Former NFL quarterback Joey Harrington has written a lengthy item for SI.com that's interesting mostly for his very different perspectives on the many coaches he played for in the NFL.
He wrote that during his first stop in Detroit, playing for Steve Mariucci "crushed me." Harrington told a story about how he asked Mariucci to let him throw the ball downfield more often, and Mariucci responded by getting up and brushing his teeth before telling Harrington he had to leave to give some interviews.
Harrington, who's widely remembered as a draft bust in Detroit, said his problems there stemmed from the coaches and players not having faith in him.
Harrington had even harsher words for former Arkansas Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino, his coach in Atlanta in 2007.
"That team had a head coach, Bobby Petrino, who was so ill-equipped to coach an NFL team, it was laughable," Harrington writes. "If anybody challenged him, or suggested something different, the person was cast away. It was an unhealthy environment from the get-go, and it wouldn't get any better."
Petrino lasted less than one full season in Atlanta before quitting to become the head coach at Arkansas, where he was later fired for ethical misconduct.
The man or not?
St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright appeared on a St. Louis radio show Tuesday to discuss what has been happening and what hasn't been happening for the organization to this point in the offseason.
Among the topics Wainwright addressed was outfielder Jason Heyward leaving the Cardinals to sign as a free agent with the rival Cubs and explaining his decision by saying he had concerns the Cardinals were getting older and within a few years most of the core group of veterans would be gone.
While Wainwright was complimentary of Heyward, saying he was a great teammate, friend and person, he also put forth a theory about Heyward's decision to move to Chicago that wasn't at all complimentary. Wainwright said he doesn't believe Heyward wants to be "the one, the cornerstone guy that you build a team around."
The Cardinals offered Heyward more money, and Wainwright said Heyward would have stayed in St. Louis if he wanted to become the man for an organization and not just another spoke in the wheel.
"When you look at that money that was offered to him, there's really not much more our management can do than offer him that contract," Wainwright said during his interview with Bernie Miklasz. "He knows that we're going to be in a position to win every year, and what it comes down to is this: He didn't want to play there after myself, and Yadier [Molina] and Matt [Holliday] were gone, on such a long contract.
"It really comes down to a personality trait to me. The person that we want to give that kind of money to, that big money to, he needs to be a person that wants to be the guy that carries the torch. He needs to be a guy that wants to be the person, that after we leave, he carries on the tradition. And that's just a personality thing, and there's nothing wrong with that. But we're looking for that guy who wants to be the man."
QUIZ
What team did Joey Harrington end his NFL career with in 2008?
ANSWER
The New Orleans Saints
Sports on 12/24/2015