As we try to overcome our post-Celebrity Apprentice withdrawal, we’re starting to contemplate ninth-season candidates who would display Joan Rivers’ candid, feisty, tell-it-like-it-is style.

And we think we’ve found one:  Warren Sapp.

Sapp, who already became a reality star in 2007 on ABC’s Dancing With The Athletes And Washed-Up Celebrities, was visiting his old stomping grounds in Tampa on the first-day of “Organized Team Activities” (i.e., practice, as articulated by a government lawyer).  Coincidentally, tight end Kellen Winslow, who recently signed a new deal with more than $20 million in guaranteed money, wasn’t there.

“So when your team fires up OTA’s and you’re not here, I guess you’re being misunderstood again, right?” Sapp said, according to Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times.  “Your past don’t equal your future, but it will damn sure give me some reflection of what you might do.  I’ll leave it at that.”

Quarterback Luke McCown was slightly more diplomatic.

“I don’t think so, not this early,” McCown said.  “Kellen is a professional, he’s a Pro Bowler, he knows how to get his body ready.  I talk with Kellen weekly and make sure we’re on the same page.”

Winslow has battled through a variety of injuries over the past several years.  A chronic knee problem first arose four years ago, after Winslow crashed a motorcycle while doing tricks in a Cleveland-area parking lot.

(profootballtalk.com)

The streak lasted so long that during its span, Warren Sapp crafted a Hall of Fame-caliber professional career, retired, finished a season on “Dancing With the Stars” and began a second career as an analyst on the NFL Network.

It wound through so many generations of football players that Sapp stumps people with a trivia question: who was the highest-drafted University of Miami player the year before the streak started? (Running back Donnell Bennett, second round in 1994, by Kansas City.)

The streak has hung on for so many years that when Sapp spoke to Kenny Phillips, who saved the streak when the Giants chose him with the final pick in the first round last year, he welcomed him to an extraordinary Hurricanes club.

“I said, ‘Way to keep the streak going,’ ” Sapp recalled recently. “It’s a common bond with someone who is 13 years removed from me.”

Sapp and Phillips are the bookends of a singular period of Miami football dominance: at least one Hurricanes player has been selected in the first round in 14 consecutive N.F.L. drafts. But Miami’s fortunes on the recruiting trail and the football field have suffered in recent years — no national championships since the 2001 season, and a losing season in 2007.

Even if Miami’s absence from college football’s loftiest ranks is just temporary, as most recruiting experts and N.F.L. personnel executives believe, it will take its toll this month. The streak — and one of the Hurricanes’ favorite trash-talk fodder — will almost surely end. When the college draft begins April 25, cornerback Bruce Johnson could be the only Hurricane drafted, and probably not before the fourth round. Years of the draft being colored in orange and green will fade to black.

“My streak ends,” Sapp said, sighing. “It’s something we took immense pride in.”

Still, with the dispersal of talent to more colleges than ever — players from football lesser lights like Troy (Leodis McKelvin), Delaware (Joe Flacco) and Tennessee State (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) were selected in the first round last year — Sapp may not have to worry about Miami’s record being matched. Elias Sports Bureau found Louisiana State has the next-longest current streak of first-rounders (five). Recruiting powers like Southern California (one) and Florida (two) are well off Miami’s pace.

And it is unlikely that any program will touch Miami’s mind-boggling run early this decade, when it had four first-rounders in 2001, five in 2002, four in 2003 and an N.F.L.-record six in 2004.

Miami nearly scuttled football in the 1970s, and it still fails to sell out games against anybody but its biggest rivals. But Howard Schnellenberger, the coach who revived the program in the 1980s, laid the groundwork for the streak by eschewing most out-of-state recruiting and mining talent-rich South and Central Florida.
From those areas came Michael Irvin, Bennie Blades, Jerome Brown, Ray Lewis, Phillips and Sapp. All were first-rounders. Schnellenberger started a slogan: “Pipeline to the pros.”

“We caught all kinds of flak,” Schnellenberger, now the coach at Florida Atlantic, said. “The university hierarchy thought it was guff because it was emphasizing pro football as an end to the means.”

