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WEEK 10: How far will Peterson go?
Every week, the experts of FOX NFL Sunday will candidly reveal their observations and make their opinions known as they prepare for their top-rated pregame telecast — seen each Sunday at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. We'll share with you some of the highlights and observations from Curt, Terry, Howie, Jimmy and Barry grabbed from their weekly conference call with insider John Czarnecki and pregame show producer Scott Ackerson.
This week, Czar probes FOX NFL Sunday on Adrian Peterson making a run at history, the Cowboys-Giants tilt and the latest controversy in New England.
FOX NFL SUNDAY PANEL
CZAR: What are your impressions of Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson and his rushing accomplishments?
Howie Long: "I think a lot of it is his sheer ability. That's an obvious comment. He's through that hole and getting five yards and then he's on the safety. He is so physical in the hole, kind of like Earl Campbell and Christian Okoye used to be. I mean, he is attacking people and not running out of bounds. The last guy I've seen with this kind of size and explosion was Bo Jackson. Now, he's not Bo Jackson. But he does have that kind of size and explosion. He has another gear. Eric (Dickerson) was nowhere as physical a runner as this kid is right now. He had a number of plays where he turned it back into defenders along the sideline simply to get another yard or two. He seems to be setting up his blockers better than he did at Oklahoma and certainly better than he did earlier in the season. And the Chargers were just horrible in trying to tackle him. They put their heads down and some others weren't interested in tackling him. It was scary. So, it's pretty cut and dry in how Green Bay should defend him this weekend. They have to put eight men in the box, play their blocks and then tackle him. You have to get there in bunches. Right now, he's No. 1 in the league in yards after contact. He just runs through people."
Terry Bradshaw: "The Vikings' best offensive side is their left side. When he was making his cutbacks for long runs, it looked like San Diego was almost in a goal-line defense where they were trying to (take an) angle and take a gap. I don't think he set them up so much as he just has great vision. He goes left and so as the defenders start over-pursuing, his linemen started pushing them down and Peterson turned and went to the back side. The lanes to the back side were huge."
HL: "He wasn't looking for that lane earlier in the year. When you have a player like this, that offensive line starts believing this running back is their identity and you start to block a little harder. You can tell they are committed to him."
TB: "This team just needs a quarterback."
HL: "You watch film and it's there, the deep pass over the top. You can see it on so many of his runs. To have that many players in the box, that committed, it's pretty wide open in the secondary."
TB: "Wouldn't you like to see someone like Drew Brees up there, throwing off of play-action with how this kid is running?"
HL: "Why do you think Jeff George got off the sofa and was begging to come back? The guy hasn't taken a snap in five years, but he could see that anybody can play quarterback with a runner like this."
Barry Switzer: "The only person that has a chance of stopping Adrian Peterson is Brad Childress. That was the rap here in Oklahoma against Bob Stoops and Chuck Long, that they didn't give him the ball enough, either."
HL: "Childress used a charting system when he was in Philadelphia, but Peterson and Brian Westbrook are two different kinds of backs. Westbrook lines up as a receiver, in the slot and out wide, too. I don't think Childress has to worry about charting him now."
CZAR: Do you see Peterson breaking either of Dickerson's rushing records? The rookie mark of 1,808 yards or the all-time one of 2,105 yards in a season?
TB: "I don't think so. He is going to be facing some teams down the stretch that can play some special defenses against him. I think there will be teams playing him like college teams used to do against Oklahoma and Texas when they ran the wishbone and totally forget defending the pass."
HL: "He may get his big numbers against Oakland and Denver. He goes against San Francisco, a team that seems to be losing players every day. He plays the Bears again, and he had a huge game against them. I think he has a shot at Dickerson's rookie rushing record, but conventional wisdom would say, no. It's like going undefeated, golly, there is a lot going into it. He has to stay in great physical health, too."
TB: "Why don't we call Don Shula and ask him if Peterson can break these records."
CZAR: There's a big rematch between the Giants and Cowboys this Sunday. New York gave up 45 points in the first game. How will the Giants fare this time?
HL: "This game is huge for the Giants. There are a couple things that everybody should know from that first game. We know now that they have their best players on the field and the defense knows what the oaches want from them. Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross is now a starter, and Sam Madison is a proven old pro at the other cornerback spot. Those two missed that first game. On defense, it has been night and day difference between Week 1 and where the Giants are today. New York has been playing all of their talented defensive ends on the front four in obvious passing downs, plus they are blitzing a little more. Now, the Giants have shown me more complex schemes and are forcing teams to adjust to them. But I want to see if they are able to re-direct the Cowboys offensive line, which is enormous. It is important for the Giants to be able to use their athleticism upfront. They need to be able to take advantage of that, but they also have to show me that they won't be mauled and they were mauled in Week 1. Dallas bowled them over in the first game."
