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Keyshawn Blasts His Former Bucs Coach, Teammates
There are some positives that Keyshawn Johnson can take from the Cowboys' 35-17 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. He had nine receptions for 111 yards. He also found himself open so often that all his past complaints about Jon Gruden stifling him in Tampa Bay seemed legitimate. And he certainly looked like a more effective receiver with Bill Parcells operating as his head coach again.
This is what happens when good friends reunite. There is no bickering, no second-guessing ... just faith. There are so many issues surrounding the Cowboys that it's easy to miss how seamlessly Johnson has become a good fit with this team after being deactivated in Tampa last season. He has a quarterback who will feed him the ball (Vinny Testaverde), a position coach who's worked with him before (Todd Haley) and a motivator in Parcells, a man who's always known how to handle Johnson ever since coaching him with the New York Jets in the late '90s.
Johnson has been a pain for almost all his other head coaches, but he connects with Parcells for one key reason: Parcells cares only about the bottom line. He doesn't complain about Johnson's lack of speed and quickness. He doesn't get annoyed when Johnson tells him, "Bill Walsh used to kick your ass back in the day." Parcells only cares about Johnson's knack for catching passes that move the chains and his willingness to block downfield.
Johnson appreciates that, especially when he recalls his days under Gruden in Tampa. There will come a time when Johnson will have to let his resentment of Gruden pass but don't bet on it coming soon. Here are some of the more memorable moments from my one-hour conversation with Johnson last Wednesday:
• Johnson's admission that he often goaded Gruden because he felt Gruden was more concerned about running the West Coast offense than utilizing the talent available to him. Johnson often sat in meetings and told Gruden, "You're not a genius." Explains Johnson: "Gruden wanted to show everybody that this was his team. That's the difference between him and a Bill Parcells. Parcells has a big ego but he's not trying to be bigger than the Cowboys. In Tampa, Gruden ran the general manager [Rich McKay, now the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons] out of town. He could've at least shown some respect for the guy who built the franchise."
• Keyshawn's claims that friends told him Gruden was ripping Johnson to other coaches at this year's Senior Bowl. "I heard he was telling people I couldn't play but it's like I told him last year, there are only so many walls he can penetrate -- and that's with the people who know him. And the bottom line is that I wouldn't want to play for Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, Mike Sherman or anybody else who calls him a friend."
• Johnson's belief that Gruden is one of the most disingenuous coaches he's ever met. "He had the nerve to ask me once why I didn't like him," Johnson says. "I said, 'Come on, m----- f-----. You know why I don't like you.' This is the same guy who dogged Tim Brown in meetings all year and then went out and signed him. Why would I want to be with a two-faced m----- f----- like that?"
• Johnson's dealings with his former teammates. He was annoyed by Warren Sapp's preseason comments that Johnson seemed happy about his deactivation. Said Keyshawn: "Why is he still worried about me, especially when he knows his fat ass would've taken the same kind of money if he'd been deactivated, too?" Johnson also has a beef with Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber. After Johnson was deactivated, Barber said it "was the necessary decision," adding that "you can't afford to have the locker room split over one guy's attitude." Says Johnson: "Ronde Barber is an Uncle Tom. They'll cut him one day like they do everybody else but he's trying to be political and kiss Gruden's butt. This guy is 30 years old and he's saying I'm affecting what he does." Other players such as Simeon Rice and John Lynch also made comments similar to Barber's at the time, but Johnson says he and Barber "will have words" the next time they see each other.
Johnson did make one attempt at showing some regret for his role in the feud with Gruden. He said, "I probably could've done some things differently -- like not putting my house on the market in September or not telling Gruden he wasn't a genius -- but he's not the sugar plum in this situation, either. People just make him out to be that." Gruden, by the way, declined to comment for this story.
Meanwhile, Johnson has only kind words for Parcells -- and with good reason. Parcells sees Johnson's strengths and tries to maximize them. That approach made Johnson believe in Parcells in New York and he's already shown a new attitude in Dallas, one that those around Tampa would have a hard time recognizing. His Cowboys teammates say he is so hungry that he often dives for balls in practice. He's often encouraging younger, skeptical teammates to buy into Parcells' system because it can work for them (yes, there's a certain irony to him being a pitch man for a head coach). He's also putting his body on the line.
