Wizards in the Media Thread

[NatP4]

I want some basketball quotes, someone ask Brooks about who is gonna start in place of Morris

[montestewart]

Did john wall just call the entire NFL racist for changing a black football players' position? that seemed like a weird comment.

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

[NatP4]

Did john wall just call the entire NFL racist for changing a black football players' position? that seemed like a weird comment.

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

he implied that a football team is racist for changing Terrelle Pryor into a WR because he sucked at throwing a football and is good at catching one? and we take his political opinions seriously?

[montestewart]

Did john wall just call the entire NFL racist for changing a black football players' position? that seemed like a weird comment.

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

he implied that a football team is racist for changing Terrelle Pryor into a WR because he sucked at throwing a football and is good at catching one? and we take his political opinions seriously?

Do you have a link for that quote?

[keynote]

Did john wall just call the entire NFL racist for changing a black football players' position? that seemed like a weird comment.

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

he implied that a football team is racist for changing Terrelle Pryor into a WR because he sucked at throwing a football and is good at catching one? and we take his political opinions seriously?

Wall isn't the first one to note the trend of coaches taking Black QBs and recasting them in other positions. Now, one could argue that those QBs were done a disservice by their HS and college coaches who were more preoccupied with squeezing out Ws based on their QBs' athleticism than with teaching them the fundamentals they'll need to excel when the game gets faster. For me, the question isn't whether Pryor (or Kaep)'s race chilled the league's interest in them as a QB, it's whether HS and college coaches are more likely to use Black QB prospects in option offenses and/or are more likely to use White QB prospects in pro-style offenses. I don't know the definitive answer, but I think that's the issue that Wall was alluding to.

That said: as it relates more specifically to Wall's statement: offhand, I'm struggling to think of any White NFL players who converted from QB to another position. Perhaps Hogan, in New England? And, Tebow could've probably gotten a chance to play HB/FB if he wanted to. I'm sure a lot of these guys played QB at the HS level or younger (they were probably starting pitchers, too -- just great all-around athletes). But I can't think of too many guys who made a switch at the NFL level.

EDIT: nope -- Hogan was a D-I lacrosse player. But based on Wikipedia, Hogan never played QB at the collegiate or NFL level.

[NatP4]

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

he implied that a football team is racist for changing Terrelle Pryor into a WR because he sucked at throwing a football and is good at catching one? and we take his political opinions seriously?

Wall isn't the first one to note the trend of coaches taking Black QBs and recasting them in other positions. Now, one could argue that those QBs were done a disservice by their HS and college coaches who were more preoccupied with squeezing out Ws based on their QBs' athleticism than with teaching them the fundamentals they'll need to excel when the game gets faster. For me, the question isn't whether Pryor (or Kaep)'s race chilled the league's interest in them as a QB, it's whether HS and college coaches are more likely to use Black QB prospects in option offenses and/or are more likely to use White QB prospects in pro-style offenses. I don't know the definitive answer, but I think that's the issue that Wall was alluding to.

That said: as it relates more specifically to Wall's statement: offhand, I'm struggling to think of any White NFL players who converted from QB to another position. Perhaps Hogan, in New England? And, Tebow could've probably gotten a chance to play HB/FB if he wanted to. I'm sure a lot of these guys played QB at the HS level or younger (they were probably starting pitchers, too -- just great all-around athletes). But I can't think of too many guys who made a switch at the NFL level.

EDIT: nope -- Hogan was a D-I lacrosse player. But based on Wikipedia, Hogan never played QB at the collegiate or NFL level.

Julian Edelman was a QB in college, Blake Bell played QB for Oklahoma, Eric Crouch was a QB for Nebraska. Ohio state switched Braxton Miller out to receiver because he was an impact player that needed to see the field alongside another black QB who took his starting job (can't remember his name right now, JT barret i think?)

I think a QB successfully switching to another skilled position is a testament to his athletic ability and possible lack of QB skills as opposed to a racial issue and like you said, more running, less passing at lower levels. In the context of that interview though, I really don't think that is what Wall was trying to say. It seemed like he was implying prejudice against black QBs. He literally says teams don't want those players to take over a "franchise player" position. In a way, he's kind of insulting Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady with those statements.

I do wonder about your question though, as a Notre Dame fan I wondered the same thing all season long watching Brian Kelly use Malik Zaire(who belonged in a dual threat offense) and Deshone Kizer (who belonged in a pro style offense), both of which are african american, in the EXACT same spread offense running the EXACT same plays. Totally different strengths totally different levels of athletic ability.

[payitforward]

As I wrote in another thread where his video remarks were tweeted, John Wall just went way up in my estimation -- he spoke the truth in a simple, straightforward way.

Ditto Beal's remarks quoted in a post a few above this one.

[payitforward]

Did john wall just call the entire NFL racist for changing a black football players' position? that seemed like a weird comment.

Possibly implied that there was an issue there, but he more explicitly was calling for the well-known faces of the NFL (white quarterbacks) to be vocal in their opposition to Trump's comments, similar to the way the well-known faces of the NBA (all of them African American) spoke out against the other Donald. If all the black NASCAR drivers took a knee...therefore, Dale Earnhard, Jr.'s nearly solitary contrary view (regardless of his motivation) was particularly significant.

he implied that a football team is racist for changing Terrelle Pryor into a WR because he sucked at throwing a football and is good at catching one? and we take his political opinions seriously?

No, Nat, respectfully, I don't think that is what he did. I think he was talking about history. You're a young guy & maybe don't have the actual memories of the slow effort it took for black athletes to get into major sports at the pro level. Or of the resistance to that. Or of the pretty easily traced pattern of moving them out of visible leadership positions in the sport (quarterback being in a sense the most obvious of those).

Similarly, there were no black baseball managers, no black NFL head coaches, etc. for quite a long time -- decades after there were black players (which itself took many decades to happen).

Wall was resuming all of that in his remarks, making a passing observation about the case of the black nfl quarterback -- something which took a long, long time to happen -- & calling for guys who are "the face of the league" (i.e. Brady & Rogers) to step forward in solidarity.

Now, in doing that he took some big jumps in his thought and speech -- that's something I've observed in Wall for a while. His mind moves very quickly, & the moves it makes are often quite penetrating, but he's not an intellectual, not a trained thinker (the way he is a trained point guard!), so he doesn't slow down & present those moves with a filled-out logic. & of course he doesn't often have the time anyway; he's asked for a media bite in this interview, for example, but he gives back a big thought. Just not fleshed out.

Anyway, that's how I saw the video. YMMV.

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[payitforward]

Martell Webster announced his retirement today. A really nice guy -- expect him on one or another national media outlet soon!

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[closg00]

Ian showing love for DC after his previous NBA stints
http://www.nbcsports.com/washington/washington-wizards/how-ian-mahinmi-lost-weight-his-love-dc-and-his-best-french-restaurant

[Wizardspride]

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[DANNYLANDOVER]

Could all of our prayers be answered and Terd is bought out?
Then again Ernie the snake might still find away to survive and continue his lifetime GM contract.

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[J-Ves]

I was on espn.com today and I came across Lowe's article '32 Crazy Predictions' and here's what he had to say about the Wiz:

The Wizards trade a pick to shed someone in July (probably a center)

If that theoretical Jordan trade doesn't happen, the Wiz are still slated to be about $10 million over next season's tax if Smith and Jodie Meeks pick up player options. Washington might need a pick to bribe someone into swallowing Ian Mahinmi.

Nothing too surprising here, but I implore Mr. Lowe to work on his phrasing a little bit.