Mattie T’s Week 17 NFL Recaps
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on January 5, 2011
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Star Player of the Game: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught 6 receptions for 102 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman on his 94-yard punt return:
“We knew we were going to get some chances this week with this punter (Brandon Fields) because he was prone to outkick his coverage, and he gave us a shot.”
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Star Player of the Game: Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson, who caught 6 receptions for 83 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Vikings quarterback Brett Favre on the final game of his 20-year NFL career:
“As a kid you always dream to just play in the NFL. I hope that people appreciated the way I played, the way I appreciated the game. If you just talk about head injuries—there’s been lots of discussion on that this year—it wouldn’t be worth it anyway. It’s time. I know it’s time, and that’s OK. It is.”
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Star Player of the Game: Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, who caught 6 receptions for 62 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Panthers head coach John Fox on his final game with the team Sunday, which ends his 9-year run:
“It’s been a heck of a run. A lot of good memories. I know I didn’t finish like anybody wanted. I would have never expected to have a nine-year run. If I was given the chance to do it all over again, I would.”
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Star Player of the Game: Raiders running back Michael Bush, who rushed 25 times for 137 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles on finishing just .02 yards shy of Jim Brown’s NFL record of 6.38 yards-per-carry for a season:
“I wasn’t even paying attention that I wasn’t in the record books. I wasn’t even worried about it. I was just going out there and just running the ball like I do every week. My goal is to go out and win. I’m disappointed we lost, but we’ve got to bounce back. We’ve got another week going. The Raiders don’t.”
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Star Player of the Game: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 15 of 22 passes for 280 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns.
Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward on the team clinching the AFC North title Sunday just one year after missing the playoffs:
“This year we came back. If you would’ve said at the start of the season we would have a 12-4 record, the only people that would believe you are the guys in this locker room.”
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Star Player of the Game: Jets running back Joe McKnight, who rushed 32 times for 158 yards.
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on appearing in just one offensive series before giving way to backup Mark Brunell:
“I was keeping the streak alive. Look out, Brett.”
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Star Player of the Game: Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, who completed 21 of 26 passes for 255 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees on his team needing to win 3 road games to get back to the Super Bowl:
“It’s all about what you do in the playoffs. This is what you play for. This is our moment, coming up.”
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Star Player of the Game: Ravens running back Ray Rice, who rushed 20 times for 77 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on possibly appearing in his final game Sunday:
“All I know is, officially today I’m no longer employed. Where I am right now in my coaching career is a different point from where I was eight years ago, and I think this football team is a lot different than it was eight years ago, and that’s good. … We’re in a good spot. Even though the last game didn’t finish the way we want with a win, for the coaches and the players, I’m proud of how they kept working. It’s a good springboard for the offseason for the football team, but I can’t answer where things are with me.”
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Star Player of the Game: Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings, who caught 4 receptions for 97 yards.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on their upcoming Wild Card game against Philadelphia:
“They’re a different team now. They’re very well-coached and they gave us some problems when we played up there.”
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Star Player of the Game: Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham, who caught 4 receptions for 101 yards & scored 1 touchdown.
Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield on the taughts the team received from Redskins fans after learning that Green Bay won:
“That shows you the state of their team—that they have to cheer about us failing. That’s when you have no success.”
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Star Player of the Game: Texans running back Arian Foster, who rushed 31 times for 180 yards & scored 2 touchdowns.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak on his status following Sunday’s game:
“I had a couple of talks with him this week but the bottom line, I asked him the last time I talked to him was to let me enjoy the week. Let me coach. Let me coach this game. We’ll sit down tomorrow and decide what’s going on. So he’s been fair to me and we’ll make that decision tomorrow.”
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Star Player of the Game: Cowboys running back Felix Jones, who rushed 11 times for 81 yards.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten on interim coach Jason Garrett, who finished 5-3:
“He demands a lot from the coaches and it is that commitment that allows us to be at our best and to play our best football and ultimately that is what it is about.”
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Star Player of the Game: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who completed 27 of 41 passes for 264 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns.
Manning on the team tying an NFL record with their 9th consecutive playoff berth:
“Consistency is doing your job every single week, every single year. I guess that’s what you try to be, a consistent player, a consistent team. I think for the most part, we have done that.”
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Star Player of the Game: Chargers running back Ryan Mathews, who rushed 26 times for 120 yards & scored 3 touchdowns.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on Mathews’ breakout performance:
“I mentioned to him, ‘Hey, this is the first game for next year. Let’s do something we can build on. He’s going to be a great runner for us, a great player for us. When you’re a rookie … a lot is being asked of you.”
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Star Player of the Game: 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 276 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns.
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on being swept to the 49ers for the second straight season:
“Those guys compete and they play hard no matter what the situation is. They had a tough week losing their head coach and those guys still were a resilient bunch of guys. We just have to find a way to beat these guys. They swept us the last two years and that doesn’t sit well.”
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Star Player of the Game: Seahawks wide receiver Ruvell Martin, who caught 3 receptions for 85 yards.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on becoming the NFL’s first division champion with a losing record:
“Whether it’s in college, in the BCS, or here in the NFL system, this is the system and I don’t give a crap about that. We just played it out and this is what happened. I’m sure that some other teams are a little disappointed in that, but there are some teams that are disappointed in the BCS system as well, but you just play it out the best you can.”
