CBS analysts Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf shared their thoughts on the Jaguars-Patriots matchup on a conference call today.
Here is some of what they had to say, courtesy of CBS' media relations department:
Phil Simms
(On Jacksonville) "If they’re looking for a physical football game, they’re going to the right spot. The Patriots love the action. I always say be afraid of the people who love the action. They’re not so concerned about winning and losing, they just want to ruffle it up a little."
(On Jacksonville-New England) "These are teams with two distinct styles. Who can win the early battles will determine the style of game it will be. That’s what Jacksonville is going to try and do…When you play the Patriots you try to play the game, get it into the fourth quarter and try to make the play that wins."
(On New England QB Tom Brady) "What makes him a great NFL quarterback is when you give him the opportunity, he can make the play. I don’t care about all the intangibles. That’s all wonderful. The intangible I look at first, if the guy is open 20-yards down the field, the coverage is tight – can you stick it in there? And Tom Brady can stick it in there. Oh, he’s open way down the field, you have to throw it 65-yards to Randy Moss? He can do that. His greatness of throwing the football has enabled him to do all this other stuff we always talk about.
(On New England being a television draw) "That big zero has gotten the nation curious. We’re all curious. I’m curious. I can’t wait. I want to see, can they do this (go undefeated)? Being an ex-player, and now a broadcaster, I find it extremely exciting. I’ve probably focused on the Patriots more this year than I have any other team since I’ve been doing television just because I find it intriguing."
(On possibility of an Indianapolis-New England AFC Championship and their rivalry) "You have two marquee quarterbacks who are always involved in this contest. The coaches are the same and a lot of the key players are the same. We’re going to see them again next year too. It has it all. It has that marquee value…It is one of the best rivalries that we’ve seen in a long time. It’s as good as I’ve seen since I’ve been following the NFL."
Dan Dierdorf
(On Jacksonville being the 'team nobody wanted to play') "Jacksonville got that moniker – “the team nobody wanted to play” because of how physical they are as a hard-hitting, muscular, testosterone-filled team. And I don’t mean that in terms of illegal drugs. I’m talking about a team that muscles up when they play. They are just a reflection of Jack Del Rio."
(On what impresses about New England QB Tom Brady from an offensive lineman’s perspective) "His physical toughness and leadership ability. You want to block your [butt] off for a guy that will stand back there and take a shot. You want to block for a guy that just radiates passion the way Tom Brady does. When you look at the performance of that offensive line of the New England Patriots, there is a whole lot of one-two involved because they don’t want to disappoint the undisputable leader of that football team. Tom Brady has every intangible that you would love a quarterback to have."
