Ex-Canes star Warren Sapp, on a Showtime conference call Tuesday for Inside the NFL, called UF coach Urban Meyer ''a classless dirtbag'' for kicking a field goal late in Florida's 26-3 win against UM. ''But it's coming back in a big way'' when the teams meet in 2013, he said. Plantation's Brandon McGee, a senior who has committed orally to UM (as a cornerback), said UF's late field goal ''wasn't necessary at all.'' Canes coaches are privately steamed about Meyer's move, and UM people hope to get a chance for revenge in a bowl game.

(miamiherald.com)

Attention, Football Fan. Warren Sapp has a NFL Network microphone. Watch. Better yet, watch out.

"Warren Sapp is live. You better call your cable provider," Sapp playfully warned on Tuesday while promoting NFL Network's new Gameday Morning show, which debuts Sunday at 8 a.m. Mountain Time.

Sapp will be paired with former NFL running back Marshall Faulk and studio host Spero Dedes (radio play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Lakers).

The move to broadcasting seems natural for the outspoken Sapp, who looks forward to offering viewers a defensive lineman's perspective of the game.

"Don't think you're going to get something sugar-coated," he said. "The one thing I know about this game is, the eye in the sky never lies. If I say something about you, I'm going to put the tape on and show it to you."

Sapp's hearty laugh bellowed through the telephone when I asked him to size up the Broncos' running game.

"I played the Denver Broncos my first year (2004) at Oakland, and they ran the ball 51 times for more than 250 yards, almost five yards a clip. It was a very, very nasty day . . .
"They're good at what they do, but let's not crown them the world-beaters. Now, Oakland has its work cut out, I guarantee you that. I know the system Oakland plays . . . (the Raiders) are in trouble.

"If you're asking me for a scouting report, the Raiders against the Broncos, the Broncos are going to run for 100-plus yards. And (Mike) Shanahan knows this."

Rather than give a favorite to win the AFC, Sapp said just watch for the team that peaks at the right time. "You've seen it in Denver. They peak at the right time, running off game after game after game after game," he said.

"You see the beards growing, the offensive line's not talking to anybody and all the superstitious stuff that goes on - the stinky socks and funky jocks . . .

"That's what makes football why we love it, what makes it the game and the pilgrimage every year to NFL stadiums across this land in the fall . . . There's nothing better."

(blogs.rockymountainnews.com)

NEW YORK, Aug 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Former NFL All-Pro defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Warren Sapp will join analysts Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth and host James Brown to complete an all-star lineup on INSIDE THE NFL when the series launches this September on SHOWTIME. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Showtime Networks Inc. and Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports and Executive Producer, THE NFL ON CBS.

INSIDE THE NFL on SHOWTIME will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 10 (9:00PM, ET/PT). The show, produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films, will air on SHOWTIME each Wednesday during the NFL season through February 11, 2009. The 31-year-old, Emmy(R) Award-winning program will continue to deliver in-depth highlights from every game, every week, coupled with the analysts' breakdown of the upcoming matchups and debates over the league's hot topics.

"This is a dream job," said Sapp, who has served as a guest analyst on CBS Sports' NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY. "It's the job I've always talked about wanting after my playing career. INSIDE THE NFL has been a staple of television for a long time. The show digs deeper into the games and the issues surrounding the league more than any other football show out there. I think this new approach will be fresh. For my part, I just came off the field and I've got 13 years of experience in the trenches to bring to the table."

"With his defensive perspective, Sapp is the perfect complement to Simms and Collinsworth," said Blank. "And having just come off the field, his
energy will help push the boundaries of the show to new limits. We are thrilled to have him on SHOWTIME."

"Warren Sapp never held back on the field and we don't expect him to hold back in his commentary," said McManus. "Football fans tuned in to
watch him play each week, we expect them to do the same each week to hear what he has to say."

