LADAINIAN TOMLINSON TALKS JETS
LOCKER ROOM FEUD ON THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE
NFL ON
SHOWTIME®
New
Episode Tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT
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 premieres tonight, 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.
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