TB: "I think you learn a lot from Week 1, but to me they are such a better team since that time and they are playing with so much confidence, which is the most important thing. As a player or a coach, that's exactly what you want. If they had assignment problems back then, they have it worked out by now. Now, they are playing the design of the defense. They are a totally different team. The Cowboys are going to have to play their best game because the Giants will."
Curt Menefee: "The Giants are coming off a bye week and they are playing at home and they were embarrassed the first time. This is their chance, their opportunity. If they lose this game, they (basically) go three down (with potential tiebreakers) in the division race."
Jimmy Johnson: "The Giants are in a little more desperate situation. If the Cowboys lose, I think they still have a shot at winning the division and everything. To me, the Cowboys are still the better team. The Giants have to win if they have any hope of winning the division."
TB: "So this game is their measuring stick. If they beat the Cowboys, they know they are an elite team. It makes a huge difference."
CM: "I am a true believer in you only play who is on your schedule, but do we put any credence on the fact they got blown out by Dallas and Green Bay earlier in the season and the fact that New York beat five teams that aren't any good, plus the Commanders who are simply OK?"
TB: "I wouldn't put much stock in that kind of thinking. That's good to say for discussion on talk radio. As players, we knew that everybody can beat everybody. I don't care who it is. I will take beating Miami, who hasn't beaten anybody, and build from that. I wouldn't walk off the field thinking we just beat a team that can't beat anybody. Instead, I would be simply thinking we won another game. I would look at the good side of it."
HL: "The bottom line, though, is that the Cowboys are very good on offense right now. And they remain enormous on the offensive line."
CZAR: Do you think Donovan McNabb has a future in Philadelphia?
TB: "I think it's time for Donovan to move on. It's not a good mix there anymore. The Eagles are not winning. They don't like him and he doesn't like them. So, down the highway, jack, no big deal. Chicago, here I come."
CM: "You can say that Jim Kelly is loved in Buffalo and he never won a Super Bowl, either, but he got to four of them. I think to fans in Philadelphia look at all the missed opportunities. People in Buffalo appreciate that Kelly made the effort; fans in Philadelphia don't with Donovan. They haven't won a championship in any sport since 1983 and that's all they talk about there. So, if you don't win it, then you are a bum."
CZAR: Bill Belichick was criticized this week for how he shook Tony Dungy's hand after last Sunday's game. Reading his lips, you could tell he told Dungy "good game". What's the deal with shaking hands?
JJ: "Shaking hands is fine. I don't think it is necessary to shoot the breeze out there. And when I was the losing coach, I hated it when the other coach put his arm over my shoulder. I never liked that. But I think it's a cordial thing."
BS: "Before television was such a big deal, it was a courtesy for the losing coach to come over and shake hands. But a lot of times we simply agreed before the game to simply wave to each other afterwards. But as more and more games got on television, administrators were afraid that it would create controversy that coaches didn't like each other if they didn't shake in the middle of the field. The media and the fans needed to see that."
JJ: "It's more for show than anything else. Today, I think most coaches still go there because they don't want to be known as the guy who didn't shake the other guy's hand. But as far as really wanting to do it, I think a lot of coaches really don't care."
BS: "Jimmy is exactly right."
HL: "Forget who the two guys are because I have a lot of respect for Tony. If you are Bill Belichick, and the comments that Tony made were darn harsh earlier in the year about Spygate and I think Tony brought up Barry Bonds, too. I think Belichick did enough in saying good game and moving on. Tony wanted to have a lengthier kind of conversation, but I don't think I can blame Bill for not sticking around."
CZAR: What did you guys think of Don Shula's comments about putting an asterisk after the Patriots' record, should they go 19-0 this season?
JJ: "I think that Shula should realize that happened in the first game of the season, the Patriots getting caught filming five plays of the Jets' coaches, had no effect on this season."
TB: "I can't believe he's still caught up in that '72 season. To me, I say God bless the Patriots. I think it's great to see another unbeaten season. The other thing is that it is obvious that remarks like this simply get the Patriots more energized to go out and whip teams. I don't blame them, either, for thinking that way."
HL: "Like I said last week, if you question their ability and their past championships, then you should be prepared to be crushed when you play them."
CM: "All of this talk is simply manufactured more because talk radio needs controversy. They love this good versus evil stuff. They don't simply want to say that the Patriots are 9-0. That's too boring for them. This is all gamesmanship for them and gives them something to talk about."
