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Thursday, November 3, 2005
Mora’s right to defend linemen but delivery’s all wrong
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Flowery Branch — He said what? Not only that, Jim Mora said it about whom?
Something’s up here. After all, two things are quite apparent about this thinking man’s coach of the Falcons: He’s bright, and he’s perceptive. So surely there was more to the story when Mora responded to that rather harmless question the other day involving former team legends Jeff Van Note and Mike Kenn by theorizing that their loquacious ways as offensive linemen contributed to the Falcons’ yearly spiral into purgatory back then.
That’s in contrast to Mora’s group of offensive linemen who have opted to spend a second consecutive year speaking only slightly more than a blade of artificial grass in the Georgia Dome.
Whatever works, which only was part of Mora’s point by contrasting the philosophy of his offensive linemen with that of Van Note and Kenn. To hear Mora tell it, the quiet ways of his guys contributed to his first Falcons team reaching the NFC championship game last season. He also suggested that it is helping his second Falcons team contend high in its division this season at 5-2. Which brings us to the primary reason why Mora said what he did regarding Van Note and Kenn (“Were they good talkers? How were their teams? Pretty good? My point exactly.�), and that is: Call him Sigmund Mora, master at preparing his players mentally as well as physically.
In other words, courtesy of this Van Note and Kenn thing, Mora has another way to support the silent wishes of his offensive linemen in general and of Alex Gibbs, their former coach and current consultant, in particular. More importantly, this is just a continuation of Mora doing what he should do, and that is to keep separating the shiny image of his Falcons from those of the franchise’s gloomy past.
The problem is, Mora does so clumsily on occasion.
“You have to understand where he’s coming from, though, which is that he’s kind of in that ‘Grrrrrrr’ mold, where he’s all about his players, and he will do anything to defend them until the end,â€? said Jamal Anderson, who gained quite a few yards for the Falcons and once ran them into a Super Bowl. That said, Anderson supports Mora’s philosophy of operating as if the Falcons’ history began on Jan. 9, 2004, the day that Mora was hired. “He’s never going to throw his guys under the bus, and he wears his emotions on his sleeve. Hey, I totally understand what he’s trying to do, and it’s necessary in order to get rid of 30-something years of mediocrity.â€?
No question there. It’s just that, well, this Van Note and Kenn thing wasn’t the best way for Mora to go. “Jeff and Mike didn’t misconstrue what I said. I talked to both of them, and they appreciated [my comments],� Mora said on Thursday after practice. “As I pointed out, they’re both nominated for the Hall of Fame. I mean, the only persons who could have misconstrued what was said were the people who weren’t in this room and heard the line of questioning. I was just responding to the question.�
Just like Mora was responding to another question regarding this Van Note and Kenn thing by saying, “I can never remember an offensive lineman being quoted, and I’ve been around a long time.�
Yeah, well. Centuries ago, when I covered the Oakland Raiders for a San Francisco paper, two of the most interviewed players were guard Gene Upshaw, now head of the NFL players union, and tackle Art Shell, the league’s first African-American head coach in modern times and currently in the NFL office. Plus, Mora was an assistant in New Orleans under his father, the older Jim Mora, for the first half of the 1990s. Those Saints had Willie Roaf, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman who was so popular that he had his own radio show. In addition to Van Note and Kenn, the list of prolific talkers among offensive linemen for the Falcons have ranged from Robbie Tobeck to Jamie Dukes to Bob Whitfield.
Anyway, Mora told me with a straight face that his offensive linemen have only one designated speaker each week for another reason: “It’s great for a guy like [backup center] Austin King to get to talk to the media. It’s a great learning process for those young guys.�
Then, after a slight pause, Mora burst into laughter.
He gets it.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
Unfamiliar names make themselves known
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
So this is for the championship of the PGA Tour, and if so, where are Fred Couples, and John Daly, and Stewart Cink, and Brad Faxon, and Mike Weir? You know, the old established firms?
In their absence, there are names here you don’t expect to see in the Tour Championship. It’s not easy making this list. You develop your bank account in 2005 and you’re on the honor roll. So Phil Mickelson didn’t choose to accept his appointment, but Bart Bryant and eight other guys who had never enjoyed the hospitality of this spectacle before did. And I’ll tell you, the route for some has been a roller coaster ride.
Take Brandt Jobe, for instance. Jobe came off the golf assembly line at UCLA in 1988, but his game was still in incubation. He played the Canadian Tour. He played the Japan Tour for six years, played well and made a good living. Played well enough one year to get invited to the Masters, but it was 1999 before he finally made it home to stay. He was still up and down the exempt list until he came in 25th this year, and here he is at East Lake.
