Sapp was perfectly suited to Tampa Bay's scheme

 

After digesting Warren Sapp's slash-and-burn of Michael Strahan -- loosely cloaked as a defense of Simeon Rice .

Sapp didn't just trash Strahan; he napalmed him, and don't ask me why.

What started as a defense of Rice -- a terrific pass rusher on a terrific Tampa Bay defense -- turned into a full-frontal assault on Strahan, who (unlike Sapp) failed to make the Hall of Fame in his first try this year.

Simeon Rice better?
Warren Sapp: Rice was better than Michael Strahan

OK, big deal. Strahan gets in sometime, presumably next year when the game comes to the New York area, and not because of geographical proximity or Super Bowl connections or pressure exerted by someone from somewhere ... but because he deserves it.

Of course, that might come as news to Warren Sapp, the same guy who revealed Jeremy Shockey as the "snitch" in last year's Bountygate probe ... except that he wasn't. Now Sapp tells us Rice was a better pass rusher than Strahan, partly because he played against better tackles (left tackles) and wasn't cleaning up garbage on a side of the defensive line where, if you believe Sapp, virtually nothing of consequence happens.

OK, fine. It's a free country and all that. Except maybe someone should explain to Sapp that Hall-of-Famer Reggie White lined up at left end, too. I know, the Packers liked to move the guy around. But he was a left end. Period.

"Last time I checked," said one NFC defensive coordinator, "they didn't delineate sacks from the right and left side. It doesn't matter. They count the same. So for someone to say they do doesn't make sense."

Yeah, well, that's Sapp.

Then there's this: Strahan played the run and the pass. Rice played the pass. That's not a knock on Rice. As one of his former coaches told me, the guy had "unbelievable flexibility and could play the run if he had to." But he didn't. He was an edge pass rusher whose job was to get to the quarterback, and he did -- producing five straight seasons with 11 or more sacks.

"He was a perfect right defensive end," said the coach.

He was also perfectly suited to Tampa Bay's scheme. His job was to run straight up the field, be disruptive and pressure the pocket -- and he did it effectively.

"Simeon Rice didn't have to worry about playing the run," said one scout. "That's why they had guys like Warren Sapp and Booger McFarland. Michael Strahan had to play the run and the pass.

"He was more of a technician. He played with his hands to control the blocker and get to the ball. He wasn't just looking to get up the field. Simeon Rice was, and if you put him one-on-one with a guy, he'd try to get an edge on the tackle's shoulder and get to the quarterback. In that Tampa Bay scheme, he was a perfect fit."

But there's one more thing. When you played the New York Giants, you had to account for Michael Strahan, no matter where he lined up, just as when you played Tampa Bay you had to account for Sapp or linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Rice was a terrific pass rusher, but he wasn't the leader of that defense. Sapp and Brooks were, with John Lynch not far behind.

Michael Strahan not only commanded the Giants' defense, he commanded the Giants' team. He had more sacks in his career than Rice, twice led the league in that department and set the NFL record for sacks with 22 1/2 in 2001. He also was named first-team All-Pro four times. Rice was named once.

"Michael Strahan," said our NFC coordinator, "was a complete player."

If Sapp is right about anything, it's that Simeon Rice was underrated. The guy had eight double-digit sack seasons, and that's great. But don't tell me he deserves to go into the Hall of Fame ahead of Michael Strahan because he doesn't.

When Bills defensive end Mario Williams felt the need to backtrack from his "Kill 'em or hurt 'em" explanation for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's new scheme, we wondered if everybody had gone soft in the new, politically correct world of the NFL.

Turns out, Titans safety Bernard Pollard ain't worried about the league's PC police -- or anybody else he might have offended. Here's the the motivational message Pollard had taped to his locker that made its way into the news:

Our response? The same one we had for Mario Williams: Seems innocuous enough, even in a post-Bountygate world, right? As far as Pollard is concerned, hell yeah. Even if it rubs the do-gooders the wrong way.

