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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the midst of a horrible season in 2009. First-year coach Raheem Morris inherited a team with a large number of undrafted free agents. Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman was the starting quarterback. Management wanted a rebuilding year and it was ugly. Tampa Bay traveled on the road to play against New England in London. I covered the team and knew New England was going to shred Tampa Bay. Of course, Tom Brady threw three touchdowns during a 35-7 dismantling of the Buccaneers.
Morris was only 33-years-old that season. He decided to impose a curfew after the game. In theory, it sounded good. The team had a flight to catch the next day. Make sure the guys still treat this like a business. Help the guys avoid getting in trouble outside the country. Let everyone know who is the boss. What Morris did not fully understand at the point of his young career is trying to control professional athletes is the easiest way to cause a locker room revolt.
There were a group of players who ignored Morris’ demands. I was told they hit the town and partied. They did not give a damn about some silly curfew by their coach. When they arrived back at the hotel, Morris and members of the front office were waiting for them in the lobby. The people in charge point out the broken rules. That is when a star player began cursing and told Morris to either cut him or stop talking (expletive). The player said "you are not going to cut me" and told them to get out of his face. That player was right. He started the next week.
College football is mirroring the NFL. The transfer portal is similar to free agency. Name, image, and likeness deals are similar to professional contracts. Athletes are no longer playing because they love their school. They are playing to get paid. Athletes no longer must wait until after college to earn money.
It is a brand-new world for many college coaches.
It is a familiar world for Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian.
It should give Sarkisian an advantage.
Sarkisian spent multiple seasons in the NFL dealing with professional athletes. He was a quarterbacks coach in Oakland during the 2004 season. In addition, Sarkisian served as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018.
One of the main reasons college football coaches fail in the NFL is because they do not adjust to the culture. They control every aspect of the program in college football. Coaches grew up screaming at players like Sgt. Carter yelling at Gomer Pyle. They control every aspect of a player’s life. Nobody within the program is allowed to question their dictatorship.
Heck, if the local media asks questions or writes stories that make college coaches uncomfortable, the authoritarian will threaten to cut off access to the program in retaliation. That is why you see more college football websites that are cheerleaders for the programs they cover than objective sites.
That approach leads to failure in the NFL.
Just ask Urban Meyer.
Check out a portion of this USA Today article in December.
“Urban Meyer's woes continue. Former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo has accused Meyer of kicking him during the preseason in August before he was released.
"I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back," Lambo told the Tampa Bay Times. "While I’m in that stretch position, (Meyer) comes up to me and says, 'Hey (expletive), make your (expletive) kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg."
“He continued: "For a second, I couldn’t believe it actually happened… I said, 'Don’t you ever (expletive) kick me again!’ And his response was, 'I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the (expletive) I want.’"
Meyer came from a college football world where that kind of behavior was accepted. Nobody questioned him in Florida. Nobody questioned him at Ohio State. Local websites brushed everything under the rug and defended Meyer. College football reporter Brett McMurphy was the first reporter who challenged Meyer for allegedly covering up his assistant coach’s abusive relationship. Even after McMurphy’s reports, the university defended Meyer for as long as possible.
When Meyer tried to control professional athletes like players in college, it failed.
Allowing a woman who was not his wife to grind on him in public did not help.
College football coaches will need to change their approach going forward as they led a team full of paid players.
A player's coach will succeed.
A tyrant will fail.
When I arrived in Detroit, former defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had a Nebraska-red leather recliner in the back of the defensive line meeting room. Every other player sat at a traditional table with folding chairs. Nobody within the Lions organization was going to tell Suh, a first-round pick who signed a five-year deal worth $60 million, that he could not have a recliner. That is not how it works in professional sports. Eventually, Suh was questioned by the media about his approach, which led to him purchasing leather recliners for the entire room.
Yes, your stomach is churning after reading those stories.
Allow me to give you some hope.
NFL coaches understand they cannot rule players like tyrants. They also understand what motivates every player in the league.
