Posts Tagged ‘Roy Burton’

The Ron Jaworski Interview: Why Chip Kelly Will be a Success in the NFL and Why the Philadelphia Eagles Need Mike Vick

Monday, February 25th, 2013

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski is a man who needs no introduction in the City of Philadelphia. But alas, I’ll give it a try.

Jaws, as he is otherwise known, remains one of the most popular sports figures in Philly sports history.  His place in Eagles lore was solidified when he took the 1980 team to Super Bowl XV and was named NFL MVP that year.  He remains active in the area’s sports scene as president and part-owner of the Philadelphia Soul.

Jaworski is a popular fixture on ESPN due to his analysis and insights revealed through hours of film study as well as his affable personality, all of which contributed to Jaws’ role as a commentator on Monday Night Football for five seasons.

Jaws joined me as well as Roy Burton and Kris Domingo of the Broad Street Line podcast to talk Eagles quarterbacks, Chip Kelly, his famous nickname and its connection with the Philadelphia Sixers and an exciting announcement about the Philadelphia Soul.  You’ll also find out the new project that has Jaws feeling like a 31-year old again.

QUESTION:  The Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of a lot of transition, with Chip Kelly being the first new head coach in 14 seasons. We’ve had a chance to hear from Kelly briefly, but obviously there are so many questions about what he’s planning to do. What qualities make you believe that he can succeed as a head coach in the NFL, and specifically with the Eagles?

Jaws:  First and foremost, Chip Kelly has tremendous football IQ. He understands the game, and he comes from an offensive persuasion. I think in today’s NFL it’s so important that you have your offense in place. It’s a quarterback’s game. The quarterback is the most important player on the team. He is the heartbeat of a football team. So that’s one situation that Chip Kelly is going to have to clear up for the short-term and the long-term as well.

But what I really like about Chip, and I’ve watched his offense at Oregon for a number of years broken down on tape, tried to figure out what he’s trying to do and it’s very difficult to do that. Even a guy like me who’s a football wonk that studies all the tape–this guy is brilliant. He understands how to beat defenses. And he brings tremendous energy.

I know he is of the offensive persuasion, he cares about quarterback, but what I love is the energy he brings into the room that he will bring to the football team. That’s something you just can’t fabricate. I mean, he loves football and I think quickly the people of Philadelphia will understand that.

QUESTION:  Speaking of quarterbacks, right now there are three in the mix for the Eagles—Mike Vick, of course, Nick Foles and recently Dennis Dixon. Who do you anticipate succeeding the most in Kelly’s spread offense?

Jaws: I don’t think there’s any doubt it’s going to be Michael Vick. In fact, as Chip Kelly was hired I quickly announced that Michael Vick would be the quarterback, much to the chagrin of many people in Philadelphia who felt it was time to move on from Michael Vick and move to Nick Foles, or now we have a Dennis Dixon in the mix or whoever they deem in the draft or via free agency to acquire. But I think when you look at Michael Vick, he has a skill set that fits what Chip Kelly wants to run.  Mobility. The one thing, if you look at the Oregon offense, it’s not about throwing the football. It’s about a quarterback with movement who can run. Michael Vick can do both.

In the NFL it starts with throwing the football first. Mike Vick is still an outstanding passer of the football. We know he can run the football. Yes, he may have lost a couple tenths of a second in his 40 time, he may have gotten beat up a little bit over the past couple years, but even with those things going against Michael Vick he’s still a guy who can give you the burst, give you the big play.  I think he’s the absolute perfect fit for a Chip Kelly offense.

Then you go to Dennis Dixon, a guy that played with Chip Kelly out of Oregon, understands his system, has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been with the Baltimore Ravens. He understands what it takes to run this system.

Nick Foles is your prototypical NFL pocket passer. I don’t see his style fitting in to what Chip Kelly wants to do. That’s not to take anything away from Nick Foles because I think eventually he is going to be an outstanding NFL quarterback. But he’s not a guy who fits in the type of offense that Chip Kelly wants to run.

