Fanhouse NFL Blog - nfl-real-talk

Bruce Bowen Calls Out the Cowboys for Not Having a 'Team First Mentality'

Will Brinson — 2008-12-30T16:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cowboys, NFL Fans, NFL Eliminated Teams, NFL Coaching, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk

The nice thing about being anyone on the San Antonio Spurs is that, well, you can generally sling criticism around; it's not a characteristic trait of any particular player on that team, but after so many years of solid team play and, well, just winning, they've got some sturdier walls than most glass houses.

Hence Bruce Bowen's recent comments to the San Antonio Express about the Dallas Cowboys, his favorite football team. See, it appears that Bruce, like every single person in the free world except Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips, doesn't think the Cowboys really have good chemistry.

"It's very disappointing," Bowen said of Sunday's painful showing by his favorites, "but character wins out over talent any day, at least in my book. You can see how infectious certain characters can be down the end of the road."

Bowen declined to name which of the Cowboys characters he considered "infectious," but he made it clear he believed the Cowboys were doomed by self-centered players.

Well, Bowen might have declined, but allow me: Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens and Roy Williams (the receiver). Of course, Pacman was probably more of a distraction than a totally destructive locker room presence, but still, anyone who thought bringing him to the Cowboys would result in anything positive is running a fool's errand.

And while Bowen is getting a bit aggressive in calling out another sport's players, what are the Cowboys going to do? Tell him he's wrong? Because, um, he's not.

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The Lions Have Bottomed Out, Now an Intervention Is in Order

Tom Mantzouranis — 2008-12-29T09:00:00 00:00

by Tom Mantzouranis

Filed under: Lions, Pressing Issues, NFL Fans, NFL Real Talk

The 0-16 Lions have officially done it. This is 0for08, FanHouse's eye on the Detroit Lions and their quest for a winless season.

It had to end this way.

That is, to say, if this is actually the end.

The Lions are addicted to bad football. I've tried coming up with a justification for so many years of substandard play as well as faulty personnel moves on and off the field, and I've come to the conclusion that they're simply addicts. It doesn't make them bad people, it simply means that they've embraced what we deem destructive as suitable to their way of life. They are a gigantic failure of an organization comprised of hundreds of individual enablers.

This isn't to trivialize or poke fun at addictions of a much more serious nature -- addictions come in all shapes and sizes, from manageable to fatal, from heroin to Starbucks. This is a unique variety, and the Lions are deep in it. Those close to the team, as is always the case with addiction, have suffered the most, and they've tried all they could -- walkouts, websites, effigies -- to pull the Lions out of their hole. But the thing about addicts is that they have to recognize their problem, and that only usually comes when they've bottomed out, when they've fallen so far that they have to choose to embrace recovery.

As the first team to finish a season 0-16, it seems obvious that this Lions era has officially bottomed out. But do they think so?

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Marino Watch, Week 17: Drew Brees Goes Down Throwing Haymakers

Tom Mantzouranis — 2008-12-28T16:40:00 00:00

by Tom Mantzouranis

Filed under: Saints, NFL Real Talk

(Getty Images)

The 2008 NFL season is inching closer to its end, while each passing week sees Drew Brees and Kurt Warner inch closer to Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084 passing yards, set in 1984. We chronicle their quest in this new feature, Marino Watch. Think of it as McGwire/Sosa, without 'roids.

What He Did in Week 17

Drew Brees (vs. Carolina): 30-for-48 for 386 yards, four touchdowns, one interception

Where He Stands

Drew Brees: 5,068 yards (16 yards away)

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Chris Johnson and the Curious Incident of the Towel Celebration That Didn't Get Fined

Will Brinson — 2008-12-26T16:30:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Patriots, Steelers, Titans, Pressing Issues, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

Chris Johnson (and his wallet) have already met the wrath of Roger Goodell this year -- Johnson celebrated an early season touchdown by wailing on some bongos and got fined. It followed then, that he would get slapped with a similar monetary amount after pulling out a flag attached to his waist and waving it around during a touchdown celebration.

But he won't, and PFT found out why, after emailing NFL spokesman Greg Aiello:

"It was a towel that is legally part of his uniform," Aiello said. "There is not a violation of rules."

