The writers of "Modern Family" are exceedingly proud of the show's 14 Emmy nominations. But if they had their way, the show would have at least one more.

Co-creator Steven Levitan and five of the show's writer-producers sang the praises of star Ed O'Neill Monday night (July 19) at a Paley Center "Inside the Writers Room" event. According to them, O'Neill led the cast in deciding that they all should submit themselves as supporting actors or actresses -- but he was the only one of the adult cast members not to score a nomination.

"Sadly, the unsung hero is Ed O'Neill," writer/co-exec producer Dan O'Shannon says. "... He's just so great. I think some of the stuff that's really great about him is sometimes maybe overlooked in the bigger comedy of the other characters. But he just really holds the show down.

Adds fellow co-EP Bill Wrubel, "He never feels the need to be the center of a scene. He's happy to kind of just do his line and react. His generosity on stage was really eye-opening. And he's super-fun to write for, because his delivery is just perfect every time."

Zap2it also asked the writers if they think the Emmys would do well to add an award for the best ensemble of a series, similar to what the Screen Actors Guild does at its awards each year.

"I think that would be incredible," Levitan says in the video below. "I think it's a great idea, and I love that award [at the SAG Awards]. ... It is an ensemble, and it's very hard to pick out who the standouts are."

Wrubel says such an award would be nice to see "not just for our show, but for all the other shows on television. TV shows are so much about their unit. It would be great."

Hit play to hear more from Levitan, including his thoughts on his individual nomination for co-writing the "Modern Family" pilot. And don't miss what he has to say about what's coming in the second season.