Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison toughest stop for Champ Bailey

“You couldn’t out-think Peyton Manning.  He was always one step ahead of you.  No matter what you thought you were gonna get, you got something different.  Whatever you did, he always knew how to adjust. There was nothing as tough to stop as Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.”

Champ Bailey, Hall of Fame-inductee cornerback, on NBCSN Pro Football Talk

 

“Where was the out-of-the-box thinking in this game?  Where were the plays that were in the laboratory for two weeks with Sean McVay and Zac Taylor?  There was no explosion; there were no gimmicky type things.  Where were the jet sweeps and double reverses? There was nothing on special teams with John Fassel.”

Peter King, NBCSN Pro Football Talk

 

“With nine minutes left in the game the score was tied.  Jared Goff wasn’t big enough for the stage. Tom Brady was brilliant; Goff was bamboozled, 0-for-5 downfield, 3-for-10 on third downs, 25% under duress.  He was lost. . . . And Sean McVay wasn’t up to the big stage either.”

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times columnist, on ESPN’s Around the Horn

 

“I appreciate and love great defense.  But that last pass thrown by the Rams quarterback (Jared Goff) –- that’s a nerf pass at some Friday night drunken game.  And Tom Brady was skipping balls like he was throwing stones on a pond.  That game was a low point in Super Bowl history.”

Mike Wilbon, ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption

 

LeBron not as determined as MJ and Kobe

“I don’t want to dump on LeBron (James) because he’s amazing and great.  Would he kill his children to win a game?  No. Kobe (Bryant) and Michael (Jordan) would kill their kids to win a game.  But I don’t like to bring down a great player to make a point.”

Charles Barkley, on Pardon the Interruption, commenting on Scottie Pippen’s assertion that LeBron James is not as “clutch” as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

 

Magic dropped the ball on Laker dissension

“I think Magic Johnson dropped the ball by letting all that speculation become so public and not meeting with his team sooner.  I think the uncertainty with Luke Walton is playing in everybody’s mind.  All those distractions will end in the Lakers not making the playoffs.”

Charles Barkley, PTI

 

McVay met more than a match in Belichick

“Definitely I got outcoached.  I didn’t do enough for our football team.  The thing that’s so tough is the finality to it.  Usually if you go through some adversity you can bounce back right away.  This one’s gonna stick, it’s gonna sting in your gut.”

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams head coach, after losing 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII

 

“Maybe McVay’s gift is his ability to call the right play at the right time during the flow of a game.  There are plenty of coaches who can’t do that. But against Bill Belichick, there’s never the right play at the right time.  He’s always going to see it coming; he’s always going to be ready for whatever you dial up.  For all he’s accomplished, McVay still has a lot to learn.”

Mike Florio, NBCSN Pro Football Talk

 

Patriots return to the 1980s

“The Patriots are taking us back to the Eightees: fullbacks in the game, downhill running, physical between the tackles.  Play defense, make the game ugly, let Tom Brady make the pass when he needs to.  They reinvent football every few years.  They’re always a step ahead of the curve, doing things other teams aren’t used to seeing.”

Chris Simms, NBCSN Pro Football Talk

 

This will be a long year for Saints

“Two straight years of your heart getting ripped out takes an emotional toll.  Also, the buzz is building that Sean Payton is going to be coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.  If there’s any issues in paradise, that’s going to exacerbate them.  We saw evidence of Drew Brees getting to the edge of the Father Time cliff.  The Saints will have a long year in 2019.”

Mike Florio

 

Belated Super Bowl for Romo

“Welcome to the Super Bowl, Tony Romo.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear ‘Welcome to the Super Bowl’ my whole life.”

Tony Romo, retired NFL QB, responds to introduction by CBS broadcasting partner Jim Nantz

 

Nikola Jokic outpassed Brady

“I think it’s fair to say that Nikola Jokic threw the best pass on Super Bowl weekend.”

Rachel Nicholls, ESPN’s The Jump

 

Kyrie waffles on pledge to Boston

“At the end of the day I’m going to do what’s best for me and my career.  I don’t owe anybody shit.”

Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics guard, looking to free agency