Suggs Responds To Lynch's Crazy Antics
"I'm here so I won't get fined."
That was a phrase uttered 29 times in a five-minute interview session by Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch during Super Bowl media day yesterday.
It was the answer he gave to nearly every single question in order to avoid a $500,000 fine from the league for skipping media day. He occasionally changed up the routine, like when he blew a kiss to a person in the media scrum, saying, "You're sexy, too." He also kept the media up to date on how much time they had left.
He set a timer on his phone – the league requires four and a half minutes – and at the 4:51 mark, Lynch said "time," stood up and walked away from the microphone.
The running back was fined $50,000 in November for violating NFL media policies, mainly for not talking to reporters. So he technically fulfilled the obligation Tuesday. He was also fined $20,000 last week for making an obscene gesture after a touchdown in the NFC championship. There are other fines, too.
Lynch's antics are polarizing for viewers.
Some find them disrespectful and tasteless, while others find them entertaining and think Lynch is just being himself.
Count outside linebacker Terrell Suggs among those who respect Lynch.
"Hey man, he’s all about action," Suggs said as a guest analyst on the NFL Network. "You cannot fault a player, like if I'm on this man's team and he's like, 'Yo, I don't want to do no talk, I'm just going to go out there and be Marshawn Lynch.' Then I'll take that any day of the week [rather] than a guy that [talks a lot] and then doesn't show up come gameday."
Suggs believes we should respect the individuality of a person and embrace it.
But former head coach and NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci pointed out that part of what comes along with being an NFL player is the responsibility to talk with the media. He says players should learn how to cooperate.
"You're obligated [to show up]," Mariucci said. "Well, some guys are better at it than others."
Suggs quickly interjected: "You mean like [Bill] Belichick."
It was the perfect opening for Suggs to take a little jab at one of his least favorite opponents. Suggs imitated the way Belichick answers questions in the video below and said the Patriots head coach does the same thing as Lynch.
Suggs was asked whether the fans are being gypped by question-avoiding tactics.
"Not really," he said. "If you're a fan of Marshawn Lynch, that's exactly what you're going to get. 'I'm going to give you Marshawn Lynch every time you see me on TV. So you either love or hate it, but I'm going to be me.' I respect it and I'd take it."
Bill Simmons Takes Shot At Ray Lewis, Tom Brady Takes High Road
Future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis thinks the Patriots deserve an asterisk next to their Super Bowl trip this year due to the reports surrounding DeflateGate.
"Now we're back at another place where we let a team go into an AFC Championship, and if it's proven that they played with deflated balls … because if it's not cheating, then the Colts should have had the same option to play with the same balls," Lewis said. "So we're at a place now where we're going to celebrate an organization once again, put an asterisk by it, because they went into a championship game."
We already know Lewis isn't the biggest fan of the Patriots, but ESPN's Bill Simmons is an unabashed New England fan. So, Simmons took a shot at Lewis for taking a shot at his beloved Pats with a tweet that linked to a photoshopped image of Lewis with deer antlers.
It was a reference to the report that magically appeared just before the Ravens' Super Bowl media day two years ago that accused Lewis of using deer antler spray.
"Simmons has been suspended by ESPN in the past, and this past year made more headlines when he and fellow ESPNer Mike Golic had a public dustup via Twitter and the airwaves," wrote CSNBaltimore.com's Bo Smolka. "No word on whether Simmons' latest rant will result in any discipline, or whether Simmons cares."
Meanwhile, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked about Lewis' comments, but wouldn't take the bait.
Does Harbaugh Sound Less Optimistic About Pitta?
Head Coach John Harbaugh has been asked twice since the season ended about tight end Dennis Pitta's progress in returning from his second fractured and dislocated hip injury.
Both times Harbaugh simply said he didn't have much new information other than Pitta had met with specialists. At the time, Harbaugh didn't know the takeaways from the visit.
"I did get kind of an overview of that report from our trainer that I wouldn't really want to share until Dennis has had a chance to kind of consider all of the ramifications of it," Harbaugh said. "But I think we'll have something on that in a couple of weeks, kind of on Dennis' timeframe. We'll see where that goes."
From The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec's perspective, it seems as if Harbaugh is less optimistic about Pitta's chances of returning.
"It would be completely unfair to Harbaugh – and Pitta for that matter – to speculate on what that all could mean," Zrebiec wrote. "But I don't think it's unfair to point out that the response lacked the optimism that Harbaugh had expressed the previous couple of times that he had been asked about Pitta."
With Pitta's future in doubt, re-signing Owen Daniels could be a big priority. The scheduled unrestricted free agent said he wants to continue to play, and the Ravens could be interested in bringing him back as insurance. But it might not be easy.
"[T]hey probably will have some competition, including from Gary Kubiak's Denver Broncos whose star tight end, Julius Thomas, is also a free agent," wrote Zrebiec.
Ravens May Hire Bears' Bischoff As Offensive Assistant
The Ravens are expected to hire former Chicago Bears Tight Ends Coach Andy Bischoff as an offensive assistant, according to The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson.
The report wasn't clear about exactly what Bischoff's role would be, but the Ravens are in need of a new tight ends coach after Brian Pariani followed Gary Kubiak to Denver.
Bischoff coached the Bears tight ends for the past two seasons, working under new Ravens Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman. The two also worked together previously with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. Bischoff served as the running backs coach, tight ends coach and special teams coordinator in Montreal.
Bears tight end Martellus Bennett, who caught 90 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns last season, brought Bischoff to the Pro Bowl to thank him for the job he did coaching him.
Who Is Ravens' Next First-Time Pro Bowler?
Running back Justin Forsett and rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley went to the Pro Bowl for the first time in their careers last weekend, which got ESPN's Jamison Hensley thinking.
Who will be the Ravens' next first-time Pro Bowler?
Hensley thinks it could be one of the five following candidates:
- CB Jimmy Smith
- P Sam Koch
- OG Kelechi Osemele
- FB Kyle Juszczyk
- QB Joe Flacco
Quick Hits
They are about to win it all and drop the hottest album of the year pic.twitter.com/dWimD1AUkU — Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) January 27, 2015
