Larry Gude said:
I figured.
Good points. And all but TO, has been proven to be corrected thus far. Yea, it did take placing and holding court during the Eagles games, and actually buildiing one into the new stadium. And cutting beer sales off at the end of the 3rd quarter. The fans were out of control buut we've had no incidents similar to what you have mentioned in quite some time.
I went to the season opener. It was my first NFL game ever, and there were lots of Giants fans in the stands. Other than the usual ribbing by both sides, it was nothing less than fun.
TO on the other hand...all I can hope for is that while he was in SF, was just a product of the coaching staffs seeming inability to coach. I don't know though. I wasn't following him or football all that closely then.
TO is a professional and with any sport, intimidation is a part of the play. TO has a knack for getting under his opponents skin, which is an element itself of taking the opponents out of the game.
TO's dimeaner off the field is NOTHING like what you see on the field. He's not beating up his girlfriend, doing drugs, getting pulled over for DUI or talking chit about his team mates like you see so many other "star" players doing.
Reid and TO respect each other. Reid leads by example. The fans respect that as does TO. If you compare the first few games with the last few games that TO was a factor in, there is a HUGE difference. There's VERY little show boating compared to the first few games. I would think that that is due to Reids wishes, and TO maturing.
The 'skins and the birds have had a LONG standing rivalry. The fans of each team have NEVER liked the fans of the other. That feeling follows the players. Philly did get out of hand for awhile there with Skins and Cowboys fans but again, that has improved drastically.
To say that TO is disrespectful is WAY off base. When Spring was taken out of the game last week, TO was right there next to the linebacker that put the hit on Spring. He had an obvious look of concern for the guy. Since joining the Eagles organization, what examples of disrespect are there?
TO's showboating stops as soon as the game is over. He's always one of the first to shake the hands of the opponents after the game, win or loose with no BS.
I think TO is getting a pretty hard rap from his SF days. Like it or not, the NFL has needed a guy like TO for quite a few years now. Long gone are the days when the headlines were about Marino, Namathe and "Neon" Dion Sanders. There hasn't been any stars to go watch, that make headlines for their PERFORMANCE nationwide, other than that Colts QB (What's his name) who's play is so effortless, it's boring.
The Eagles have TO. The Sixers have Iverson. It doesn't matter what city they are in, people go to see them play. They are amazing athletes still in the early years of their career. They're going to do and say stuff that thay have no business doing. Both have matured and are visibly getting better both in their play and their sportsmanship. It takes a good coach and respect OF that coach by the players for a player to mature into a respectable team figure.
Years ago, the Sixers had Sir Charles Barkley. Orlando Magic had Shaq. And oh yea, what ever happened to that Tampa Bay Buccanear, Warren Sapp that was so obnoxious with his chatter and show boating on the field and off?
It seems that folks used to LOVE Mr. Sapp when he'd go off on his little rants that were seemingly a daily occurance. He is still playing, right? Hmmm...I guess he's been muzzled by that Oakland team somehow.
