Previously Posted
Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore speaking of the team’s 86-win season that fell far short of the playoffs: “There’s an emotion, there’s an expectation, an excitement around this group of players. In a small way, I feel like we’ve won the World Series.”
Pablo Torre of ESPN’s Sports Reporters said of Sunday’s late night rescheduled Oakland Raiders game: “Inconvenient, but it’s consistent with what the NFL has long preached to players: Nothing good happens after midnight.”
Jeff Garcia, former NFL quarterback and now an analyst for NFL Network, said of Texans QB Matt Schaub, who has had four consecutive games in which one of his passes was intercepted and returned for a touchdown:
“He’s lost his confidence. . . . He needs to see the field better. He needs to re-evaluate game film. If it goes on any longer he’s definitely going to lose the team.”
Indiana coach Kevin Wilson, who broke a 16-game losing streak against Penn State, appeared on Tim Brando’s show on CBS Sports Network and discussed the increasing dominance of offense over defense:
“It’s the difference in college and pro. Each week those defenses have a different animal to attack because there’s so much diversity in college football.”
Worth noting, however: Denver and Dallas on Sunday combined for 99 points and 922 passing yards. Where’s the defense in the pros?
Steve Buerlein and Phil Simms on CBS Network’s NFL Monday QB discussed the sophomore jinx of Robert Griffin III.
Buerlein: “He had the major knee injury and I think it’s affected his mechanics. He’s not really planting off that injured right leg. . . . I think also from a leadership standpoint he showed a little immaturity coming into the season with the playing time thing with head coach Mike Shanahan.”
Simms: “He’s been humbled. I think that’s a great thing to bring him down to be one of the guys. . . . The injury may end up helping him. He’s learning to throw the ball from the pocket. He’s not throwing top-notch right now, but I believe that in the future he has the potential to be a great thrower of the football. I think he will become one.”
On the same show, Rich Gannon downgraded Miami’s sophomore QB Ryan Tannehill: “He has a 10-11 record as a starter. He’s been inconsistent. He’s had ball security issues. He needs to play faster. He’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. He’s been sacked 24 times in five games. When it’s clean around him he can be efficient, but when it’s not, he can’t carry the team just yet.”
But Buerlein pointed out: “He came to college as a wide receiver and was converted to quarterback in college. He’s still learning to be a quarterback and everything that goes into being a quarterback. His fundamentals, his leadership, his mechanics, all that stuff’s gonna get better as he goes along. I think he’s got an incredibly bright future.”
Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss their book about NFL concussions, League of Denial.
Fainaru-Wada: “You’ve got an NFL doctor confronting the ongoing evidence and saying, ‘Look, if 10 percent of mothers begin feeling that football is too dangerous, that’s the end of football as we know it.’”
Fainaru: “The experts on this issue will tell you it’s not the big blowup hit that’s causing these problems, it’s the repetitive head trauma that occurs on every play. And it’s the excessive pounding that’s endemic to football that’s causing it, and can you legislate that out of the game?”
Kyle Brandt of Rome, on CBS Sports Network, did not like seeing the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings playing in London:
“This is an 0-and-6 stink bomb. . . . It’s as if the UK was sending us its cricket clubs and setting up a game in Boston and expecting us to go. And do we really want NFL players in Europe. . . driving on the wrong side of the road? They can barely drive on the road in this country.”
The Arizona Diamondbacks did not appreciate the LA Dodgers celebrating their division-clinching by jumping into Chase Field’s pool beyond the outfield wall.
“I would expect them to act with a little more class than that,” said Willie Bloomquist. “I doubt the New York Yankees would do something like that.”
But Bloomquist’s teammate, Brandon McCarthy, tweeted: “Celebrating is fun. I don’t care how and where you do it. Only thing to care about is what we need to do to celebrate in our pool next year.”
“You can’t arrest me. I’m a Colts player.”
Rookie safety John Boyett, shortly before he was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement.
Tom Brady’s wife Gisele Brundchen described her new $20 million house in Los Angeles as “simple” and “cozy.” Others describe it as a castle. It even has a moat.
Mike Ditka on ESPN, asked about Josh Freeman’s future after asking to be traded from Tampa Bay: “I think he’ll have a good career in Hollywood.”
But ESPN’s Keyshawn Johnson sees “control freak” Greg Schiano as more of a problem for the Buccaneers than Freeman:
“Schiano needs to back down with his coaching style and take a different approach if he plans on coaching in the National Football League, because this isn’t college. You gotta treat guys with respect.”
Boomer Esiason on CBS Network’s NFL Monday QB, said Texans coach Gary Kubiak deserves some blame for Matt Schaub’s game-losing pick-6 against Seattle: “I absolutely hate the play-call. . . . This is the old Denver offense, lots of bootlegs, running the ball into the teeth of the defense. I hate it in this day and age. If you want the guy to make a play, put him in the shotgun and throw the ball down the field.”