"Due to past inappropriate acts while on the ground," Aiello wrote, "the player demonstration guidelines were modified two years ago to prohibit celebratory actions while on the ground. So it's a blanket rule (not a snow-angel rule). You can't go the ground to celebrate a play."

Of course, this also explains why Wes Welker got stuck with a $10K fine for being creative. But more than that, it points out what a rigid, Spanish Inquisition style of discipline Goodell is taking with the NFL. The logical thing to do with touchdown celebrations is review them case by case -- although admittedly that leaves a lot more room to wiggle on the appeal process -- and just say "at your own risk of being fined."

Then, when something funny humorous, quick and original -- like bongo playing or snow angel making -- happens, it becomes a "no harm - no foul, let's move on" scenario. And when someone behaves stupidly, they get slapped with a fine. Hard to see how too many people would be upset by that.

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Matt Lepsis Used Drugs on the Field and Then Retired (Because He Got High) to Preach

Will Brinson — 2008-12-26T15:30:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Broncos, Pressing Issues, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

Matt Lepsis is a fairly forgettable football name. He suited up as a Denver Bronco for 10 years before retiring last season. And his biggest claim to fame was probably winning a Super Bowl ring. At least until recently, when he told the Colorado Springs Gazette that he did a bunch of drugs while he was playing football, only to leave the sport and follow a higher calling.

"For the first six games of the year, I was high," Lepsis said of the 2007 season.

[...] "The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was get high, and I would try to stay that way all day long," said Lepsis, who won't say what drugs he used.

"I look back on it, and it was really foolish of me," Lepsis said. "There were definitely times when I wasn't even really there. I was physically there, but I was in another place mentally."

The scary part is that the NFL's drug testing didn't uncover Lepsis' problems with illegal substances. Oddly enough, he doesn't discuss exactly what drugs he was doing -- presumably the notion of being "high" would indicate marijuana but, according to what science says pot does to your body and brain, repetitively getting groped, grabbed, knocked around and pushed on the ground sounds pretty miserable.

The story in the Gazette immediately smells like a memoir of some sort, which has already been done by Jason Peters, but the good news is that he is in seminary, seeking to become a preacher. That, hopefully, should keep his message from being any sort of awkward public relations-filled fiasco. But that doesn't mean the media won't be all over this. And Roger Goodell's testing policies.

Via PFT

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Wes Welker Gets Awesome Christmas Present: $10K Fine for Snow Angel Celebration

Will Brinson — 2008-12-26T10:15:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Patriots, Pressing Issues, NFL Real Talk

So you know, the National Football League doesn't care what time of year it is. Okay? Got that? You do snow angels -- in the snow and on a football field of all places -- after a touchdown and you're going to get fined. Doesn't matter if Roger's supposed to be jolly for the season. And such is the case with Wes Welker, who just had to open up his purse for the NFL.

Welker said he wasn't sure if he would appeal, but he acknowledged his snow-angel-making days are over.

"It was a spur of the moment deal, and you can be sure that it won't happen again," Welker told Gasper.

Per NFL rules, players are not allowed to go to the ground for a touchdown celebration (unless it is a prayer). The official reason Welker was fined, the NFL confirmed today, was for "unsportsmanlike conduct for participation in an illegal demonstration by going to the ground."

Sadly, Welker's not ~~insane~~ "colorful" enough to do something stupid like change (or just create) to a religion that worships the Abominable Snowman and then try to appeal the suspension -- you best believe that Chad Javon would be all over that.

Of course, just because Welker complies wholeheartedly, well, that doesn't make the NFL fining people for doing snow angels or other colorful-yet-classy touchdown celebrations any less stupid.

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Brett Favre Is Starting the Retirement Pump-Fake Game Really Early This Year

Will Brinson — 2008-12-26T10:00:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Jets, Packers, NFL Fans, NFL Injuries, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk

There needs be no explanation of what a horrible person Brett Favre is simply for putting us through the torturous media coverage of last year when he couldn't make up his mind about retiring. Defend him all you want -- that was a total and utter nightmare to live through as a sports fan.

But if you thought it would be any easier this year, you were wrong. Dead wrong.

"There's some throws I personally think I can make, but at times I haven't," Favre said. "I attribute some of that to age. I think . . . the physical that every player goes through after the last game will shed some light on some things."