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, with Minnesota leading 28-17, Johnson soared for an errant pass thrown by Testaverde near the sideline. At the height of Johnson's leap, Vikings cornerback Brian Williams cut Johnson's legs out from underneath him, sending him toppling headfirst to the turf. Johnson should've been thinking about the fastest way to acquire some Advil at that point. Instead, he jogged back to the huddle after the incompletion, ran a deep seam route on the next play and caught a 19-yard pass as Williams drilled him again. Johnson isn't as great as he thinks he is, but I give him credit for that play. Few receivers have enough heart to catch that ball in that situation.
Parcells realizes that as well. He understands that such plays establish a team's attitude. As Johnson says, "There's a value that Bill places on what I do. That's why I'm still getting paid what I'm supposed to make (a four-year, $20 million deal with a $4 million signing bonus). He sees what I do while other coaches are more worried about looking at their stat sheets at the end of the day and seeing where their offense ranks."
As much as Johnson complained about Gruden's offense in Tampa, he also didn't like the fact that Gruden was critical of him right from the start. Johnson liked to train in Los Angeles during the offseason and when Gruden arrived in 2002, he wanted his players to stay in Florida to learn the offense. So Johnson suddenly became a player who wasn't willing to do everything necessary to win. At least that's how Johnson thinks Gruden saw it.
Parcells didn't make that mistake. One of the best moves he made when taking over the Jets in 1998 was not judging Johnson too quickly. By that time, Johnson already had written that timeless classic, Just Give Me The Damn Ball, and started a long-running feud with Wayne Chrebet. Parcells didn't give that stuff much weight. He only cared whether Johnson could help him win games. That attitude opened up a relationship that has only tightened over the years.
Parcells and Johnson talked often while Johnson was in Tampa and they obviously have candid conversations today. Johnson says, "I can tell Bill something like, 'You've got me blocking too f------ much. Why don't you get somebody else to do that?' But then I'll run into the huddle and block my ass off when I have to do it." There's a twisted logic in that comment but I get the gist of it.
Johnson means that he and Parcells see competition, and maybe life, from the same perspective: It's all about results. I'd even argue that they're more similar than most people realize. After all, Parcells has a massive ego that needs continual stroking. He has an abrasive side to go along with the charisma he displays in front of the media. And like Keyshawn, Parcells tells it like it is, which is exactly how he dealt with Johnson's agent, Jerome Stanley, when the two sides were hammering out Johnson's new contract. As Parcells prophetically told Stanley on that day back in early March, "Just tell Keyshawn to get the deal done. He'll be happy once he gets here."
So far there's no reason to think Parcells can't deliver on that promise.
Source: AP
This is what happens when good friends reunite. There is no bickering, no second-guessing ... just faith. There are so many issues surrounding the Cowboys that it's easy to miss how seamlessly Johnson has become a good fit with this team after being deactivated in Tampa last season. He has a quarterback who will feed him the ball (Vinny Testaverde), a position coach who's worked with him before (Todd Haley) and a motivator in Parcells, a man who's always known how to handle Johnson ever since coaching him with the New York Jets in the late '90s.
Johnson has been a pain for almost all his other head coaches, but he connects with Parcells for one key reason: Parcells cares only about the bottom line. He doesn't complain about Johnson's lack of speed and quickness. He doesn't get annoyed when Johnson tells him, "Bill Walsh used to kick your ass back in the day." Parcells only cares about Johnson's knack for catching passes that move the chains and his willingness to block downfield.
Johnson appreciates that, especially when he recalls his days under Gruden in Tampa. There will come a time when Johnson will have to let his resentment of Gruden pass but don't bet on it coming soon. Here are some of the more memorable moments from my one-hour conversation with Johnson last Wednesday:
• Johnson's admission that he often goaded Gruden because he felt Gruden was more concerned about running the West Coast offense than utilizing the talent available to him. Johnson often sat in meetings and told Gruden, "You're not a genius." Explains Johnson: "Gruden wanted to show everybody that this was his team. That's the difference between him and a Bill Parcells. Parcells has a big ego but he's not trying to be bigger than the Cowboys. In Tampa, Gruden ran the general manager [Rich McKay, now the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons] out of town. He could've at least shown some respect for the guy who built the franchise."
• Keyshawn's claims that friends told him Gruden was ripping Johnson to other coaches at this year's Senior Bowl. "I heard he was telling people I couldn't play but it's like I told him last year, there are only so many walls he can penetrate -- and that's with the people who know him. And the bottom line is that I wouldn't want to play for Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, Mike Sherman or anybody else who calls him a friend."
