Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon Washington Post Sports Columnists Monday, September 08, 2003; 1:30 p.m ET
Sports talk time in The Chat House! Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon joined you to talk sports. 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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Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to The Chat House. We are glad to be here and we are glad you're here too. Tony is here, but is prepping for PTI so he'll be w/us in a second. Wilbon is on his way in and so I'll get him to start via cell. Hang tight for a sec. --Mary
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Fairfax, VA: Welcome back, and thanks for doing these chats! Very satisfying game Thursday - all the pieces seem to be meshing well. Give Ramsey a little more experience and who knows how far this team will go (baring injury). One concern is pass protection - is it just a matter of the line needing a little more time together, or are there so issues there?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Hi everyone. I'm here in person. We don't know anything about the pieces yet. See, here's a problem that all of us are guilty of when it comes to the NFL. We make these snap judgements off of one week. The Redskins beat the Cardinals last year in the opener, and people jumped to conclusions. But then they went south and people went crazy the other way. Here's my take on Thursday night: it was a nice win. That's all. The most significant thing to me was Spurrier's willingness to say I'm going to do what's right for this team and this group of personnel, even if that means running the ball.... which is not what he's known for. But I'm not ready to make a judgement one way or the other about anything else. It was a good win. Now they play Atlanta, another team w/out a starting QB, but w/a better backup than the Jets had. This Doug Johnson who is playing in place of Michael Vick went up to Giants stadium and beat the Giants last year and played very well in Dallas yesterday, which is something the Redskins haven't done in a dozen years! --Mike
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Rockville, MD: The Cowboys lost, but were you impressed by the QB? And what's up with Chicago?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: The QB, Quincy Carter, was ok. That's about it. I watched that whole game and he made some nice throws and made a terrible throw that was intercepted, but that happens to the best of them. Oh my God, the Bears. They are the worst team in the NFL. They are worse than the Bengals and it's going to get WORSE. They are already w/out 3 starting linemen from the playoff team 2 years ago. The offensive coordinator, John Shoop, is the WORST coach at that position since it was invented. The defense has no pass rusher in the absence of Roosevelt Colvin... it's a disaster. I think this could be the worst Bears team since 1969 when I believe they went 1-13. --Mike
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McLean, VA: Mike & Tony,
Should fans remain cautiously optimistic about the 'Skins' performance, or should last night's game be viewed as a prelude to an impressive season?
Thanks,
SamEl
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Fans should just watch the season unfold and CHILL. I mean, root for your team, support your team, but stop trying to read tea leaves. Who knows? THEY don't know! They seem to be very competent which is an improvement over the middle third of last season. They seem to have a lot of talented players on offense and defense. Special teams are noticeably better, but we don't know what that adds up to. --Mike
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Falls Church, Va.: Am I the only person out here who realizes that Spurrier doesn't hate to run the ball? Have any of the "experts" out there even looked at his college teams? The really good ones -ALL- ran the ball well. Heck, the two best skill-position players to come out of Florida were running backs: Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor.
Granted, it was surprising that he had a 34/20 pass/run ratio Thursday, but even last year, when many people (myself included) wanted him to run more, he was still only 54/46 pass/run.
Do you think the sports pundits will ever realize he's not averse to running the ball? Or will the fact that his offense isn't built around a "between the tackles" power running game keep them confused?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Spurrier will tell you he didn't want to run the ball. What are you talking about? From his mouth to everybody's ears: what do you think pitch-and-catch means? That's his phrase. Why do you think he threw the ball 50 times in Giants stadium and ran it about 17??? What have you been watching? Who have you been listening to? Clearly not Spurrier. That's why he deserves a lot of credit for what he did last weekend. If you listen to HIM, he said "I'm learning how to coach in the NFL." You wanna call him a liar? I think he's very honest and tells you exactly what's on his mind. --Mike
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New York, NY: Hey guys:
My friend I were talking about how everyone is obsessed with football, and he attributes this phenomena to the fact that 'football is the last true team-sport'. While this is an obviously over-generalized comment, I felt like there was some truth to it.
It seems to me that an owner can play fantasy league with its pro baseball team or its pro basketball team and still have success, regardless of team chemistry. Football, on the other hand, requires everyone to be on the same page at all times. Every unit needs to have chemistry, which is why talent-laden teams have failed miserably (think Redskins a few years ago) and seemingly mediocre teams have caught people sleeping on them. I think it is also why teams are willing to pay so much for a good coach.
That, to me, is what makes football so exciting.