Money.
Players want to win. They do not play hard because they love the Dolphins, Packers, Bills, Cowboys, Raiders, or any other team. Those guys give it their all because they want to get paid.
Period.
That motivation leads to self-policing within NFL locker rooms.
I have a great relationship with multiple members of the 2003 Super Bowl team. In fact, former Bucs quarterback Shaun King is the Godfather to my oldest son, Maximus. One thing I learned from them is that money as a motivator led to team success.
There were several unwritten rules within that Tampa Bay locker room that Warren Sappm Derrick Brooks, and John Lynch established.
You cannot be late for meetings.
Why?
You are messing with everybody’s money.
You cannot be late for practice.
Why?
You are messing with everybody’s money.
You cannot cause friction behind the scenes.
Why?
You are messing with everybody’s money.
Players must focus on winning as a team.
Why?
You are messing with everybody’s money.
Former Tampa Bay receiver Keyshawn Johnson was supposed to be the final piece of the championship puzzle. Tampa Bay had an outstanding defense. However, it lacked offensive weapons. Players on the team wanted Johnson. Tampa Bay traded for Johnson and he was a key offensive member of the Bucs’ Super Bowl team.
However, Johnson began to break the unwritten rules I previously mentioned. He became a distraction. When it was time to decide Johnson’s future, Bucs coach Jon Gruden sat down with his team leaders and wanted their opinion. Each one said they wanted Johnson off the team.
I found a press conference transcript of Gruden after Johnson’s release. This is what happens when a professional athlete puts the earning potential of his teammates in jeopardy.
“This is a guy we traded for four years ago, that I traded for, if you want. (I) love the football player. The kid came in and was very productive for us. He had a rocky relationship with the prior coaching staff, and somewhat with this coaching staff, and Keyshawn is a guy that will vent his frustration, at times, as we all know. But I don't think it is what our decision is based on. I think that it was very clear, by Key, that he viewed this as his last season here. He felt he had to move on. He made that clear to us.
"Following that, I really believe that Keyshawn's actions changed, and his approach to us, the organization and the team changed. A lot of mandatory workouts missed, a lot of team functions that are football related and not attended. And it became, in our minds, a problem, and needed to be addressed. We are trying to win football games and at some point you have to say that this is not in the best interest of winning. We had another path, which we could've taken, which is to go down the discipline path, which other teams have taken. But this isn't about money.
"We are not trying to get any money back from Keyshawn. We're not trying to make an example of, if you will, of Keyshawn. That was not the intent. We are working on trying to win football games. So, we felt like, at this time, it was in our best interest to make this move."
What is the biggest difference between Johnson and the players in London who broke curfew?
Johnson was a repeat offender.
Sarkisian is known as a player’s coach. Last season, Longhorn players took his kindness for weakness. They were accustomed to the tradition of screaming and yelling. Sarkisian was far from that.
However, as we move into the world of NIL, Texas needs a coach with expertise in dealing with paid athletes.
Sarkisian understands how to motivate players seeking contracts. He knows how to communicate with them in a language they understand - money. In addition, Sarkisian knows how to manage a locker room where a millionaire is starting alongside an undrafted player making the league minimum.
It is a brand-new world for many college coaches.
It is a familiar world for Sarkisian.
It should give Sarkisian an advantage.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
It is true. Focus on a different kid each time and your laughter will never stop
All he had to do was duck
Who needs Encanto when you have Eminem?
It is good to be the king
Ouch, Skip Bayless
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian addressed two interesting topics this week during an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
“Sarkisian said Texas will continue to adapt and evolve with name, image and likeness. Several media outlets reported that Longhorns standout wide receiver Xavier Worthy turned down a sizable NIL offer from another Power 5 program to remain at Texas.
"I understand it, I get it, Xavier Worthy was a heck of a player, a freshman All-American, broke a lot of records," Sarkisian said. "Of course, people were going to try and use NIL to entice him to go to their school, so you've got to proactive when it comes to those things."
