The Week In Quotes: December 11, 2020

COVID HITS THE RAVENS

"It felt like I didn't play for a whole season. I was like, 'It feels good to be back with my guys.' Even in practice, walking into the locker room and stuff, I was like, 'Man, I couldn't wait to see you, your faces.' It was like two weeks that I didn't see those guys. I couldn't wait to get out there and perform for those guys, because I know how much it would mean for us to win games."

"I wouldn't wish that on anybody, though. It's not good to have."

-- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was in good spirits off the heels of an impressive Tuesday night performance, his first game since testing positive for COVID-19. Jackson said he still cannot smell or taste and had not returned to the practice field until late in the week. (BaltimoreRavens.com)

"Tell me why they pull me from warming up so I can go get tested... my s**t come back positive... I tested positive for Covid WTF"

"The crazy thing is I have the same damn routine.... this s**t do not make sense to me."

"Yea I'm going to go ahead and call it a quit for the rest of the season... I can't deal with this."

"Since I tested positive for Covid before the game do the game stop or go on? @NFL"

"I'm about to drink some wine and cope...."

-- Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant sent off several tweets after being pulled from the game for a late positive test minutes before kickoff. Tuesday night would have been Bryant's opportunity to face off against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. Bryant later assured fans that he was coming back, and to post pictures of their glasses of wine in solidarity. (Dez Bryant via Twitter)

OBJECTS IN YOUR REARVIEW ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR

"No. I'm not the type to worry about and look over my shoulder or any of those things. I think at the end of the day, I can play better. We can, as a team, and as an offense especially, play better. There's always going to be different things going on in the building or different chatter and all of that stuff. That's part of this business. That's what I signed up for. The scrutiny, the challenges, the adversity, all of it. I've got to handle it all -- the good, bad, and the ugly."

-- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz seemed unfazed and determined following head coach Doug Pederson's decision to pull Wentz for rookie Jalen Hurts in the third quarter of Sunday's game against Green Bay. On Tuesday, Pederson named Hurts the starter for Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints. Wentz signed a 4-year, $128-million extension last offseason (a deal that has yet to kick in); his contract counts $56 million against the Eagles' cap in 2021. (ProFootballTalk)

"I've been ready to answer the phone. It rang. I answered."

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my parents. My parents found out before I told them. As a kid, you grow up, you dream of opportunities like this"

-- Hurts on receiving the starting role. (John Clark, NBCSports Philadelphia via Twitter)

HORSES, PIRATES, THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME

"We've just got to finish strong. I mean, hats off to the Raiders. They've done an unbelievable job the past two games of presenting a challenge on third downs and in the red zone."

-- Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce references the wrong team on a Sunday Night Football on-field interview following his team's win over Denver. (NFL Update via Twitter)

"Playas mess up too."

-- Kelce's response to ESPN's Sarah Spain after she posted the clip to Twitter. (Travis Kelce via Twitter)

YIKES!

"We're in a valley right now, and we're down. But we're not out. Just the other day was Pearl Harbor day. You know, one of the biggest defeats this country's had. And we bounced back from that. And I kind of used it as an example with my staff the other day. We're down and out, but we're not dead yet. So we're gonna finish out the season the right way, and today we're gonna start with a good day of practice."

-- In the days following a 45-0 loss to the New England Patriots and falling to 3-9 on the season, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn compared the team's current status to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I like a timely reference as much as the next guy, but there had to be better examples than that. (ProFootballTalk)

PLAYING KEEPAWAY WITH DEFENSIVE BACKS

"I'm going to see if I can get to 500 before I throw 100 picks."

-- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown 400 touchdown passes despite only throwing only 88 career interceptions, and he already has his sights on the next milestone. Since 2018, Rodgers has nearly achieved the pace necessary to hit this goal: he has thrown 87 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. (ESPN)

A GIANT BETRAYAL

"I never thought I would play for another team besides the Giants. I never wanted to win a championship for anybody more than the Giants. It just was such a legendary place, I was very proud to be a part of that organization."

"I felt betrayed in a sense that this coach had tried to turn me against my brothers and my people. (The coach) was telling the young guys to stay away from me because I'm not a good person or not a good (team player) or not a good role model, this and that."

-- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has not played for the New York Giants since 2018, but pain from the breakup still lingers after all this time. (NFL.com)

DREAD IT, RUN FROM IT, THE CHIEFS ARRIVE ALL THE SAME

"I remember it was hard to stop them [while coaching the New England Patriots]. It's still hard -- it's probably harder now. ... They've got a lot of great guys over there. They've got a little bit of a killer instinct. [Patrick] Mahomes has got it. [Travis] Kelce's got it. [Tyrann] Mathieu, defensively, [Chris] Jones. When they smell blood in the water, they go after you."