"This very well could be my last game," Favre said. "I'm aware of that. I'd like to make it a memorable one."

And this "could very well be" my last day at my job, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop everyone that walks by my desk to let them know that. Unfortunately, Favre is an attention junkie, so we all knew this was coming. He's already fashionably destroyed the entire Green Bay fanbase -- Aaron Rodgers' 5-10 season isn't helping matters -- and now it's New York's turn.

Unfortunately, they don't have the history with the gunslinger that the cheeseheads do, and there's a decent chance they just run him out of town when he tries to do the retirement shuffle. We can only hope anyway.

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Eric Mangini Uses Irrational Snowballphobia to Divert Attention From His Poor Coaching

Will Brinson — 2008-12-24T11:15:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Jets, Seahawks, NFL Coaching, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

Clearly the pressure of January is a bit much for Eric Mangini. First of all, his job is on the line. Secondly, he just lost to the freaking Seahawks in the snow (your team is from New York, dude). And finally, Shaun Ellis lobbed a giant chunk of snow into the crowd, causing quite the stir amongst the NFL's lawdogs.

Fortunately, Mangenius is smart enough to divert all the attention to Seattle security and his irrational fear of snowballs and their ability to blind humans.

"There were a lot of people that were hit with snowballs," Mangini said. "All you need is someone to get hit in the eye. It's just not a safe situation. It was disappointing to see that, but that stuff, we couldn't control that. How we can control it is how we respond."

"I thought there could have been more done to prevent what was happening in terms of the safety issues from the snowballs coming down," Mangini said. "But that being said, it doesn't justify us getting involved in any context."

Now, aside the fact that everyone and their brother has taken a snowball to the domepiece at least once or twice in their lives (and yet ... can still see out of both eyes), how about we just focus on the Jets for a minute. Clearly this is a team that lacks discipline (Ellis) and that hasn't been "coached up" properly, considering the nature of the AFC East and the firm command they had on the division just a month or so ago.

There are issues with fans throwing snowballs onto the field, but as Mike Holmgren pointed out, it's a "novelty" in Seattle -- if the Jets had taken care of business and won the game, we wouldn't even be talking about this.

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Tom Coughlin Might Be Reversing His Stance on Playing Time During Week 17

Will Brinson — 2008-12-24T02:00:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Giants, Patriots, Vikings, Pressing Issues, NFL Coaching, NFL Real Talk

It's entirely arguable that the way the New York Giants played in Week 17 against the Patriots, despite losing, propelled them into the postseason and eventually to a Super Bowl win.

Of course, you could also argue that such a discussion is pointless. Whatever. My main point is that Tom Coughlin typically -- as he wrote in a book -- does not believe in resting players in the final week of the season if there's nothing at stake.

"It is a difficult decision," Coughlin wrote after noting that many NFL coaches bench their stars in similar situations. "It becomes clear that the media and fans care more about a playoff game and therefore don't want our first-teamers to play. But I feel differently."

Naturally, then, you would expect to see every single Giant -- including Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs, both recently banged up -- playing full games against the Vikings this Sunday. Or perhaps not; it appears, judging by the somewhat hemming nature of a recent statement to the media, that Coughlin might have changed his tune.

"My answer to all of your questions will be that in conjunction with the medical people and with the idea of improving our game, having individuals perform at a higher level than we did in the last game, which is always our theme, we will do the best thing for our football team," Coughlin said.

"What's best for the Giants" and "Play every game like it's win or go home" are two entirely different statements. And while Coughlin isn't the type of guy to go back on his word, I don't think, he would be doing exactly that if the Giants don't pull out all the stops to beat the Vikings on Sunday.

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Confirmed: Ravens Knew About Jerry Jones' Scheduling Petition, Used It for Motivation

Will Brinson — 2008-12-23T15:00:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Cowboys, Ravens, NFL Coaching, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

Jerry Jones -- if the rumors are true -- made a serious karmic error by petitioning the NFL to schedule the Baltimore Ravens as the final opponent for the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Sure, at the time the Ravens had a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback, were coming off a disappointing season, and looked totally ripe for the picking at the hands of the unstoppable Cowboy juggernaut.

Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. But, as it turns out, the Ravens did get a whiff of what Jerry was up to, as Willis McGahee explained to me in an interview yesterday, and Jim Harbaugh used it for motivation.

