Below are news, notes & quotes from CBS Sports THE NFL TODAY with JAmes Brown, Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe, Bill Cowher and Boomer Esiason.
(On New York Jets Quarterback Drama)
BILL COWHER: This is a team that's scored just two touchdowns in its last 45 offensive series. So it's time for the Jets to get more creative. Here's my game plan. Usually you script the first 10 offensive plays. I'm going to do something different. Script my quarterbacks. In a typical football game each team averages 12 possessions. I'll have
Mark Sanchez play the first two series, then Tim Tebow would come in on the third one… This way I accomplish several things. #1, I get to see Tim Tebow run the full offense, not just limited plays. #2, I avoid disruptions to the offense like having the wrong personnel on the field. Finally, by not having Sanchez and Tebow on the field at the same time, you avoid mishaps… How do you break the news to
Mark Sanchez? I tell him we need a spark. And if the Yankees can bench A-Rod in the playoffs, we can certainly sit you down for a few series… Once the third series is done I would base my rotation on who is moving the team best. This would be a true competition between them and hopefully propel the Jets into the playoffs… Put the kid out there. He was successful in Denver. Give him a limited package. What have you got to lose? You have an offense that is 28th in the league right now. Play him.
DAN MARINO: What you have to lose is games. They have been losing games. And they will lose more games if he plays a lot. A quarterback needs continuity. They need rhythm. And if you're going to start to take Sanchez out and leave Tebow in there, where's the continuity? Your offensive line has to adjust. Your receivers have to adjust. What if
Mark Sanchez goes in, when he's in there, he scores two touchdowns? Are you taking him out of the game?
COWHER: No, I would leave it discretionary. But that's not been the case. There's been two touchdowns in the last 48 possessions.
MARINO: From a quarterback's perspective, pick your quarterback and leave him in there. If you want to play Tebow, put him in there and start him.
(On who is under pressure this week)
BOOMER ESIASON: Pressure points all over the place… it’s always about the quarterbacks. Two quarterbacks in particular that I’m looking at this weekend, it's going to be Aaron Rodgers going against the Houston Texans, and Peyton Manning going on the road tomorrow night against the San Diego Chargers. I expect Aaron Rodgers will throw the ball 50 times tonight against this Houston Texans defense. Don't be surprised if the same goes for Peyton Manning against San Diego tomorrow. Two quarterbacks that have to step up their game even better to win games on the road right now.
BILL COWHER: I think a defining moment for quarterbacks, when you talk about quarterbacks, is for Tony Romo. The last three games they've averaged 14 points a game. He has all these weapons. He's got DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, (Jason) Whitten, Austin Miles. Kevin Ogletree has stepped up. He's got a Top 5 defense. Four of the next five games are on the road. But if he does not produce, look for Kyle Orton, possibly, to get a chance. Because right now, he has to put up or shut up. It's a defining moment in his career.
(On Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers)
SHANNON SHARPE: I think they have some deeper issues, but let's get to the surface issues right now. They can't run the football, so that puts a lot of pressure on Aaron Rodgers and that poor offensive line. Aaron Rodgers doesn't always do a great job of getting rid of the football on rhythm. So now he's taking some unnecessary sacks. But what I see is a lot of finger pointing by Aaron Rodgers. I don't really know Aaron Rodgers, haven't been around him. But he strikes me as a guy that, it's always someone else's fault other than his own. I'm not so sure, I'm not so sure, that deep down inside, how well his receiving corps really likes Aaron Rodgers.
BOOMER ESIASON: I think you're alluding to the fact that Jermichael Finley said they're not on the same page. If you're the starting quarterback in the NFL, and one of the great ones of this era, like Aaron Rodgers is, you have to stay above the noise, the fray. You don’t have to worry about loudmouth tight ends spouting off to the media and all this stuff? The fact of the matter is, their defense last year was plus-24 in turnover ratio. This year they are minus-one. I know one thing, he will throw at least 50 times tonight in order to beat the Houston Texans. My sense is there is a ton of pressure on him right now because he doesn't have all of those pieces that he had around him last year healthy and effective.
SHARPE: I tell you what else, just because you're a great quarterback and an MVP quarterback that doesn't make you a great person. There is a difference between the two.
“INSIDE INFORMATION”
(On Kansas City General Manager Scott Pioli)
JASON LA CANFORA: According to my sources he was offered a two-year extension earlier this season by Owner Clark Hunt. Nothing has been signed. Nothing has been agreed to. There are some issues with language in there. But that in and of itself is a strong statement of loyalty from Clark Hunt at a time when fans and local media have been calling for the General Manager's ouster. Both Pioli and the Chiefs declined to comment on this report.
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