Then there are Ted Purdy, Lucas Glover, Olin Browne, Ben Crane, Sean O’Hair, and the man at the top of the leaderboard, Bryant. Now the Bryant name has been hanging around the PGA Tour for several years. Before Bart, there was his brother, Brad, more commonly known among the tour warriors as “Dr. Dirt.� Mainly, that referred to Brad’s choice of wearing apparel. He just wasn’t a clothes horse, and frankly didn’t give a darn how he rated with the sartorial eggheads.
Bart is the better player of the Bryants, and when he won the Memorial Tournament this year, he peaked. That is, unless the top of the leaderboard doesn’t change between now and Sunday. Bart’s career didn’t begin to gain momentum until he won the Texas Open last year at the age of 40. The school he came from, New Mexico State, isn’t known among the golfing elite — though it is Rich Beem’s alma mater — and he had done nothing to polish its reputation until all of a sudden.
Well, let’s see, that leaves us with Purdy, Crane, Glover, O’Hair and Browne. Crane is no stranger in these parts. He won his first tournament two years ago in the BellSouth Classic. Glover came out of Clemson swinging, and just last month blasted a shot out of the bunker in the Funai Classic that landed him here. That made him, I’m told, the first Tiger to win a PGA Tour tournament since Clarence Rose won The International.
Purdy is one of those names that popped up once and awhile on leaderboards, but never until the Byron Nelson this year had he ever threatened to win a tournament. He’s one of those who had to survive on Far Eastern cuisine awhile before he could make it back to the States. He was rookie of the year on the Asian Tour in 1997, and since that time his life has been a series of Q-schools and the Nationwide Tour, and suddenly here he is.
O’Hair is a rookie in the Tour Championship field. For the longest time it seemed he’d go through life more widely known for his wretched upbringing with his father than as a player. Then it came forth in the Byron Nelson that he had a game, and he underlined it when he won the John Deere. At his press conference this week, it was a relief that nobody asked a question about his life with father.
Olin Browne — well, it seems he has been around longer than dirt, but he’s only 46 and simply rediscovered his game. He has won on the tour, but it was a while ago, and it seemed he was moving into the twilight of his career until he won the Fall Finish, one of those auxiliaries the tour has established. And here he is, on the board at 2 under par.
Did I mention Billy Mayfair? Last year he was 140th on the tour, then he switched to a belly putter, got away from that “cut� putt stroke, and his game lives again. Oh, we shouldn’t forget that ol’ Billy won this thing once 10 years ago, a long shot but not as long as Jodie Mudd, who won it in 1990. Now there’s a name out of the archives, wherever he may be.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Furman Bisher, Golf
College picks, minus the cleavage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Some Exclusive Resort, Fiji — You can step off my coattails any time you like, Cha-Cha.
Weekend Predictions Inc. has temporarily transferred operations from a corner table in the AJC’s third-floor death diner adjacent to the salad bar, where the standard question remains: “Is it supposed to be that color?”
Recent profits, boosted by last week’s 6-1-1 record against the line, have led me to a lounge chair under a palm, drinking something blue out of a smoking coconut. Suddenly, employment is optional.
A week ago, leaving would’ve been an easy decision. But that changed Thursday when AJC.com, whose motto is, “Come FlogBlog our writers for free!� posted a video link on its front to: “Jessica Simpson Tops Best Cleavage Poll!� It was accompanied by audio that I would consider sound explanatory journalism: “Jessica set the standard for busty bombshells with a pair of perfect double-D’s.�
I figure any media outlet that would finally ignore the BCS and recognize the rankings that really count is worth a second look. Actually, the video was worth more than a second look. But I want my wife to know I found it disgusting. All 12 times.
For what it’s worth, the poll by “In Touch Weekly� was close. Simpson’s cleavage edged out Salma Hayek, Carmen Electra and Phil Fulmer.
Which leads me to Tennessee. The Vols, fresh off the South Carolina pallet of death, drag into South Bend this week. They’ve lost three straight since beating Mississippi, which doesn’t really count. The last time they lost this many in a row, Johnny Majors was forced out. But the only way that happens to Fulmer is if he backstabs himself this time.
Tennessee ranks 108th at 16 points per game. In terms of scoring, that places them ahead of only Syracuse, Duke, Army, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Temple, Buffalo, North Texas and several middle-aged sportswriters.
So. Is this where they cowboy up for a Music City Bowl invite? Notre Dame is giving nine. Consider it covered.
Side dishes
Wake Up at G-Tech: The Jackets head into this game as a favorite, which differentiates it from the following three games when they’re a three-course meal (at Virginia, at Miami, Georgia). Bon appétit. Tech wins, but take Wake and 8.
Miami at V-Tech: The ACC places Miami and FSU on opposite sides of the bracket to set up an annual title-palooza, and here go the Hokies ruining everything for TV executives. I like that about them. Temperatures will be low enough to kill an orange crop or an upset. Hokies cover 6 1/2.