Yeah our coach told us about ... you know they find out about the schedules in January, and you know, they wanted to schedule us for the final game in Texas Stadium, and our coach gave us a speech right before our meeting was over on Friday night ... and we knew it wasn't going to be no easy walk through for us or for them either.

So, yeah. That's pretty freaking awkward. And it goes to show just how lacking in humility and tact the Cowboys' owner can be at times -- he literally told the NFL, "I want to whip these guys silly as the last big fireworks show in Texas Stadium" (presumably because they were the only team to never play there?)

Obviously it's was an action that backfired heavily on him, but then again, most bulletin board material ends up that way.

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Marino Watch, Week 16: Kurt Warner Bows Out, Drew Brees Bears Down

Tom Mantzouranis — 2008-12-22T14:00:00 00:00

by Tom Mantzouranis

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Saints, NFL Real Talk

(Getty Images)

The 2008 NFL season is inching closer to its end, while each passing week sees Drew Brees and Kurt Warner inch closer to Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084 passing yards, set in 1984. We chronicle their quest in this new feature, Marino Watch. Think of it as McGwire/Sosa, without 'roids.

What They Did in Week 16

Drew Brees (at Detroit): 30-for-40 for 351 yards and two touchdowns
Kurt Warner (at New England): 6-for-18 for 30 yards

Where They Stand

Drew Brees: 4,683 yards (401 yards away)
Kurt Warner: 4,320 yards (764 yards away)

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Insignificant Vikings Wideout Laughs at Bears, Says They Will 'Blow It' Tonight

Matt Snyder — 2008-12-22T12:45:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Packers, Vikings, NFC North, NFL Real Talk

As if the Chicago Bears needed an extra boost of motivation for tonight's rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers. It's been provided anyway, courtesy of former unproductive Bears' wide receiver, Bobby Wade, who is currently a Vikings wideout.

"We need the Bears to blow it,'' Wade told reporters in Minneapolis with a laugh. ``Where are they playing, at home? Great. They'll definitely blow it.''

I don't know what's so funny. The Bears beat the Vikings 48-41 earlier this year in Chicago, and the Vikings blew the opportunity to control their own fate this week by losing to the Falcons at home. In fact, if you wanna talk about blowing it, the Vikings fumbled the ball seven times and lost four of them. This translated into a loss despite significantly outgaining Atlanta and winning the time of possession battle. If the Vikings didn't blow that game, the Bears wouldn't even presently matter to them.

Maybe Wade's laughing about how he's never mattered in the NFL, or that casual fans wouldn't recognize the difference between him and a used car salesman?

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Keyshawn Johnson Says He Doesn't 'Trust Jake Delhomme'

Will Brinson — 2008-12-21T13:30:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Giants, Panthers, NFL Coaching, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk

Keyshawn Johnson says a lot of things that are relatively unimportant. But as far as ESPN Sunday morning analysts go, he's not that bad. Still, it's probably a bit aggressive to dog Jake Delhomme the way he did this morning, considering that he was on the Panthers for all of, oh, one year.

I don't trust Jake [Delhomme]. I've played with him. He's a good guy and everything, but in this situation he'll try to do too much if they put the ball in his hands, try to throw hand grenades like in Green Bay.

Well, obviously Key missed that whole "Smash and Dash" thing -- you know, where the Panthers run the ball about 40 times to wear the defense down and let Jake do his thing on third down if he has to, while picking spots to hit Steve Smith downfield.

Additionally, it's not like Jake hasn't taken a Panthers team to the Super Bowl or performed at an All-Pro level -- he has. And to further the point, if the Panthers put the ball in Jake's hand tonight, well, that's just plain stupidity on the coaching staff's part; the plan, as far as anyone should be concerned, is nothing more than a heavy dose of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

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DeAngelo Williams Credits ... Vinny Testaverde (??) for His Breakout 2008 Season

Will Brinson — 2008-12-20T21:00:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Panthers, NFL Coaching, NFL Real Talk

DeAngelo Williams has had plenty of promise since he was drafted as a first rounder in 2006. But after two so-so years in terms of totals (his YPC were still stout) toiling behind DeShaun Foster -- for whatever reason -- he has finally exploded onto the scene in 2008, racking up 16 total touchdowns and 1,229 yards on the ground.