Without the lavish facilities and tradition of Texas and Michigan, Schnellenberger encouraged a culture that emphasized college and regional pride, binding the players to the campus and to one another. Its most obvious manifestation is that players, even deep into their pro careers, still return to Coral Gables to work out in the off-season.

With one coach after another leaving for pro jobs (Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and Butch Davis), those players provided continuity at Miami, filling, Schnellenberger said, the institutional role that coaches like Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden do at Penn State and Florida State.

The pros provided a powerful recruiting pitch on national television when they stood on the sideline at Miami games. And once the prospects came to Miami, the pros helped prepare them for their next step. When Sapp was there, Russell Maryland and Brown showed up. When Phillips was a freshman, he worked out with safety Ed Reed and running back Edgerrin James, both first-rounders.

When Ernie Accorsi, the former general manager of the Giants, visited the campus, Alonzo Highsmith, Micheal Barrow and Jessie Armstead were working out with Miami players.

“They give you tips — they teach you how to watch film,” Phillips said. “It does a lot for a guy who is 18 years old. My junior year, Ed said: ‘The way is paved for you. All you have to do is play.’ ”

Sapp and Phillips credit the influence of former Hurricanes for fostering sustained excellence.

“We were not going to bend those standards,” Sapp said.

Accorsi saw the not-so-subtle pressure up close when he went to campus to “box” the players (teams used a battery-powered reaction box to test quickness, explosion and change of direction). It was so hot that the dry-cell battery melted. Two players found a store that sold the hard-to-find battery. The test was on.

“They were going to make sure we were able to test them, a test players generally would duck, but not them,” Accorsi said. “Then they competed against each other like it was an Olympic trial. All the players put pressure on each other, current and past, to be relentless competitors.

But just as the decrepit Orange Bowl stadium crumbled a few years ago, so did Miami’s supremacy. There are many theories why Miami did not produce a top pro prospect this year. Schnellenberger says coaches tried to recruit too much nationally, forsaking their backyard. He also notes that Miami’s decline has coincided with a failure to find a top-flight quarterback.

And as bowl games and cable channels showing college games have proliferated, more teams play on national TV. That has helped put lower-profile teams on the recruiting map. On national signing day in February, Miami Pace defensive back Kayvon Webster, who had committed to Miami, signed with South Florida.

Tom Luginbill, the national recruiting director for ESPN’s Scouts Inc., says Miami’s recruiting dip started after the 2003 season. For years, Miami had its pick in South Florida. But then Florida, Florida State, South Florida and others in the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference began plucking their share.

“They just weren’t getting the same caliber of player as they had gotten before,” Luginbill said. “I don’t attribute it to anything other than maybe they had a little dip in effort, but more than anything else, streaks come to an end.”

Larry Coker, fired as coach after the 2006 season, has been blamed for what is perceived as lackluster recruiting. He won the national title in 2001, his first season after replacing Davis, and the Hurricanes lost to Ohio State in the title game the next season. Then the slow slide began.

“The overall talent in South Florida wasn’t as good as it has been as far as really great talent,” said Coker, the coach for the new football program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “The key for Miami is always the talent level in South Florida. When I left, I think there was good talent. Were there six first-round draft choices? Obviously not, but the talent was good.”

The recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says he suspects Coker’s efforts were also hampered when Miami moved to the A.C.C., from the Big East, in 2004.

“They dominated everything before that, and they had trouble after that,” Lemming said. “They helped elevate the rest of the A.C.C. They started losing more than they did. Miami would still be Miami if they’d stayed in the Big East.”

But everyone agrees that Florida Coach Urban Meyer has hurt Miami the most. Meyer arrived in Gainesville in 2005, and the Gators have won two national championships since. They play in a raucous stadium and on national TV. That has helped Meyer make inroads into what had been Miami recruiting territory. He has in turn elevated the rest of the SEC.

The most startling example of how things have changed: Bryce Brown, a running back from Wichita, Kan., considered by many the top recruit this year, committed to Miami last year but continued to visit other colleges. In February, he signed with Tennessee — even though his older brother plays for Miami.

Sapp was outraged by Brown’s about-face — “What an idiot,” he said — but Lemming blames something else.
“It’s no longer the place to be,” Lemming said of Miami. “Now, U.S.C. is the place to be.”