"Who do you want to put on [Sammy] Watkins? Who do you want to put on Mecole Hardman? Who do you want to put on [Demarcus] Robinson? We've got to handle the backs, too. [Clyde Edwards]-Helaire's a good back; Le'Veon Bell's not a slouch, either."

"I wish we could have 14 defenders. That'd be nice."

-- Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores breaks down the logistics behind the near-impossible task of trying to stop the Kansas City Chiefs offense. (MiamiDolphins.com)

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

"Of course as we move forward I'm thrilled to know that it may not be that important whether you continue to play 12 or 13 games. Insert smile here."

-- Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick seems delighted by the prospect of the College Football Playoff allowing Big Ten and Pac-12 teams to be considered for participation despite not meeting the required number of games. In most other seasons, Notre Dame's lack of conference alignment means they do not play in a conference championship game, often falling a game shy of the required number. (Matt Fortuna, The Athletic via Twitter)

COOKIN' WITH GAS

"In their beginning years, they're like a fart in a skillet. They're just bouncing around everywhere. Like popcorn. You don't know where they're gonna be."

-- Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner lets loose a colorful analogy to describe the uncontrollable nature of young wide receivers. (Brooke Pryor, ESPN via Twitter)

COACHING 101

"I made a decision to try to ice the kicker, probably wasn't the best decision to make, but I called the timeout on that one. Probably if we had had that timeout, we might have been able to use it maybe to get a touchdown at the end of the half."

"Sometimes. I mean, hey, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. If he had missed the field goal, then boom, I would have been a genius, but he made it, so I'm a doofus."

-- Houston Texans interim head coach Romeo Crennel took ownership over the decision to ice Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship in a 26-20 loss. Blankenship made the field goal, and the loss of time out left the Texans with no time on their last drive of the half. (Texans Wire, USA Today)

THE POWER OF THE BROADCAST BOOTH

Joe Buck: "Justin Tucker since 2016 has made 70 straight inside 40 yards."

Troy Aikman: "It's nice when you've got a kicker like that that you can depend on and now we'll see if he keeps that streak alive."

JB: "I'm just gonna say he is. There's no announcer's jinx, come on."

JB: "Aaaaaaaaand he yanked it. No good. Who gets blamed for that?"

-- This was the exchange between Fox Sports broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed a 36-yard field goal on Tuesday night against the Cowboys.

"There are few things I relish more than affecting the outcome of kicks, no-hitters, wins and losses from the broadcast booth. It's fun. It's power that cannot fall into the wrong hands. Think about it -- had I not said what I said, Justin would have made the kick. There is zero doubt. I have sent a letter of apology to Tucker, the Ravens, their fans and Kim Jong-Un (just to be safe). I'm most fun at parties. All I have to do is say it and it the opposite happens. Please, Jimmy, don't let this secret get out. I beg you. People's lives and careers are at stake and I'm tired of being asked to parties."

-- Buck's official statement to Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina following the "announcer's jinx." (Sports Illustrated)

BILLS, BEES, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

"[Josh Allen] is my second-favorite quarterback."

-- Seattle Seahawks fan Rainn Wilson, famous for his role as Dwight Schrute in The Office, gives his (silver medal) endorsement to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.

"Assistant favorite QB, or assistant to your favorite QB?"

-- Josh Allen's response, channeling his inner Dwight. (Josh Allen via Twitter)

THIS WEEK IN SOCIAL MEIDA

THE PERFECT ENDORSEMENT DOESN'T EXI--

A thing I learned today: #Chargers OL Forrest Lamp has an endorsement deal with Lamp Plus, a lamp company. And this is his first signature lamp, called the Forrest Sequoia. A forest lamp from Forrest Lamp. pic.twitter.com/qRT2DdPJAt

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 9, 2020

-- Yes, that is in fact Chargers guard Forrest Lamp advertising his signature lamp, the Forrest Sequoia.

BEHIND THE HANDSHAKE

AJ Brown and Corey Davis handshake routine needs some work 😂 @Brown1arthur @TheCDavis84 @Titans pic.twitter.com/LA7axVgG6j

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 9, 2020

-- The handshakes and celebrations you see on Sunday take a lot of practice to properly execute. Just ask Tennessee Titans wide receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis.

THIS WEEK IN CHAD JOHNSON

Name a better duo than Pepe & @FrankieBallard, tonight at 9pm on @EPIXHD 🎸 pic.twitter.com/JxuTKeM23J

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) December 9, 2020

-- Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson has a jam sesh with Frankie Ballard.

Chad Johnson used to call Marvin Lewis and Hue Jackson up at 2am, tell em' that he was open and then hang up. 😂 pic.twitter.com/bmLT3tsSX7

— Kip Smithers 🏁 (@Chughes612) December 8, 2020

-- Johnson, in a conversation with former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, reminisces about the 2 a.m. phone calls he would make to Cincinnati Bengals coaches.