Sapp was drafted 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995. After only two years in the league he was named to his first of seven Pro
Bowls in 1997. He was named 1999 Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the NFL All-Decade team and recorded 77 sacks as a Buccaneer, the second highest in team history. In 2002, Sapp led the Buccaneers to the
best record in team history (12-4) and to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. In 2004, Sapp signed with the Oakland Raiders. After a down year in '04
and an injury plagued season in '05, Sapp returned to his All-Pro form in 2006. Sapp played one more season with the Raiders in '07 before
announcing his retirement on Jan. 4, 2008. Along with co-hosting INSIDE THE NFL in 2008, Sapp will serve as studio analyst and game commentator for The NFL Network. Sapp and his wife, JaMiko Vaughn, have been married since 1998. The couple has two children, Mercedes and Warren, II. Past hosts throughout 31 years of the award-winning INSIDE THE NFL have included Chuck Bednarik, Nick Buoniconti, Cris Carter, Collinsworth, Bob Costas, Len Dawson, Jerry Glanville, Merle Harmon, Jimmy Johnson, Peter King, Dan Marino and Al Meltzer.

(marketwatch.com)

TAMPA — Friends and former teammates from the Bucs gathered at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino on Saturday night to honor Warren Sapp.

The 35-year-old defensive tackle retired in January after nine years in Tampa and four seasons with the Raiders.

Sapp arrived fashionably late, strolling into his retirement party two hours into the festivities. While a DJ kept the music going, guests dined on sushi and an assortment of appetizers.

"Warren's the straw that stirred our drink," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden, who attended the party with his wife, Cindy.

Fans also were on hand to celebrate Sapp's storied career. A video montage displayed career highlights for the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

"He was the most fierce competitor I ever played with," former Bucs linebacker Shelton Quarles said.

Part of the proceeds went to the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa.

Other notables in the crowd included Bucs running back Warrick Dunn, Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.

(tbo.com)

Warren Sapp never really had a sack dance. He would just kind of stomp over the fallen quarterback as if putting out a cigarette butt. But Sapp will enjoy one last tango in Tampa on Saturday night when he hosts a retirement party at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The event will benefit the Tampa Children's Cancer Center.

After 96?sacks, eight Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl championship, the former Bucs and Raiders defensive tackle is finally ready to take a bow. But performing still is in his blood and Sapp, 35, says he plans to accept an offer to appear on Dancing With the Stars.
But before he begins practicing the Sapp Samba, No. 99 took time in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times to reflect on his career, and he doesn't tiptoe around any questions.

Why retire now?
I like the way it reads. It would've been real nice to get 100 sacks and all that, but I'm okay with 96.5. It's triple digits, right? I can finally skew my sacks a little bit like everybody else did.

What stands out when you reflect on your career?
I didn't ride out on a blaze of glory on a playoff run. But I've been to 31 of the 32 NFL stadiums, with the exception of Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. … I look back and say, "Wow, I was just blessed to play 13 years and have an opportunity to share this career with my mother and family." I can't put into words what it has meant to me."

How did you know it was time to retire?
There's no better way than me pulling the trigger on myself. It's no longer fun. It had nothing to do with where I was playing or the team I was playing for. It became a job. It was an absolute job. I was punching a clock. …
There's a lot of stuff going on in this league I don't believe in. You see it on television every day. I'm that old veteran guy. Guys come in and they're 21 or 22 years old. I'm more than a generation apart. … You see a kid come in the meeting room and he's sleeping and we need this guy on third down and I've got to play next to him? C'mon. No way. Uh-uh.

What impact did Tony Dungy have on your career?
The man put me on a pedestal and said for us to be any kind of defense, I've got to get to Brett Favre because they were the champions at that time. That's the path he put me on. He took the chains off of me, let me be freewheeling, up the field and trample the run on the way to the quarterback.

So Dungy gets credit for building the defense?
He built us into a championship defense. From 1996 to 2002, me, (Derrick) Brooks, (John) Lynch and the boys gave up 16.02 points per game. That's why I always said give me 17 points and I'll make it stick. We did that for 96 NFL games. I'm not a stat guy, but I'll take that to my grave.

What impact did Jon Gruden have when he arrived?
Jon made the offense accountable. There was no way he was going to walk and let the defense be the show after they paid $8-million and gave up four picks to the Raiders. He made them so accountable. He'd run bootlegs during nine-on-seven to make sure our ends were disciplined. Oh, let him hit a pass on us and he'd run down that field like a kid in a candy store.