Maybe, but perhaps not for long. When he replaced Coker two years ago, Coach Randy Shannon adopted Schnellenberger’s strategy of recruiting in South Florida. In 2008, more than half of his class of 33 signees was from the area, and it finished near the top of nearly every recruiting class ranking. This year’s class ranked as high as 11th, landing 6 of the top 150 recruits, according to ESPN.com rankings.

“They have some good young guys,” Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said. “They’ll be back.”

He should know. Newsome’s hand is all over the streak — the Ravens drafted Lewis and Reed.

(nytimes.com)

Louis Oliver, Warren Sapp, Mike Gardner, & Busta Rhymes at Soul Kitchen at The Forge

On Showtime's Inside the NFL Wednesday night, Warren Sapp said this about Ray Lewis' contract situation (according to a network news release):

"I will tell you what, if this team lets Ray Lewis go, you are starting back from scratch. I don’t think that’s possible. Losing your defensive coordinator, then losing your emotional leader and the staple to your franchise all at one time, then you are going back to the Stone Age. There’s no way they can allow that to happen. They have to give him a two-year deal, something that sets up everybody in the right form, and finish this thing out the right way

(baltimoresun.com)

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...

NAPA, Calif. (AP) -One thing hasn't gotten smaller on this year's slimmed-down version of Warren Sapp: his mouth.

Whether he's arguing with the officials, needling a teammate or giving instructions to a younger player, Sapp's booming voice serves as the soundtrack for Oakland Raiders practices at training camp.

``He's just Warren, and that's the best way you can put it,'' said receiver Mike Williams, a frequent target of Sapp's this summer. ``He doesn't mean anybody any harm. He is how he is, and one thing you can say about him, he' consistent. He's not somebody who's going to be rowdy one day and you're not going to hear him the next. You know that. It's all fun.''

Sapp has been vocal about Williams' weight, saying he should block instead of catching passes. He's also gotten on linebacker Sam Williams for how to properly play a particular defense, demonstrated how to beat a block as a tackle to Tyler Brayton and begged officials for calls in training camp drills.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- JaMarcus Russell's immense size was much less of a jolt for many of the Oakland Raiders than the sight of Warren Sapp. The formerly bulky Sapp arrived at minicamp this weekend looking like a scaled-down version of himself, dropping nearly 50 pounds since the end of last season and weighing only about 25 pounds more than Oakland's rookie quarterback.

"He looks funny, doesn't he," defensive end Derrick Burgess said. "Looks good, though. I like what he did for himself. That should add about six more sacks to it I bet."

Sapp did just fine at his old weight of 334 pounds, recording 10 sacks in his most productive season since 2000 and anchoring a defense that was the only strength for the Raiders during a difficult 2-14 season.

But he still spent the offseason slimming down and is as light as he's been in years. Sapp wouldn't disclose how much weight he lost but coach Lane Kiffin said his star defensive tackle was down to 285 pounds from 334 late last season.

Warren Sapp would not go into specifics when asked about what appeared to be a startling weight loss following Friday's first practice.

If Sapp wanted it kept private, nobody told Lane Kiffin, who informed the media that Sapp had lost 49 pounds, making the Raiders defensive tackle only slightly bigger than their new quarterback.

Asked about Sapp's weight, Kiffin said, "He was 285. He was 334 I think last year. I was not here, but I think that's what the books say. We're very excited about that."

It may be the lightest Sapp has been in his professional career. Kiffin said he can't remember Sapp being that light in Tampa Bay when his father was defensive coordinator.

"He looks fast out there. He's flying around," Kiffin said.

Is it possible Sapp has lost too much weight and will have trouble holding up?

"I don't know," Kiffin said. "We'll see."

(ibabuzz.com)

What's your favorite South Beach hangout?
Nah (don't have one). When I came to school (in the early 1990s), it wasn't South Beach then. You didn't come out here unless you were lost or you were looking for cocaine.

