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So very much to be said for the art of saying nothing

By: Doug Brown

7/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 10

You can learn all the right moves so to speak, and drill the fundamentals at your position until your craft on the gridiron is a thing of beauty and precision. Unfortunately, nobody drills professional athletes on the skills required at the podium where you have to be just as precise and even more calculating when it comes to what you say off of the field.

I was lucky. I learned about missteps and potential pitfalls interacting with the media my first year in professional football in Buffalo in 1997 courtesy of an unintentional teacher.

Back then, Todd Collins was the quarterback of the team, the year after Bills legend Jim Kelly had retired, and the team was in Massachusetts in Week 6 playing the Drew Bledsoe-led New England Patriots.

After getting sacked by Tedy Bruschi early in the game, Collins left the field and the No. 2 quarterback, Billy Joe Hobart, entered the game. It was his first appearance for the Bills since they had traded their third-round pick in the 1997 draft to the Raiders to address their lack of depth at quarterback.

The first time Hobart threw a pass in relief of Collins it was intercepted. Not much later in the game he was picked off again and the Patriots easily handled the Bills 33-6.

Though Hobart had obviously not played well, it was his first start with the Bills in a new offence, and as bad as things had gone for him, the football club had every intention of giving him another chance to get a handle on things -- that is until he opened his mouth in an interview after the game.

It was an innocent enough question, one that any player could expect after a couple of large blunders that contributed to the team losing that day. Billy was asked why he was so unsuccessful stepping in for Collins and leading the offence. He told the press that it didn't have anything to do with his quarterbacking abilities, he just hadn't properly prepared to play because he didn't think he was going to see any time -- and he didn't know all the plays in the offensive playbook.

Unimpressed

Needless to say, Bills management was relatively unimpressed that they were paying their No. 2 pivot over $1 million a season and he hadn't found the time to adequately familiarize himself with the tools of his trade.

They also probably weren't very impressed by the fact that the man they had traded their third-round draft pick for wasn't even smart enough to realize that what he was saying would leave them with no choice but to release him outright only days later.

You needn't cover a football team for 10 years to realize that being astute on the field of play isn't necessarily matched by equal adeptness off of it. To boot, after games, players are exhausted, the dementia and concussions are in full swing and the emotion of the day has not yet been sapped from our bodies. We seldom realize in a spur of the moment interview, that win or lose or draw, when we stand in front of that microphone we are always on the precipice of losing our jobs.

Everybody likes getting their picture in the paper, and a lot of players love being one of the voices of the team or the "go to guy" the media seeks out when they want a sumptuous quote.

But even the most veteran and practiced acts in front of the scribes say things they wished they hadn't after a game, just like last season when Ed Tait and yours truly got a little too descriptive and creative trying to describe an "ugly" win after a game in Hamilton.

There is nothing wrong with being open and honest with the media and trying to give them something a little off centre to make their stories less mundane, but only to a point.

When a player drops his guard, is overrun with emotion, or isn't on point enough to realize what he is saying is about to cost him and his family their livelihood -- when he could have just said he doesn't wish to comment -- there is something awfully one-sided and unforgiving about that seemingly innocuous interview.

Doug Brown, always a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 7, 2009 B9

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10 Commentscomment icon

Hope your over the swine flu...go Riders.

DA was given a second chance and at that time he chose to go to the media and was unrepentant and would not apologize for his immature and selfish actions.

So, those that say DA should have been given a "second chance", I believe that you mean a THIRD CHANCE. Not. Going. To. Happen.

If you pulled off this kind of stunts at your job, would you expect to be still employed there? I think not.

Mike Kelly has set the tone, team players only, period.

To the Kelly detractors, you are really making yourselves look foolish, at least wait until there is smoke before bellowing "FIRE!".

To the "I am not renewing my season tickets" cry-babies. Boo hoo. See 'ya, wouldn't want to be 'ya. You are not a true fan of the Bombers if you don't support the team, that's the fact Buttercup.

I'm not a "Mike Kelly can do no wrong" fan, but I am willing to wait and see how the season develops and I will judge Mike Kelly when there is enough data to form a judgment.

Ti Cats will get him- watch...

First, lets look at the approach the team took in telling Armstrong what his role was going to be.
Second, his reaction was normal as any player would be upset.
What happen over the weekend was betwwen Mile and D. Armstrong was started by both. One spoke some words to the press, then the coach had his locker cleaned out.
Mike Kelly wants the Bombers to become the pride of Winnipeg, however fans want to hear from the players not just the Coach.
What happens now and over the next couple of games, will either make or break the Coach and Team.
They have all leanered a lesson, DO NOT cross Mike (Exit) Kelly as it is his way or the highway.
Coach Kelly is a leader however; who wants to follow him?

Big Mac

The only leading Kelly is doing is leading the Bombers to last place. The man is a disaster.

Maybe Armstrong could have been cut some slack during the game and immediately thereafter following this fiasco. But the problem is that 24 hours later, after conversations with the coach and time to cool off, he repeated hims same mantra and was anything but apologetic. Sorry, he had to go. He gave up on his team and, in his own words, would do it again under similar circumstance.

I think he deserves a second chance, but with another team. He's a grown man, he knew what he was doing by refusing to play, no reason for him to expect others forgiveness. Every football player plays through pain, that's nothing special, it's expected. Just like doing what the coach says is expected.

Time to focus on the next game.

I disagree GI. Armstrong needs to learn he is NOT bigger than the team. That his job is to keep his ego in touch and play football - be it for 2 minutes in a game or 20. His job is not to act petulant and spoiled and warble to the press how he has taken a stand and isn’t backing down. I imagine the only thing he’ll be kicking for a while is himself. He dug his own grave.

Kelly is being a leader.He's not on a high horse by getting rid of this cancer.When Edwards was hammered and laid out on the field in Edmonton and Armstrong still didn't want to play...that is unforgivable.The person who was wrong was Armstrong,not Kelly, not Bauer,ARMSTRONG, period. If he had any substance he would call his own news conference today to apologize to the team,the coaches, and the fans for quiting on them.This is a team game and there is no room for soloists on a winning team.

Let's remember this is football and not a life or death matter. Kelly needs to get off his high horse and learn the art of forgiveness. Armstrong made a mistake. He has no history of this in the past. He deserves a second chance! Period! Elite receivers are hard to find and DA is elite. He pumped his knee full of drugs to play in pain when he was asked to in previous years for the team. Everyone has a bad day and it should not lead to being fired. Suspended yes, fired no!

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