So who deserves the most credit for winning the Super Bowl? Dungy or Gruden?
I always say this: The damn cake was already in the oven. It was just a matter of when it came out. All Jon had to do was put the icing on it.

Do you think your team should have won more Super Bowls?
No, because the next year we came back was the last year of my contract and they had to decide between me and (Booger) McFarland. I told Mac, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. They've got to spend it on somebody."

So who was responsible for you having to leave the Bucs?
It was all of them, but Monte (Kiffin) led the charge. He said, "We can do it without him." Me and Monte had the rockiest relationship — a stepson-to-step­father relationship. It was always his defense, and he barked people out of the building. It was too much about him. … I was never a self-promoter. I always said (Derrick) Brooks is the best player on the team.

So how did it go down?
We've all talked about it. Monte wanted to go with Mac. Jon looks at (Rod) Marinelli, who has full faith in McFarland. What can he say? I can't fault them for what they did. I was like 30 at the time. I'd take the younger dude who looks like me on tape. What they failed to realize is they only make someone like me once in a lifetime.

Do you think McFarland struggled because of the comparisons to you?
I told him it was going to be tough. I said, "I left some pretty big footprints. That's something you have to live down." But that's the way it is. If they signed me back up, I'd have to play to the standards of 99. You can only compare me to me.

How would you describe your experience with the Raiders?
As dark as a black hole. Stuff went on in that organization that shouldn't go on in sports. I don't think there's one person who knows who or what is making the call. Let's just say the Oakland experience is unique. The phone rings quite a bit on that sideline. Insubordination is grounds for termination in any company.

Did you consider signing a one-day contract with Tampa Bay and retiring as a Buc?
When I talked to Al (Davis) about retiring, that was it. He had already put me on some list or something. I think he still has my rights. If that's the rules, then let it be.

You're living in Orlando. Why did you move from Tampa?
The whole thing with Tampa was over almost five years ago. I dropped my little girl off at school and stopped at my favorite sub shop. A dude with a Bucs hat and T-shirt came up and said, "What are you doing here?" I said, "Last time I checked, this wasn't Russia. What am I doing here?"

Sometimes you get signs. I didn't want to be Michael Irvin and get pulled over for doing 55 in a 54 (mph) zone. I went to get my mother another house and saw a place for myself on a lake with a dock. There's no football or baseball team there, nobody to ask me, "What are you doing here?"

Many believe you're a first ballot Hall of Fame player. What do you think?
When it's all said and done, my resume is rivaled by five other people that played the game. Four are in the Hall of Fame and the other will be: Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Green, Jack Ham and Derrick Brooks. They went to at least seven straight Pro Bowls, defensive player of the year and won a world championship. When you can bring up the ghosts of the game, it tells you where you are.

What do you think about possibly going into the Hall of Fame in 2013 with Favre?
How 'bout that? The guy Tony told me to get close to. He retired the same day I did. I woke up and was told he was retiring. I had five good minutes and Favre gets all the tears.

So what now? Any interest in broadcasting?
You just listen. I don't want to go to (ESPN) every week for a two-hour show. I want something short and sweet. I'd love to have a radio gig, just turn on the mic and talk about the topics of the day. I might do that Dancing With the Stars.

Really? They've approached you about that?
Yeah, it's something that sort of came out of nowhere. But I enjoy the idea of training for something else. My whole life has been football. I could hang out in L.A. for a few weeks. My daughter would love it. There's nothing wrong with my smile. I don't think I speak Ebonics. I think I will (do the show)." If you go
Sapp retirement party
What: Warren Sapp retirement party to benefit Tampa Children's Cancer Center.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5223 N Orient Road, Tampa
Tickets: $75. Available through Ticket­master or online at qbkilla.com
Food and entertainment is provided at the event, including a tapas buffet, sushi bar and dessert bar. The dress is upscale casual attire. Music provided by DJ Selfborn.

(tampabay.com)

Warren Sapp was lying on the grass and watching his daughter play soccer Saturday in South Florida when his cell phone vibrated and knocked him out of his daze. A friend on the other line wanted to talk football, and after a few seconds it suddenly occurred to the recently retired defensive tackle that this was a reasonably significant afternoon.

