With Michael Wilbon Washington Post Sports Columnist Wednesday, September 03, 2003; 2:00 p.m ET
Sports talk time in The Chat House! Michael Wilbon joined you with a special NFL preview. It all happened right here in The Chat House. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Michael Wilbon: Hi everyone. I'm here. --Mike
Sorry we are late. It's my fault. --Mary
Let's go. --Mike
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Fairfax, VA: I heard you on PTI yesterday talking about Drew Henson. You said he could not re-enter the draft, but all I keep hearing is he can. Why would he not want to wait a year and possibly be selected in the top 5 and make the big bucks. Your thoughts?
Michael Wilbon: Stat boy corrected that at the end of the show so you tuned out early. You've got to stay for the full 30 mins. That's why we have Stat boy for that. --Mike
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Clinton, MD: Michael
Thanks for taking my question. I have heard the football talking heads give the Redskins a season ending record of 5-11 or 6-10. What's your prediction with Ramsey staying healthy the majority of the season? In addition, do you think that Spurrier thinks too highly of his offensive play calling ability? During the last Redskins game he seemed upset that the players that he had on the field in the late fourth quarter could not score as if to say "I called great plays and they still could not score". What is it with him and do you believe that he is slightly, not completely, but slightly over his head?
Michael Wilbon: It's insane to make predictions of people staying healthy b/c that's beyond our control so none of us should waste a second trying to figure out who is going to be healthy. I can certainly see the Redskins having a 6-10 kind of season. Although, I am picking them to go 8-8. I can see them going 9-7, particularly b/c of the injuries to Michael Vick and Chad Pennington. But, don't get carried away and start thinking the Redskins are going to go 12-4. --Mike
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Columbia MD:
Mike,
Which rookies do you predict will burst onto the NFL scene this coming season? Which rookies given starting positions do you think will crash and burn?
Michael Wilbon: I'm not looking at rosters right now so it's going to be tough for me to do this right now and be comprehensive. So I think Detroit's rookie receiver, Rogers, will be a big-time player right away. People who read and listen to me know that I'm a big Byron Leftwich fan and while I don't know that he will play a lot right away, I think that the Jaguars will wind up starting him before the 1/2 way point of the season. I think the kid that Baltimore drafted, T Suggs, will also be an impact player, based largely on who he is playing w/on that Ravens defense. So those are a few off the top of my head. --Mike
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Alexandria, VA: With the loss of my man Tre Johnson...who is the go to guy for quotes?
Michael Wilbon: Good, good question. Important question. Smoot is my first choice. But remember, Darrell Green is also gone from that lockeroom. Actually, Smoot is not going to be my first choice b/c I'm an old guy and he's young. My first choice is always going to be Bruce Smith and next is LaVar Arrington who has a way of getting straight to the heart of every issue w/no wasted verbiage. LaVar, as we like to say, "cuts to the quick." So as a sports writer, I'm a big LaVar fan. And there are always linemen on every team who are simply smart, intuitive and analytical people who can explain what the heck is going on, why it happened and if necessary, why it should not happen again. --Mike
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Rockville, MD: Wilbon -
You're a beast! It seems like you returned from
vacation last week and had five columns in a row.
Keep up the good work!
Now for a question - With all these injuries during
the preseason (Vick, Pennington, Stewart, etc.),
there's been a lot of talk about changing the format
- including from you. But do you really think
anything will change, or will the owners just forget
about it after the season is over?
Michael Wilbon: First, thanks for the observation and compliment. 5 columns in a week is what happens when the Big Guns, Tony, Boz and Sally, are all at the beach at the same time..... I suspect nothing will be done. We all scream bloody murder in the immediate aftermath and I commend Ray Lewis as a veteran player who didn't wait to follow somebody else's lead, but jumped in right away w/ a responsible and well thought out opinion. But I don't think anything is going to be done. --Mike
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WOBURN ,MASSACHUSETTS: WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON THE PATRIOTS FOR RELEASING OUR BELOVED LAWYER MILLOY? THANK YOU
Michael Wilbon: The Patriots defense won't be as good and some other team will sign unexpectedly a veteran w/Super Bowl experience who is in the prime of his career who can still play at an all-pro level. Do I think it's going to have any sort of effect on how the NFL does business? No. --Mike
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Upper Marlboro, Maryland: With the Dallas Cowboys switching quarterbacks almost every other game, do they have a chance of being a 500. ballclub?
Who do you think they should start, and why?
Michael Wilbon: Why do you think they are going to switch QBs every other game? Bill Parcells has said that Quincy Carter is his starting QB and nothing in Parcells' coaching career suggests that he is going to change QBs like say Steve Spurrier? --Mike
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When oh When will my......: Michael, I have waited for two different rings in my lifetime. Got the first and I am getting married a year from now. The second would be the Superbowl Championship for my Pittsburgh Steelers. I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER! They have been good for so many years, what do you think the chances are for my team to come out on top?
Michael Wilbon: Are you getting a ring if the Steelers win? Wow. You must be pretty special. And congrats on your first ring. I'm picking the Steelers in tomorrow's paper to go to the Super Bowl. Last year I picked the Raiders and Eagles. So, I did ok. This year I'm picking Tampa Bay and the Steelers. The Steelers are loaded and I think that the difference between the Steelers and Miami is Bill Cower. I just think he's a better coach Dave Wannstedt. --Mike
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DC: Is Anthony Thomas going to show up this year for your Bears? Talk about a sophmore slump.
Michael Wilbon: I don't know who is going to show up for the Bears other than Brian Urlacher. The Bears could be just dreadful.... I mean, 4-12 again dreadful. Both lines are just terrible and the skill positions don't look all that good either. I'm terrified about the Bears season. --Mike
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Rockville,MD: Is the honeymoon over for Coach Spurrier ?
Michael Wilbon: Yeah, it's over. It's time for this team to win. Period. They've got players. Of course, a young QB can lead to everything unraveling. But, there's no reason for the Redskins not to think they should win now. I'm not picking them to win anything this year, but they ought to believe they can win 9 or 10 games, make the playoffs and then see what happens. The NFC is fairly weak. I only like 3 teams in the NFC: Tampa, Green Bay and the Giants to a degree. On that 2nd rung, I'll say Philly, St. Louis and maybe New Orleans. But there's no world beater in the NFC that the Redskins should be terrified of. --Mike
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Park Ridge, Illinois:
Mike,
If you hail from Chicago's South side why do you seemingly live and die with the Cubs. To borrow your verbiage, White Sox can't get no love?
Michael Wilbon: I don't hate the White Sox. In fact, I like the White Sox also and this will lead me to a quick story for the 50th time. I grew up in a very segregated Chicago in the 60s and 70's at a time when ballplayers didn't make a hell of a lot of money like they do now. And black ballplayers lived in regular city neighborhoods, in this case in black neighborhoods like mine. And that means ballplayers from both the Cubs and the White Sox. They were involved in the Little League programs and kids' daily lives b/c they lived in the community. So I knew a few ballplayers so I was not about to root against them b/c of some adult stereotype. I've always rooted for both. --Mike
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Michael Wilbon: Okay folks, I have to run. Short chat today... just a tease for next Monday when Tony will be back and we'll talk for an hour here in The Chat House. Enjoy the games tomorrow and thanks for coming today. --Mike
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