The Houston Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon: “Schaubenfreude (noun) pleasure derived by defensive player strutting into the end zone with a Matt Schaub pick-six.”
Tim Brando of CBS Sports Network on University of Texas AD De Loss Dodds:
“Millions and millions and millions of dollars have been made, yes, but what did that really get you? You didn’t make the college baseball tournament last year, you didn’t make the college basketball tournament last year, and your football team has been . . . fairly embarrassing. . . .
“DeLoss Dodds is gonna stay on and be a consultant. The best thing this program can do is not listen to whatever he’s selling between now and 2015.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist of the Austin American, spoke on Brando’s show and questioned the credibility of Mack Brown: “He always tells us he just wants to win, he cares about his players, it’s not about his legacy. I think that’s baloney. I think everybody cares about their legacy, especially coaches.”
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer on the Yankees:
“They don’t have a heart, this team.”
Duke coach Dick Cutcliffe told Tim Brando of CBS Sports Network that he has a massive collection of notes provided by other coaches:
“In the era of pre-computer, you didn’t have storage other than your 3-ring binders. The last time I visited Bill Parcells he pulled out the biggest 3-ring binder I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema on Brando’s show discussed his relationship with the media: “I don’t know why people have to have an anti-friendly relationship with the media. It’s much better to get along than to hate each other. I think we’ve been covered fairly. . . . We haven’t been the most entertaining offensive group on the field.”
“karma”
That one-word tweet, by Bret Bielema’s wife Jen, caused a furor, as she posted it minutes after his former team, Wisconsin, lost to Arizona State because of officiating error. One Badgers fan responded: “It’s comments like this that make us all glad you’re no longer in Madison. Now you can just be an embarrassment to Arkansas.”
Fred Gaudelli, producer of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, vowed to reduce the coverage of violent hits. “There’s nothing to glorify about THIS,” he said. “It’s not really anything you want to hold up and say this is what makes it cool.”
Tim Brando, college play-by-play announcer and talk-show host, on Texas’ win over Kansas State: “DeLoss Dodds on the sidelines doing some sort of combination Jerry Jones/Tom Benson routine, with a slap on the back of old Mack. You’ve been reduced to that kind of celebration over beating Kansas State? . . . Kansas State fumbles on the way in to cut it to 3, or the game could have tilted the other way. And by the way, this just in to Texas: North Dakota State, the FCS (Division II) champions, beat that same team you barely beat at home.”
“The United States routinely spends more tax dollars per high-school athlete than per high-school math student – unlike most countries worldwide. And we wonder why we lag in international education rankings?
The Atlantic, October 2013 issue
Ex-NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Phil Simms discussed the problems of the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on CBS Sports Network’s NFL Monday QB.
Marino: “I do think they’re in trouble. . . . He’s really pressing, making throws he shouldn’t be making, or causing turnovers.”
Simms: “A quarterback has to judge his football team and play accordingly. Sometimes it’s about going all out. Other times it’s about pulling back. Ben Roethlisberger needs to pull back, because it’s not the same football team he’s played with for many years.
“If there’s friction between Todd Hailey and Ben Roethlisberger, it’s because Hailey is upset because his quarterback makes a lot of good plays but he takes too many risks.”
Giants safety Antrel Rolle issued some pointed comments about his teammates:
“Carolina came out and punched us in the mouth and we didn’t do anything. We’re still bleeding to this day. . . . We’re all friends with one another. But are we going out there and fighting for the guy beside us? Absolutely not.”
Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, who drew condemnation during training camp for shouting a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert, was involved in a scuffle with a black teammate, Cary Williams, during a recent practice session. Cooper insisted this incident had nothing to do with the former one. “He’s my boy,” he said, apparently not realizing that African-American men do not like for white people to call them “boy.”
Looks like more sensitivity training is in order.
Brian Urlacher, recently retired Chicago Bears linebacker who is now an analyst for Fox, created a stir by saying the Bears “had a guy who was the designated dive guy” who would fake an injury whenever the team needed a timeout. He was accused of violating an unwritten rule that players don’t snitch on coaches who are breaking the written rules.
Bob Kraft, New England Patriots owner: “With all the technology today we don’t build relationships. Music and sports bring people together like nothing else.”
Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, is not too sympathetic to Mark Sanchez getting injured: “I wish he hadn’t gotten hurt, but you gotta protect yourself.”
Not so easy to do, Woody, when coach Rex Ryan had him playing behind second- and third-string offensive linemen.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, asked by NFL Network which team is his favorite:
“I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. Giants fans are hateful of my rooting interest, but I became a Cowboys fan in the ‘70s when the Giants were bad and Roger Staubach was playing for the Cowboys. I’ve been a Cowboys fan ever since.”
The coaches for Notre Dame and Michigan engaged in a verbal duel before Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly said it was just “a regional game for us.” Brady Hoke responded by saying the Irish by canceling the long-running series were “chickening out.” After the game was over and the defeated Irish walked off the field, the loud speakers at the Big House blared the chicken dance.
