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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 23, 2002
Now that he has responded to his benching for non-performance, Kenyatta Walker should take a lesson from Johnny Unitas. Unitas was cut by Pittsburgh and returned to the dust lots of Pennsylvania before he was "discovered" in Baltimore. All he did was play 18 years at the top of his game and work his way into the Hall of Fame. Some consider him the greatest quarterback in history.
Now we have Walker, who accepted more money than Unitas made in his entire career just to sign a piece of paper. Then, instead of wanting to prove himself as the best, Walker just showed up. Unless he gives $8-million worth of effort, it will be "Kenyatta who?" when he's gone.
Maybe he should consider which is better: money or respect.
-- John B. Mooney, Hudson
There you go again, getting all worked up over a victory. The Bucs beat a bottom-feeder (Baltimore). In fact, pretty much your whole schedule is against bottom-feeders. Even the Steelers and Rams are 0-2.
It's a shame that Chucky's dink-and-dunk offense isn't going to be really tested except, of course, against my beloved Packers who, admittedly, are not going to the dance this year either.
Calm down. Even if the dink-and-dunk does get you to the playoffs, you'll be gone after the first round.
-- Dave Highlands, via e-mail
Sooner or later Brad Johnson's dink-and-dunk passes will catch up with him. He still does not impress me. His inability to throw deep and lack of mobility will cost the Bucs later on.
-- Jimmie Carra, Port Richey
There is a big problem the coaching staff does not seem to realize or address: We need a kicker who can put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs like most other teams and make opponents start from the 20. Every kickoff by Martin Gramatica gets returned.
-- Richard A. Perkins, Sun City Center
Though it goes against all his high-risk, bombs-away instincts, Mike Martz needs to develop an old, smash-mouth football mentality against the Bucs, and let pro football's most lethal weapon do his thing early and often. The Rams need to flex a little muscle and let Marshall Faulk run over and over and over again. I don't care if they spread the field with four receivers, or if they tilt the field with two tight ends, extra linemen and a fullback. I don't care if Faulk grinds it out in the thick of the line, scoots around the edges on sweeps, or slices through gaps with shovel passes.
Just give Marshall the ball.
I am so sick and tired of hearing about how the "Cover 2" defense has somehow rendered Martz's high-octane offense totally ineffective. That's a bunch of nonsense. The simple fact is, the Rams have had plenty of success against the "Cover 2" in recent years (please look up the whippings they've applied to the 49ers and the Saints over the past few seasons for evidence).
-- Bryan Burwell -- Column excerpt from St. Louis Post-Dispatch