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CNN Live Saturday

NFL Commissioner Orders Rule Changes

Aired January 11, 2003 - 17:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: If you watch any of the remaining NFL games this season, you may notice that the guys in the striped shirts are doing things a little differently. The league's commissioner ordered the changes.
And CNN's Josie Karp joins us from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia where the Falcons take on the Eagles in a divisional playoff tonight -- Josie.

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. I'm outside Veterans Stadium where tonight could actually be the last football game at Veterans Stadium for the Eagles because after this season they move into a new stadium right across the street.

Of course, all of the fans gathered here tonight hope there's at least one more game for the Eagles. They're all Eagles fans. They want to play in the NFC championship game next week. They're getting a little bit rowdy. Everyone has been looking all week long forward to this match up of these two quarterbacks.

For the Eagles it's Donovan McNabb and for the Falcons it's Michael Vick, and the reason everyone is looking so forward to it is because these two guys have really changed the way that the quarterback position is played. They each have the arm of a quarterback, the heart of a quarterback, but the legs of a running back, so the similarities between the two have been talked about all week long, and McNabb for his part says he sees the similarities himself sort of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONOVAN MCNABB, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: When people sit there and they try to evaluate myself and Michael, I think they look at, you know, the scrambling yards and they look at, you know, maybe the passing yards and what we've learned. I look at it more into just how hard you work in the off season.

MICHAEL VICK, FALCONS QUARTERBACK: You know it's a great comparison being compared to Donovan, you know one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now, and you know the things he's accomplished over the last three years of his career is the things that I want to accomplish in the next two years of my career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARP: There's a little twist with McNabb tonight because he actually hasn't played in almost two months. He broke his right ankle back on November 17. He missed the last six games of the regular season so there is a question about just how mobile he's going to be, just how well he's going to be able to use those legs and if he'll be rusty at all.

And, Fredricka, I do want to get back to what you were talking about earlier about the officiating. A couple of things to look for all weekend long, the two main changes implemented by the NFL after the debacle last weekend. The first is there's a different alignment for the way that the officials are going to line up with teams attempt a field goal.

And the other is if there's a disputed call, at the end of the game that decides the game all of the officials will now confer to determine what the call should be. In the past, it was only the referee and the officials who had actually thrown the flags.

And all of this, Fredricka, as you mentioned is a way that the NFL is hoping to address the situation that happened last week when there was a blown call at the end of the Giants-9ers game and a lot of people think hey, maybe they should line up for one more play. That's obviously not going to happen but the NFL hoping with these changes that there's nothing like that situation again, back to you.

WHITFIELD: And, Josie, I'm sure it's going to be a full house. I already see a couple folks behind you kind of filing in. The doors have already opened?

KARP: You know that's a good question. I think the people are just starting to pile in now. The better scene though right now, Fredricka, is outside because you have people milling about. They've got the food vendors. There's loud music, radio shows going on, so especially because of the prime time atmosphere and these fans in Philadelphia being as rabid as they are, the scene is something to behold right now.

WHITFIELD: Always a fun sight. All right, thanks a lot Josie Karp from Philadelphia.

KARP: Thanks, Fredricka.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 11, 2003 - 17:55   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: If you watch any of the remaining NFL games this season, you may notice that the guys in the striped shirts are doing things a little differently. The league's commissioner ordered the changes.
And CNN's Josie Karp joins us from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia where the Falcons take on the Eagles in a divisional playoff tonight -- Josie.

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. I'm outside Veterans Stadium where tonight could actually be the last football game at Veterans Stadium for the Eagles because after this season they move into a new stadium right across the street.

Of course, all of the fans gathered here tonight hope there's at least one more game for the Eagles. They're all Eagles fans. They want to play in the NFC championship game next week. They're getting a little bit rowdy. Everyone has been looking all week long forward to this match up of these two quarterbacks.

For the Eagles it's Donovan McNabb and for the Falcons it's Michael Vick, and the reason everyone is looking so forward to it is because these two guys have really changed the way that the quarterback position is played. They each have the arm of a quarterback, the heart of a quarterback, but the legs of a running back, so the similarities between the two have been talked about all week long, and McNabb for his part says he sees the similarities himself sort of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONOVAN MCNABB, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: When people sit there and they try to evaluate myself and Michael, I think they look at, you know, the scrambling yards and they look at, you know, maybe the passing yards and what we've learned. I look at it more into just how hard you work in the off season.

MICHAEL VICK, FALCONS QUARTERBACK: You know it's a great comparison being compared to Donovan, you know one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now, and you know the things he's accomplished over the last three years of his career is the things that I want to accomplish in the next two years of my career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARP: There's a little twist with McNabb tonight because he actually hasn't played in almost two months. He broke his right ankle back on November 17. He missed the last six games of the regular season so there is a question about just how mobile he's going to be, just how well he's going to be able to use those legs and if he'll be rusty at all.

And, Fredricka, I do want to get back to what you were talking about earlier about the officiating. A couple of things to look for all weekend long, the two main changes implemented by the NFL after the debacle last weekend. The first is there's a different alignment for the way that the officials are going to line up with teams attempt a field goal.

And the other is if there's a disputed call, at the end of the game that decides the game all of the officials will now confer to determine what the call should be. In the past, it was only the referee and the officials who had actually thrown the flags.

And all of this, Fredricka, as you mentioned is a way that the NFL is hoping to address the situation that happened last week when there was a blown call at the end of the Giants-9ers game and a lot of people think hey, maybe they should line up for one more play. That's obviously not going to happen but the NFL hoping with these changes that there's nothing like that situation again, back to you.

WHITFIELD: And, Josie, I'm sure it's going to be a full house. I already see a couple folks behind you kind of filing in. The doors have already opened?

KARP: You know that's a good question. I think the people are just starting to pile in now. The better scene though right now, Fredricka, is outside because you have people milling about. They've got the food vendors. There's loud music, radio shows going on, so especially because of the prime time atmosphere and these fans in Philadelphia being as rabid as they are, the scene is something to behold right now.

WHITFIELD: Always a fun sight. All right, thanks a lot Josie Karp from Philadelphia.

KARP: Thanks, Fredricka.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com