After watching Owen Schmitt try to give himself a lobotomy with his helmet prior to Sunday's Jags-Seahawks game, it's clear that being clinically insane is a prerequisite to playing professional football. And that goes a long way in explaining Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio, a former NFL linebacker, whose motivational tactics border on the certifiable.
Six years ago, in an effort to encourage the troops to "keep chopping wood," Del Rio placed a stump and an ax in the middle of the locker room. Not long after, punter Chris Hanson missed the stump, found his leg, and needed surgery to close up the gash. In retrospect, probably not the best idea.
Last week, Del Rio was at it again. During pregame warm-ups, he went "Lattimer" on Seahawks punter Jon Ryan. Via the Seattle Times' Danny O'Neil, who recounts T.J. Houshmandzadeh's eyewitness testimony:
"It was just kind of crazy, man. Jon Ryan was out there punting, and I guess he may have been in Jacksonville's area. And he (Del Rio) just grabbed the ball and threw it and was like, 'Get the [expletive] on your side of the field.'"And then the Seahawks went out and scored 41 unanswered points. The End. The lesson: stay away from punters.
Actually, Houshmandzadeh suspects Del Rio was "just trying to get his guys pumped up," before pointing out that "it didn't work." Sorta like the stump and the ax. But more gruesome. Silver lining: Mike Sims-Walker got some Saturday night. So there's that.