It was entirely possible that Jonathan Stewart could have taken over the roll of primary back this year too, keeping Williams from starting ... but obviously he didn't. So something must have happened, obviously, to spark this change in Williams' play. Turns out, it was a convo with Vinny Testaverde. Really.

[...]the once ageless quarterback who, before finally retiring at the end of last season, sat down the young running back and gave some wise, fatherly advice.

"I think he's probably impacted my season the most this year than anybody because of the conversation that we had before he left," Williams said Wednesday.

[...]"We had a lengthy conversation and everything he said to me made perfect sense," said Williams, Carolina's first-round pick in 2006. "From the film room down to work ethic and everything of that nature. He really left me with some things that really touched me and stayed on my heart, as you can tell from this season."

It makes complete sense -- Testaverde didn't have a 4,000 year NFL career by not preparing. But it's still odd to think about Vinny, who only played in Carolina for half a season, having such an impact on Williams, when they're two totally different players from, well, different generations.

The lesson, as always: Vinny >>> Mittens.

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LenDale White Sends DeAngelo Williams a Care Package With a Smash/Dash T-Shirt

Will Brinson — 2008-12-19T00:39:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Panthers, Titans, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

LenDale White is not going to let the whole "Smash and Dash" thing go. In case you missed it the first time around, he called out DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart for hijacking his and Chris Johnson's nickname and called them out publicly.

The Panthers' running backs kind of shrugged the business off and went back to not collapsing at the end of the season. LenDale, on the other hand, decided he wanted to really let them know who the real owners of the name were. By sending them a little care package.

Inside were two blue T-shirts featuring photos of White and teammate Charles (sic) Johnson that read: "Tennessee's Smash and Dash."

"These are nice," Williams said with a laugh as he held up a very large shirt. "I like them. But I wish LenDale had sent me one in my size instead of his."

Get it? Because he's fat. Which is a way more humorous insult than trying to grift an unoriginal nickname. The smart thing for White to do would probably be focusing on the Steelers game this weekend instead of trying to rile up a team that plays in another conference.

Not that it should matter much to Williams -- he knows darn well he just got snubbed for the Pro Bowl (he's the first backup) and you can most certainly expect he and Stewart to both run hard against the Giants Sunday night in what amounts to easily the most important game of the season for the NFC.

Tip of the cap to the O-Bubble

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Berger Went All Crying Game Scene From Ace Ventura After Walker's 'Slobber Moment'

Will Brinson — 2008-12-18T16:51:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Ravens, Steelers, NFL Real Talk, NFL Rumors

You know how the old story goes by now -- defensive back (Frank Walker) tries to take out kicker (Jeff Reed), so punter/holder (Mitch Berger) gets cheesed and goes after defensive back. In the heat of passion, defensive back spits in punter/holder's face, punter/holder pushes defensive back, the media freaks out about it and we all live happily ever after.

Or not. See, Walker has finally admitted that he did spit in Berger's mouth. Except -- get this -- he's trying to play it off as an accident. Or, a "slobber moment", if you will.

Frank Walker acknowledged that he spat in the face of Pittsburgh Steelers punter Mitch Berger, but the Ravens' backup cornerback called it an accident.

"It was just a slobber moment," Walker said.

Berger, naturally, still isn't buying this "accidental" business. That's probably because he was so upset that he spent the next 24 hours basically holding a plunger to his face.

The incident had a lingering effect on Berger.

"I think I kept spitting for 24 hours," he said. "I kept brushing my teeth. To have another man spit in your mouth like that ... it was gross."

And while I suppose you could twist that as homophobic, I'm going to get Berger's back here and say that I would probably be doing the same thing. Of course, he's a punter, so really, this is the most dangerous thing that's happened to him in like 15 years, but still: you never rub another man's rhubarb. Or something like that.

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Refs in the Hood: An NFL FanHouse Roundtable on Instant Replay Officiating

Matt Snyder — 2008-12-16T15:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Ravens, Steelers, AFC North, Pressing Issues, NFL Fans, NFL Real Talk, NFL Referees

As I mentioned in the Zebra Report, the controversial ending to the Steelers/Ravens game from this past weekend has caused NFL officiating and their use of replay to come under fire, not to mention the overall knowledge of NFL referees and if they should be asking for help on rules interpretation when under the replay hood. We NFL 'Housers figured we'd have a little discussion on the matter.

