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Tony Dungy thinks the Colts did the right thing by pulling Manning in yesterday's loss to the Jets. Cris Collinsworth disagrees. But life does go on, so here are the Football Night in America Notes and Quotes from Week 16 of the 2009 NFL Season, as released by NBC Sports.

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA NOTES & QUOTES; WEEK 16

Dungy on the Colts: “You have an obligation to win the Super Bowl, not to go undefeated.”


Collinsworth on the Colts: “Peyton Manning has every right to be upset.”

NEW YORK - December 27, 2009 - Following are highlights from NBC Sports’ “Football Night in America.” Bob Costas hosted the show live from FedExField. He was joined on site for commentary by Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. Co-hosts Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, and reporter Peter King were live from NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios, covering the news of the NFL's 16th week. Tiki Barber reported from Lincoln Financial Field, site of the Eagles-Broncos game.

ON THE COLTS PULLING THEIR STARTERS
Collinsworth: “I would have been out of my mind to have an opportunity to have the best record in the history of the National Football League and I was not allowed the opportunity to go for that. Peyton Manning has every right to be upset.”

Costas: “It looks like Don Shula and company breathe easy for another week.”

Collinsworth: “This is a team that played in 1972 and yet we are still discussing what the Miami Dolphins team means to the National Football League. Peyton Manning is a football historian. He has to be absolutely crazy right now.”

Dungy on comments that the Colts should have played their starters: “I disagree. Peyton Manning is on board for trying to win a Super Bowl. That’s what Jim Caldwell’s obligation is. It’s not to go 16-0. It’s not to anyone else to help them get to the playoffs. It’s to get his team ready and he did what he felt was best to get his team ready. That’s the only thing he should be concerned about.”

Olbermann while doing highlights: “And then school is dismissed early. - Is it a problem that your quarterback is wearing a sticker saying ‘My name is Curtis.’? [Colts rookie QB Curtis Painter played in his first NFL game today] - Peyton looks like somebody stole his bike. - Mr. Manning is not happy, not happy at all. He stuck to the party line afterwards.”

Dungy on Jim Caldwell’s postgame comments: “You heard Jim Caldwell say it. A perfect season is never the goal. It wasn’t the goal in ’05. It wasn’t the goal this year. They made a decision early in the week on how they were going to play this game. They played this game to get ready for the playoff game. That’s Jim’s obligation. Everybody was on board with it. Everybody knew what was going to happen. The players were disappointed that the winning streak went by the waste side but they weren’t disappointed in how they did it.”

Harrison: “Players look at everything from a short-term perspective. That’s why Jim Caldwell is the head coach. He’s looking at the big picture.”

Dungy: “The Colts are trying to win the Super Bowl and they can’t play for everyone else.”

Harrison: “You have to prepare yourself for the postseason, the most important time of the year. They have an obligation to their organization.”

Dungy: “You have an obligation to win the Super Bowl, not to go undefeated.”

ON IMPROVEMENTS IN COLLEGE MINORITY COACHING
Dungy: “The NCAA has done a great job of implementing some programs but I think it was the college presidents and the athletic directors stepping up and saying, ‘We’re going to hire some good people.’ Charlie Strong at Louisville is just one example of an athletic director searching for the best person. I’m really proud we have four African-American coaches in the BCS now. That’s a big jump.”

ON THE SAINTS
Dungy: “They’re a very good football team but not a great team. They have some weaknesses especially on defense. They’ve been overwhelming people on offense and I think people have figured out, don’t give up the big play early and you can wear them down a little bit.”

Harrison: “They can’t stop the run. They’re terrible on third down and they rely on the big play too much. They’re not the same explosive team they once were early in the season. It looks like they’re really wearing down.”

Dungy: “They’ve got to be concerned.”

ON THE EAGLES
Dungy on players other than DeSean Jackson stepping up: “This was big for them. -
They found a different way to win and that’s huge going into the playoffs.”

ON THE RAVENS
Patrick: “I guess we can simplify the game for Baltimore. If you’re going to play stupid football, you’re going to lose.”

Dungy: “Coach Harbaugh said they played hard and they did. But they didn’t play smart. They didn’t play with poise and you’re not going to win games like this if you don’t play with poise.”

ON THE STEELERS
Harrison: “I like Pittsburgh. They have an experienced, veteran team, a good quarterback, they can win on the road, and they can rush the passer. I like this team.”

ON THE BENGALS
Harrison: “I still don’t believe in them. I still think they’re frauds. They’re not for real. In the last six weeks, they’re 3-3. You look at their three victories, they’ve been against Kansas City, Detroit and Cleveland. I’m not a believer. I think they’ll be done, first game (in the playoffs).”

Dungy: “They’re winning ugly but they’re playing defense, they’re running the ball. I think they can win a home playoff game. They’ll have trouble going on the road and beating San Diego or Indy but I like them.”

ON THE GIANTS
Dungy: “They really did lay an egg. The Giants have a lot of problems. It starts with their offensive and defensive lines. They couldn’t run and they couldn’t stop the run. Matt Moore looked like a Pro Bowl player today.”

Harrison: “The first thing you do when you play Carolina is stop the run. Put eight, nine guys in the box. Put 10. Stop the run. They’re too soft. They can’t stop the run. They can’t tackle, no gap responsibility. Just bad coaching and bad playing overall.”

ON RAHEEM MORRIS’ JOB SECURITY
King on reports the team is speaking with Bill Cowher: “A source told me that that isn’t true.”

Morris to King after the game: “I guarantee you if I was going to lose my job, they’d say something to me about it.”

ON URBAN MEYER
King: “Dan Snyder is the happiest man in the NFL right now. He wants Mike Shanahan badly and Mike Shanahan was very interested in the University of Florida job if they reached out to him. Now that Urban Meyer is back with the University of Florida, it appears, and I put appears in quotes, that Mike Shanahan’s best option to coach will be the Washington Redskins.”

ON THE SEAHAWKS
Olbermann: “Get a roll of stamps and mail it in.”

ON NEW 49ERS KICKER RICKY SCHMITT
Schmitt said in a recent news report that he had $11 in his bank account prior to being singed by the 49ers.

Olbermann: “He does not have change for a $20.”

COSTAS INTERVIEWS DEMARCUS WARE & JERRY JONES: Bob Costas interviewed Cowboys Owner/President/General Manager Jerry Jones and Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware.

Jones on the future of Wade Phillips: “When I look at our team and I look where our needs are and where our input needs to be, I like Wade Phillips’ skills there. I just want for him and for our Cowboys fans to culminate in a Super Bowl run. - There’s nothing in me right now that wants to make a coaching change, that thinks we need to make a coaching change. I want that feeling ratified by some success and we’re at the cusp, maybe, of being able to have it.”

Ware on his relationship with Deacon Jones: “[When I met him] He was teaching me, ‘DeMarcus, you need to do this next year. Make sure you do this. Put this in your repertoire. Put this in your tool box.’”