Every week, the experts of FOX NFL Sunday will candidly reveal their observations and make their opinions known as they prepare for their top-rated pregame telecast — seen each Sunday at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. We'll share with you some of the highlights and observations from Curt, Terry, Howie, Jimmy and Barry grabbed from their weekly conference call with insider John Czarnecki and pregame show producer Scott Ackerson.
This week, Czar probes FOX NFL Sunday on Adrian Peterson making a run at history, the Cowboys-Giants tilt and the latest controversy in New England.
FOX NFL SUNDAY PANEL
CZAR: What are your impressions of Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson and his rushing accomplishments?
Howie Long: "I think a lot of it is his sheer ability. That's an obvious comment. He's through that hole and getting five yards and then he's on the safety. He is so physical in the hole, kind of like Earl Campbell and Christian Okoye used to be. I mean, he is attacking people and not running out of bounds. The last guy I've seen with this kind of size and explosion was Bo Jackson. Now, he's not Bo Jackson. But he does have that kind of size and explosion. He has another gear. Eric (Dickerson) was nowhere as physical a runner as this kid is right now. He had a number of plays where he turned it back into defenders along the sideline simply to get another yard or two. He seems to be setting up his blockers better than he did at Oklahoma and certainly better than he did earlier in the season. And the Chargers were just horrible in trying to tackle him. They put their heads down and some others weren't interested in tackling him. It was scary. So, it's pretty cut and dry in how Green Bay should defend him this weekend. They have to put eight men in the box, play their blocks and then tackle him. You have to get there in bunches. Right now, he's No. 1 in the league in yards after contact. He just runs through people."
Terry Bradshaw: "The Vikings' best offensive side is their left side. When he was making his cutbacks for long runs, it looked like San Diego was almost in a goal-line defense where they were trying to (take an) angle and take a gap. I don't think he set them up so much as he just has great vision. He goes left and so as the defenders start over-pursuing, his linemen started pushing them down and Peterson turned and went to the back side. The lanes to the back side were huge."
HL: "He wasn't looking for that lane earlier in the year. When you have a player like this, that offensive line starts believing this running back is their identity and you start to block a little harder. You can tell they are committed to him."
TB: "This team just needs a quarterback."
HL: "You watch film and it's there, the deep pass over the top. You can see it on so many of his runs. To have that many players in the box, that committed, it's pretty wide open in the secondary."
TB: "Wouldn't you like to see someone like Drew Brees up there, throwing off of play-action with how this kid is running?"
HL: "Why do you think Jeff George got off the sofa and was begging to come back? The guy hasn't taken a snap in five years, but he could see that anybody can play quarterback with a runner like this."
Barry Switzer: "The only person that has a chance of stopping Adrian Peterson is Brad Childress. That was the rap here in Oklahoma against Bob Stoops and Chuck Long, that they didn't give him the ball enough, either."
HL: "Childress used a charting system when he was in Philadelphia, but Peterson and Brian Westbrook are two different kinds of backs. Westbrook lines up as a receiver, in the slot and out wide, too. I don't think Childress has to worry about charting him now."
CZAR: Do you see Peterson breaking either of Dickerson's rushing records? The rookie mark of 1,808 yards or the all-time one of 2,105 yards in a season?
TB: "I don't think so. He is going to be facing some teams down the stretch that can play some special defenses against him. I think there will be teams playing him like college teams used to do against Oklahoma and Texas when they ran the wishbone and totally forget defending the pass."
HL: "He may get his big numbers against Oakland and Denver. He goes against San Francisco, a team that seems to be losing players every day. He plays the Bears again, and he had a huge game against them. I think he has a shot at Dickerson's rookie rushing record, but conventional wisdom would say, no. It's like going undefeated, golly, there is a lot going into it. He has to stay in great physical health, too."
TB: "Why don't we call Don Shula and ask him if Peterson can break these records."
CZAR: There's a big rematch between the Giants and Cowboys this Sunday. New York gave up 45 points in the first game. How will the Giants fare this time?
HL: "This game is huge for the Giants. There are a couple things that everybody should know from that first game. We know now that they have their best players on the field and the defense knows what the oaches want from them. Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross is now a starter, and Sam Madison is a proven old pro at the other cornerback spot. Those two missed that first game. On defense, it has been night and day difference between Week 1 and where the Giants are today. New York has been playing all of their talented defensive ends on the front four in obvious passing downs, plus they are blitzing a little more. Now, the Giants have shown me more complex schemes and are forcing teams to adjust to them. But I want to see if they are able to re-direct the Cowboys offensive line, which is enormous. It is important for the Giants to be able to use their athleticism upfront. They need to be able to take advantage of that, but they also have to show me that they won't be mauled and they were mauled in Week 1. Dallas bowled them over in the first game."
