Post by TheShadow on Dec 4, 2003 18:53:17 GMT -5
www.bayarea.com
By Eric Gilmore
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
ALAMEDA - Give Raiders coach Bill Callahan an "A" for damage control.
The locker room "wildfire" that wide receiver Tim Brown said he feared would spread after Callahan's postgame rant Sunday barely was smoldering Wednesday.
Moments after the Raiders' penalty-filled 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos, Callahan said, "We've got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game."
Some Raiders reacted angrily Sunday when told of Callahan's statement.
During a team meeting Monday, Callahan clarified his remarks, Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter said.
"The thing was, he made everybody realize that he didn't say, 'Oh, you guys are straight out dumb.' He said our play was dumb," Porter said.
"What the media did was (say) Callahan called this team the dumbest team in America. They didn't say that Callahan called this team's play the dumbest in America."
Whatever. The bottom line is that Callahan apparently has prevented a full-scale mutiny for Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Running back Tyrone Wheatley accused some media members of "putting a nice little spin on the story" that wasn't accurate. Wheatley grew testy when asked whether the team had moved past Callahan's remark.
"There you go again," Wheatley said. "It's over. You're asking the same question. ... It's nothing. It's over."
According to rookie tight end Teyo Johnson, Monday's meeting with Callahan was very "businesslike" and productive.
"Guys got stuff off their chests," Johnson said. "Everybody came away satisfied with where we stand as a football team.
"I think the meeting went well. The coach just really explained his comment wasn't anything personal. It was directed at the team. He wasn't mad at the person, he was mad at the player."
Johnson said he understands why Callahan's emotions boiled over Sunday after his team fell to 3-9 and lost yet another game it had a chance to win.
"People have to step back and put themselves in coach Callahan's position and just imagine what that would be like," Johnson said. "Coming in at 4 in the morning, going home at 11 at night and putting in game plans that are working, and the end of the game coming up short."
Callahan said last week's game and the uproar over his postgame comments are history.
"We have moved on from that," Callahan said. "We addressed it. I addressed it with the squad. We know where we're at. At 3-9, it hasn't been a bed of roses, and we've been frustrated and mistakes have hurt us, but we'll move on.
"We have four games left. We have an opportunity to win four games. These guys continue to fight. We've been in every game. ... I'm working hard to get more out of them."
Safety Anthony Dorsett said Callahan defused what had been an "ugly" situation immediately after their emotional loss to Denver. He also suggested that Callahan might want to follow the example of former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and mix "positive reinforcement" with the "negative reinforcement."
"Everybody's not built like that," Dorsett said. "Coach Callahan is a different type of coach, he's a different type of guy, he's a different kind of motivator. ... Sometimes you also have to bring guys up. You've got to build them up and not tear them down.
"Show a little love. We're a team that's struggling right now and has been struggling all year."
By Eric Gilmore
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
ALAMEDA - Give Raiders coach Bill Callahan an "A" for damage control.
The locker room "wildfire" that wide receiver Tim Brown said he feared would spread after Callahan's postgame rant Sunday barely was smoldering Wednesday.
Moments after the Raiders' penalty-filled 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos, Callahan said, "We've got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game."
Some Raiders reacted angrily Sunday when told of Callahan's statement.
During a team meeting Monday, Callahan clarified his remarks, Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter said.
"The thing was, he made everybody realize that he didn't say, 'Oh, you guys are straight out dumb.' He said our play was dumb," Porter said.
"What the media did was (say) Callahan called this team the dumbest team in America. They didn't say that Callahan called this team's play the dumbest in America."
Whatever. The bottom line is that Callahan apparently has prevented a full-scale mutiny for Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Running back Tyrone Wheatley accused some media members of "putting a nice little spin on the story" that wasn't accurate. Wheatley grew testy when asked whether the team had moved past Callahan's remark.
"There you go again," Wheatley said. "It's over. You're asking the same question. ... It's nothing. It's over."
According to rookie tight end Teyo Johnson, Monday's meeting with Callahan was very "businesslike" and productive.
"Guys got stuff off their chests," Johnson said. "Everybody came away satisfied with where we stand as a football team.
"I think the meeting went well. The coach just really explained his comment wasn't anything personal. It was directed at the team. He wasn't mad at the person, he was mad at the player."
Johnson said he understands why Callahan's emotions boiled over Sunday after his team fell to 3-9 and lost yet another game it had a chance to win.
"People have to step back and put themselves in coach Callahan's position and just imagine what that would be like," Johnson said. "Coming in at 4 in the morning, going home at 11 at night and putting in game plans that are working, and the end of the game coming up short."
Callahan said last week's game and the uproar over his postgame comments are history.
"We have moved on from that," Callahan said. "We addressed it. I addressed it with the squad. We know where we're at. At 3-9, it hasn't been a bed of roses, and we've been frustrated and mistakes have hurt us, but we'll move on.
"We have four games left. We have an opportunity to win four games. These guys continue to fight. We've been in every game. ... I'm working hard to get more out of them."
Safety Anthony Dorsett said Callahan defused what had been an "ugly" situation immediately after their emotional loss to Denver. He also suggested that Callahan might want to follow the example of former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and mix "positive reinforcement" with the "negative reinforcement."
"Everybody's not built like that," Dorsett said. "Coach Callahan is a different type of coach, he's a different type of guy, he's a different kind of motivator. ... Sometimes you also have to bring guys up. You've got to build them up and not tear them down.
"Show a little love. We're a team that's struggling right now and has been struggling all year."