Tag Archives: John Murphy

Pacman Isn’t Coming. But Don’t Lie About It.

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers sent out a terse announcement late Wednesday night. It read: “The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will no longer pursue Adam Jones.”

So despite the fact that Jones had agreed to a one-year contract with the Bombers, the Bombers had decided “not to pursue” him any longer. They weren’t pursuing him. He’d been pursued and he agreed to a contract. And they were no longer pursuing him. Got all that?

The Bombers stopped pursuing Jones because they couldn’t get him into the country. Pacman’s still facing a couple of serious legal charges relating to a toxic combination of strippers, guns, money and booze, and while it’s likely that the Bombers would eventually get Jones into Canada, it wasn’t worth the effort — and about a month of bad press — to try and get it done.

So Pacman isn’t coming even though Pacman was talking about buying a condo in Winnipeg and playing on Sunday in Regina.

“This has nothing to do with his ability to get across the border,” said head coach Mike Kelly. “It was instigated by me and then after having further discussions with Lyle (Blue Bombers president Bauer), I just didn’t feel it was in the best interest of our football club to include Adam Jones.”

Really?

Sorry, that’s just not believable. Unless, of course, John Murphy is just some kind of rogue scout who doesn’t really work for the Bombers.

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Pacman’s Coming. Probably Later Than Sooner.

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Week 10 in the CFL begins Friday night with Montreal at B.C.

The Bombers play again Sunday at 3 p.m. on TSN in the Labour Day Classic at Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders are 7 1/2-point favourites.

That’s all we know — exactly — about the Bombers involvement in the Labour Day Weekend. We know a lot of other things, but none of them, for certain.

This week, the blockbuster news came down that Adam (Pacman) Jones had signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Jones, who has had a number of run-ins with the legal community in the United States, is still a great football player who simply can’t separate his football life from a private life that appears to be poisoned by booze and a love for strippers and guns. That’s a pretty toxic combination and it’s resulted in an inability to be hired by the nice, upstanding folks who run the National Football League.

So we first hear that Pacman’s coming, then Blue Bombers’ CEO Lyle Bauer tells Tom, Joe and I on 92-CITI-FM this morning that the team’s player personnel director, John Murphy, who spilled the beans to Sports Illustrated, might have spoken too soon. Bauer wouldn’t deny that he’d like to have Jones join the local football side, he just wasn’t sure that a signed contract — plus all the paperwork required to get Pacman and his legal baggage across the border — has been formally notarized.

Meanwhile, everybody from community activists to politicians gave us their opinion on the potential arrival of the bad boy cornerback, and of course most of them were either morons or just historical revisionists who forgot about Kyries Hebert (domestic trouble), Onterrio Smith (the user of the original Whizz-in-ator), Juran Bolden (stole a car) and Mike Sellers (smoked the hippie lettuce), all less than golden citizens when they came to came to Winnipeg — and all but Smith — turned out to be decent guys and rebuilt their NFL careers.

Of course, even the silly Winnipeg Free Press asked the following question of the day: “Is Pacman Jones worthy of the Blue and Gold?” Worthy? Guess the ol’ Freeps’ editors just forgot about the team’s history with players who have notorious backgrounds.

Assuming that Jones will be allowed into the country, he would be a welcome addition to a team that desperately needs a punt and kick returner and can always use another corner.

Meanwhile, there was also talk on Tuesday night that wide receiver Charles Rogers, the Detroit Lions’ castoff  could be headed to Winnipeg. At least, last night at the Hearts of Blue and Gold Dinner for Variety, the Bomber players were intrigued with that rumour.

Regardless, Pacman’s agent says his client will be in Winnipeg soon.

He’d look good in the lineup on Sunday. With or without all the baggage.

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Oh, so sad, Lingerie Bowl VI has been cancelled. “We’ll play in our undies, but OMG, not nekkid!!!”

Posted on January 26, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

NFL Super Bowl Report No. 3, Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

 

TAMPA — I’d like to talk about football, but there is too much craziness going on…

 

1) Lingerie Bowl VI — The Really Big Game during the festivities of the past five Super Bowls — was supposed to be played at a vacant lot in Tampa this week, but after the neighbors complained, it appeared as if Lingerie Bowl VI was dead.

 

Then, in a magnanimous gesture, the folks at the Caliente Resort, a highly-regarded Tampa-area nudist colony, extended a hand to the Lingerie League, and told the organizers they could play the big game at the main field of the resort.

 

Eureka! The Lingerie Bowl had survived. Or so we thought.

 

On Sunday, the folks over at Caliente, which is actually a “clothing-optional” resort, told the Lingerie League that lingerie wasn’t acceptable. It was nude or no Bowl game. At a nudist colony, you are expected to be nude.

 

With that, a number of players quit. “We’ll play in our panties, but not in our girl-suits,” they said.

 

Organizers announced on Monday that the game was officially cancelled and that there was a good chance the league would fold, as well. 

 

Couldn’t the NFL help these girls out? I mean, come on, football in lingerie is just about perfect, isn’t it?

 

2) It has become pretty obvious over the last few weeks. If the Arizona Cardinals intend to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, it will have to be done by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. 

 

After all, in last week’s NFC championship game Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns, giving him an NFL postseason record 419 yards in his first three playoff games. Warner was equally as impressive in that game, completing 21-of-28 passes for 279 yards, four TDs and a QB rating of 145.7. 

 

If those two pull it off again, the Cards might indeed be the team of destiny. Trouble is, pulling it off against the No. 1-ranked defence in the NFL is a lot different than pulling it off against Atlanta, Carolina or Philly.

 

3) The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will make it official on Tuesday. Calgary Stampeders’ assistant director of scouting, John Murphy, will be the team’s new general manager and director of player personnel.

 

Down here in Tampa, the news arrived with a bit of a thud, but in fairness, it did not go unnoticed. NFL people know Murphy and the ones we talked to on Monday night thought very highly of him.

 

After all, he did play a major role in building the Grey Cup champion Stampeders. That looks pretty good on any football resume.

 

 

 

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