Bruce Ciskie: ProFootballTalk speculates that Walt Coleman didn't understand the rule on the Holmes "touchdown" in Baltimore on Sunday.

Mike Florio also cites the Steelers-Chargers finish and the "intentional grounding" on Aaron Rodgers against the Vikings as other examples of officials possibly not understanding rules. Obviously, the Rodgers play wasn't reviewable, but the other two were. When a referee goes under the hood, can he ask the booth what a specific rule is? I mean, I've seen the rulebook and I know it's insane. I've taken the NCAA officiating exam and done horribly at it, so it's hard for me to expect a human being to know every rule at all times.

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Marino Watch, Week 15: Things Are Taking a Positive Turn for Mr. Marino

Tom Mantzouranis — 2008-12-15T14:00:00 00:00

by Tom Mantzouranis

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Saints, NFL Real Talk

(Getty Images)

The 2008 NFL season is inching closer to its end, while each passing week sees Drew Brees and Kurt Warner inch closer to Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084 passing yards, set in 1984. We chronicle their quest in this new feature, Marino Watch. Think of it as McGwire/Sosa, without 'roids.

What They Did in Week 15

Drew Brees (at Chicago): 24-for-43 for 232 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions
Kurt Warner (vs. Minnesota): 29-for-45 for 270 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Where They Stand

Drew Brees: 4,332 yards (752 yards/376 yards per game away)
Kurt Warner: 4,290 yards (794 yards/397 yards per game away)

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Cedric Benson Thinks He'd Have 1,800 Yards if He Was Still on the Bears

Matt Snyder — 2008-12-12T12:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Bengals, AFC North, NFC North, NFL Real Talk

I've often said that Matt Forte is the antithesis of Cedric Benson, both on the field and off. On the field, he actually makes cuts, catches passes, and runs just as hard on each and every carry. Off the field, Forte is humble, gracious, hard-working, and he cares about his team winning football games. Oh, and he doesn't get arrested twice in the span of a few months.

Benson was the complete opposite of everything I said above. Arrogant, indifferent, lazy, running afoul of the law, unproductive, etc. With a recent quote, he proved he was also delusional.

''(Forte) is having a great year, but when I see the highlights, I see holes,'' Benson told reporters in Cincinnati. ''I see them using him in the slot, something they didn't do with me. If I was there right now with the holes I see, I'd probably have 1,800 yards right now. I definitely would have 1,500 by now. I congratulate him on all of his success. He is taking advantage.''

This is such a farce, I don't even know where to begin. I mean, 1,800 yards? With two games to go? Cedric Benson would be on the verge of a 2,000 yard season?

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LenDale White Accuses DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart of Hijacking His Nickname

Will Brinson — 2008-12-10T17:43:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Panthers, Titans, NFL Fans, NFL Media Watch, NFL Real Talk

Fat men are generally funny and that stereotype (just roll with it, okay?) appears to apply to LenDale White as well, if you hear what he was spouting off at a recent press conference.

See, White was asked what he thought about DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart being nicknamed "Smash and Dash" for their on-field running prowess. And, since White claims he already has proprietary rights on that name, he was none too pleased.

"If they want a nickname, I can nickname them: 'Identity and Theft,'" said White, who's successfully paired with the speedy rookie Chris Johnson this season. "...I was upset because I made that phrase up myself. I mean I made it up. I don't know about NFL Network and all those other guys. I heard somebody say, 'Batman and Robin,' that's like cute, that's for them. If they want that name they can have it. The 'Smash and Dash' is something I made up."

"We've got a copyright and everything for it, I'll make sure I show the documents," White said. "It's well trademarked and it's copy written. I don't know if we're going to take legal action or not."

He also went on to say that he had been "swacced", which apparently means "swagger-jacked", and is definitely my new favorite term.

Now, while I would personally prefer the Stewart - Williams combo (I think they're collectively much more talented than White and Johnson, although I do love the speedy ECU grab), the nickname "Smash and Dash" is vastly more applicable to the Tennessee tandem, in terms of running style. So, I'm willing to concede it to him. Besides, at least he didn't call them weak a ... er, nevermind.

Via Deadspin

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