Coach, would you ever play to lose the game?

The 2009 Football season is rapidly approaching, and you know what that means, the return of the Coors Light press-conference spoof commercials. The other day I saw the first of season, a hilarious rendition of Herm Edwards's famous "You Play to Win the Game" tirade, and that got me thinking of all the great moments in sports press conference history. After much thought, I've compiled a list of what I have deemed to be the Top 10 Moments in Sports Press Conference History. I'm sure there's one or two I forgot, so please, feel free to chime in.






10) We lost as a team

Context: The Cowboys had just lost to the NY Giants in the Divisional Round of the 2008 playoffs. It was the second straight year the Cowboys suffered a disappointing end to their Super Bowl run, and it was the second straight year quarterback Tony Romo played below par. This time, the media was even quicker to point a finger in Romo's direction, especially after he spent the bye week leading up to the game vacationing in Cabo with then girlfriend Jessica Simpson. When reporters asked Terrell Owens if that had caused his quarterback to be unprepared, the normally combative wideout broke down in tears over the abuse his quarterback was receiving.

My take: This is almost as bad as Adam Morrison's tantrums during his Gonzaga days. Now T.O. is off to Buffalo, and I can only ask, haven't Bills fans suffered enough?





9) Lady Wolverines

The Context: The video actually does a good job of explaining this in the intro. Basically the Lady Wolverines blow a twenty point first half lead, give up 23 offensive rebounds, and can't get any favorable calls from the refs. Frustration ensues.

My take: The coach's entrance alone makes this press conference top 10 worthy, but his anger peters out as the press conference goes on, preventing it from being ranked higher.






8) Play to win the game

Context: The New York Jets begin the 2002 season 2-5. Following the embarrassing fifth loss at the hands of the hapless Cleveland Browns, a reporter asks Coach Herm Edwards if his team has the ability to win football games. What follows is Herm's famous tirade, featuring his now famous "You Play to Win the Game" line. The fiery speech must have gotten through to his players, as the Jets went 7-2 the rest of the way and reached the playoffs.

My take: Proof that even the funniest of outbursts can have a positive effect on a team. Angry speeches from coaches don't always work, but as a fan you like to see some passion from your team's coach.





7) DIDDLY-POO

Context: Another situation with a football team getting off to a poor start, this time it's the Jim Mora coached New Orleans saints beginning the 1996 season at 2-6. After losing to the Carolina Panthers (who had only been around for one full season) 19-7, Mora had these words to sum up the defeat. Mora resigned as head coach shortly thereafter, and the Saints finished the season at 3-13.

My take: Call him the anti-Herm Edwards. Whereas the Jets made it to the playoffs after his tirade, Jim Mora ends up quitting and the Saints tank the rest of the way. I guess not all outbursts are created equal.





6) WHEN I SEE YOU, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!

Context: After UMASS defeated Temple during the 1994 season, Temple coach and legend John Chaney took umbrage at the fact that UMASS coach John Calipari had intimidated the refs, and continued to harass them even after the game was over. Chaney, for his part, had taken some heat for doing the same sort of things a week earlier, so he was especially peeved to see Calipari getting off scot-free. Chaney was so angry in fact, that he interupted Calipari's post game conference, and threatened bodily harm to the UMASS coach.

My take: Chaney was over sixty years old at the time, and he still was fiery as ever. This is the rare time in which the other side steals the show at the press conference. I also found Calipari's comment of, "Somethings never cease to amaze me," to be particularly amusing though. You know what never ceases to amaze me? Calipari's sleaziness. He ran a dirty program at UMASS, the NCAA just made Memphis forfeit all his wins during his title run in 2008 because of cheating player eligibility requirements, and now he'll probably cheat some more at Kentucky. Careful what you wish for Wildcats fans.








5) THE BEARS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE

The Context: Despite taking a 20-0 halftime lead, holding the Bears to three points offensively, and forcing the bears to commit 6 turnovers, the Bears still beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-23 on a Monday Night game in 2006, thanks to some special teams heroics from rookie Devin Hester, and some costly second half turnovers by the Matt Leinart led Cardinals. The normally laid back Dennis Green is absolutely beside himself after the loss, and it shows as he storms off after a short but memorable tirade to the press. The victory kept the Bears undefeated on the season, and they would go on the Super Bowl that year, only to lose to the Peyton Manning led Colts. The Cardinals, on the other hand, went 5-11 on the season, and Green got canned at the end of the season.

My take: I still remember this game vividly, and it will remain one of the most improbable comebacks I've witnessed in a football game (the other being ND's comeback win over MSU in 2006). Some of Green's lines from this one became instant fan favorites, especially with Bears fans, and it too would one day be lampooned in a Coors Light commercial.





4) WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE

The Context: The Answer, A.I., Allen Iverson, gets fed up with reporters after his Sixers end up losing in the 2002 NBA playoffs. