Pompous Mercury Morris ESPN Interview (1 Viewer)

[ChuckLiddell]

If this year's Patriots played the 72' Dolphins they'd destroy them.

If this year's Dolphins played the '72 Dolphins, they would destroy them too. The game has changed a bit over the past 35 years.

 

[patrickmcgroin]

They didn't even have lines on the field when the dolphins did it. There were holes in the ground due to a landscapers strike. Even if the Patriots do win out, it won't be as impressive.

You have got to be kidding me????? I read somewhere that that specific Miami team faced what turns out to be the 2nd or 3rd EASIEST SCHEDULE IN NFL HISTORY, in a 14 game schedule, in the non-salary cap/free agency era. Honestly, a 14-2 season is just as impressive to me as Miami's undefeated season, and I CAN'T WAIT FOR A REAL TEAM TO GO UNBEATEN SO THAT WE CAN FINALLY BURY THE HATCHET ON THE ARROGANT FINS. (Even if that team has to be the Pats)

Yes it was a joke.

 

[phthalatemagic]

If this year's Patriots played the 72' Dolphins they'd destroy them.

If this year's Dolphins played the '72 Dolphins, they would destroy them too. The game has changed a bit over the past 35 years.

Please don't confuse Patriot fans. Their brains are soft enough

 

[Pipes]

Much as it pains me to say it, the Patriots achievement will be far greater, for these reasons:

1. 16 games.

2. Salary cap era.

3. The Patriots will have played Dallas, Indy, Pittsburgh,- excepting Green Bay, all of the other "elite" teams this year in football.

4. The Dolphins rarely threw the ball. They had a great defense, and a strong running game. They won the same way Jacksonville and Tennesee do this year. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, and Titans, they are currently in a league with several high-powered offenses (NE, Indy, Pitt, Dallas). These offenses are simply too much for teams like the Jaguars and Titans to handle. The 72 Dolphins never faced anything like that. If the 72 Dolphins were in today's leauge, even if the talent and skill levels were equal, they would still be in the same position as JVille and Tennessee.

Oh they'll get their shot at Green Bay too.

 

[menobrown]

I did not really have much of an issue with what Morris said. Sure he came across as a lot of the 72 Dolphins have which is an angry old man but a lot of what he said was true. In short he seemed to say lets discuss the Pats going undefeated when they've won more than 9 games. They are not even at the halfway point of what it's going to take yet and Morris was IMO just pointing that out.

Now, what Shula said was far worse. While Morris simply said lets let the Pats get closer to the finish line before starting all this talk he never indicated he would not recognize the accomplishment. Meanwhile Shula basically said in so many words even if the Pats go undefeated they should have an asterick. IMO he implied that if the Pats go undefeated they should not be held in the same esteem as his Dolphins and that's sour grapes.

 

[oneohh]

Because I am particularly ornery today, I have decided to weigh in on this rediculous debate. The fact is we'll never know who is the better team. Of course the Patriots seem better because they are now (and because they are a juggernaut). The hard part for me to decide is who is the more arrogant team. I get the feeling Belechick is the type of guy I'd end up headbutting if I ever met him. He makes Jerry Glanville look humble. And Brady's a friggin joke - does he ever give credit to the offensive line? This has got to be one of the greatest lines in the history of the game and all he can say is "freak run as far as you can... blah blah blah". Makes me want to puke.

This is an ESPN b.s. glory-story if I ever heard one. They have one more win than the Cowboys and the Packers. One more, that's all. I know they have hung some crooked numbers on some folks but so what. What the Packers are doing with Favre and that super young team is a much better story than those space cadets in Boston.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

And Brady's a friggin joke - does he ever give credit to the offensive line? This has got to be one of the greatest lines in the history of the game and all he can say is "freak run as far as you can... blah blah blah". Makes me want to puke.

You're joking, I hope.

 

[phthalatemagic]

IMO he implied that if the Pats go undefeated they should not be held in the same esteem as his Dolphins and that's sour grapes.

The Patriots were cheating. Why is this so hard to understand?

 

[Joe Bryant]

If this year's Patriots played the 72' Dolphins they'd destroy them.

If this year's Dolphins played the '72 Dolphins, they would destroy them too. The game has changed a bit over the past 35 years.

Please don't confuse Patriot fans. Their brains are soft enough

Please don't go there.J

 

[oneohh]

And Brady's a friggin joke - does he ever give credit to the offensive line? This has got to be one of the greatest lines in the history of the game and all he can say is "freak run as far as you can... blah blah blah". Makes me want to puke.

You're joking, I hope.

It's all him, right champ?

 

[Dickie Dunn]

And Brady's a friggin joke - does he ever give credit to the offensive line? This has got to be one of the greatest lines in the history of the game and all he can say is "freak run as far as you can... blah blah blah". Makes me want to puke.

You're joking, I hope.

It's all him, right champ?

You're so far off base that it's comical. Sorry to have to say that.

 

[mdog1967]

IMO he implied that if the Pats go undefeated they should not be held in the same esteem as his Dolphins and that's sour grapes.

The Patriots were cheating. Why is this so hard to understand?

Yeah the were cheating, so what. Really so what? Come on dufas tell me?

 

[oneohh]

And Brady's a friggin joke - does he ever give credit to the offensive line? This has got to be one of the greatest lines in the history of the game and all he can say is "freak run as far as you can... blah blah blah". Makes me want to puke.

You're joking, I hope.

It's all him, right champ?

You're so far off base that it's comical. Sorry to have to say that.

Don't be sorry, champ. Justify your comments. Unless you're still sleeping in your Tom Brady underoos. If you're going to tell me that he's doing what he's doing despite the shortcomings of that team you can save it cause it's just not true.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Has anyone seen a post that says anything about the Patriots and class lately? Kinda ironic huh?

No, it's telling.

What ?, your an a**.

If that was your edited comment, I'd hate to see what you originally said.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Yeah the were cheating, so what. Really so what?

So what they were cheating? If that is what it boils down to, then we are at an impasse. There is nothing either of us can say that will be reasonable to the other.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

If you're going to tell me that he's doing what he's doing despite the shortcomings of that team you can save it cause it's just not true.

Aside from the fact that your statement probably wouldn't make sense in any language ...Perhaps you've forgotten about the VISA commercial where Brady insisted that his offensive line teammates be a part of it, rather than the actors that the marketing company wanted to use.I know people who are inside that locker room every day, so I certainly don't need to justify what I know to anybody. If that's not good enough for you ... well, I can't help you. Go on believing what you want.

 

[Wrigley]

If this year's Patriots played the 72' Dolphins they'd destroy them.

It would be close, but yes I see this NE team beating the 72 Fins......but you must remember, most of the 72 Fins are in their 60's

 

[oneohh]

If you're going to tell me that he's doing what he's doing despite the shortcomings of that team you can save it cause it's just not true.

Aside from the fact that your statement probably wouldn't make sense in any language ...Perhaps you've forgotten about the VISA commercial where Brady insisted that his offensive line teammates be a part of it, rather than the actors that the marketing company wanted to use.

I know people who are inside that locker room every day, so I certainly don't need to justify what I know to anybody. If that's not good enough for you ... well, I can't help you. Go on believing what you want.

Ahhh, that's right, the commercial. That Brady is a stand-up lad after what he did for those linemen. I forgot all about the commercial. Oh and a credit card commercial to boot. All kinds of good people represented in your arguement. Oh and by the way, I hope they use his real-life illegitimate kid in his next VISA commercial. Gosh, and you know people in the locker room too? Well you certainly have brought up some good points. I stand corrected. It's all Brady. I'm glad you were in the room today champ. I mean that was really educational. The problem is that if you want to bag on someone because their argument is poor (or even non-existent) you do need to justify something.

I do have a question for you though. Are you a pats fan?

 

[Tanner9919]

ESPN has been running an interview in which Mercury Morris goes on a rant about the Patriots' pursuit of the perfect season. Before viewing the inteview, I really didn't have much interest in whether the Pats pull it off or not. I now find myself hoping they do it based on the Morris interview. Does anyone else who saw the clip share this feeling?I tried to find it on YouTube or ESPN, but I couldn't find the video.

I'm cool with it, he's a member of the ONLY undefeated team,he's got a right to gloat and brag..and, he's probably a little pissed off that the players today make MILLIONS while guys back in his day, barely made enough to make ends meet..many of the older vets are digruntled, many have been ripped off by the players assoc. for pensions they are due, etc..I don't begrudge any of the old timers. they made the league what it is today, and they've been given NOTHING in return from the NFLPA.I'd be pissed too, if some punter in 2007 is making 5 times what I was making as as starting RB back in 1972...I'd also be pissed at the NFLPA for turning a blind eye to guys like J. Unitas and Jim Otto..

 

[MarshallRob]

Seems like Mercury Morris has way too much time on his hands these days.

Of course he does, he's retired.

He's also suffering from a severe spinal injury that happened in 1973. He should be cut a little slack.Long After His Retirement, Morris Still Making Claims

At night, in a two-story house half an hour south of Miami, Mercury Morris sits at his kitchen table and sees himself as a real-life Tom Robinson fighting all alone. He is 60 years old, and football has left him with a spine that had to be fused together with pieces of a dead man's bone. Several doctors have told him the injury has destroyed important nerves and this gives him, on occasion, debilitating headaches that drive him to the bedroom in the middle of the day, where he must pull down the blinds and pile towels across his face

...

Morris knows the moment he broke his neck. It came on a "Monday Night Football" game in 1973 when he was tackled by the Steelers' Mel Blount on the hard artificial turf in Miami. He landed with his body twisted back and Blount falling on top of him. Years later, when doing an interview at the NFL Films headquarters, one of the producers found a tape of the game and Morris got to see it for the first time -- the awkward collapse, the way he hit the turf. They even gave him a DVD showing his neck breaking for posterity.

That night, the Dolphins' team doctor took X-rays and told him he had a sprained neck -- an injury through which he played the rest of the season. It wasn't until after the season was over and he had to take a thorough physical in San Diego for the Pro Bowl that the doctors noticed something was wrong. The AFC coach, John Madden, was the one who had to tell him he had two cracked vertebrae in his neck.

The California doctors told Morris they would have put him in a halo when the injury first occurred, he said. They told him he had to wear a neck brace for six weeks or face serious long-term problems. But when he got back to Miami the doctor told him the Pro Bowl physicians had overreacted and he didn't need the brace at all, Morris said. Conditioned by years of treating team doctors' word as gospel, Morris took off his brace and left it in the doctor's office.

Six years later, he finally would have surgery on the broken neck. Then, in 1986, he tried to get line-of-duty disability benefits from the NFL retirement plan that would pay him from $9,000 to $19,000 a month as opposed to the $2,500 or so he is eligible to receive. But after sending him to a plan-approved doctor, he was turned down when the doctor said he did not meet the qualifications of a line-of-duty disability, citing language in the plan that say a player must have had "surgical removal or major functional impairment of a vital bodily organ."

The article, from January, discusss Morris' rap song which was completed before the start of the 2007 season and therefore could have nothing to do with the Patriots.

 

[oneohh]

I'm not surprised that this is being treated like blasphemy by the pats fans. The 72 fins is a legendary team - for better or worse. This years pats could be too. All the oldtimer is saying is let it happen. I'm sure he's as sick of ESPNs constant hype as everyone else not in Boston.

 

[TinHat]

Even more hilarious in video. I generally dislike the way the Dolphins go about celebrating their undefeated season every year -- just seems like a bunch of bitter old men -- but this absolutely cracked me up.

I see a lot more bitter old men in the Shark Pool every time somebody mentions the the '72 Dolphins

 

[phthalatemagic]

Even more hilarious in video. I generally dislike the way the Dolphins go about celebrating their undefeated season every year -- just seems like a bunch of bitter old men -- but this absolutely cracked me up.

I see a lot more bitter old men in the Shark Pool every time somebody mentions the the '72 Dolphins

 

[Road Warriors]

I'm not surprised that this is being treated like blasphemy by the pats fans. The 72 fins is a legendary team - for better or worse. This years pats could be too. All the oldtimer is saying is let it happen. I'm sure he's as sick of ESPNs constant hype as everyone else not in Boston.

Most of the comments in this thread are not from pats fans. I have seen a number of ( to paraphrase ) " I can't wait for somebody to shut up the 'phins. Even if it has to be the Pats that do it" type posts. I'm a Pats fan. I read the Morris comments and thought nothing of it. He's right, and I love the analogy, call me when their on my block. There's a lot of football to be played. I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy the show.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Seems like Mercury Morris has way too much time on his hands these days.

Of course he does, he's retired.

He's also suffering from a severe spinal injury that happened in 1973. He should be cut a little slack.Long After His Retirement, Morris Still Making Claims

At night, in a two-story house half an hour south of Miami, Mercury Morris sits at his kitchen table and sees himself as a real-life Tom Robinson fighting all alone. He is 60 years old, and football has left him with a spine that had to be fused together with pieces of a dead man's bone. Several doctors have told him the injury has destroyed important nerves and this gives him, on occasion, debilitating headaches that drive him to the bedroom in the middle of the day, where he must pull down the blinds and pile towels across his face

...

Morris knows the moment he broke his neck. It came on a "Monday Night Football" game in 1973 when he was tackled by the Steelers' Mel Blount on the hard artificial turf in Miami. He landed with his body twisted back and Blount falling on top of him. Years later, when doing an interview at the NFL Films headquarters, one of the producers found a tape of the game and Morris got to see it for the first time -- the awkward collapse, the way he hit the turf. They even gave him a DVD showing his neck breaking for posterity.

That night, the Dolphins' team doctor took X-rays and told him he had a sprained neck -- an injury through which he played the rest of the season. It wasn't until after the season was over and he had to take a thorough physical in San Diego for the Pro Bowl that the doctors noticed something was wrong. The AFC coach, John Madden, was the one who had to tell him he had two cracked vertebrae in his neck.

The California doctors told Morris they would have put him in a halo when the injury first occurred, he said. They told him he had to wear a neck brace for six weeks or face serious long-term problems. But when he got back to Miami the doctor told him the Pro Bowl physicians had overreacted and he didn't need the brace at all, Morris said. Conditioned by years of treating team doctors' word as gospel, Morris took off his brace and left it in the doctor's office.

Six years later, he finally would have surgery on the broken neck. Then, in 1986, he tried to get line-of-duty disability benefits from the NFL retirement plan that would pay him from $9,000 to $19,000 a month as opposed to the $2,500 or so he is eligible to receive. But after sending him to a plan-approved doctor, he was turned down when the doctor said he did not meet the qualifications of a line-of-duty disability, citing language in the plan that say a player must have had "surgical removal or major functional impairment of a vital bodily organ."

The article, from January, discusss Morris' rap song which was completed before the start of the 2007 season and therefore could have nothing to do with the Patriots.

The man personifies jagoff.

Total class.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Has no effect on me. I am hoping they lose because in all honosty I'd like for my favorite team to be the first team to go 16-0 in a regular season. If they do, my hats off to the Pats and they deserve it because they've had as hard as schedule as anyone and never will I smear it with the talk of cheating as I know some people will.

If they do go undefeated this season, in the end it's that natural penalty, not the ones inficted by the NFL that will actually sting the most. Years down the road when the 500,000 fine or the 1st round pick doesn't mean squat, when talking about the greatest teams and seasons just as we do now every so often on these boards that little thorn in their side will be thrown into the conversation, whether it's warranted or not.

Truthfully, I'm very interested to see if Belichick will be coach of the year. If I was Goodell, along with that punishment of 500,000 and the draft pick, he should have said also that Belichick wouldn't be eligible for any end of the year honors.

I don't believe that was part of the punishment so I can't wait to see him get coach of the year the same year he was busted for cheating......

 

[ChrisHenrysDD]

Good ol' Mercury has to ruin the one claim to fame my high school has. I almost want to see the Pats do it now. What a loony toon.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

If you're going to tell me that he's doing what he's doing despite the shortcomings of that team you can save it cause it's just not true.

Aside from the fact that your statement probably wouldn't make sense in any language ...Perhaps you've forgotten about the VISA commercial where Brady insisted that his offensive line teammates be a part of it, rather than the actors that the marketing company wanted to use.

I know people who are inside that locker room every day, so I certainly don't need to justify what I know to anybody. If that's not good enough for you ... well, I can't help you. Go on believing what you want.

Ahhh, that's right, the commercial. That Brady is a stand-up lad after what he did for those linemen. I forgot all about the commercial. Oh and a credit card commercial to boot. All kinds of good people represented in your arguement. Oh and by the way, I hope they use his real-life illegitimate kid in his next VISA commercial. Gosh, and you know people in the locker room too? Well you certainly have brought up some good points. I stand corrected. It's all Brady. I'm glad you were in the room today champ. I mean that was really educational. The problem is that if you want to bag on someone because their argument is poor (or even non-existent) you do need to justify something.

I do have a question for you though. Are you a pats fan?

Sorry, but the burden of proof is not on me. You're the one who "thinks" Brady has no regard for his offensive line, and that you can judge his character based on what you see on TV or read in the newspapers or online. I "know" otherwise. You'll just have to trust me on that one, because I'm not going to betray the trust of people I know just to make you feel better.If it's not good enough for you, what can I say? I'll go on enjoying life ... yes, as a Pats fan, first and foremost. You go on enjoying whatever it is that makes you happy.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Sorry, but had to bump here for my good friend "oneohh"

FOXBORO -- Tom Brady’s offensive success so far this season has been close to unimaginable.

As the unbeaten Patriots prepared to square off against the Buffalo Bills tonight at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the veteran quarterback did so with supreme confidence, realizing that no opponent has been capable of successfully defending the NFL’s most potent offense. With seven games remaining, Brady has already established a Patriots single-season record with 33 touchdown passes, while tossing only four interceptions. He has completed an eye-popping 73.2 percent of his passes for 2,686 yards and established an NFL record by throwing at least three TD passes in each of the first nine games.

But while new receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth are generally cited as the primary reasons for the Pats’ almost-gaudy offensive statistics, Brady is quick to point out that everything has stemmed from the phenomenal work of his linemen. Center Dan Koppen, guards Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal and tackles Matt Light and Nick Kaczur have provided virtually unparalleled protection, resulting in just 10 sacks for 62 yards lost, which is tops in the AFC.

...

“I think they’re the key to the entire offense,” Brady said of what is unquestionably the team’s top offensive line of the Bill Belichick era. “They set the tone for running the ball and they’ve done an incredible job on pass protection.”

“We take pride in (the sack total), but that’s our job,” Koppen said. “Our job is to keep him clean and give him the time to find the receiver and throw the ball. But it’s not just us. It’s everybody working all together. It’s the receivers getting open, the line doing their job, the backs doing their jobs. It’s great to see (Brady) playing at the level he’s playing, but we’ve still got the second half of the season coming up now and we’ve got to keep what we’ve got going.”

“It seems like we’re always going against teams with a great pass rush, whether it’s Buffalo this week or Indianapolis two weeks ago,” Brady said. “All of these teams can rush the passer, but we’ve done a great job and the communication between these guys has been critical.”

Kaczur: “Obviously, it makes us feel good he’s happy with what we’re doing for him so he can put up the numbers he has and show the talent he has, but that’s what we’re getting paid for,” the third-year tackle said. “You have to remember that he helps us, too. He gets that ball out a lot of times very quick, which makes our jobs easier, and he knows if someone’s on an edge and he’s got to get it out or if he can hold the ball. It’s a lot of give-and-take between him and us, but he’s the type of guy you want to (protect) because of everything he does for us. We have a lot of respect for a guy like that.”

Mankins: “We’re happy for Tom,” third-year left guard Mankins said. “He’s a great guy and the better he does, the happier we are. But we’re happiest most that we’re 9-0. As long as we keep winning, everyone will be happy.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/footbal...ticleid=1045427

Sometimes this is just too easy.

 

[Statorama]

Since the video was confiscated in the first half of the first game this year the cheating angle doesn't apply to 2007.

Oh, so they just started this taping the other teams signals this year? Oooooooooook

 

[Statorama]

Does it Make You Hope the Patriots Go Undefeated?

No, because they would be FAR worse. Can you imagine a jackass like Rodney Harrison 10 years from now? Vrabel? It would be unbearable.

 

[golfguy]

No, because they would be FAR worse. Can you imagine a jackass like Rodney Harrison 10 years from now? Vrabel? It would be unbearable.