83-Steelers-43
08-13-2006, 05:18 AM
Cook: Steelers' Foote, Porter won't put lid on trash talk
Sunday, August 13, 2006
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Did you see that unbelievable tape of the British jockey giving his horse a head butt on the track at Stratford last month?
Was it just me or did two thoughts immediately pop into your mind as well?
Did the horse insult the jockey's mother and sister?
How in the world have Steelers linebackers Joey Porter and Larry Foote lasted so long in the NFL without being head-butted?
You should have heard Foote laugh at that second question.
Yes, both Foote and Porter knew what prompted it.
"You're talking about Zidane, right?" Porter asked.
"Yeah, I saw the stupid thing that idiot did," Foote said.
In case you missed the world's most significant sporting event of 2006 -- no, not Super Bowl XL -- French star midfielder Zinedine Zidane was thrown out of the World Cup final after attacking Italian defender Marco Materazzi with a vicious head butt. It was hard to determine what exactly prompted the thoughtless outburst after all the accusations and denials that followed. Initial reports had Materazzi calling Zidane a terrorist, a charge Materazzi denied. Later, word was that Materazzi insulted Zidane's mother and sister. At least, that was Zidane's story, and he's sticking to it.
"I could just see me going to coach [Bill] Cowher and telling him I got thrown out of a game because someone said something about my mother," Foote said, rolling his eyes.
Zidane's actions were unconscionable, especially considering how much was at stake in the game. Even more ridiculous was the punishment handed down by FIFA, soccer's world governing body, as a result of the incident. Zidane, who retired after France lost the Cup final, 5-3, on penalty kicks after a 1-1 extra-time tie, was given a $6,000 fine and community service with children. Materazzi was fined $4,000 and suspended for two games.
A two-game suspension for saying something?
How crazy is that?
If the NFL operated that way, Porter and Foote never would get to play in a game.
"I mean, those guys talk non-stop," Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith said. "Even if I wanted to talk trash out there, those guys never let you get a word in edgewise."
Foote acknowledged American football is a little different than the football the rest of the world plays. "You're talking about different countries with different cultures and different traditions."
In your typical NFL game, no one pays much attention to what someone else is saying. You wouldn't believe what goes on in the bottom of those piles. Guys are concerned about not getting their eyes poked or their crotch grabbed or their fingers twisted. What another player might say about their mother or sister seems trivial.
"Ah, you really don't hear too much mother talk," Foote said. "I take that back. Joey will talk about your mother. He'll get personal with you and say anything."
Porter didn't deny it.
"Sure, I'll talk about your mother, and you can talk about mine. It doesn't matter. Anything goes out there, but it's just words. Nothing anyone has ever said to me has gotten me going like that. I'll just remember it and get you later. It'll happen, sooner or later."
Porter says he likes to agitate to try to get an edge. "You push a guy's buttons long enough, once in awhile, you push the right one. That's what happened with Zidane. He reacted the way he would on the street. You can't do that on the field."
On rare occasions, the talk gets out of hand during an NFL game or even before it. When the Steelers played the Browns in Cleveland in 2004, Porter got into a scuffle with Browns running back William Green during pre-game warm-ups, and both were ejected. Porter and Foote insist Green started it by throwing the first punch.
It's much more likely that the trash talk gets a player off his game mentally. It's fair to think that happened in Super Bowl XL when Porter called Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens "soft" and "a liability" in the days before the game. Who knows what he said about Stevens' mother and sister during the game? All we know is Stevens dropped three passes. Those drops were huge in the Steelers' 21-10 victory.
That's why Porter and Foote have no plans on curbing their enthusiasm on the pitch.
Foote said he learned something valuable from the Zidane incident, though.
"I'm going to try the terrorist line this season and see if I can get someone to lose his head and do something stupid," he said, giggling.
The Steelers play the Miami Dolphins in the opener Sept. 7.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Daunte Culpepper?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06225/713084-87.stm
Sunday, August 13, 2006
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Did you see that unbelievable tape of the British jockey giving his horse a head butt on the track at Stratford last month?
Was it just me or did two thoughts immediately pop into your mind as well?
Did the horse insult the jockey's mother and sister?
How in the world have Steelers linebackers Joey Porter and Larry Foote lasted so long in the NFL without being head-butted?
You should have heard Foote laugh at that second question.
Yes, both Foote and Porter knew what prompted it.
"You're talking about Zidane, right?" Porter asked.
"Yeah, I saw the stupid thing that idiot did," Foote said.
In case you missed the world's most significant sporting event of 2006 -- no, not Super Bowl XL -- French star midfielder Zinedine Zidane was thrown out of the World Cup final after attacking Italian defender Marco Materazzi with a vicious head butt. It was hard to determine what exactly prompted the thoughtless outburst after all the accusations and denials that followed. Initial reports had Materazzi calling Zidane a terrorist, a charge Materazzi denied. Later, word was that Materazzi insulted Zidane's mother and sister. At least, that was Zidane's story, and he's sticking to it.
"I could just see me going to coach [Bill] Cowher and telling him I got thrown out of a game because someone said something about my mother," Foote said, rolling his eyes.
Zidane's actions were unconscionable, especially considering how much was at stake in the game. Even more ridiculous was the punishment handed down by FIFA, soccer's world governing body, as a result of the incident. Zidane, who retired after France lost the Cup final, 5-3, on penalty kicks after a 1-1 extra-time tie, was given a $6,000 fine and community service with children. Materazzi was fined $4,000 and suspended for two games.
A two-game suspension for saying something?
How crazy is that?
If the NFL operated that way, Porter and Foote never would get to play in a game.
"I mean, those guys talk non-stop," Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith said. "Even if I wanted to talk trash out there, those guys never let you get a word in edgewise."
Foote acknowledged American football is a little different than the football the rest of the world plays. "You're talking about different countries with different cultures and different traditions."
In your typical NFL game, no one pays much attention to what someone else is saying. You wouldn't believe what goes on in the bottom of those piles. Guys are concerned about not getting their eyes poked or their crotch grabbed or their fingers twisted. What another player might say about their mother or sister seems trivial.
"Ah, you really don't hear too much mother talk," Foote said. "I take that back. Joey will talk about your mother. He'll get personal with you and say anything."
Porter didn't deny it.
"Sure, I'll talk about your mother, and you can talk about mine. It doesn't matter. Anything goes out there, but it's just words. Nothing anyone has ever said to me has gotten me going like that. I'll just remember it and get you later. It'll happen, sooner or later."
Porter says he likes to agitate to try to get an edge. "You push a guy's buttons long enough, once in awhile, you push the right one. That's what happened with Zidane. He reacted the way he would on the street. You can't do that on the field."
On rare occasions, the talk gets out of hand during an NFL game or even before it. When the Steelers played the Browns in Cleveland in 2004, Porter got into a scuffle with Browns running back William Green during pre-game warm-ups, and both were ejected. Porter and Foote insist Green started it by throwing the first punch.
It's much more likely that the trash talk gets a player off his game mentally. It's fair to think that happened in Super Bowl XL when Porter called Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens "soft" and "a liability" in the days before the game. Who knows what he said about Stevens' mother and sister during the game? All we know is Stevens dropped three passes. Those drops were huge in the Steelers' 21-10 victory.
That's why Porter and Foote have no plans on curbing their enthusiasm on the pitch.
Foote said he learned something valuable from the Zidane incident, though.
"I'm going to try the terrorist line this season and see if I can get someone to lose his head and do something stupid," he said, giggling.
The Steelers play the Miami Dolphins in the opener Sept. 7.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Daunte Culpepper?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06225/713084-87.stm