TB: "I think you learn a lot from Week 1, but to me they are such a better team since that time and they are playing with so much confidence, which is the most important thing. As a player or a coach, that's exactly what you want. If they had assignment problems back then, they have it worked out by now. Now, they are playing the design of the defense. They are a totally different team. The Cowboys are going to have to play their best game because the Giants will."
Curt Menefee: "The Giants are coming off a bye week and they are playing at home and they were embarrassed the first time. This is their chance, their opportunity. If they lose this game, they (basically) go three down (with potential tiebreakers) in the division race."
Jimmy Johnson: "The Giants are in a little more desperate situation. If the Cowboys lose, I think they still have a shot at winning the division and everything. To me, the Cowboys are still the better team. The Giants have to win if they have any hope of winning the division."
TB: "So this game is their measuring stick. If they beat the Cowboys, they know they are an elite team. It makes a huge difference."
CM: "I am a true believer in you only play who is on your schedule, but do we put any credence on the fact they got blown out by Dallas and Green Bay earlier in the season and the fact that New York beat five teams that aren't any good, plus the Commanders who are simply OK?"
TB: "I wouldn't put much stock in that kind of thinking. That's good to say for discussion on talk radio. As players, we knew that everybody can beat everybody. I don't care who it is. I will take beating Miami, who hasn't beaten anybody, and build from that. I wouldn't walk off the field thinking we just beat a team that can't beat anybody. Instead, I would be simply thinking we won another game. I would look at the good side of it."
HL: "The bottom line, though, is that the Cowboys are very good on offense right now. And they remain enormous on the offensive line."
CZAR: Do you think Donovan McNabb has a future in Philadelphia?
TB: "I think it's time for Donovan to move on. It's not a good mix there anymore. The Eagles are not winning. They don't like him and he doesn't like them. So, down the highway, jack, no big deal. Chicago, here I come."
CM: "You can say that Jim Kelly is loved in Buffalo and he never won a Super Bowl, either, but he got to four of them. I think to fans in Philadelphia look at all the missed opportunities. People in Buffalo appreciate that Kelly made the effort; fans in Philadelphia don't with Donovan. They haven't won a championship in any sport since 1983 and that's all they talk about there. So, if you don't win it, then you are a bum."
CZAR: Bill Belichick was criticized this week for how he shook Tony Dungy's hand after last Sunday's game. Reading his lips, you could tell he told Dungy "good game". What's the deal with shaking hands?
JJ: "Shaking hands is fine. I don't think it is necessary to shoot the breeze out there. And when I was the losing coach, I hated it when the other coach put his arm over my shoulder. I never liked that. But I think it's a cordial thing."
BS: "Before television was such a big deal, it was a courtesy for the losing coach to come over and shake hands. But a lot of times we simply agreed before the game to simply wave to each other afterwards. But as more and more games got on television, administrators were afraid that it would create controversy that coaches didn't like each other if they didn't shake in the middle of the field. The media and the fans needed to see that."
JJ: "It's more for show than anything else. Today, I think most coaches still go there because they don't want to be known as the guy who didn't shake the other guy's hand. But as far as really wanting to do it, I think a lot of coaches really don't care."
BS: "Jimmy is exactly right."
HL: "Forget who the two guys are because I have a lot of respect for Tony. If you are Bill Belichick, and the comments that Tony made were darn harsh earlier in the year about Spygate and I think Tony brought up Barry Bonds, too. I think Belichick did enough in saying good game and moving on. Tony wanted to have a lengthier kind of conversation, but I don't think I can blame Bill for not sticking around."
CZAR: What did you guys think of Don Shula's comments about putting an asterisk after the Patriots' record, should they go 19-0 this season?
JJ: "I think that Shula should realize that happened in the first game of the season, the Patriots getting caught filming five plays of the Jets' coaches, had no effect on this season."
TB: "I can't believe he's still caught up in that '72 season. To me, I say God bless the Patriots. I think it's great to see another unbeaten season. The other thing is that it is obvious that remarks like this simply get the Patriots more energized to go out and whip teams. I don't blame them, either, for thinking that way."
HL: "Like I said last week, if you question their ability and their past championships, then you should be prepared to be crushed when you play them."
CM: "All of this talk is simply manufactured more because talk radio needs controversy. They love this good versus evil stuff. They don't simply want to say that the Patriots are 9-0. That's too boring for them. This is all gamesmanship for them and gives them something to talk about."
