Thursday, December 19, 2002
The Buccaneers are recycling Lee Flowers' words throughout the locker room entering Monday's game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers knew if they talked -- even if it was a year ago -- the Tampa Bay Bucs would answer. Warren Sapp did that Wednesday, turning up the heat for what already is an important Monday night game.
During a telephone interview with Pittsburgh reporters, Sapp responded to Lee Flowers' year-old remark ridiculing the Buccaneers as being "paper champions" with an off-color comment. He also made fun of the Steelers strong safety.
Flowers' insult followed the Steelers' 17-10 victory in Tampa last season. He said the Bucs frequently talk a good game but, despite having numerous star players, never win any championships.
Recycled words
With the teams meeting again Monday night in Tampa and division championships on the line for both, Flowers' words are being recycled -- apparently, it seems, in Tampa Bay's locker room.
"Lee Flowers is a guy from Georgia? Please," said Sapp, the former University of Miami star defensive lineman. "Florida guys run around with chips on their shoulders all the time, we talk more stuff than anybody. He doesn't have any credentials to talk [trash], so I wonder where it's coming from.
"You would never know the man unless he gets on TV and they put his name under his face."
Flowers has started in Pittsburgh's secondary for five years without making the Pro Bowl.
Told of Sapp's response, Flowers said, "I'm not from Georgia, I'm from South Carolina, so you need to do your homework if you're going to talk about somebody. I went to school in Georgia. Anyway, I haven't checked the last time somebody got a degree from Miami."
Respects them
Flowers said he respects the Bucs and Sapp but, when it comes to talking, suggested Sapp sometimes goes too far.
"Here's the same guy who talks about [Michael] Strahan's record, here's the same guy that for eight years now has been saying he's going to break the sack record," Flowers said. "He's the same guy who's sitting there with six sacks. I darn near have six sacks myself so that's not saying anything."
Sapp actually has 7 1/2 sacks, but hasn't had one in the Bucs' last six games. Flowers has three sacks despite playing a position where sacks usually come infrequently.
"I'm sure that comment I said, they're worked up a little bit," Flowers said. "But if they feel like my comment determines their whole season, they've got a whole lot of problems in that locker room. ... I'm a man and I meant every word of it last year, but it's a new year."
Careful speech
While Sapp and Flowers were yapping, numerous other Steelers went out of their way to avoid saying something that might show up on Tampa Bay's bulletin board.
"It's just comments," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "I don't think words can encourage anybody to get out there and play harder. Everybody's got them picked as the best team in the NFL, so you can measure yourself by how well we perform Monday night. If we win, we clinch our division and that's why it's big for us."