Hoke created another stir when he disagreed with claims that his next opponent, Akron, is “a cupcake.” Hoke insisted, “It’s a glazed doughnut game.”
Eminem, rap star, made the least of his marketing opportunity when he appeared with Marshall Mathers and Brent Musburger in the booth at the Notre Dame-Michigan game. Asked what excited him most about his new album, he said, “Nothing.” The singer added, “I’m really uncomfortable right now.” End of interview.
Much nonsense emerged in the media conferences that followed the sacking of Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Head coach Mack Brown insisted Diaz’s “schemes have been good.” He would have you believe he was not at all bothered by Diaz running a nickel defense most of the game, while Brigham Young was pounding the ball for 550 yards rushing. Then there was the grudging admission by linebacker Jordan Hicks: “We could have played better.”
RBIII: “No one ever knows when they are a hundred percent. The biggest thing is I’m not below a hundred percent.”
So are you above a hundred percent? Who was your math teacher at Baylor?
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is 70, but he claims CAT scans show he has “the brain of a 40-year-old.” Equally reassuring to Cowboys fans was a statement by his son, executive VP Stephen Jones, who claimed he had “a secret sauce to put this thing back together again and win championships.”
Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship, speaking to Tim Brando on CBS Sports Network, said his team’s “ambassador,” a young golden retriever named Goldy, is so popular that she’s become a distraction. “Our guys love her. She comes out to practice, and they’re in the cold tub and getting pictures taken with her, and we were trying to practice next day and they’ve got all these cuddly little photos, and I said, ‘That’s great, but not when we’re trying to practice. Come on, men, we gotta get tough. . .’”
Jim Rome on CBS Sports Network said of the injury to Mets ace Matt Harvey that may keep him out all of next season: “He’s looking at getting his arm tied together with a tendon from his wrist or leg or a dead body. . . . That’s as Mets as it gets.”
Steve Spurrier speaking to CBS Sports Network of his NFL career: “I had the best job in pro football: backup quarterback. You don’t get hit, you don’t get beat up. And when the game’s over you ask the guys, ‘Where are we going to dinner?’ And they’re getting ice packs on their shoulders and arms.”
Asked about the workload of CJ. Spiller, Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said he will be carrying the ball “until he throws up.”
Head coach Doug Marrone objected to that image: “I think as coaches we need to be careful what we say.”
Aldon Smith is predicting he not only smashes Michael Strahan’s record of 22.5 sacks (with an assist from Brett Favre) but that he goes on to reach 30. Smith recorded 19.5 sacks in 2012, so he’s expecting more than a 50% increase in production.
“The bottom half of the Pac-12 is better than the bottom half of the SEC.”
Mike Leach, Washington State coach
Dear Coach:Isn’t this like debating who has the best army, France or Italy?
In its College Football Preview, Sports Illustrated predicted Texas A&M would finish No.3 nationally if Heisman winner Johnny Manziel avoids suspension. But more shocking than that, SI provided an alternate forecast: The Aggies will be No. 15 if Manziel does NOT play.
Asked about the workload of CJ. Spiller, Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said he will be carrying the ball “until he throws up.”
Head coach Doug Marrone objected to that image: “I think as coaches we need to be careful what we say.”
“I’ll say this about Rex Ryan: Two games into this, he’s coached his butt off. At the end of the year, they may not win many games. But if he keeps coaching at this level, this guy should be coaching again next year with a quarterback who might be able to win at that point.”
–Charlie Casserley, NFL Network, former general manager
Phil Simms, CBS Network, on Josh Freeman’s recent missteps, which include missing a scheduled public appearance: “When the coach and quarterback are not getting along, it’s hard on the football team. . . . A couple of warning signs for me with a quarterback: If he’s overweight he’s not the man. He can’t lead your football team if he’s not the hardest-working guy out there. . . .
Now, in all the years I played, were we (quarterbacks) ever late for a meeting, didn’t show up for a team function? Absolutely not. You always show up on time.”
“I can throw as well as A.J. McCarron or Johnny Manziel.”
–Connor Wood, Colorado Buffaloes QB
Maybe not: 3 turnovers vs. Central Arkansas
Mike Lupica of ESPN’s Sports Reporters on Johnny Manziel: “Not only does he not go down when you’ve got hold of him, he will play you all the way to the parking lot. . . They ring up a Nick Saban defense for 42, and at the end of the game Nick tells the other coach, ‘You took ten years off my life.’”
Bob Ryan of Sports Reporters on Alabama’s A.J. McCarron: “He’s having a season his girlfriend can be proud of.”
Dale Earnhart, Jr., told USA Today the manipulations that led to Martin Truex, Jr., being disqualified from NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup are “not that big a deal.” He explained: “The idea of doing that is commonplace. Drivers like myself created situations we needed. We’ve thrown stuff out of our cars and spun cars out.”
Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles, looking ahead to Andy Reid’s return to Philadelphia, said: “I know he has a lot of love for his Eagles. He worked there a lot of years and he probably wishes he was still coaching there.”