"The Player"

[proline]

I was driving back from vacation yesterday and listening to the various sports radio shows on XM. It was pretty disgusting to hear all of the talking heads jumping on Parcells' use of "the player" in his latest PC comments about T.O. They don't bother to look into things enough to realize that BP uses that term all of the time for lots of guys, not just Owens. One of the guys even said that Parcells hasn't had a good blowup since "he threw that jersey at Antonio Bryant."!!! What a bunch of lazy, un-informed "reporters" there are out there right now.

I'm guessing that Owens practices with the team some today. He supposedly looked fast and had tremendous explosion in his side workouts with trainers yesterday. It will depend on how he feels today following yesterday's workouts.

 

[CIWhitefish]

Yeah, BP uses that term a lot with players who are new. He uses their name once they show something. Much like rooks not getting a helmet with the star in mini camps. You gotta earn it.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

T.O. knows exactly what he is doing.....and he is going to do it.

 

[kmd24]

Yeah, BP uses that term a lot with players who are new. He uses their name once they show something. Much like rooks not getting a helmet with the star in mini camps. You gotta earn it.

Nah, he uses it for everyone. Someone asked him in the press conference yesterday whether he needed to see Al Johnson versus first string defenses to decide if he would unseat Gurode, and Parcells said, "No. I think I know the player pretty well." He hand-picked Al, likes him as a person, and has known him for a few years now.

There's nothing sinister, derogatory, or otherwise negative about his use of the phrase. It's just something he says, like "Lookit" or "OK" or "I really believe <insert phrase>. I really do." But when reporters are looking for every angle for a story, I guess they see things that aren't really there. Either that or they are too lazy to notice BP's mannerisms.

 

[proline]

I think it's a throwback to his military days. Don't new recruits sometimes refer to themselves as "this recruit", in an effort to de-emphasize the individual in favor of the "team"?

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Yeah, BP uses that term a lot with players who are new. He uses their name once they show something. Much like rooks not getting a helmet with the star in mini camps. You gotta earn it.

I also think its to eliminate sound-bytes.... you know the way the media takes one part of comments and connects to the end(removing the middle) or sets up a segment by using a coaches comment... BP is smart that way...

 

[Dale]

The people that make a big deal out of Parcells' use of "the player" are likely the same ones who groaned that he didn't show up to TO's press conference.

 

[peplaw06]

In today's PC, he referred to Keyshawn as the player and he's not even on the team. it's just something he does. He referred to Henson and McQuistan (among others I'm sure) the same way. He can't have a strained relationship with all of them.... OR CAN HE?!?!?