Strength coach says Cardinals make him ‘want to drink heavily’
New strength coach says after first look, Cardinals ‘make me want to drink heavily’
Buddy Morris, strength coach of the Arizona Cardinals, was not impressed with the conditioning of players arriving for voluntary off-season work. “I saw some things that make me want to go home and drink heavily,” he said. Morris is well acquainted with this team, as he’s a holdover from the staff of Bruce Arians, who retired after the 2017 season and was replaced by Steve Wilks. Morris said he saw “some of our skill guys dragging.” He suspects players are spending too much time on social media instead of working out properly. “Not a fan of social media,” he said. “It’s ruined this country. So when my guys walk into their personal terrorist, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, that stuff is ridiculous.” He’s also no fan of personal trainers who may be more interested in sculpting bodies that look good on Instagram instead of training for football performance. “I’d rather have players do nothing,” he said, “because you have to correct everything.”
Between the Lines: Morris hinted at the sort of conflict that plagues the New England Patriots, with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski having a trainer espousing a program that conflicts with what the team’s trainers, physicians and head coach recommend.
Brees sues jeweler, saying he was ripped off for $9 million
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees filed a lawsuit against a San Diego businessman over jewelry purchases. Brees claims Vahid Moradi of CJ Charles Jewelers charged him $9 million more than their market value. The suit states that Brees and Moradi were close friends and that the dealer admitted he charged a substantial markup. Moradi’s attorney, Eric George, accused Brees of “bullying” his client because the jewelry, which included a diamond ring that cost $8.2 million, did not increase in value the way they had hoped.
Dear Drew: You should have known that jewelry stores are notorious for hugely marking up merchandise. Buyer beware. Good luck on this lawsuit.
Manziel says Browns ‘should have known I didn’t know the X’s and O’s of football’
Johnny Manziel, hoping to re-enter the National Football League, appeared on The Dan Patrick Show (NBC Sports Network) and was asked what he regretted most about his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns. He said: “If Cleveland did any of their homework, they would have known I was not a guy who would come in every day and watch film. I was a guy that didn’t really know the X’s and O’s of football. Nobody was there helping me with the X’s and O’s, and it was hard. I struggled.” He said the Browns had “a toxic quarterback room,” and he faulted Brian Hoyer for not assisting his transition to pro football. Manziel on Saturday played a game for the Spring League in Austin but did not show the lively arm and legs of his peak form. Some NFL scouts who saw him perform suggested that he should go to the Canadian Football League and establish himself there.
Dear Johnny: You’re trying to convince the NFL that your bipolar disorder is under control and you’ve changed your attitude . And here you are blaming the Browns instead of yourself for not being dedicated to football. You need more therapy.
John Harbaugh says Robert Griffin III is ‘a steal’ as a backup QB
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh professed enthusiasm over signing QB Robert Griffin III to a one-year $1 million contract after he spent all of last season being unwanted by the NFL. “I’m really feeling like we got a steal,” Harbaugh said. He sees Griffin as the backup to veteran Joe Flacco. Griffin, the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but after a severe knee injury in his first and only postseason, he has not been the same. He has had his moments, however, one of them being that he was the last quarterback to win a game for the Cleveland Browns: Week 16 of 2016.
Between the Lines: It’s no coincidence that Harbaugh announced his commitment to Griffin a day before he was going to testify in Colin Kaepernick’s lawsuit against the NFL. He needs to have a good reason for shunning Kaepernick, who has a similar skill set as Griffin but a better medical record.
First-round prospect Baker Mayfield says he won’t attend NFL draft
Baker Mayfield, QB from Oklahoma who is expected to be among the top five picks in this month’s NFL Draft, said he is not planning to attend the ceremonious event in Arlington. Instead, he’s planning to have his own draft party at his home in Austin, which is only a two-hour drive from Arlington. Rather than help the NFL, Mayfield is more interested in marketing himself. No doubt he will attract sponsors who will display their logos on his body or on his living-room walls. This year’s draft will have more television coverage than the previous ones. Fox is carrying it, along with ESPN and NFL Network.
Dear Baker: Considering that you already have a reputation of being a pain in the butt, it may not be such a bright idea for you to snub the NFL.
McNair regrets apologizing for comment about not letting ‘inmates run the prison’
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said he regrets apologizing for his controversial recommendation to fellow NFL owners that “we can’t let the inmates run the prison.” At the recent NFL Meetings in Orlando he insisted, “I really didn’t have anything to apologize for” and that by “inmates” he meant NFL executives, not players. He does not seem to care that he offended African-American players to the extent that some – most notably Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown – vowed that they would not play for him again. Former Texans players Arian Foster and Andre Johnson spoke out against McNair in Foster’s podcast last week. Johnson said he considered declining McNair’s offer to install him in the Texans’ Ring of Honor last November. “It was really touchy with me,” Johnson said. “I thought about not going to the ring ceremony.” Foster said he wanted to go to honor Johnson, “but I just couldn’t look at this dude in the face, because I’m not going to shake his hand.”