TAMPA — The uniform is gone, and so are a lot of the pounds he once carried. His turn on Dancing With the Stars seems to have softened his image, and he is wearing the smile of a man with no room in his heart for anger.
Then Warren Sapp opens his mouth and, phew, the world seems normal again.
You had around 100 players from Pittsburgh and Arizona at Super Bowl media day Tuesday, but it was No. 99 who spoke loudest. Now a broadcaster for the NFL Network and Showtime, Sapp took on the memories of Jon Gruden and Monte Kiffin and their contributions to Tampa Bay's victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle did not criticize his former head coach and defensive coordinator. He just criticized those who would give the coaches more credit than Sapp believes they deserve.
"We waited our whole lives to get to that game. You're not going to tell me because the little fella on the sideline is yelling and ranting and raving and making faces, that's why (Oakland) couldn't move the ball," Sapp said. "That's why Jerry Rice didn't have a catch until the second half of that game? Don't do that. Don't demean us. Don't demean that defense and what we did from '96 until we won the championship. That was giving up 16.02 points a game.
"This is me. I'll defend that."
Sapp, 36, has never been shy about his opinions and he offered them freely. Even when the answers did not particularly line up with the questions.
When he was asked about how much Pittsburgh's defensive schemes have benefitted linebacker James Harrison, Sapp segued into a what sounded like a gripe concerning Kiffin.
"He's over there beating his chest," Sapp said. "You may want to give the players some credit."
It seems the circumstances of the Super Bowl XLIII opponents have touched a nerve for Sapp. The discussion of whether Arizona has any advantage because head coach Ken Whisenhunt was a Pittsburgh assistant is apparently too reminiscent of Gruden's former association with Oakland six years ago.
"You're going to take a defense that, from 1996 to 2002 when we took the title home, gave up 16.02 points (and say we won) because my coach used to work there? Bull----," Sapp said. "You're not going to cheat me and Derrick (Brooks) and all of us out of what we did that week, that whole year.
"… Don't tell me Jon Gruden walked in here and all of the sudden made magic. We were a pretty good team. He gave us an offense that could get 20 points, and he made them accountable for every snap they took. …
"I'll give him love, but I'm not going to give him credit for winning a championship."
If he were frugal when it came to giving credit to Gruden and Kiffin, Sapp was more open to Tony Dungy's accomplishments before the Super Bowl.
"You're talking about Tony forging the steel and the foundation to build a championship on," Sapp said. "And Gruden coming in when that foundation was good and rock solid and putting a nice house on top of it with a championship. That all goes together."
News