QUESTION:  What do you think went wrong with the team last year, specifically? Can we chalk it up to talent or a lack of effort or was there something else going on?

Jaws: When we talk about professional football I never use the term “lack of effort.” I think these are highly skilled professional athletes that are paid to do their very best no matter what the situation is. Now, maybe there were some situations where they lacked the intensity and enthusiasm that we like to see from teams that are contending for a Super Bowl, but I certainly don’t think the Eagles would fall into the category of a team that lacked effort. Andy Reid got the best out of his football team.

When you look at last season’s 4-12 record, you have to go back to two years ago when the team struggled at 4-8. I believe going 8-8 masked their deficiencies. They were not a good football team at 4-8, they got their season to 8-8, Andy Reid got another shot but it was clear to me that there were problems within the football team that they needed to make changes. Those changes were not made, consequently the team comes back, suffers some very serious injuries–there’s no question of that–the offensive line was decimated and yes you did lose Michael Vick, your starting quarterback, for a number of games. But I look at this Eagles team now, this downfall where they won only four games this year, eight the year before, 12-20 over the last two years. This started a couple years ago. So clearly, I think all of the changes were mandated by a 12-20 record so time to move in another direction, and they are.

QUESTION: Is it true that Sixers’ current head coach Doug Collins gave you the nickname Jaws?

Jaws: That is correct! Doug Collins was my next door neighbor when he was playing for the Sixers and I was playing for the Eagles and he came up with the nickname Jaws. Now, most people think it was because the movie “Jaws” was very popular in the early 80s, but Doug said every time he saw me my jaws were always flapping so he gave me the nickname Jaws and it has stuck ever since.

QUESTION:  We all know and admire your analysis on ESPN but you’re working on a new project that’s pretty close to home, as it’s about your health.  You found relief from arthritis pain with a product called Stopain. Did your time playing football exacerbate your pain? Tell us a little about how you found your way to the product.

Jaws: I’m a 61-year old guy who played professional football for 17 years and 25 years total playing the game so when you get to be 61 there are some bumps and bruises that act up every now and then. Like most guys my age we’re looking for something that will provide us with some immediate relief and I found that in Stopain.

Before I got involved in the company I actually tried the product for months. I wanted to be sure that it worked, that it did help stop pain, that it allowed me to play golf, it allowed me to move freely, that it deeply penetrated my joints. It allowed me to swing the golf club, walk the golf course for 18 holes. Stopain had a remarkable turnaround in my life as far as being athletic and wanting to move and doing all of the things that I have to do at this age.

QUESTION: You’re part-owner of the Philadelphia Soul. We heard that you had some news that you wanted to share about the Soul. Is there anything you’d like to tell us?

Jaws:  There are so many great things happening with the Philadelphia Soul right now. Our training camp opens on March 2. We open our season in Arizona, which will be a replay of the Arena Bowl championship of a year ago in New Orleans. Philadelphia unfortunately lost that game to Arizona but we have a tremendous football team. We are very, very excited about bringing a championship back to Philadelphia. In 2008 we won the Arena Bowl championship and we kind of felt that we remained the team that everybody looked up to. Of course, a few months later the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series and we feel that we removed the jinx of William Penn in the City of Philadelphia.

We feel very strongly about what we’ve been able to bring in terms of competitive football and championship football to Philadelphia. I think one of the really cool things that our ownership group of the Philadelphia Soul—Marty Judge, myself, Craig Spencer, Cosmo DeNicola, Pete Ciarrochi–we’re taking arena football to China. You heard me correct. We are taking not National Football League to China, the Arena Football League under the direction of our ownership group of the Philadelphia Soul is going to China. We are the only organization in football that is going to be playing football in China this fall. It’s very, very exciting.

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I know you’re sorry it’s over but I have good news for you—it actually isn’t. Be sure to catch the full interview tomorrow, Tuesday, February 26 at 6 pm via The Broad Street Line podcast for more from Jaws, including his thoughts on other quarterbacks around the league.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

Donovan McNabb Hits Mark with Anti-Twitter Rant

Monday, June 27th, 2011

By Roy Burton

Former Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb is like that crazy ex-girlfriend who’ll never go away.

