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Ever have that run-down feeling? Ever wake up feeling tired? Ever feel exhausted in the middle of a workday?
Here's your remedy.
Blame Warren Sapp.
Ever have those tough, clinging stains on your floor? Ever have wax buildup? Ever wonder how to return that natural luster?
It's easy.
Blame Warren Sapp.
Go ahead. It's quick. It's easy. It's convenient.
Blame Sapp for rising gasoline prices, for traffic jams and for the shortcomings of the latest Matrix sequel. Blame him for global warming, explicit lyrics in rap music and the suspect ratings of Hollywood Squares. Blame him for a worldwide glut of bad manners, bad dancing and bad choices of words. Blame him for letting the dogs out.
Feel better?
If not, blame him for that, too.
And so the noisiest season in NFL history continues today and, what do you know, the cameras are pointed at Sapp, the familiar tackle of the Bucs who seems to agitate a large number of fans, including his own, each time he steps onto the field.
Today, both sides get to point at Sapp. The Bucs fans get to blame him for their 4-5 start. The Packer fans get to blame him for Chad Clifton's injury.
That should fit in nicely. So far this season, Sapp has been criticized for skipping, for dancing, for bumping. For talking, for not talking. One radio shock jock said Sapp was one of the people responsible for violence in America. He has been fined for abusing officials. He has been named the most disliked man in Wisconsin. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called him the most overrated player in football. He has been chastised for chastising Rush Limbaugh. He has been called out by a Carolina fan over a guarantee he didn't make.
Ah, but what's the real story? If you strip away perception and reputation, assumption and accusation, his grin and his glower, what are you left with? How good is Sapp these days? What should upset people, and what shouldn't?
What, then, is the truth about Warren Sapp?
CHARGE: He's playing terribly, and the Bucs would be better off without him.
VERDICT: Not true. Sapp, 31 next month, isn't the same player he was during the 1999 season, when he was the NFL defensive player of the year, or during 2000, when he had 161/2 sacks. Still, he's pretty good.
This week, I talked to general managers, coaches and scouts about Sapp. The consensus is that he's still somewhere among the league's top five defensive tackles. One scout told me if Sapp's grade was 100 when he was Player of the Year, this year's grade would be between 80 and 85. That scout had Carolina's Kris Jenkins, Dallas' La'Roi Glover and Philadelphia's Corey Simon ahead of him. Another scout has Sapp in the top three with Jenkins and the Patriots' Richard Seymour, pointing out he still influences other teams' blocking schemes.
Want a recap of this year? Sapp was excellent against Philadelphia, Dallas and Atlanta. He had bad games in the first Carolina loss and San Francisco. He was good, but not great, in the Bucs' other games.
When Sapp's play is critiqued, most point to the dropoff of his sack totals. After all, Sapp totaled 29 in '99 and '00. He's had 161/2 in the 41 games since. Obviously, he isn't making some plays he used to make. His burst, scouts say, is not the same. On the other hand, he has played the run as well as he always has.
By the way, Sapp isn't alone. The same year he had 161/2 sacks, Glover had 17. In his 41 games since, Glover has 171/2. Still, he's a top five defensive tackle, too.
The message is this: Judge more than the pass rush.
CHARGE: Sapp is purposely trying to be controversial so he can get out of Tampa Bay.
VERDICT: That one doesn't quite wash, either. Much of the noise Sapp has caused this year, such as skipping through other teams' warm-ups and kicking the end-zone pylon before games, are things he has done for nine seasons.
Are there differences to Sapp this year? Sure, some. He doesn't talk to most of the local media during the week, including me. After defeats, his postgame news conferences are shorter and often unpleasant.
As far as getting out of Tampa Bay, that might be only partially Sapp's choice. His contract is up after this season. The best guess is the Bucs' haven't decided if Sapp will be worth the money it will cost to keep him.
CHARGE: Sapp can be rude to people he runs into in public.
VERDICT: Absolutely. Sapp isn't a warm, fuzzy guy. That hasn't changed in nine years, either.
He can be cold, cruel, discourteous, and he doesn't apologize for any of it. Stories of Sapp in public have trailed him for much of his career.
Now, when his statistics have lessened, the bill has come due. Sapp always has been the most familiar face in his locker room, and therefore the most convenient target, but these days, there appears to be a particular glee to the Sapp-bashing.
That probably doesn't come as any surprise. Two seasons ago, Sapp and I had a loud discussion. "Four out of five people in this town want to see me fail," he said then. "When I'm gone, most people will be happy."
I thought Sapp was wrong at the time.
Now, I'm not so sure.
CHARGE: Sapp is bad for team chemistry.
VERDICT: Come on. The guy has been here for nine years. Other players roll their eyes when they hear the latest Sapp news. They make jokes.
This, too, is true about Sapp: He's a loyal guy to those inside his circle.
CHARGE: The NFL should have fined him heavier for his comments about slavemasters.
VERDICT: You hear this one a lot. But as inexcusable as his comments about slavemasters were, that wasn't why he was fined. He was fined for what he said to officials in two games and for bumping one before the Redskins game. And if you compare the $50,000 fine to others, it seems high.
Personally, I don't know what Sapp's intent was when he bumped the official in Washington. But when he says he didn't say anything to an official before the Colts' game, I tend to believe him. The guy usually speaks the truth as he sees it.
CHARGE: Today's game is a big one for Sapp because of last year.
VERDICT: Nope. Today's game is a big one for Sapp because of this year. If the Bucs can win this one, the schedule ahead looks manageable.
If they lose, well, you know who to blame.