Wagner on Seahawks’ sideline flareup: ‘We’ve got a bunch of guys that hate being scored on’

The wild sideline scene with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman screaming at teammates and teammates screaming back at him was nothing more than a way to hit the reset button after Sherman allowed Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones to blow past him for a touchdown.

At least, that was how linebacker Bobby Wagner described it to Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz a day after the Seahawks’ 26-24 victory.

‘Just need to communicate better’

“It’s just one of those things, kind of just we need to communicate better,” Wagner said. “It happened. We’ve got a bunch of guys that hate being scored on. We hate being scored on, so I think that was just emotions showing when we got scored on. But we just want to do our best to show him that we have support of him and we love him and just make him laugh.

‘One of those things that was in the moment’

“That’s why we were all in his face, jumping up and down … Honestly, I don’t even remember what I was saying to him. He said something to me. It’s one of those things that was in the moment.

“We were just in his face and he started smiling and laughing  and we were like, ‘Alright, he’s back. Let’s get back and win this game, because it’s going to be terrible if we lose it.'”

 

Warner not sure Romo is the right guy for Cowboys’ situation

Kurt Warner can see the dilemma.

Tony Romo is a proven, long-time starter for the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott has proven to be an excellent replacement through six games of his rookie season.

‘When Tony comes back, can you play the same brand of football?’

Warner, in fact, considers Romo “the better overall quarterback” of the two. However, he is inclined to see Prescott as the best choice to lead the Cowboys through the rest of the season, even after Romo is cleared to return from the broken bone in his back.

“My question becomes that I don’t think the team is as good as they’re playing, but the nature of how they’re playing and the way that they’re able to control the clock, that helps this team be better than they actually are across the board on paper,” Warner told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz. “And the question becomes if you do put Tony back in there, will you and can you play the same brand of football? Can Tony play the same way? Control the clock, not take chances down the field, not turn the ball over? That, to me, becomes the bigger question here.

“Tony, to me, is the better quarterback. I mean, he’s shown that for years, how good he is and what he can do from a playmaking standpoint. But if you start playing that way again, does it expose some of the weaknesses you have on this football team and are you not as good of a team, week in and week out, as they are right now? And that, to me, is a question that the coaches have to answer.

‘Going to be a tough call’

“And that’s where it’s going to be difficult, because you can look at these guys side-by-side and go, ‘Well, Tony’s the better guy, but it doesn’t always mean he’s the better guy for the situation.’ And it’s going to be a tough call, because Tony’s earned the right to play with a good team that’s playing good football and have a chance to make a run at it.”

 

Rex Ryan on Bills’ win streak: Ability to run the football is ‘a winning formula’

Rex Ryan has never bought into the notion that success in the NFL depends on the ability to throw the ball well.

Some of that could be based on necessity, because he never has had a franchise quarterback as a coach in the league. He didn’t during his six seasons at the helm of the New York Jets and, so far, Tyrod Taylor hasn’t proven to be that sort of passer for Ryan’s Buffalo Bills.

‘Just as soon run because it’s good for your team’

However, the Bills, like Ryan’s Jets, can run effectively. LeSean McCoy has piled up 290 yards in the last two games of Buffalo’s four-game winning streak. He also ran for three touchdowns in Sunday’s 45-16 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.

“I like to be able to do both, but as a team, you know me, if you can get the same amount rushing or passing, I’d just as soon run it because I think it’s good for your team,” Ryan told Bob Papa and Jason Taylor on The Opening Drive. “It doesn’t just benefit the offense. It benefits your football team. And I still think being able to run the football is a winning formula.

‘Play defense, run the football, control the tempo’

“You go back, you look at when Seattle beat Denver. Peyton Manning breaks every single record known to man throwing the football. But who wins in the Super Bowl? The team that can run the ball best.

“And I think there’s still some merit to that. You play defense, you run the football, you control the tempo of the game, and I think it’s a formula for success.”