Vanderbilt at Florida: Do you realize Urban Meyer (1-0) already has as many wins in the Georgia-Florida series as Mark Richt (1-4), Jim Donnan (1-4) or Ray Goff (1-6)? Sorry. Last shot until next year. Still, nobody should be claiming superiority after a 14-10 win. Gators win, but take Vandy and 19.
South Carolina at Arkansas: Not to alarm you, but had Steve Spurrier pulled that little upset in Athens, the Gamecocks would be in a three-way tie for first in the SEC East right now, with only Arkansas and Florida left. And if the Piggies had beaten Georgia — well, they’d still stink. Take the Roosters and four — and in a straight upset.
Alabama at Missy State: The Tide goes to 9-0, then loses to LSU or Auburn, I haven’t decided yet. (Ratings trick: Come back next week.) Bammy wins and covers 16.
Auburn at Kentucky: This normally could be a “trap� game, as Auburn has Georgia and Alabama coming up. But some Kentucky players were so giddy after last week’s win that they discussed going to a bowl. Huh? Tigers cover 22 1/2.
N.C. State at Florida State: If the Seminoles win, they clinch a spot in the ACC title game. If the Wolfpack wins, Chuck Amato is just having another hallucination. ‘Noles win, but take Pack and 13.
Temple Beth Dreadful at Virginia: The Owls (0-9) have been outscored 109-17 by three ACC teams, but Al Groh inspires little confidence with a big spread. Virginia wins, but take Temple and 35 1/2.
Accounts payable
Last week: 7-1 straight up, 6-1-1 against the line.
Fiscal season: 48-11 straight up, 37-21-1 against the line.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
I’m just thinking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Quicker hits than usual this week:
I think the Braves will miss Leo Mazzone much more than they’re letting on.
I think Mazzone was undervalued within this organization, which, if you’re an organization built on pitching, always seemed pretty strange to me.
I think the White Sox won the World Series — and went 11-1 in postseason — because Cleveland put the fear of elimination in them the last two weeks of the regular season. Chicago wasn’t a wild-card team, but it had to play like one just to get into the playoffs.
I think Jim Mora has gotten a lecture on how not to trash the history of your own organization. And I think he needed it.
I think Georgia was unlucky to lose to Florida but isn’t quite good enough to have been thinking about an unbeaten regular season, anyway. If that makes any sense.
I think the Hawks need to guard somebody.
I think the Falcons are such a chic pick to lose in Miami — both Peter King and Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated have picked the Dolphins — that they’ll win.
I think Rafael Furcal is leaving.
Then again, I thought Tom Glavine was staying.
I think Jeff Van Note showed a lot of class Wednesday. Then again, he’s a Kentucky grad. Comes with the diploma.
I think Andruw Jones will win the MVP.
I think Vince Young is making a big run, no pun intended, at the Heisman.
I think Texas will beat Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
I think I’m done here.
Permalink | Comments (49) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
My five most interesting interviews
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
By popular demand, Journal-Constitution columnist Furman Bisher, author of the new book "Face to Face," gives us the five most interesting subjects he’s ever interviewed:
Shoeless Joe Jackson: Not for his personality or warmth, but for the historical significance of it. It was the only time he ever talked on record about the Black Sox scandal of 1919, the World Series “fix.” This was for a story in Sport Magazine in 1949. I’d seen him twice before, but never had a conversation with him. He was glum, low on personality, but he did let me have a swing with his famous “Black Betsy” bat.
Red Grange: I have never met a more humble immortal. He had retired to Florida, given up broadcasting, and was living modestly in one of those created resorts near Lake Wales. Coaching? "How could you coach running, when you didn’t know how you did it yourself?" He didn’t even possess an "I" sweater from his days at Illinois.
Bobby Jones: All I can say is, no man ever gave more generously of his time, and no man ever shot straighter. I never saw him swing a golf club. He was already crippled by the time I came to know him in the 1950s and got about with the help of a cane or crutches.
Pete Rademacher: "Pete who?" you say. He’s the only man who ever turned pro the night he fought for the world heavyweight championship. Floyd Patterson was his target, and he had him down in the second round. A former soldier and Olympic champion who organized his own pro campaign, raised money for the purse, was delightful, intelligent, all those things, and is still promoting one thing or another in Ohio.
Ted Williams: First met him when he was a pilot in training at Pensacola in 1945, and I was a Navy Lt. (SG) doing a story for The Sporting News. Then, 35 years later, we shared a hotel suite for a baseball blowout in North Carolina, and for three hours we sat and swapped tales. I’ll say he turned out to be a pretty good interviewer himself.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Categories: Furman Bisher
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