Sapp was taking a shot at Taylor's awful performance against Denver in the AFC Wild Card, but I seriously doubt that it was the worst performance ever and Taylor has admitted that he played terribly. As far as the "other guy" comment, he's implying that he doesn't even know who Foote is, which he does. On the outside shot that he actually doesn't know who he is, what kind of analyst does that make him? It would sort of prove that the NFL Network made the right call not to renew his contract.
For those of you who have forgotten or who haven't read the Wikipedia page on Sapp recently, he played nine years in Tampa, before signing with Oakland in 2004. His last Pro Bowl appearance was in 2003, his final year with the Bucs. After that, his production took a drop, his dominance along the interior line was lost and he stopped putting fear in opposing offenses the way he did in his prime. So my message to Sapp is: Just because you couldn't play into your thirties doesn't mean no one can.
Honestly, of the starters remaining on the Steelers defense who are over 30, I would say that Taylor, Ryan Clark and Brett Keisel had their best seasons as pros in 2011. Troy didn't have a phenomenal season, but it was solid. The only reason James Harrison had a bad season was because he was recovering from back surgery, then ended up breaking his orbital bone against the Titans. The only starter still over 30 who I worry about is Casey Hampton. He has shown wear and tear, and I have concerns about the lack of experience behind him. Outside of that though, the defense isn't all that different from last year when they were #1 statistically. Obviously they need to force more turnovers but I hardly think they'll go from first to worst because they lost James Farrior who was splitting time anyway.
Because I'm obviously not happy with the recently bankrupt Sapp, I'm going to reference some other incidents that have little to do with his views on the Steelers, that instead demean his character while invalidating his opinions. I acknowledge that the Steelers are an old defense, but to call them "done," because they lost some veterans who were splitting time anyway, is ridiculous and has me using a word I don't like to use: "Hating". Warren Sapp is a hater, and is hating on the Steelers. He did it last year and was wrong in most regards. He stopped talking when they started winning, but after the loss in the playoffs, which was mostly the fault of the defense, he was right back at it. For an analyst to think that two games, (Baltimore in week one, Denver in the post season) four months apart, should reflect the future of an entire organization is unbelievably ignorant and affirms the NFL Network's decision, not to renew his contract. His tenure is ending for a reason, and I have to wonder if it occurs to him that statements like these, don't help.
Anyway, I'm going to do a little "hating" of my own, so here are some things to give you a laugh, so the next time you hear him say something ridiculous, you can realize his opinions hardly matter, and shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone. Normally I'm thoroughly opposed to this because it strays from the issue, but I think I've established that Sapp is coherently wrong on the issue at hand. I admit I got most of the following information off of Wikipedia. Some of it I knew, some I didn't.
In 1998, Sapp married Jamiko Vaughn and they had two children. The couple divorced in 2003, and he pays his former spouse $60,000 a month in alimony and child support. Sapp also has four other children with four other women, all but one of whom was born between 1997 and 2002, while he was married. He pays a total of $15,495 per month to the other mothers of the children he fathered.
I referenced Foote mentioning the incidence on Monday Night Football in 2002 when Sapp came dancing over while the Steelers were stretching. In addition to what Joey Porter and Jason Gildon did, apparently Jerome Bettis shoved Sapp, and a heated argument ensued between the two teams. The Steelers went on to win the game 17-7. He pulled the same shit against Tony Dungy and the Colts in 2003, again on Monday Night Football, and again, lost the game.
In 2007, he got into an argument with officials over a mix up on a holding penalty, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He continued to jaw at the refs, and had to be separated by coaches and other officials, before sitting out the second half of the game and receiving a $75,000 fine. Class act, right?
On February 7, (my birthday if you were interested) 2010 Sapp was arrested in South Florida and charged with domestic battery. He was there to appear as an analyst for the NFL Network's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, but following the arrest an NFL Network spokesman said Sapp would not appear. The charges were later dropped, but still.
As far as his recent filing for bankruptcy, He owed the IRS $853,003 from income in 2006 and $89,775 for 2010. He was $876,000 behind in alimony and child support to his former spouse and owed $68,738 for unpaid property taxes in Windemere. He also owes money to attorneys, friends and a speech therapist.
In the Chapter 7 filings, Sapp claimed to have lost the championship rings he'd won at the University of Miami and his Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers. The balance in his checking and savings accounts was less than $1,000. He owed Natonal Car Rental $90,685 through his business, Nine-Nine LLC. Court filings indicated Sapp's assets totaled $6.45 million against debt of $6.7 million.
It turns out that Ike Taylor is absolutely right. Warren Sapp should focus on his own issues, and stop being wrong about the Steelers, because he clearly has a plethora of problems that all stem from his own stupidity. Ultimately he needs to stop "hating" and start shutting the hell up.
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