It is being heard in Atlanta, Tampa and Kansas City, "We have to make a play", "Someone has to step up and make a play", We're not making plays", "I expect my defense to make a play". It is almost as tiresome as "stay the course" and getting a little hard on the ears. Whether it is Mike Vick, Jim Mora, Derrick Brooks, Herman Edwards, George Bush or Ford Motor Company, these catch phrases get old. Even if you agree with these statements, and I do, isn't it interesting how these phrases become sound bites? Last year it was "passion" this and "passion" that from accounting to engineering that was all I heard until with Rod Stewart's old disco song ringing in my ears I thought I was going to puke.
Can you imagine how tired the athletes and coaches get hearing the same old questions from the same old reporters and enduring uneducated comments from bloggers?
Gulp!
Enjoy this from AccessNorthGa.com.
Falcons, Bucs answering same lingering question
TAMPA, Fla. - One team is fighting for a playoff berth and the other is likely to miss the postseason for the third time in four years. Yet the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are constantly asked the same question. In light of the way your season has gone, how do you keep your locker room together down the stretch?
The Falcons (6-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 24-14 victory at Washington last week, but they've been so inconsistent it's difficult to forecast how they'll fare the rest of the way, even against the Bucs (3-9) on Sunday. Tampa Bay has dropped five of its past six, playing progressively worse in each of the defeats. Losing is wearing on coach Jon Gruden and his players. However, they insist they won't give up on the season in the final four games.
``Shame on everybody who quits. I've got kids playing little league football who aren't on a very good team and they aren't quitting. We aren't quitting either. We're going to get it right,'' Gruden said.
Atlanta coach Jim Mora is confident he can hold his team together, too. The Falcons trail New Orleans (8-4) by two games in the NFC South and are one of four NFC teams in contention for playoff berths at 6-6. After Tampa Bay, they'll face NFC East leader Dallas and wild-card contenders Carolina and Philadelphia. ``It's amazing, it really is,'' Mora said of the way the playoff race is shaping up.
Mora believes the team has the type of players to tune out potential distractions, such as critical reviews of Vick's performance and the $10,000 fine the quarterback drew for making an obscene gesture to fans two weeks ago. ``First of all, if they don't relate to the team you ignore them. If they don't relate to the team, they don't affect the team,'' Mora said. ``And we haven't had any distractions that have affected the team. ... We haven't felt turmoil around here at all.''
Falcons running back Warrick Dunn agreed. ``I know a lot of people are making a big deal about Mike and what happened a couple of weeks ago,'' Dunn said, ``but I think overall as players we're really just trying to concentrate on the game.''
Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks bristled at the suggestion the disappointment of losing might fracture the Bucs, who've struggled offensively with rookie Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback and defensively because of an inability to force turnovers. The nine-time Pro Bowl insisted there will be no finger-pointing among teammates. At the same time, there's no denying the Bucs have not played up to lofty expectations after ending a two-year hiatus from the playoffs in 2005. ``We're just too inconsistent in a lot of areas to say we're playing good enough to win ballgames,'' Brooks said. ``We're not making the plays when we have to, but it's not because of lack of effort.''
``We've got to decide who can help us win a championship,'' Gruden said. ``We're looking for playoff players. We're not looking for anything else. Are you going to be good enough to help the Buccaneers win a championship.''
The coach briefly considered benching Gradkowski after last week's 20-3 loss at Pittsburgh, a game in which the Bucs avoided being shut out by kicking a meaningless field goal on the final play. The sixth-round draft pick is 3-6 as the starter since replacing the injured Chris Simms. He's thrown for nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Gruden has seen enough progress to not make a change to backup Tim Rattay. ``We're going to show some patience with this guy because that's what it's going to take to get it out of him,'' Gruden said. ``All these snaps he's getting, he's getting better from, I can assure you that. We've just got to play better at times around him.''
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Falcons, Bucs answering same lingering question
