Tag: trash talk

Cameron Jordan: Falcons games prepared him for playing in empty Superdome

Cameron Jordan would prefer to play in front of New Orleans Saints fans, but he says he’s used to empty stadiums after so many Falcons games

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The novel coronavirus pandemic has already shifted the NFL’s offseason calendar, and more changes seem inevitable. One significant difference for the 2020 season would be games played in stadiums with fewer fans — if any at all, which would be a big hit to teams reliant on their home-field advantage like the New Orleans Saints.

But all-star defensive end Cameron Jordan isn’t buying that narrative. He’s ready to play anywhere, anytime, even if he will admit that a quieter Mercedes-Benz Superdome would feel, well, awkward. While he’s hopeful to play games in front of a supportive crowd, he’s acutely aware of how public health concerns must be the top priority.

Jordan commented on the situation after a recent event in which he gifted $25,000 in computers to underserved New Orleans schoolchildren. He said, “That Dome Field advantage is real. When Who Dat Nation fills in that entire stadium, those are chills right there. That’s the advantage you feel.”

The Superdome has played host to some of the NFL’s highest-scoring games, with Drew Brees conducting Sean Payton’s offense to peak efficiency over the last decade-and-a-half. But Jordan’s defense has stolen the show in recent years, feeding off the crowd noise and putting pressure on opponents.

Playing without that backing would hurt, but Jordan is confident that the Saints will overcome it. He pointed to the lackluster showing by opposing fans for Saints road games as preparation for these sort of circumstances.

“Now we’re just going to know that everyone is tuned in on TV, I guess? I don’t know. To have to treat a home game like an away game? Awkward,” Jordan continued, “It’ll be like playing in Atlanta or something.”

That’s some nice fuel to add to the fire for the always-heated Saints-Falcons rivalry. Maybe Atlanta will make it competitive this year.

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Kevin Garnett had a classic story about making the mistake of talking trash to Michael Jordan

Lesson learned.

During his playing career, Kevin Garnett was known across the NBA as one of the game’s most notorious trash talkers. He had an uncanny ability to get into his opponent’s head, but that trash-talking prowess had its limits.

That limit was Michael Jordan.

Separate podcast and radio interviews with J.R. Rider and Garnett from All-Star weekend made rounds on social media this week. And both players described the same Jordan trash-talking story with stunning consistency (so you know it’s probably true). Basically, Rider was going into the fourth quarter against the Bulls having already scored 24 points on Jordan. A young Garnett wanted to get under Jordan’s skin and said that MJ couldn’t guard Rider.

Big mistake, Kevin. (NSFW language)

Garnett described Rider trying to apologize to Jordan ahead of time, saying that Garnett was young and didn’t know any better. Jordan didn’t care.

A two-point game ballooned to a 25-point Bulls lead with Jordan shutting down Rider, and a gassed Garnett apologized to Rider for the mishap. Rider told Garnett to keep his mouth shut next time.

Garnett learned an important lesson that night.

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Roman Harper pushes back against ex-49er Donte Whitner’s trash talk

Former New Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper fired back after ex-San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner took jabs at his team on Twitter.

The San Francisco 49ers are readying to kick off against the New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, leading former players from both teams to take to social media to reminiscence about their glory days, and maybe air some grievances ahead of this year’s Festivus celebration.

Former 49ers safety Donte Whitner fired the opening salvo, claiming his team delivered “karma for Bountygate” to the Saints in their infamous 2011 playoff game. In that matchup, Whitner got away with a dangerous helmet-to-helmet hit on Saints running back Pierre Thomas on the opening drive, knocking Thomas unconscious and concussing him. Whitner insisted that his tackle was made “The legal way,” which angered retired Saints safety Roman Harper.

“Bro what a joke,” Harper wrote, pointing out how the 49ers won that game after the Saints offense committed five turnovers, and giving Whitner’s defense credit for creating so many takeaways. He then warned Whitner against putting on a tough-guy act on social media.

At the time, Whitner’s hit on Thomas was ruled legal because Thomas not a defenseless player, having completed several football moves (catching a pass and running upfield) prior to being struck. But after increased public awareness about the dangers of concussions suffered in sports put pressure on the NFL, rules changes in 2017 and 2018 outlawed all helmet-to-helmet hits like this under a blanket policy. Thomas was lucky to not suffer line-changing effects from the brain injury Whitner inflicted on him; others haven’t been so lucky.

Harper was one of several Saints players involved in the NFL’s “Bountygate” scandal, in which league commissioner Roger Goodell used the testimony of a disgruntled former Saints team employee (who now works in the league office) as grounds to suspend multiple players and team personnel for much of the 2012 season. Upon reviewing Goodell’s evidence for the claims made against the Saints and the under-oath testimony of then-linebackers coach Joe Vitt and others implicated in the drama, NFL-appointed arbiter and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned all player suspensions and later reprimanded his successor in an interview with Rolling Stone.

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