Coaches and athletes, why are you guys still giving opposing teams bulletin board material?
Seriously, just stop doing it. There’s really not much to be gained from taking shots at a player or team you’re about to match up against, and most of the time, it seems to blow up in your face.
Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has spent his week preparing for the New England Patriots. He also took time to let everyone know he doesn’t know who Patriots running back Dion Lewis is, apparently.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Ryan answered a question about what New England does to allow “no-name running backs” to thrive in its system. The question seemed to refer to Lewis, who had a respectable performance in the Patriots’ season-opening win Sept. 10.
During Ryan’s answer, Reiss has him quoted as saying, “I can’t even tell you that kid’s name.”
Really, Rex? I know the Bills are coming off a big win against Andrew Luck and the Colts in week one, but did you really need to fire up a guy who had 15 carries for 69 yards and four catches for 51 yards?
The Patriots don’t need any extra motivation. I think the defending Super Bowl champions are just fine without a giant chip on their shoulders.
Ryan wasn’t alone in giving opponents a reason to get fired up this week. When asked about stopping LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Auburn defensive back Rudy Ford said it “shouldn’t be difficult.”
Here’s a reminder of what happened last weekend if you need a refresher:
Auburn, playing at home, allowed 161 yards rushing to an FCS school. LSU went on the road to play Mississippi State, a then-ranked Southeastern Conference team, in its season opener. Fournette rushed 28 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns.
In other words, I have a hard time believing Ford.
Auburn’s front seven got pushed around at times last weekend, and they’re now set to play a more talented offensive line that is paving the way for a running back in contention for the Heisman Trophy.
Fournette seemed to take exception to the comment, sending out a since-deleted tweet saying, “I got a team fulla savages words is just words to me.”
Auburn will be lucky to slow Fournette down, let alone stop him. With Ford’s words providing extra motivation, I don’t even know if Auburn’s front seven will be able to contain him.
Granted, neither of these scenarios have fully played out just yet, but I won’t be surprised if Ryan and Ford are regretting what they said after things are settled on the field.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.