To John Clairmont of Orlando, who wrote that Jon Gruden is the best coach in the NFL (Your Turn, March 14): Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Tony Dungy, Marvin Lewis, Brian Billick, those are the names of the best coaches in the NFL. Being an egotistical bottom-feeder does not make you a great coach.
Gruden would rather have players who take drugs and beat their wives than guys like John Lynch who actually show up for practice, don't have a probation officer and don't shoot their mouths off to the media or other teams.
Could Dungy have won the Super Bowl? I don't know. But he certainly built the team that did, and not to give him credit for that is just ignorance of the game.
-- Nancy Robinson, Madeira Beach
Bucs need "fan favorites'
I'd like to thank Gary Shelton for "New and improved' Bucs unlikely to win any congeniality contests (March 14). With all the talk about NFL parity and salary-cap strategies, we as fans can easily lose track of what really matters.
Shelton's views are certainly refreshing. We must retain a core group of "fan favorite" players. Striving to hold on to the status quo and the homespun Raymond James atmosphere should be our goal, whatever the cost. After all, winning and losing is just a minor aspect of the NFL game.
Confusing the Bucs with a less fan-friendly team like New England will never become an issue. Who would want to regain Super Bowl status anyway if it involved the repulsive practice of using "someone else's players"?
-- Alan R. Lustig, Seminole
Lightning didn't deserve boos
The Tampa Bay area has been known for losing sports teams, from the years of the orange-and-white Buccaneers to the Devil Rays and (as of three years ago) the Lightning. But times have turned. Even though it doesn't seem like a hockey town, fans have to respect what this franchise has done. From becoming one of the youngest, inexperienced and cheapest franchises, it has grown to become one of the top teams in the league. It disgusted me that after an 18-game points streak, an 11-game unbeaten streak and a 10-game home unbeaten streak, fans had the nerve to boo the team after one bad game.
-- Kimberly Cran, New Port Richey
Give champ better coverage
I hope the Times will finally give undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright his due after he won a decisive and enormous victory over Shane Mosely. Your newspaper has provided very poor coverage of this incredibly talented fighter who is now a boxing superstar. Please show that your Sports section cares about sports that are big in our area. Provide Wright the marquee coverage he deserves.
-- Robert Colen, Tampa
Focus on teams, not Packer
I was very disappointed with the way CBS handled the basketball tournament selection show. The focus should be on the kids and not Billy Packer's ego. I know all 65 teams assembled to watch the pairings, but CBS showed only a few of the gatherings. March Madness is about the kids. Packer's ego is of no interest to many of us.
-- John Anderson, Odessa
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