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HOW DID ROD MARINELLI MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER?

Sapp: I tell you, it's boots on the ground. I went in there and we worked everyday. I was in there with Eric Curry and some of those old-school Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Santana Dotson, and Mark Wheeler, big grunt guys that held up the place, did a great job. It is what it is. We were going a different direction. We started doing those pass-rushing drills where we were hanging and on our toes and we came out like the third day in a row and we were all looking at each other, me, Regan [Upshaw] and all those young guys like, `Yeah, let's go!' They looked at us, and turned to Rod and said, `Are we going to do this every day?' That let's you know who wants it and who doesn't, trust me, my friend. We used to call it 30 minutes of hell. It will be an absolute grind the first 30 minutes of practice because you have to put the work in on the practice field to be able to go out on Sunday and have the type of fun that defense will allow you to have as a group.

TOMMIE HARRIS HAS THE KNEE ISSUE AND WE KNOW HIS PRACTICE WAS LIMITED DURING THE WEEK. HOW DOES HE GO THROUGH THE 30 MINUTES OF HELL THAT MAKES YOU THAT PLAYER ON SUNDAY AND YOU HAVE THE KNEE AND YOU CAN'T GET THAT THING RIGHT?

Sapp: I guarantee you he is going to be healthy this year and if he's not, it will be obvious. You have to put him together before he gets there. Rod will do a great job with that. He's always done a great job with me because I had a little trick knee sometimes and I didn't practice at times but you know when you need to grind and the grind happens. I talked to Tommie the other day and I told him, `Me and you are going to start this offseason as soon as I get out of Tampa [after Super Bowl XLIII] buddy because the under tackle position is something that not many people even want to be talked about because it's not a defensive tackle and it's not something else, it's an under tackle, a unique guy that goes both ways, that does special things. I only know two other ones other than myself and that's John Randle and Keith Millard that even consider themselves as under tackles. If you want to be in that class with me and those other two dudes, we're going to have to look each other in the eye and we're going to have to talk about this the right way and see what he's thinking. Because if he's not thinking about it the right way, with me and Rod, we're going to get some work out of Tommie, I guarantee you this because he's too good of a player to be sitting in that system looking like he's not a player.

SO YOU ARE GOING TO WORK WITH TOMMIE?

WS: I am going to work with him, yes.

emperorjones wrote:Can we just sign Sapp? Player, coach, motivational speaker? He's got me ready to go through 30 minutes of hell right now in the hallway at work! It seems like we might be getting some energy and fire that has been lacking the last couple years on defense IMO.

Chuck, Sioux Falls SD 02:44 PM ET
"I read some time back that you was going to work with Tommie Harris this off season, is that true and if so how is he doing?"

Warren Sapp, NFL Network
"He won't even return my calls! Picture that with a kodak! We don't even get down like that."

Chewie wrote:Bumpity of an old thread. So much for this plan. Good to see Harris show his dedication in the offseason. Misses minicamp and won't take Sapp's calls. Harrison, Adams, Dvoracek....be ready.

Chuck, Sioux Falls SD 02:44 PM ET
"I read some time back that you was going to work with Tommie Harris this off season, is that true and if so how is he doing?"

Warren Sapp, NFL Network
"He won't even return my calls! Picture that with a kodak! We don't even get down like that."

Balance-a-Bull wrote:

Chewie wrote:Bumpity of an old thread. So much for this plan. Good to see Harris show his dedication in the offseason. Misses minicamp and won't take Sapp's calls. Harrison, Adams, Dvoracek....be ready.

Chuck, Sioux Falls SD 02:44 PM ET
"I read some time back that you was going to work with Tommie Harris this off season, is that true and if so how is he doing?"

Warren Sapp, NFL Network
"He won't even return my calls! Picture that with a kodak! We don't even get down like that."

This is discouraging and very unfortunate.......maybe he is too busy working out with his own personal regimen----- hopefully.

I guess things did not go as planned.

Just as you said.... the other guys must be prepared to take over...just in case.