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NEWS AND NOTES FROM “NFL MONDAY QB” ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK

        NFL MONDAY QB returned to CBS Sports Network on Monday, Sept. 24, to recap Week 3 of the NFL season. Analysts Phil Simms, Rich Gannon and Steve Beuerlein discussed Michael Vick’s performance so far this season, as well as Cam Newton’s sideline demeanor against the New York Giants on Thursday night. 

      Led by Simms, THE NFL ON CBS lead analyst and Super Bowl XXI MVP, Gannon, Super Bowl XXXVII quarterback and 2002 NFL MVP, and Beuerlein, a 17-year veteran and 1999 NFL All Pro quarterback, NFL MONDAY QB brings together an elite roster of quarterbacks providing their unique and compelling opinions, breaking down the week’s games and focusing on how quarterback play impacted the games, key plays, clutch drives, crucial decisions, star performances, winning and losing efforts and much more. 

      CBS Sports Network Coordinating Producer Drew Kaliski produces. Steve Karasik and Tyler Hale serve as Executive Producers of NFL MONDAY QB.

      Following are excerpts from the show:

 

(ON MICHAEL VICK):

Phil Simms: I keep hearing how he’s going to change the way he plays and the decisions he makes on the field. But every week I don’t see the difference. He’s playing every play until the end: sacks, fumbles, interceptions. You can’t have that. 

Rich Gannon: He’s becoming a turnover machine. Six interceptions, five fumbles already this season. He’s careless with the ball in and out of the pocket. He’s missed a number of starts the past two seasons. He takes unnecessary hits. Michael Vick has to start playing better or we could see a change in Philadelphia.

Steve Beuerlein: If I’m the Philadelphia Eagles, he’s the only hope we have of getting this thing turned around. It’s still three games into the season. He has played terrible, no doubt about it. He’s shown he can do it in the past. But if he doesn’t get it turned around in the next week or two, it’s not going to happen for this Eagles team. And then we might see a change.

 

(ON DREW BREES, MATT RYAN AND JOE FLACCO):

Simms: I’m looking at Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, they’re finally getting an offense built around them. Drew Brees has had that his whole time with Sean Payton. So we see the difference. We see how important coaching is. I’m not knocking anything down there. I know it’s a tough situation. But the other two guys, what’s really caught my eye, now it’s about them. And they’re delivering the goods on the field.

 

(ON DREW BREES):

Gannon: He’s got a bad defense around him. He’s struggling a little bit right now, but don’t be misled. He’s a very talented player. Nobody misses Sean Payton more than Drew Brees.

Beuerlein: He’s not playing at the same level, whatever the reason. He completed 70 percent of his passes last year. Yesterday, barely over 50 percent. He’s not playing at that elite level right now. And he’s missing Sean Payton.

 

(ON CAM NEWTON):

Simms: When you’re a quarterback in the NFL you have to be a leader. Eyes are always on you. Your teammates are going to follow how you act. Even if you have to fake it, which you sometimes do in situations like that, you get up on that sideline and you cheer for your teammates.

Gannon: I think it’s a learning process with any young quarterback. Here’s a guy that really cares and it really bothers him when he doesn’t play well and the team doesn’t play well around him. He has to learn to control his emotions better and realize it has a huge impact on his teammates.

Beuerlein: It’s a maturity issue, in my opinion. Nobody likes to lose. Everybody hates to lose. That’s how you get to that level. Cam Newton hates to lose as much as anybody. But he needs to take a lesson from Drew Brees. Look at how Drew Brees handled himself after that game yesterday. He has to be able to handle himself with composure and realize everybody is watching him all the time. How he presents himself is going to be a positive or negative reflection on that football team. Very negative on Thursday night. He can’t have any more of those.

 

(ON MARK SANCHEZ):

Simms: Mark Sanchez should get a badge of courage or a medal of honor because he took a beating like a man. I thought he made a lot of plays under pressure, had some big drops down the field. No, he did not play perfect. And all we’re going to do is look at his numbers and dissect all of those. But I thought overall, he did something that all quarterbacks have to show to their football team. He was a tough guy. He persevered and helped the Jets win.

Beuerlein: I still think there’s a lot of room for improvement in so many ways with Mark Sanchez. But I’ve seen the flashes that I need to see. When he needed to step up yesterday and make some plays, he made some plays. I do believe that Mark Sanchez can get the job done. He’s taken this team to the AFC Championship twice. We’ll see if he can get it rolling again here as this season goes along.

 

(ON BLAINE GABBERT):

Beuerlein: He didn’t kill his football team yesterday. He made the big touchdown throw late in that ball game to give his team a chance to win. But most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. He has not thrown an interception all year. He’s doing a very good job protecting the football. And he stepped up and made a play yesterday for them.

Gannon: I think they’re being very careful with Blaine Gabbert. I’m not so sure that Mike Mularkey and Bob Bratkowski, the offensive coordinator, really trust Blaine Gabbert. Just 10-for-21 yesterday. They’re trying to keep those throws between 18 and 22 or 23 per game. They don’t have a lot of confidence right now in the receiving corps either. You look at Justin Blackmon, he has struggled. Really the only throw that he made in that game was the one that counted the most. That 80-yard strike to Cecil Shorts inside 60 seconds. That was huge for Blaine Gabbert’s confidence and for the confidence of that football team.

 

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