He’s like the kid who interrupts the spades game at the family reunion just to tell you that he made honor roll in the third marking period.

But during his latest plea for attention last week – a week in which he worked out with the Philadelphia Eagles and appeared in a video telling his doubters that he’ll no longer throw bounce passes like Bob Cousy – McNabb actually had a moment of clarity. 

On Thursday, McNabb appeared on ESPN Chicago’s “Waddle and Silvy” radio show and offered the following:  “First of all, I’m not a fan of tweeting; I’m not a fan of Twitter.  Nothing against their program or what they have, but as an athlete I think you need to get off of Twitter.”

In response to players who criticize their fellow athletes on the social networking site, McNabb said:  “I don’t believe that that’s the right deal… So I think for an athlete to be twittering is the wrong move. It’s one that leads to the fans and let them comment on certain things, but athletes need to get off Twitter.”

He’s absolutely right.

For most athletes, Twitter is a no-win situation.

Milwaukee Bucks’ forward Chris Douglas-Roberts (@cdouglasroberts) gains nothing by telling his followers about the linen shorts that he wears while relaxing on the Cayman Islands (shorts that happen to be embroidered with the self-granted nickname “Flyonel Ritchie”).  Sixers’ center Marreese Speights won’t gain any fans with his jokes about overweight women who frequent IHOP, nor with his repeated pleas of “Free Lil’ Boosie.”

No one will deny that the service gives athletes an unprecedented way to reach out to their fans.  Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) is only a laptop or a cell phone away from connecting with his 770,000-plus followers, whether it is to ask them for advice, or to promote one of his off-court initiatives.

The flip side is that Twitter also allows fans to communicate directly with their favorite (or not-so-favorite) players like never before.  Previously, if someone wanted to rip an athlete, they would have to either call their local sports talk radio station, scream unpleasantries from their seat at the game, or sit down and compose a letter which wouldn’t likely be read.

Now, fans can tag their player of choice and fire off 140 characters of vitriol, a rant almost guaranteed to be viewed by its intended target the next time he (or she) logs into the social networking site.

New York Mets’ catcher Josh Thole (@josh_thole) shut down his Twitter account in May (calling it a “lose-lose situation”) after he was hammered with criticism during a hitting slump.  Sixers’ swingman Andre Iguodala closed his account (@AI9) early last season – either he didn’t see the value in having it, or he wasn’t able to withstand the heat from Sixers’ fans that undoubtedly ripped him during the team’s 3-13 start.

It’s not all one-sided, however.  Athletes have been known to start the fire themselves. The NFL lockout probably saved Steelers’ RB Rashard Mendenhall (@R_Mendenhall) from a suspension after his Osama bin Laden-related Twitter screed.  LeBron James (@KingJames) caught heat for his infamous “Karma is a b****” tweet, and then was utterly destroyed after posting “Now or Never” prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and then going out and scoring as many points that night as J.J. Barea.

For those in the public eye, social media can potentially be very dangerous, as former House Rep. Anthony Weiner (@RepWeiner) can personally attest to. But when understood and used correctly, it can also be a perfect way to engage with tens of thousands of people easily and effectively. In the sports world, however, we’ve seen far too many cases where athletes would have been better off if there was some sort of filter between them and their followers.

So while it may pain some Eagles fans to agree with him, McNabb is probably right.  Unfortunately, the majority of players will likely dismiss his advice and continue posting as they always have.  Hopefully, unlike former Rep. Weiner, they don’t get caught with their pants down.

Roy Burton of The Broad Street Line, for War Room Sports

Kris Humphries: Krazy in Love

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

By Roy Burton

Kris Humphries and bride-to-be Kim Kardashian

Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook was frequently criticized for his decision-making skills during the Thunder’s recently completed playoff run.  However, no NBA player has had a greater lapse in judgment during this postseason than Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets.