“Oh, (expletive), it’s draft day!” Sapp exclaimed. But after learning of the first seven picks or so, he became disinterested in the subsequent selections, explaining, “I don’t know any of these (expletive) kids.” He wanted to know if “my streak was alive” – since Sapp went 12th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995, at least one University of Miami player had gone in the first round in each successive year – and sweated it out until the New York Giants took former Hurricanes safety Kenny Phillips with the 31st pick.

One other selection made Sapp smile. “I love Darren McFadden to the Raiders,” he said Monday. “I think it’s a perfect fit.”

I started to argue with Sapp, which isn’t surprising – some of our arguments have literally lasted years, and I almost stayed in exile in London after getting a particularly salty text message last October from the smart, funny and very, very large defensive menace.

Citing what I perceive to be conventional wisdom, I told Sapp that given Oakland’s run-stopping struggles last season (it gave up 145.9 rushing yards per game, the NFL’s second-worst figure) – and the fact that Sapp, one of the league’s best interior linemen of the modern era, just called it quits – the Raiders would have been much better served taking stud defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey than adding another halfback. And Sapp, as he is prone to doing, face-planted conventional wisdom like a defenseless quarterback in the pocket.

“I understand that (coach) Lane Kiffin and (offensive coordinator) Gregg Knapp are supposed to be these guys who make their living by throwing the ball,” Sapp said. “But our offense is made for downhill guys. And this kid will make that offense go.”

Sapp reminded me that, “after three games last season, LaMont Jordan led the NFL in rushing. But LaMont is like the worst offseason running back I’ve ever been around; he was out of shape and couldn’t keep it going. Then, remember late in the season, Justin Fargas was slashing and cutting and gaining all those yards? (McFadden) is the same guy, but he’s faster. I promise you, this guy will hit those holes and take it to the house, and then our offensive line will slash people up.”

None of that addressed the fact that the Raiders’ defense, particularly when it comes to stopping the run, has serious problems. Sapp didn’t argue that point – the basic problem, he said, is that owner Al Davis has put together “a team with 3-4 personnel, but they’re running a 4-3 system.” Sapp insisted that a sound, two-gap approach would be more effective than the macho, one-gap system employed by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Given that Ryan managed to avoid getting pink-slipped and is back for another season, this is not likely to change in ‘08.

All of which brings us back to embattled second-year coach Lane Kiffin.

When Davis made Kiffin the league’s youngest coach following the 2006 season, he was counting on the former USC assistant bringing a fresh and innovative offensive approach to a team that, in one miserable season under coach Art Shell and coordinator Tom Walsh, had set offense back a half-century. To demonstrate his commitment, the owner took a freakishly gifted quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 draft – though Davis didn’t bother to get him signed until after the start of the regular season, essentially washing out Russell’s rookie campaign.

Things went poorly enough that Kiffin nearly lost his job at season’s end, surviving only because his boss was too cheap to buy out the remaining two years of his contract. The owner made a stand on Ryan, resisting Kiffin’s attempt to bring in a new defensive coordinator, and seemed to be doing his best to force Kiffin to resign.

It has since become clear that Davis is stuck with Kiffin for at least another season. But here’s the weird thing: By signing talented deep threat Javon Walker to a reported six-year, $55-million contract in March and by drafting McFadden fourth overall Saturday, Davis has given Kiffin a golden opportunity to prove him wrong.

If Kiffin can get the Raiders’ offense humming it will, at the very least, set him up nicely for his next job. If it can hum enough to overcome a seriously flawed defense more often than not, he and Davis may actually be able to coexist while crafting a strained but mutually beneficial partnership.

I don’t know if I’m completely on board with this line of thinking – the franchise’s inherent dysfunction always seems to surface at inopportune times – but I guess it’s possible that the drafting of McFadden could be the best thing to happen to Kiffin’s career.

“There is nothing wrong with Lane Kiffin’s offensive system,” Sapp insisted. “There is nothing wrong with Lane Kiffin as a head coach, and now he has another stud who can help him succeed. I guess Al’s going for his last hurrah.”

As bizarre as it seems, this just might work.