Thoughts?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I don't buy any of that last true team sport junk. But I agree w/the bottom line. America loves football. It's once a week for only 17 weeks while the other sports just go on forever. It's on Sunday, it's uniform, we all know the times and the stations and no matter who is playing, we have learned like Pavlov's dog to root for the uniform, not the individual. --Mike
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Philadelphia, PA: Hey Mike,
Always enjoy your work. Question on tonight's game: Do the Eagles have a chance? I'm from Philly, and I love the birds, but they were SPANKED in the playoffs. As good as the Eagles are, there's sometimes a very odd stubborn streak in their game plan ... they come out with a very specific strategy and they won't change tactics no matter what. On the one hand, I guess it's good that they don't panic, but in their losses last year they usually looked completely dazed after halftime. Is Reid any good at in-game adjustments?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: A chance to do what? Win tonight? Do you mean beat Tampa? Or do you mean a chance to win the whole thing? They got a chance to do both. I think they've fallen behind Tampa and maybe even the Giants in the NFC. But they still have a good team, probably even a really good team. I'm going to taht game tonight and I expect Philly to beat Tampa. I think the Bucs are a better team, but I think Philly should win in its new stadium tonight. --Mike
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Terrapin Country, USA: Just a quickie. Are ther Terps really as bad as they have looked going 0-2 or was it just a bad game vs. NIU and a team that was just too fast vs. FSU? Your thoughts would be great.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Um, I think they'll still wind up going 8-4. The NIU loss was bad b/c they lost that game in the summer during camp when they got 4 critical players hurt. If you are going to play a good mid-America team on the road, you'd better go in healthy. I know Ralph likes to practice hard in the summer and that's always been his M.O.. --Mike
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New York City -- formerly Washington, D.C.:
How about trends around the NFL?
Anything you guys saw or heard that
is interesting? Officiating?
Thanks
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Too early for legitimite trends. Early stuff includes a bunch of good QBs playing terribly, starting w/Brett Favre who threw 4 picks. And a bunch of coaches doing a terrible job yesterday starting w/Mike Martz and including Dave Wannstedt. --Mike
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Water St., N.Y.: So, in the next tournament, would you take Tiger or the field?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Tiger. --Mike
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Washington, D.C.:
What happened to my Super Bowl bound Dolphins?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I didn't have them Super Bowl bound. It's a team run by 2 coaches who have been great assistants and absolute underachievers as head coaches. I'm talking about Wannstedt and Norv Turner. Great assistants, but in roles where they are making the big decisions, not good. --Mike
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Boston, MA:
All of us up here are clutching our stomachs and trying to catch our breath after that Pats-Bills game yesterday. One question after reviewing a truly horrible performance from top to bottom: is Tom Brady any good?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: You'd better look at the Bills appreciatively. They are good. Real, real, real good. And New England was reeling from the loss of Laywer Milloy. It was a terrible set of circumstances for the Patriots, but the Bills are really good. --Mike
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Metro Center, Washington, D.C.: I'm glad the summer hiatus is over, and good to see the three of you back. Anyway, how long before Betts is the new starter? He looked more effective than Canidate against the Jets.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: They both looked good. Canidate averaged 4.6 yds a carry. I like the way Spurrier used both of them. And I'd like to see them continue to do that.... unless one of them turns into Walter Payton. --Mike
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Washington, D.C.: Tony, are you flooded with requests to be your personal assistant? And Mike, are you really as needy as Tony says?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: First of all, how much do you pay? --Mary
I don't. --Tony
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Bethesda, MD: Can the Bandwagon make it to Houston by the end of January?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I am getting flooded w/requests of people who want to be my personal assistant. I have over 100 emails and already 10 or 15 calls. I was thinking of paying someone a couple of 100 dollars a week b/c it's a very part-time job. I certainly wouldn't give any benefits so I'll probably have to have an illegal alien do it. I was hoping to have ESPN absorb this in the new contract. Now Wilbon says ESPN probably doesn't want us anymore, so if that's the case I'll be back at The Post full time unless they don't want me either. And if THAT happens, then I won't need a PT assistant, I'll become one. As for the Bandwagon, please. Let that go for a while. --Tony
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Lincoln NE: What do you think of Kurt Warner and the concussion? If this is a legit concussion, then why was he still in the game? Obviously, it was detrimentally affecting his game and team. And I understand he's a committed player, and wants to do whatever it takes to win, but didn't he learn last year that playing hurt is a huge disservice to his team mates?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I can't understand why Warner played the whole game when you consider that Mark Bulger came in last year, won a bunch of games and proved he was a big time QB. All I can think of is that St. Louis management doesn't want to play Bulger for fear that he'll be so good and leave as a free agent. I just can't comprehend how the St. Louis coach would not change QBs and give his team a chance to win. --Tony
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Hyattsville, MD: Any thoughts on Rush Limbaugh's ESPN debut?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I saw Rush Limbaugh and I thought it was odd that he would do 3 or 4 or 5 minutes on the NFL's hiring policies w/regard to head coaches, an issue that was in the news 4 or 5 months ago. Maybe his mail delivery is slow. Other than that, the guy is a great communicator on radio and TV, so I have no doubt he will be successful. He gets paid $10 million a year on radio. You don't think he can talk? --Tony
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Washington, D.C.:
Mike or Tony,
I will be playing Congressional this week. Have any of you played there recently? What should I expect?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: I played there last fall and I liked it very much.
