Angry Pope
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Coach Sapp? Not a chance
Rod Marinelli thinks Warren Sapp would make a great coach.
In a questionaire the Detroit Lions head coach filled out for the NFL’s annual kickoff release, Marinell named Sapp as the former player who would make the best coach.
Sapp takes his role as a veteran seriously. He is constantly quizzing the younger defensive lineman on their responsbilities, even giving Tommy Kelly written tests last year. He was conspicuous during training camp, giving pointers and and advice in between shrill insults and trash-talk.
So I asked Sapp the other day if he ever thought about being an NFL coach when his playing days were over. The answer was no surprise. It was the same answer I got from Rich Gannon a couple of years ago.
Sapp smiled and shook his head from side to side.
“No coaching for me,'’ Sapp said. “When you’ve played this game for as long as I have, you understand that that the coaches put in double the hours you put in. I talk to coaches about hwo their wives raise their kids, and that’s the position we as athletes pur our wives in when we’re playing the game. The last thing you want to do is play for 10, 12, 15 years and then go coach it. When do you watch your little girl or your little boy grow up? That really wouldn’t interest me.'’
I still get e-mails and questions regarding Gannon. I’ve seen the idea floated in comments by readers of this blog. There are fans who firmly believe Gannon would be the instant cure for Oakland’s lack of discipline and lack intensity on offense.
But the fact is Gannon, had absolutely no interest in coaching in the NFL. As hard as Gannon worked and as much as he prepared, he thought coaches were insane for the amount of hours they put in. He said he didn’t know how he could look his wife and children in the face if he went into coaching after his playing days were over.
So Gannon went into television. And that’s probably where you’re going to find Sapp.
Sapp worked at CBS for during a bye week while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At first he said no.
“My friend at CBS tells me, you’ve got to come. We’ll put you up at the Crowne Plaza, give you a master suite, come with your wife and you can shop in New York,'’ Sapp said. “So I said, all right, I’ll go.'’
Then in the studio, Deion Sanders wrote $1.1 on a sheet of paper and passed to Sapp.
“A look at him and say, `Are you kidding? A million dollars for this?,’ ‘’ Sapp said. “He shakes his head and says, `I fly in Friday night, do a production meeting Saturday and I’m in here in the studio for an hour. And then I do halftime, I do the postgame and I’m on the plane at 8 o’clock and I’m going home.’
“A million dollars. And that’s less than a day’s work. Are you kidding me?'’
Not that Sapp has no interest at all in teaching fooball. I tell him that Greg Biekert, the former Raiders linebacker, was the defensive coordinator at a local high school (Las Lomas in Walnut Creek).
“That’s different. Then you get a chance to actually mold somebody, actually teach them something,'’ Sapp said. “At this level, man, it’s like breaking bricks sometimes with some of these dudes. No thank you.'’
Rod Marinelli thinks Warren Sapp would make a great coach.
In a questionaire the Detroit Lions head coach filled out for the NFL’s annual kickoff release, Marinell named Sapp as the former player who would make the best coach.
Sapp takes his role as a veteran seriously. He is constantly quizzing the younger defensive lineman on their responsbilities, even giving Tommy Kelly written tests last year. He was conspicuous during training camp, giving pointers and and advice in between shrill insults and trash-talk.
So I asked Sapp the other day if he ever thought about being an NFL coach when his playing days were over. The answer was no surprise. It was the same answer I got from Rich Gannon a couple of years ago.
Sapp smiled and shook his head from side to side.
“No coaching for me,'’ Sapp said. “When you’ve played this game for as long as I have, you understand that that the coaches put in double the hours you put in. I talk to coaches about hwo their wives raise their kids, and that’s the position we as athletes pur our wives in when we’re playing the game. The last thing you want to do is play for 10, 12, 15 years and then go coach it. When do you watch your little girl or your little boy grow up? That really wouldn’t interest me.'’
I still get e-mails and questions regarding Gannon. I’ve seen the idea floated in comments by readers of this blog. There are fans who firmly believe Gannon would be the instant cure for Oakland’s lack of discipline and lack intensity on offense.
But the fact is Gannon, had absolutely no interest in coaching in the NFL. As hard as Gannon worked and as much as he prepared, he thought coaches were insane for the amount of hours they put in. He said he didn’t know how he could look his wife and children in the face if he went into coaching after his playing days were over.
So Gannon went into television. And that’s probably where you’re going to find Sapp.
Sapp worked at CBS for during a bye week while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At first he said no.
“My friend at CBS tells me, you’ve got to come. We’ll put you up at the Crowne Plaza, give you a master suite, come with your wife and you can shop in New York,'’ Sapp said. “So I said, all right, I’ll go.'’
Then in the studio, Deion Sanders wrote $1.1 on a sheet of paper and passed to Sapp.
“A look at him and say, `Are you kidding? A million dollars for this?,’ ‘’ Sapp said. “He shakes his head and says, `I fly in Friday night, do a production meeting Saturday and I’m in here in the studio for an hour. And then I do halftime, I do the postgame and I’m on the plane at 8 o’clock and I’m going home.’
“A million dollars. And that’s less than a day’s work. Are you kidding me?'’
Not that Sapp has no interest at all in teaching fooball. I tell him that Greg Biekert, the former Raiders linebacker, was the defensive coordinator at a local high school (Las Lomas in Walnut Creek).
“That’s different. Then you get a chance to actually mold somebody, actually teach them something,'’ Sapp said. “At this level, man, it’s like breaking bricks sometimes with some of these dudes. No thank you.'’