On May 18, Humphries proposed to Kim Kardashian – his girlfriend of six months – by giving her a 20.5 carat engagement ring.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Twenty-and-a-half carats.

Kim Kardashian's 20.5 carat engagement ring

For the moment, let’s look past the fact that a bauble that large pretty much has to be a blood diamond of some sort.  In the spirit of (potential) matrimony, it’s probably best that we don’t think about all of the people who possibly lost their lives so that Humphries could proclaim his love in such a foolish manner.

Now to be clear, if Humphries truly believes that Kardashian is the one that he would like to spend the rest of his life with, then I applaud him for making his commitment known to both God and man.

However, in my opinion, I don’t think he has any idea of what he’s gotten himself into.

Kardashian, 30, is a socialite who… really hasn’t done much of note.  Even so, she and the rest of her family pulled in an impressive $65 million last year, courtesy of their reality shows, endorsements, and other business ventures.

The future Mrs. Humphries is the most well-known figure in the brood; one can argue that her fame is due in large part to amateur videographer (and part-time R&B singer) Ray J, who documented his bedroom exploits with Kardashian in an infamous recording that has been seen by half of Western civilization.

Following her relationship with Ray J, Kardashian has been romantically linked to both Reggie Bush and Miles Austin.  These flings have kept her in the pages of both Sports Illustrated and People magazine, and have earned her a (perhaps undeserved) reputation as an athlete-chaser.

Now I’m not saying she’s a gold digger…because she clears way more money than anyone she’s been with over the past few years, athlete or otherwise.

Speaking of athletes, Kardashian is reminiscent of one who, coincidentally, was drafted by the New Jersey Nets.

Tim Thomas.

Much like the former NBA player, Kardashian looks the part and has tons of natural talent, but when you put on the tape (literally and figuratively), all you see is an individual who doesn’t appear to be maximizing their God-given ability.

In their defense, both Thomas and Kardashian have shown the propensity to step up during a contract year. And no matter the circumstances, there’s always a suitor at the door, hoping that they’re the one who can finally coax the talent out of them.

After six months, perhaps Humphries thinks he’s that man.  One thing that he clearly didn’t think about was the potential for uncomfortable situations with his bride-to-be.  It has to be somewhat awkward to take a woman such as Kardashian to your high school reunion or to your family picnic, considering that nearly everyone has seen her wares (not to mention the fact that she was as emotionless on the aforementioned video as Rajon Rondo).

Or maybe he just doesn’t care. 

A year ago, he was a journeyman NBA reserve who was sentenced to play his home games in Newark, NJ – a city best known for Mayor Cory Booker, Redman and the infamous riots of 1967.  Today, he’s a starter on a team destined for Brooklyn, fresh off of a career year (10.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG in 74 games) that will set him up for a huge payday once the free agency period begins. 

Humphries is playing with the proverbial house money at this point, so perhaps he’s trying to get everything that he can before the well runs dry.  But with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire this summer, it was fiscally irresponsible of him to spend $2 million on anything, especially considering that he has no idea when his next paycheck is coming. 

With a $3.2 million gross salary in 2010, Humphries likely didn’t even make enough in take-home pay to cover the cost of the ring.  According to Basketball-Reference.com, Humphries has made nearly $17 million during his seven-year NBA career.  So if he’s been smart with his money (like Cincinnati Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer), he may just have made enough to give Kardashian the scaled-down version of the Hope Diamond.

But, in all likelihood, Humphries is spending funds that he hasn’t even earned yet.  This is like a payday loan taken to the extreme – not even Montel Williams would approve of such frivolous expenses.

By comparison, L.A. Lakers’ forward Lamar Odom (who has actually made a decent amount of money in his career), gave Kim’s sister Khloe a nine-carat engagement ring two years ago.

Humphries clearly didn’t consult his future brother-in-law when he made his purchase.

In a society where married couples are now the minority, Kris and Kim should be congratulated for their recent engagement.  To celebrate the momentous occasion, Kim’s mother Kris Jenner threw an intimate party that included two miniature horses covered in glitter.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Miniature horses covered in glitter.