“Other than the team's 5-7 record in 2021, Sarkisian has viewed his time at Texas as positive, especially the start to 2022. He said the climate around the program has been supportive and unified.
"Ultimately, we got to start winning some more games, I'm not naive to that," he said. "But as far as just people tugging and pulling and moving in different directions, no. I felt like everybody is moving in a positive direction. That was something that I challenged our fan base to do, our donors to do, our administration to do, was trust the fact that you hired me to do a job; let's get on board and let's all move in the same direction to make this thing special again."
2. Once again, when Texas leaves the Big 12, it should not look back. There is no need to play games against current or future Big 12 members. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte should focus on creating a non-conference schedule that allows the football program to gain momentum before facing SEC teams. If you told me Texas’ first three non-conference games were Rice, at Tulane, and Sam Houston State before an SEC schedule, no problem. Longhorn fans can enjoy a trip to New Orleans, watch a win, and Texas could increase its footprint in Louisiana. In addition, a 3-0 start doesn't hurt.
3. Texas should not be afraid to be Texas and flex in the NIL arena. People sitting in first-class are not ashamed because they are not sitting in coach. The Longhorns should embrace their financial power, pursue elite recruits in the future through NIL, and not apologize to anyone.
4. Speaking of Robinson, here is ESPN’s Todd McShay early 2023 mock draft prediction:
19 Philadelphia Eagles
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas*
Zero running backs were taken in Round 1 this year, but I expect we'll return to seeing at least one come off the board on Day 1 next April. After going cornerback earlier, Philly could look to spark the run game here. At 6-foot and 214 pounds, Robinson is a unique talent both as a runner and receiver. He piled up 1,127 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season, but he also caught 26 passes for 295 yards and four more scores. Miles Sanders is entering the final year of his current deal, and the Eagles played their best football last season when they leaned on the run.
5. Here is a throwback memory for Texas fans
6. Okay, place your bets now. I will set the line at 3½ years. How many years will it take for a college football program to ignore everything that occurred in Jacksonville and pursue Urban Meyer? Will you take the over or under?
Check out a portion of this recent USA Today article:
“Shad Khan insists that the usual reason for firing a head coach – a sorry win-loss record -- does not apply in the case of Urban Meyer. And no, he couldn’t wait.
“When you lose the respect, the trust and an issue of truthfulness, how can you work with someone like that?” Khan told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s not possible.”
“Meyer was dumped in December after 13 games (2-11) amid increasing controversy. After Meyer opted not to fly home with his team following a loss at Cincinnati in late September, only to be recorded at a bar in Columbus, Ohio, with a woman who was not his wife, the issues mounted.
“In reflecting on the state of his franchise under new coach Doug Pederson during last week's NFL draft, Khan made his most extensive public comments yet about Meyer.
“It was not about wins and losses,” said Khan, whose two coaches previous to Meyer, Doug Marrone and Gus Bradley, posted records of 25-44 and 14-48, respectively. “I think when you know someone is not truthful, how can you be around someone, OK? We had Doug Marrone here four years. We had Gus Bradley here four years. I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them. That’s why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that.”
7. No parent should have to bury their child. RIP, Du’Vonta. Lampkin
8. We are still waiting for one of Baker Mayfield’s teammates willing to defend him on or off the record. That speaks volumes.
9. Valterri Bottas continues to impress this season. Bottas was viewed as the weak link on Mercedes but is reminding everyone that he is an elite driver.
10. This is why boxing is so frustrating. Boxing fans begged for a third fight between Canelo Alvarez and GGG for multiple years. That fight was pushed back because boxing promoters are dumb. If Alvarez defeated Dmitry Bivol on Saturday, we finally get the trilogy on September 17. Instead, Alvarez lost and intends to invoke his immediate rematch clause. Now, the third fight between Canelo and GGG may never happen. Boxing always finds a way to ruin itself.
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