• Johnson's belief that Gruden is one of the most disingenuous coaches he's ever met. "He had the nerve to ask me once why I didn't like him," Johnson says. "I said, 'Come on, m----- f-----. You know why I don't like you.' This is the same guy who dogged Tim Brown in meetings all year and then went out and signed him. Why would I want to be with a two-faced m----- f----- like that?"
• Johnson's dealings with his former teammates. He was annoyed by Warren Sapp's preseason comments that Johnson seemed happy about his deactivation. Said Keyshawn: "Why is he still worried about me, especially when he knows his fat ass would've taken the same kind of money if he'd been deactivated, too?" Johnson also has a beef with Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber. After Johnson was deactivated, Barber said it "was the necessary decision," adding that "you can't afford to have the locker room split over one guy's attitude." Says Johnson: "Ronde Barber is an Uncle Tom. They'll cut him one day like they do everybody else but he's trying to be political and kiss Gruden's butt. This guy is 30 years old and he's saying I'm affecting what he does." Other players such as Simeon Rice and John Lynch also made comments similar to Barber's at the time, but Johnson says he and Barber "will have words" the next time they see each other.
Johnson did make one attempt at showing some regret for his role in the feud with Gruden. He said, "I probably could've done some things differently -- like not putting my house on the market in September or not telling Gruden he wasn't a genius -- but he's not the sugar plum in this situation, either. People just make him out to be that." Gruden, by the way, declined to comment for this story.
Meanwhile, Johnson has only kind words for Parcells -- and with good reason. Parcells sees Johnson's strengths and tries to maximize them. That approach made Johnson believe in Parcells in New York and he's already shown a new attitude in Dallas, one that those around Tampa would have a hard time recognizing. His Cowboys teammates say he is so hungry that he often dives for balls in practice. He's often encouraging younger, skeptical teammates to buy into Parcells' system because it can work for them (yes, there's a certain irony to him being a pitch man for a head coach). He's also putting his body on the line.
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, with Minnesota leading 28-17, Johnson soared for an errant pass thrown by Testaverde near the sideline. At the height of Johnson's leap, Vikings cornerback Brian Williams cut Johnson's legs out from underneath him, sending him toppling headfirst to the turf. Johnson should've been thinking about the fastest way to acquire some Advil at that point. Instead, he jogged back to the huddle after the incompletion, ran a deep seam route on the next play and caught a 19-yard pass as Williams drilled him again. Johnson isn't as great as he thinks he is, but I give him credit for that play. Few receivers have enough heart to catch that ball in that situation.
Parcells realizes that as well. He understands that such plays establish a team's attitude. As Johnson says, "There's a value that Bill places on what I do. That's why I'm still getting paid what I'm supposed to make (a four-year, $20 million deal with a $4 million signing bonus). He sees what I do while other coaches are more worried about looking at their stat sheets at the end of the day and seeing where their offense ranks."
As much as Johnson complained about Gruden's offense in Tampa, he also didn't like the fact that Gruden was critical of him right from the start. Johnson liked to train in Los Angeles during the offseason and when Gruden arrived in 2002, he wanted his players to stay in Florida to learn the offense. So Johnson suddenly became a player who wasn't willing to do everything necessary to win. At least that's how Johnson thinks Gruden saw it.
Parcells didn't make that mistake. One of the best moves he made when taking over the Jets in 1998 was not judging Johnson too quickly. By that time, Johnson already had written that timeless classic, Just Give Me The Damn Ball, and started a long-running feud with Wayne Chrebet. Parcells didn't give that stuff much weight. He only cared whether Johnson could help him win games. That attitude opened up a relationship that has only tightened over the years.
Parcells and Johnson talked often while Johnson was in Tampa and they obviously have candid conversations today. Johnson says, "I can tell Bill something like, 'You've got me blocking too f------ much. Why don't you get somebody else to do that?' But then I'll run into the huddle and block my ass off when I have to do it." There's a twisted logic in that comment but I get the gist of it.
Johnson means that he and Parcells see competition, and maybe life, from the same perspective: It's all about results. I'd even argue that they're more similar than most people realize. After all, Parcells has a massive ego that needs continual stroking. He has an abrasive side to go along with the charisma he displays in front of the media. And like Keyshawn, Parcells tells it like it is, which is exactly how he dealt with Johnson's agent, Jerome Stanley, when the two sides were hammering out Johnson's new contract. As Parcells prophetically told Stanley on that day back in early March, "Just tell Keyshawn to get the deal done. He'll be happy once he gets here."
So far there's no reason to think Parcells can't deliver on that promise.
Source: AP