’s quarterback and 2021 first-round pick. Trevor Lawrence and rookie Travon Walkerwho was the first selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Click here to watch the Lawrence interview and here to watch the Walker interview.

Coverage also included an interview with the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Richard Seymour and profiles of the rest of the rookies – tackle Tony Boselliwide receiver Cliff Branchsafety Leeroy Butlerofficial Art McNallymidfielder Sam Millscoach Dick Vermeiland safety/defensive end Bryant Young.

The new Sunday night football a team of Mike Tirico (play by play), Chris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAuley (rules analyst) call their first game together during tonight’s 2022 Hall of Fame Game.

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The following are highlights from tonight’s special edition of the Football night in America on NBC and Peacock:

OF RIDER

Jason Garrett on Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams: “Maybe the best wide receiver in the NFL. He will make a huge impact. He will make everyone better.”

Chris Simms on Raiders linebacker Derek Carr: “Underrated, one of the best field generals in all of football. I’m excited to see the tools he has in this offense.”

OF JAGUARS

Tony Dungy on Doug Pederson’s effect on Jaguars: “Coaching is more than quarterbacking. It changes the environment. Doug Pederson changed that environment. He is the father figure these young boys needed. Josh Allentheir great point guard, came up to me and said, ‘We’re going to be a different team this year.’

Jaguars sophomore running back Travis Etienne Jr.’s dingy: “What he’s going to bring is big plays. He can hit a backcourt home run and they can play him and he can catch like a wide receiver.”

Dougie on comparing Trevor Lawrence’s rookie year to Peyton Manning’s: “He reminds me so much Peyton [Manning]. Coming out with a lot of fanfare, coming to a team that has the first pick. He didn’t do well, he didn’t win many games his rookie year. But I know from talking to Peyton, [he] he learned so much that first year and that experience you can’t replace…He wouldn’t trade that year for anything because it helped him develop.”

Garrett compares Lawrence to Manning and Troy Aikman: “If you’re building quarterbacks, that’s what you want to build. Trevor Lawrence, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning — they’re big, they’re athletic, they can throw, they’re smart, they have a feel for the game. But the standout for these guys? Their mental and physical stamina – to fight adversity early on. I know both Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning when they held this [Lombardi] A trophy above their head, they looked fondly on those lean years.’

FOR THE UPCOMING 2022 NFL SEASON

Kudos to coaches returning to their normal routines after two seasons affected by the pandemic: “It puts pressure on you because I think the football will be better than the goal. So the pressure is on to get off to a great start.”

Garrett: “No question. (Football) is going to be a lot better coming out of the gate.”

Garrett: “Right now, the number one priority is to put the quarterback in an environment where he can succeed. Derek Carr is in the prime of his career. Trevor Lawrence it’s just getting started. They want to do everything they can to give these guys a chance to succeed.

Sims on what excites him most about the upcoming NFL season: “Can we have three in a row? [Tom] Brady goes to Bucs – wins Super Bowl. [Matthew] Stafford – just an “okay” quarterback (sarcasm) – goes to the Rams and wins a Super Bowl. Like Jason Garrett said, we have some quarterbacks on the move this year. Russell Wilson to denver Matt Ryan of the Indianapolis Colts. Is it possible for this to happen three years in a row?’

Rodney Harrison on the new-look Colts: “I look at Matt Ryan and he’s definitely an upgrade at the quarterback position. You look at the leadership, the experience, the consistency, and then he has a running back Jonathan Taylor. I expect the Colts to make the playoffs.”

Harrison of the Packers: “I watch the Packers and offensively, I’m not worried about them scoring a lot of points because of it Aaron Rodgers, even with the loss of Davante Adams. I see them as a better team now because of the defense. Look at what they did through free agency, the draft, they got the number one cornerback Jair Alexander. I expect them to dominate defensively.”

Matthew Berry on Jalen Hurts’ fantasy prospect: “With the second year of DeVonta Smith this year’s No. 1 QB in fantasy is within scoring range for Jaylen Hurts…I’m not saying there is Josh Allenarm, but I think the passing game is improving a lot and he’s going to be a top-five fantasy quarterback.”

INTERVIEWS WITH COACHES

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels on the game in his hometown of Canton, Ohio: “It’s a blessing. My family and I have spent so many nights in this stadium, in this part of the country, and this particular city has so much to do with why I am involved in the game of football. To be able to follow my father in this field forever – that’s why I fell in love with coaching.”

Doug Pederson to Jack Collinsworth for Travon Walker: “As young as he is, he is a very mature man. He takes the game seriously; he takes his game seriously. He’s really off to a good start here in training camp.”

2022 HALL OF FAME INTERVIEWS

Richard Seymour on what it means to be inducted into the Hall of Fame: “This honor is my legacy. It’s about the people who sacrificed for you. It’s a real honor to be able to share that with them this weekend.”

ABOUT DESHON WATSON

Mike Florio: “…The most important thing to remember from the judge’s decision is her findings of fact. They are mandatory for the appeal. She concluded that Deshaun Watson he did it; specifically, she found that he had engaged in multiple acts of nonviolent sexual assault with four massage therapists, three policy violations, and she also concluded that he had not been sincere. If you put all of that together and there’s a chance the suspension is much longer than six games … I don’t think there’s any chance (of seeing Deshaun Watson play in Week 1) because the union isn’t appealing a six-game suspension. So that’s week 7 in action. He won’t play Week 1, but I’m told he will in the preseason. So we’ll see, then we won’t do it for at least six weeks.

JAGUARS QB TREVOR LAWRENCE INTERVIEW WITH MARIA TAYLOR

Lawrence on mentality heading into the 2022 season: “I have a little chip on my shoulder … This organization, the fan base, everyone here in Jacksonville has invested a lot in this team and in myself … We have a lot to prove.”

Lawrence on his improvement heading into his second NFL season: “I’m really confident in taking better care of the ball, but also taking risks and being the same player without putting the ball in danger … also in my confidence and knowledge of the playbook.”

JAGUARS LB TRAVON WALKER INTERVIEW WITH MARIA TAYLOR

Walker for Lawrence’s leadership: “(Lawrence) set that example for a lot of Georgia kids … He was just a great player who did whatever he had to do to get to the position he’s in. Now that I’m on the team with him, I can really understand why is he in this position.”

Sunday night football — America’s No. 1 prime-time television show for an unprecedented 11 consecutive years — debuts Thursday, Sept. 8, with the NFL Kickoff Special when Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Puch and defender Matthew Stafford of the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams hosts an All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Coverage begins with Football night in America at 7:00 PM ET, leading to an 8:30 PM ET start on NBC and Peacock.

–FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA–