On Wednesday’s edition of Showtime’s Inside the NFL, LaDanian Tomlinson took the opportunity to talk about the New York Jets’ failure to make the playoffs plus the controversy of recently leaked stories to the media on the infighting among the team.
L.T. talked to the Inside the NFL team of James Brown, Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp about the atmosphere in the locker room and how coach Rex Ryan’s talking proved to be a motivator for opponents to beat up on the Jets.
Some interesting quotes. Inside the NFL premiered Wednesday on Showtime and will have multiple replays through Sunday morning. We have what amounts to very interesting quotage.
LADAINIAN TOMLINSON TALKS JETS LOCKER ROOM FEUD ON THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME®
NEW YORK (Jan. 18, 2012) – New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson joins James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp on this week’s edition of INSIDE THE NFL where he gives his insight and take on the locker room feud between quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Plus INSIDE THE NFL breaks down the upcoming AFC and NFC Championship games.
This week’s episode of INSIDE THE NFL premiered Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
INSIDE THE NFL, now in its 33rd season, airs every Wednesday night through the NFL season on SHOWTIME for a total of 23 episodes, with multiple replays each week on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME® and availability on SHOWTIME On Demand.
INSIDE THE NFL is produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films. The executive producers are CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and NFL Films President Steve Sabol. Pete Radovich Jr., the Emmy Award-winning Creative Director for CBS Sports, serves as coordinating producer.
Following are excerpts from this week’s episode:
On Tomlinson’s insight inside Jets locker room drama…
JB: Did it get out-of-hand?
Tomlinson: It got out-of-hand toward the end of the season. That is why it got out in the media. This is something that happened (in the) third or fourth week of the season, that was going on, and nobody knew about it because the players kept it under wraps. Until we went on that losing streak and guys started to speak up and speak out about certain things.Collinsworth: Mark Sanchez has been the lightening rod. A lot of players don’t think he should be. Santonio Holmes was taken out of the game for basically stirring it up in the huddle. How bad was it and can it be fixed for those two?
Tomlinson: It is as bad as I’ve ever been around, honestly. And I’ve been around some locker rooms and quarterback-receiver situations and what-not. But it was as bad as I’ve been around. You know it was at the point where I think the players could no longer do anything about it. There was nothing that the players could do. So when it gets to that point there are certain changes that need to happen. Can it be fixed, Cris? I think absolutely it can be. But they’re going to have to make some tough decisions.JB: In terms of getting rid of some players?
Tomlinson: Guys think about this. They (Jets Organization) created this. This is the type of football team that they wanted. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of style, say whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying I’m not getting the ball or whatever it may be.On whether or not Sanchez can overcome the drama…
Tomlinson: I think he can overcome it. I think, the guy that said, that came at him, I don’t know who it was, that said Sanchez was lazy, but I disagree with that. The guy is not lazy guys. He is not a lazy guy. He puts in the time after practice in the film room. He can get it done. He just has to have pieces around him to help him get it done.On whether or not Sanchez is pampered…
Tomlinson: Yes he is, I would say a bit pampered because he has no competition. He has no real threat to say this guy may take my job.On whether or not Tomlinson would bring both Sanchez and Holmes back…
Tomlinson: Whew, that is a tough one. I would really have to sit down with them and see if they can co-exist, honestly. I mean that is a decision that I really have to make. And if I really feel like they can’t, then you have to make a move.On decision to change offense in off-season to a passing game with a wide open offense…
Tomlinson: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So a team that was coming off two straight AFC Championship games relied heavily on the run. My opinion now, why would you just totally switch up your identity at that point?On brash, in-your-face style of Jets…
Tomlinson: I think it can be effective because there are certain guys that you have to have on your team if you are going to be that way. You know it. If you are going to be that way you better have certain types. You better have some bad guys on your team that just don’t care about certain things, that speak up and say certain things. But if you’re not going to be that team, if you don’t have that personnel for that team, you can’t do it. You can’t be that team.JB: And that is where the pitfalls are if you don’t have those kinds of players. Because have had enough guys that say they love playing for Rex:
Tomlinson: I love playing for Rex. I really do. He is a great guy to play for.On Rex’s public bold predictions and statements for Jets and their opponents…
Tomlinson: I would prefer him not to say it as much as he did. I don’t mind every now and again saying we are going to win a championship. Maybe at the beginning of the year just saying, ‘Hey, our goal is to win a championship.’ But at the same time every week if you are calling out a team on certain things, I think it puts a little extra on your team. Guys really want to go out there and say, ‘Let’s shut this guy up. Let’s shut these Jets up, just end their season.’ I think that adds to that when Rex speaks up like that because, you know, everybody doesn’t like that type of style, and they’re not supposed to. But at the same time there are certain things that you can do to not have it come off like that.On Mark Sanchez-Santonio Holmes feud…
Tomlinson: Well, the East Coast-West Coast was something we poked fun at in the locker room amongst the players…Everybody heard about the Santonio and Mark Sanchez kind of beef, so we called it East Coast-West Coast beef. Santonio being the East Coast from Florida, Mark Sanchez being the West Coast from California. So we poked fun at it being the East Coast-West Coast beef. But in all seriousness, Santonio, obviously, he is a great player. There are some things that obviously he needs to work on as far as being a leader.Collinsworth: But it is great that you guys elected him captain, vote of the players and everything.
Tomlinson: Well, I’ve got to say, the players had nothing to do with that vote. Coaches vote on the captains with the Jets.
And that does it.