I played it in the Spring. --Mike
I don't consider it a particularly narrow course so go have some fun. You're playing a US Open course. Go have a great time. --Tony
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Milwaukee, WI: Mr. Tony,
Are the Packers really as bad as they looked yesterday? I hate to agree with Michael Irvin but is this the begining of the end of the deification of Brett Farve?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Brett Favre has always had tendency to force passes and get many interceptions in a game-- much like Joe Namath did. He's going to be 34 yrd old next month and his bst games may be behind him. But I will still take Brett Favre for 1 game over any QB in the league right now. I just hope I don't get the game he just had. --Tony
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Albuquerque, N.M.: I can't remember the last time the Skins won a game by just playing and winning. Betts (is that his name?) grinding it out was reminiscent of the days when Riggo was there. Ok, he's no Riggo, but this looked like Gibbs football. Coles is a player, Ramsey has an arm, and against the Jets, decent protection. Hmmm, I would love to see that Bandwagon come out, regardless of what Wilbon thinks. C'mon special K, it's been too long. At least for a week and a half we get to dream of the glory days.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: It's great to be 1-0 and it's great to win a game when the whole country is watching. If they can win 4 of their first 7, you could actually begin to entertain the possibility that they would be a playoff team. But, don't get carried away. It's one game. They played it at home, they played it against a team w/out it's #1 QB and they got possibly the best half that Patrick Ramsey will have all year. So, let's be tempered in our enthusiasm. --Tony
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Crofton MD: Hi Guys
Welcome Back. How long will the Ravens stick eith Kyle B?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: All year. Or until Brian Billick changes his mind which could be by game4.
It ought be next week. --Mike
If you go w/a rookie QB from day 1, you are going to lose 10 to 12 games. That happened w/John Elway, Joe Namath. It happens w/everyone. Most coaches won't start a rookie until the 5th or 6th game of the year and then bench him for a few more games if they have to. But Houston went all year w/David Carr and Detroit went all year w/Joey Harrington. How many games did they win? That's the reality of playing w/a rookie WB. --Tony
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Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: Why are the initials GSS on the Redskins uniforms?
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: That's for Dan Snyder's father Gerry who passed away in late spring. --Tony
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Manila, Philippines: Another question for Tony: If you say that, "College football is a coach's game, but pro football is an owner's game." Then, the Danny has every right to make the decision for his team.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: He does. He has every right to make the decisions. He owns the team. That doesn't mean making all the decisions is prudent. Most decisions are probably better left to the professional football people he hires. But you'll never get me to say an owner doesn't have the right to make these decisions. When he makes them though, he is fair game for all praise and all criticisms. He doesn't get a pass b/c he is an owner. --Tony
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DC: Mike, just wanted to give you credit where its due regarding your call on TV that the Patriots would regret dumping Lawyer Milloy. Geez, I watched the whole game hoping that things would turn around (I've been a lifelong Pats fan), but couldn't keep from admiring the job that Buffalo has done upgrading its defense.
That's all, no questions.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Thanks. --Mike
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Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon: Ok. We have to go. Have a good week. We'll be back next Monday. --The Chat House
Picks for this week:
Mike:
Browns at Ravens: Browns
Titans at Colts: Colts
Steelers at Chiefs: Chiefs
Patriots at Eagles: Eagles
49ers at Rams: 49'ers
Redskins at Falcons: Falcons
Tony:
Browns at Ravens: Browns
Titans at Colts: Titans
Steelers at Chiefs: Chiefs
Patriots at Eagles: Patriots
49ers at Rams: Rams
Redskins at Falcons: Falcons
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