Your Miami Hurricanes won seven games this season including a bowl. Is it fair to expect new coach Randy Shannon to win at least eight games his first season?
You really need to ask me that? Yeah, he's expected to win eight games, but soon they'll be talking about 12-0 in training camp. Randy Shannon knows exactly what that university is all about. He'll put it exactly where it is supposed to be - on top. He's going to bring us a ring.

ESPN has set up camp here in South Beach this week. Who is your favorite network personality?
Dan Patrick. En fuego. All day.

Colts or Bears?
Indy 20-17.

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp said Wednesday that he intends to play for two more years. Where he plays is up to the Raiders.

Sapp is under contract with the Raiders. However, he won't decide whether he wants to return until he hears how the Raiders plan to approach next season.

``I'm just going to sit down, have a nice little conversation and see what everybody's thinking,'' Sapp said of a planned meeting with Raiders officials after the season. ``See if we're all on the same page. If not, then we'll go different ways. If so, then we'll find a way to come back and put this thing on.''

Sapp, 34, said many of the pieces are in place for the Raiders to be successful. The Raiders are 2-13. Even so, they have the top-ranked pass defense and every member of the league's fourth-ranked defense (in average yards allowed) is under contract.

Oakland defensive tackle Warren Sapp and Chiefs coach Herm Edwards once worked together in Tampa Bay, where Sapp used to play and Edwards was an assistant coach.

The two got reacquainted at odd times during Saturday night’s game. Sapp ventured over to the Chiefs’ sideline more than once during timeouts and engaged in brief conversations.

At one point, Sapp put his arm around Edwards’ shoulder.

“We were wishing each other Merry Christmas,” Edwards said. “We were just (exchanging) pleasantries. It’s the season of giving.”

(kasascity.com)

1. Warren Sapp, DT, Raiders: All right, we know the Raiders' offense stinks. Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter are just waiting to be sacked every time they drop back to make a pass. At 2-12, Raiders fans have a commitment to heading to the exits. But Sapp has been sensational this season. He has eight sacks on the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan went back to the 4-3 defense, which plays to Sapp's strengths and he became a disruptive force again. He was beaten out by Richard Seymour (Patriots), Williams and Hampton. He wasn't even one of the top three alternates at the defensive tackle position. That's unbelievable.

4. Ray Lewis, LB, Ravens: Those who voted in favor of Al Wilson (Broncos) need to step into Lewis' office and have a chat. Lewis may not be the playmaker he was six or seven seasons ago, but he bounced back this season with Pro Bowl-caliber play. The Ravens have the league's top-ranked defense. Wilson is one of the game's best middle linebackers, but the Broncos rank 13th on defense and are giving up 26 yards a game more than the Ravens. We need a recount.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Raiders have an 85 percent chance of losing Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, based on Oakland's 2-11 record this season. Take the Raiders to win, defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. Huh?

"The money's good this week," Sapp assured everyone within earshot.

That's right, Sapp said. The Raiders stand an 83 percent chance of beating the Rams based on the Rams' playing a Monday night game and then having to play a road game six days later.

These hardly are the best of times for the Raiders. Still, wily veteran Warren Sapp says there might be consolation for the 2-11 team if some of its defensive standouts make the Pro Bowl.

"Our defense is solid," said the 12th-year defensive tackle, who was a Super Bowl champion with Tampa Bay and seven-time Pro Bowl player but has experienced mostly frustration in three years with Oakland.

If Sapp had his druthers, though, as many as four Raiders would be chosen for the NFL's all-star game in Honolulu on Feb. 10. He especially doesn't hide his praise for cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, a 2003 first-round pick from Cal who is tied for the league lead with seven interceptions, and defensive end Derrick Burgess, making a run at a second consecutive NFL sack title with 10.

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Bengals had the ball deep in Raiders territory in the fourth quarter Sunday, on the verge of scoring yet another touchdown. Normally, players crowd the sideline, watching the proceedings and exhorting their teammates to make a play.

Almost every Raider not on the field was seated on one of the benches, far from the field and out of view from the goings on. As it turned out, all they missed was quarterback Anthony Wright kneeling down for three plays to run out the clock.

The Raiders had seen enough of the Bengals to know that whatever happened on the final drive wouldn't hide the fact that they had been outplayed and outclassed by a better team in a 27-10 loss at Paul Brown Stadium.

``This one hurts,'' Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. ``This one stings. It wasn't even close. We didn't give ourselves a chance.''

Oakland's Warren Sapp has a little extra motivation Sunday when the Raiders play at Cincinnati. He says the Bengals nearly signed him in 2004 before backing out of a potential deal.

"They snatched the offer off the table," he told reporters this week.

Sapp, who was an unrestricted free agent at the time after having been released by Tampa Bay, said the Bengals "gave me an hour to take the offer.

"I called back in 57 minutes and they took the offer off the table. They said they were bidding against themselves."

(dailycamera.com)

Warren Sapp, playing well in his 12th season, his third in Oakland, almost signed with the Bengals in 2004.

"They snatched the offer off the table," Sapp Wednesday, four days before he will take on the Bengals.

"They said they were bidding against themselves," Sapp said of the Bengals' offer in unrestricted free agency. "They gave me an hour to take the offer. I called back in 57 minutes and they took the offer off the table. They said they were bidding against themselves."

Sapp has seven sacks this season as a key veteran leader in the league's third-ranked defense.

(news.enquirer.com)

When Warren Sapp becomes animated, his eyes grow large, and they were large now, large and overflowing with fury.

The Oakland Raiders' voluble defensive tackle was having his say concerning referee Mike Carey's ruling at Qualcomm Stadium that the Chargers'
Vincent Jackson had not fumbled but attempted an illegal forward pass after making a reception.

“How many times have you seen a completed pass caught by the receiver and then the receiver throws it again?” Sapp demanded.

LaDainian Tomlinson is playing so well that even the archrival Oakland Raiders are saying nice things about him.

Maybe the guys in silver and black have become desensitized after losing so much to the AFC West-leading Chargers, who will be going for their seventh straight win against last-place Oakland on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. That's never been done by the Chargers (8-2) in a series that dates to the AFL's birth in 1960.

Or maybe they just can't help but be impressed by Tomlinson's MVP-like numbers.

"I think all of the debate's been taken out with his performance over the last month and a half," Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "He's always been special, but when you're putting up those kind of touchdown numbers, it just defines you. He's done it like no other."

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Warren Sapp is a very picky eater.

The Oakland Raiders' defensive tackle refuses to eat out on road trips for fear of getting sick, and he's not talking about the rare case of food poisoning.

Sapp insisted Wednesday his food was tampered with during his nine-year tenure in Tampa Bay from 1995-03.

"You get your food poisoned," Sapp said at Raiders headquarters. "They don't want you out there on Sunday. You don't think about it. It just got crazy."

That's Warren Sapp's take on wide receiver Randy Moss, the Raiders' captain on offense who last week on his radio segment said he looked forward to playing for a new team.

But, as Sapp has said, Moss is Moss.

"You're not going to get him to understand that there's 57 other guys in here trying to get this job done, too, so if you have an issue with upstairs or whatever the hell it may be, you have a month and a half," Sapp said. "That's six weeks. Sit down, shut ... up and let's play football and then go talk to those people about whatever you got going. But you're not going to get that, so be it."

Warren Sapp is getting in the opposition's backfield a lot these days and has shown a lot of energy in shooting the gaps. Oakland's front four, as a whole, has picked it up and made it possible for the linebackers and safeties to stay back in coverage, which has prevented a lot of extra yards after the catch.

(profootballnews.com)

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The struggles from his first season in Oakland when he was forced to play out of position are far behind Warren Sapp. So is the rotator cuff injury that cut short last season.

The loquacious defensive tackle that spent much of his career terrorizing opposing offenses is back at it again, trash-talking opponents and sacking quarterbacks.

"He's getting back to the old Warren Sapp that we all know," coach Art Shell said.

Earlier today, Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp accompanied 5th grader Nicholas Chelemedos to his school, El Sobrante Christian School in El Sobrante, Calif., for the NFL's "Take A Player To School" event presented by the JC Penny Afterschool Program.

Out of 132,000 entries, Nick along with 34 other youngsters across the United States, had the opportunity to take a player to school. "I found out that I won two weeks ago and I was so excited. When my mom told me that I won I just stared at her with my jaw on the floor," said Nick.

Sapp arrived at the Chelemedos' house, bearing gifts and excited to begin the activities. Before heading off to school they talked, ate breakfast, and signed autographs.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The whispers started in 2003, on the East Coast. The player in question thought: Don't they know I'm a seven-time Pro Bowler?

The criticism grew louder the following year, this time emanating from the West Coast. The player thought: Don't they know that I'm playing out of position, that I'm taking one for the team?

It seems as if no one cared why Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp no longer was the dominant player he was for so long with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or that his resume is the envy of most of his peers. Produce or move on was the sentiment that ruled the day.

Warren Sapp sounds like a man on his second honeymoon these days, adding up the good and the bad and realizing that he is more in love than ever before. He adores his job anew, gushes about his teammates and savors every play.

"There's nothing like defense, nothing, nothing,'' Sapp said last week, like a preacher leading a revival meeting. "I don't care what they say about offense. There's nothing like playing defense with 10 other guys who want it and love it, and go hit and stick and run around like wild men. It's a great thing. It's a great thing.''

Sapp's infatuation didn't refresh itself conveniently, just as the Raiders' season developed a pulse. He has felt that way most of the season, minus several moments of despair that crept in during the team's 0-5 start. He learned last year that not playing hurts even more than losing.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Warren Sapp walked by Randy Moss’ locker recently and saw a framed picture commemorating the receiver’s 100th career touchdown catch.

“You catch 100 TD passes, you think that would bring a little happiness to your life,” Sapp commented.

On this Oakland Raiders’ team there’s little to be happy about.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp is standing in front of his locker after Sunday night's game against the Denver Broncos. He's waving his arms, describing a play that he can't get past.

By now, he has everyone's attention. Six people listen in, rapt in Sapp's purging of what is bothering him most about the winless Raiders 13-3 loss in Denver. For the second time, Sapp is breaking down what transpired on a key play.

"When you're standing on the sidelines during the commercial break saying, `Watch the shot, watch the shot,' and then they come out and beat you with a shot, it makes you want to slit your wrists," Sapp said.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Warren Sapp walked by Randy Moss' locker recently and saw a framed picture commemorating the receiver's 100th career touchdown catch.

"You catch 100 TD passes, you think that would bring a little happiness to your life," Sapp commented.

On this Oakland Raiders' team there's little to be happy about.

Moss goes on the radio weekly and criticizes the team. Last year's leading receiver, Jerry Porter, hasn't played a game all year and has been suspended by coach Art Shell for insubordination. And the winless Raiders are off to their worst start in more than four decades.

Asked this week if the Colts could make any moves before Oct. 17's trade deadline to shore up their shaky run defense, Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy told reporters: "I can't say we're standing pat. But I think we're pretty happy with the guys we have. And that's who's got to do it. There's not going to be anybody that you sign."

But there could be a somebody, a very significant somebody, available in a trade.

It would be worth the Indianapolis Colts time to pick up the telephone and call the winless Oakland Raiders, inquiring about the availability of defensive tackle Warren Sapp. Talk about a perfect match.

SAN DIEGO ---- The Chargers face a guy Monday night who ranks near the top in an annual NFL players poll. Yep, defensive tackle Warren Sapp is again a big part of the Raiders' defense.

That ranking? It comes from the Sports Illustrated query to players about the league's most overrated player. More years than not, it's Sapp.

"It's hate,'' Sapp said Wednesday. "I'm no longer the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year, but I'm definitely overrated by any stretch of the imagination.''

Say what?

"The only person I get compared to is myself,'' said Sapp, who missed the final six games last year with a shoulder injury. "No other defensive tackle has put up 16 1/2 and 12 1/2 sacks. "The only person I'm compared to is myself when I was 26 and 27 years old.''

• Defensive tackle Warren Sapp has completely changed his MO this year, making himself constantly available to any reporter with a notebook or microphone. In the past, Sapp often growled at reporters and even refused to shake hands with them.
Why the change? It's pretty obvious that Sapp, whose footwork has obviously slowed, is looking ahead to a career in media. Parrying favor with reporters at this point appears to be part of his plan.
(yahoosports.com)