“I don't care what they have to say. If they feel like we're going to carry guns and knives and try and stab people and try and kill them, shame on you. You are an idiot,'' Pollard said. “For us, when we say kill, we want to go out there and knock the (heck) out of people, we want to hit you. And for me, we're going to help you up because I'm going to knock you back down. I have been at plenty of pee-wee football games where I have seen my son, my daughter, and you hear parents, you hear women, white, black, Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese, telling their sons, 'Kill them! Telling their daughters, Kill them!'"

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Williams gives Bills safety in numbers

Bills cornerback Aaron Williams had reservations when new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine first outlined the plan to switch him to safety.

After two inconsistent seasons in Buffalo during which Williams struggled to secure a starting job, he initially wondered whether the position change was a reflection of his performance. Williams' second concern was how quickly he could pick up the new role and its expanded responsibilities of calling plays and making on-field adjustments.

``Oh, man, at first, I was like a chicken with a cut-off head,'' Williams said. ``But I never back off any challenge. You're put in the fire, just roll with it.''

As it turns out, the new job just might be a more natural fit for Williams, who is providing the Bills safety in numbers filling the starting spot left open by Jairus Byrd's offseason-long absence.

Though Buffalo retained Byrd's rights by designating him their franchise player in March, the two-time Pro Bowl player has yet to sign the team's one-year contract offer while attempting to negotiate a long-term deal.

Williams has shown signs of being a capable Plan B during spring practices, which concluded Thursday with the end of a three-day mandatory minicamp.

He had an interception in each of the three practices, capped by Williams under-cutting a route to pick off rookie EJ Manuel in the end zone.

``Yeah, that's what they're expecting me to do,'' Williams said. ``It's me being consistent, making plays every day, not just every once in a while. So I'm changing my attitude toward this year, and looking for a better season.''

Williams endured what he called ``ups and downs'' since Buffalo selected him out of Texas in the second round of the 2011 draft.

He had a promising rookie season, in which he had an interception and forced fumble in starting six of nine games. Williams did miss five games because of a chest injury.

He took a step back last year, despite starting 10 of 11 games. Struggling in coverage, he finished with no interceptions, was credited with just seven passes defended, and missed five games after hurting his right knee.

``I think it was one of those years that tested my character: how I handle bad situations; how I handle adversity,'' Williams said. ``I know what it feels like to be on the upside and also the downside. I've pretty much matured and became a veteran player, I can say.''

Pettine has faith in Williams, and said the positional switch had nothing to do with performance or Byrd's absence.

``It's a move we were going to make,'' Pettine said.

In his previous stint as the New York Jets defensive coordinator, Pettine had Williams listed as a safety coming out of college. He also noted that Williams' 6-foot, 200-pound frame combined with his sideline-to-sideline range is better suited for the defense he's installing in Buffalo.

``If you can have a safety that has corner skills, that to me is ideal,'' Pettine said, noting the NFL is trending toward more of a passing than running style of offense. ``I would sacrifice the ability to be a `box player,' a thicker guy and a thumper type: I'd sacrifice that for the cover skills any day.''

He's pleased with how quickly Williams has picked up the new position: ``I'd say he's ahead of schedule.'' And Pettine noted Williams can now fill two roles - safety and cornerback - in a defense that demands versatility from its players.

The Bills' defensive backfield is young and unsettled, especially minus Byrd, a four-year starter. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the team's 2011 first-round pick, is the only other returning starter.

Williams isn't sure how his role might change once Byrd arrives.

``Really, to be honest with you, that's above my pay scale,'' he said.

He's instead relying on the advice former teammate George Wilson provided this offseason, when Williams expressed concerns about switching roles.

``He said, `It's something you can't be concerned about. Focus on what your responsibilities are,''' Williams said, referring to Wilson, who signed with Tennessee after being cut by the Bills.

``I thoroughly thought about that,'' Williams said. ``I can't really help that they want me at safety. That's where they felt like the team needed me.''

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