Post by TheShadow on Dec 9, 2003 20:36:11 GMT -5
sports.espn.go.com
Associated Press
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders didn't appreciate Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward saying they gave up.
They swear it's just not true.
Oakland may be 3-10 -- its worst record since moving into the NFL in 1970 -- but the players say they are determined to end this awful season with at least some dignity.
"You can't pay attention to what other people say, unless they're on the field," cornerback Terrance Shaw said Monday after the Raiders' 27-7 loss to the Steelers. "You got a family, don't you? You know how many other teams there are in the league. Film don't lie. You can tell who's quitting. That's the answer to Hines Ward's theory. There ain't no quitting."
Maybe not, but the Raiders sure need to do a lot of things better to win any of their final three games, against Baltimore, Green Bay and San Diego.
"In the middle of the third quarter, maybe they gave up," Ward said after Sunday's game. "They were ready to go home. It was cold [30 degrees] and they had a long flight home and they've had problems with their coach."
Linebacker Eric Barton took exception to the remarks, too.
"I definitely didn't feel like we quit," Barton said. "Nobody's going to quit."
Every Monday, as he assesses his team, second-year coach Bill Callahan talks of the positives, how his team keeps fighting, and he insists the Raiders are working to rectify all their problems.
"I think as professionals we want to do our best," he said. "We want to go out and put our best play on film because we are being evaluated constantly -- and not just internally within the organization but across the league. There are 31 other teams that are putting the film on, and they really don't care what your record is and what game it is during the season."
It doesn't get easier the rest of the way for the Raiders.
They still must face the league's top two running backs, as well as the NFL's sixth-best rusher: No. 1 Jamal Lewis of the Ravens, No. 2 Ahman Green of the Packers and No. 6 LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers. The three have combined for 4,345 yards and 29 touchdowns.
And the Raiders' last-place run defense has been dismal.
"That's what I would do if I was a coach," Barton said of attacking Oakland's run defense. "It's not that we have bad football players."
Associated Press
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders didn't appreciate Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward saying they gave up.
They swear it's just not true.
Oakland may be 3-10 -- its worst record since moving into the NFL in 1970 -- but the players say they are determined to end this awful season with at least some dignity.
"You can't pay attention to what other people say, unless they're on the field," cornerback Terrance Shaw said Monday after the Raiders' 27-7 loss to the Steelers. "You got a family, don't you? You know how many other teams there are in the league. Film don't lie. You can tell who's quitting. That's the answer to Hines Ward's theory. There ain't no quitting."
Maybe not, but the Raiders sure need to do a lot of things better to win any of their final three games, against Baltimore, Green Bay and San Diego.
"In the middle of the third quarter, maybe they gave up," Ward said after Sunday's game. "They were ready to go home. It was cold [30 degrees] and they had a long flight home and they've had problems with their coach."
Linebacker Eric Barton took exception to the remarks, too.
"I definitely didn't feel like we quit," Barton said. "Nobody's going to quit."
Every Monday, as he assesses his team, second-year coach Bill Callahan talks of the positives, how his team keeps fighting, and he insists the Raiders are working to rectify all their problems.
"I think as professionals we want to do our best," he said. "We want to go out and put our best play on film because we are being evaluated constantly -- and not just internally within the organization but across the league. There are 31 other teams that are putting the film on, and they really don't care what your record is and what game it is during the season."
It doesn't get easier the rest of the way for the Raiders.
They still must face the league's top two running backs, as well as the NFL's sixth-best rusher: No. 1 Jamal Lewis of the Ravens, No. 2 Ahman Green of the Packers and No. 6 LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers. The three have combined for 4,345 yards and 29 touchdowns.
And the Raiders' last-place run defense has been dismal.
"That's what I would do if I was a coach," Barton said of attacking Oakland's run defense. "It's not that we have bad football players."