(yahoosports.com)

Warren Sapp's world was different. He came out of the University of Miami as an All-American, winner of the Lombardi Award, Nagurski Award, practically every award that had someone over 220 pounds attached to it. He was going to be right up there at the tippy top of the draft, but there was one little problem. Marijuana stories, what the scouts call "baggage attached." I remember talking to the Jets' coach, Rich Kotite, who said before the draft, "I've gotta have him."

"You won't have the guts to pick him," I said.

"Bet you a cigar on it," Kotite said.

The Jets took tight end Kyle Brady with the ninth pick. Sapp went to Tampa Bay at No .12. I'm still waiting to collect my cigar. Click here to continue reading...

Warren Sapp certainly could have benefited from better timing. When the Oakland Raiders defensive tackle finalized his retirement on the same day that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was calling it quits, you knew whom the spotlight would favor.

Sapp's departure from the NFL generated little if any buzz. Favre's decision to walk out the door, on the other hand, created so many tremors around the league that you would have thought God had packed it in earlier this week.

The reality here is that Sapp's 13-year career is also worth putting into perspective. It's even more critical now because in a few years we'll be arguing about whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Sure, he was a dominant defensive lineman. But sensational talent and prolific productivity don't make you a lock for the Hall of Fame. If they did, then perennial Pro Bowlers such as Derrick Thomas and Cris Carter certainly would be enshrined by now. Click here to continue reading...

Former Raiders and Buccaneers defensive lineman Warren Sapp made his retirement official on the same day that Packers quarterback Brett Favre did, and although Sapp didn’t hold a tearful press conference, he did appear on Pardon the Interruption:

Asked whether it bothers him that Favre gets all the attention, Sapp said, “I like this nice quiet exit.”

Of Favre, Sapp said, “When you have the beacon of the NFL for so many years retiring, he deserves everything that he got.” He then referred to the 2013 Hall of Fame voting, when they’ll both be eligible for the first time, and said, “In five years, hopefully when they mention his name they might think of me, too.”

As for leaving the Raiders, Sapp doesn’t sound like he’ll miss them. He said that when the team got its first win of the 2007 season, instead of being congratulated, the players were reminded, “It’s been 322 days since we won a game.”

He also said that in Oakland, “Nobody knows who’s running the show,” which is a pretty good sign that head coach Lane Kiffin doesn’t have control.

And as for his feelings about playing in 2008, Sapp said, “It would be a job, and I said when it becomes a job for me, that’s when I get out.”

(footballgab.com)

Warren Sapp
6'2", 300 lbs, Defensive Tackle College: Miami (FL) 1st round draft pick (12th overall) of the 1995 Draft (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Stats -7 time Pro-Bowler (1997-2003 consecutively)
-6 time All-Pro (1997-2002 consecutively) -1999 Defensive Player of the Year -Super Bowl Champion (XXXVII) -5th on active career sacks list with 96.5, (28th overall) -88th on career games started list (188) -19 career forced fumbles
Argument Against: While Sapp's sack total is impressive, he never led the NFL in sacks in a single season. Sapp can be a negative influence (fined for referee confrontation in 2007) when things aren't going well. He can get heavy at times and lose some of his explosiveness. He was dominant for 7 years consecutively and that was it (except for 10 sacks in 2006 with Oakland). He took 3 of his 4 seasons off in Oakland while playing for a bad team but collecting $33 million (only averaged 32 tackles a season).

(armchairgm.com)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warren Sapp's 13-year NFL career officially ended when his retirement was posted on the Oakland Raiders' Web site.

Sapp said immediately after last season that he was through playing, but did not file the paper work. The posting on the team's site was the first official word that the star defensive tackle was done.

In January, the 35-year-old Sapp posted a two-word message on his Web site: "I'M DONE!" He had told teammates and coaches his plans after the season finale against San Diego.

Considered the quintessential "three technique" defensive tackle - lining up between the offensive guard and tackle - Sapp made seven Pro Bowls, won the 1999 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award, and led Tampa Bay's dominant defense that won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

Sapp spent nine seasons in Tampa before joining the Raiders in 2004 as a free agent. He mostly struggled with the Raiders, except for a strong 2006 in which he had 10 sacks, and had become more of a situational player in his final season. Click Here to continue reading...