Sammy Watkins: Only making himself look bad
When are the Bills players going to stop talking?
Obviously Sammy Watkins did not read my article: Rex Ryan and the players: Put up…..of Shut up!
Today I read an ESPN article - Sammy Watkins to Bills: “You're making me look bad” where Watkins said "I need the ball at least 10 times -- I need 10 targets -- and l'll be fine with however many yards I get, and that's what I addressed in talking with my agent. We reached out to a couple people and tried to pull some string like, Hey, I need my targets. You came up to draft me and I'm not getting targets -- that's a problem."
No, that’s not the problem. The problem is that Mr. Watkins is reaching out to some people to “pull some strings.” What the heck is that supposed to mean?
Did he reach out to his wide receiver coach, his offensive coordinator, the head coach, or is he reaching out to the media and the public to exert pressure on the Bills to just give him the damn ball!
Sound familiar?
Remember Keshawn Johnson’s book entitled - Just Give Me the Damn Ball? The book was released after Keshawn’s rookie season with the New York Jets. In a very poignant article written by Miles Wray and posted at Ploughshares at Emerson College, Mr. Wray writes about Keshawn’s book and suggests that “It had no purpose other than a desire to use it as a weapon—a battering ram that he levied in an attempt to restructure his workplace towards his own preferences. With Just Give Me the Damn Ball!, Keyshawn rather wickedly named names and spilled beans that, in normal circumstances, would have stayed in-house and out of the public eye, using his leverage as one of the Jets’ biggest investments and brightest talents. From his elevated pedestal he was safe from the ensuing media flood.”
I underlined the phrase “in normal circumstances, would have stayed in-house and out of the public eye” because in my opinion, there is no circumstance where you take your grievance to anyone but your coaches and your teammates. I don’t care how bad it gets in the lockeroom.
When players use the media to complain about other players - in hopes of getting their demands met - they have betrayed the trust of their teammates.
In making his statements public, Sammy has indicted Tyrod Taylor and he has warned EJ Manuel - if they don’t pass him the ball, they will not only make him look bad, they will jeopardize the team’s chances of winning games.
In my opinion, that is about the most selfish thing a player can say.
He may be right about the Bills needing to get him the ball at least 10 times a game, but he doesn’t need to tell that to anyone except his coaches and his teammates.
Watkins told the Buffalo News that "I understand that these guys are young and they need some time to trust me. Once we get that trust, it'll be different."
Even though they may not come out and say it - it’s not going to be easy for Tyrod and EJ to trust him when he’s saying these things in public. A locker room should be a lot like Las Vegas - What happens in the locker room...... stays in the locker room.
In addition to what I'm saying, Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe also has a few words for Mr. Watkins in this article: Shannon Sharpe tells Sammy to be quiet
Watkins also said "That's what I get mad at: when I don't get looked at. I can look at film, and his eyes go straight that way and I'm not getting looked at, at all. That's when I get frustrated. When I have one-on-one coverage, go to me. I don't care what's going on over there. I don't care if he's open. When I get one-on-one, just target me."
As if EJ doesn’t have enough to think about going into this game – a game that could determine his future in the NFL - now he’s saddled with the pressure of throwing the ball to Sammy even if someone else is wide open. I hope he's smarter than that.
You better believe that the game plan for Cincinnati has changed a little since Sammy’s statements. They will probably double-cover him even more than they originally planned - knowing that EJ will probably force some throws to Sammy whether he’s open or not.
Rex Ryan needs to get his team in check and it starts by getting all the egos under control and all the penalties and personal fouls eliminated from the game. When players lose focus and control of their their emotions on the field, it's a recipe for disaster. Keeping players from saying things that are detrimental to the team may even be a harder task, but at some point Rex must set an example and start benching players that are causing problems.
We don’t even know if Watkins will be playing this Sunday, or if EJ will be starting in place of Tyrod, but if Sammy had his way, he would be on the field – even if it meant reinjuring his calf muscle. That sounds noble and gutsy, but how does that help the team if you are jeopardizing the rest of the season for an opportunity to play in one game. It’s very immature – just like his statements to the press.
If he wants to have a long career in the NFL, he should look no further than his teammate LeShawn McCoy - who has been smart enough to sit out long enough to get healthy. At least we hope he has. He is listed as probable for the game, so I guess we will find out tomorrow.
Maybe Sammy should heed the words of this William Butler Yeats poem:
"For he who fights and runs away, May live to fight another day; But he who is in battle slain, Can never rise and fight again."
If anyone knows the importance of those words, I do. I was leading the NFL in interceptions in my 2nd year in the NFL (1980) when I injured my knee in a game against San Diego. I tried to come back from that injury much too soon and as a result, I continued to reinjure my knee over and over - to the point where I needed total reconstructive surgery. I never played another down in the NFL.
As much as we would all like to see Sammy Watkins go out there tomorrow and catch 10 or 15 passes and score a few touchdown’s, it should come down to what’s best for the player, but even more importantly – what’s best for the team.
The players need to realize that winning is more important than individual achievement.
If an NFL players wants to find out if they are a true team player, all they have to do is answer one simple question: What is more important – your personal accomplishments or winning games?
If the Bills players decide that winning games is the answer, then everything else will fall into place. Until then, they need to remember that silence is golden.