Russell Westbrook’s decision-making doesn’t seem all that bad now, does it?

Roy Burton of The Broad Street Line, for War Room Sports

The Miami Heat Are Officially a Problem: How Does It Feel?

Monday, May 16th, 2011

By Roy Burton

 

This one is for the haters.

For the people who hate LeBron James, despite the fact that he’s one of the best basketball players that you’ve ever seen.  For those who hate Dwyane Wade, who is pretty much just guilty by association at this point.  And even for those who hate Chris Bosh, who swears he’s tough, but in reality comes across as a man who – as Ghostface Killah would say – is softer than baby thighs.

For whatever reason, you may not like Miami’s “Big 3”, and you have every right to do so.  But deep down inside, tucked away in one of those places that you don’t want to talk about, you know the truth.

The Miami Heat are officially a problem.

To all of the haters, doubters and naysayers out there: How does it feel?

How does it feel to know that they’ve finally figured it out?  It took far longer than they (and some of us) expected, despite what they may have said at various points during the season.

But you can’t deny that they’ve turned it up another level this postseason, especially during their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics. 

A team that was routinely criticized as not being clutch came through when they needed to, outscoring the Celtics 55-31 during the 4th quarter and overtime periods of the final two games of the series.

The Miami Heat weren’t passed the torch of Eastern Conference supremacy last week – they ripped it from the Celtics’ old, dead hands.

Most of you don’t want to admit it. Maybe you still have some lingering resentment over “The Decision” (sponsored by Vitamin Water).

We can all agree that it was a poorly managed affair, spearheaded in part by Maverick Carter, who appears to have learned everything he knows about sports management from watching the first two seasons of “Arli$$” on DVD.

But who can blame LeBron for jumping at the chance to go to Miami? As a 26-year-old man, he gets paid an obscene amount of money to work with his friends during the day, and spend his down time enjoying the pleasures of South Beach.  If that’s not the American Dream, then it’s pretty darn close.

That being said, the situation this summer could have been handled better.  10 months later, James realized the error of his ways and apologized for the debacle that was “The Decision” (sponsored by Vitamin Water).  By that time, Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert was done penning missives in Comic Sans font, and busy sifting through the wreckage of a 19-63 season.

Perhaps you’re one of those still upset at the welcoming party/concert announcing the formation of the so-called “3 Kings.”  Shortly after signing the contracts that made their partnership official, James and Wade and Bosh proceeded to pose and preen and peacock their way through the American Airlines arena as they were greeted like rock stars by thousands of adoring Heat fans.

After the laser show ended and the last of the confetti fell from the ceiling, LeBron James made his now infamous “not one, not two, not three…” championship boast, predicting untold success for his new team.

Cocky?  Maybe a little.  But if their recent success is any indication, James might not have been too far off. 

And that bothers you.

It bothers you because your favorite squad probably can’t go the “superteam” route.  I’ve since reconciled the fact that barring an Act of God, my team of choice – the Philadelphia 76ers – can’t come close to a title in the foreseeable future.  I’ve accepted the Sixers’ place in the hierarchy of the NBA and have since moved on.

It might be hard for some people to come to grips with, but the reality is this: for the next few years, the fate of the Eastern Conference – and perhaps the entire NBA – lies in the hands of the Miami Heat.

Back in March, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned that a couple of his players were crying after the team lost its fourth game in a row.

It’s likely that this summer – and for several summers to come – there will be tears shed in the Miami locker room for an entirely different reason. This time, those tears will be dried with a T-shirt declaring the Miami Heat as the champions of the NBA.

Be mad.

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Roy Burton of The Broad Street Line, for War Room Sports

Roy Burton is one of the hosts of “The Broad Street Line”, a weekly sports podcast on Blog Talk Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/broadstreet).  He also serves as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and is a contributing writer for several other websites as well.  You can follow him on Twitter at @thebsline.

“He’s the best player in the world, and he may not even be the best player on his team!”
– Dan LeBatard on LeBron James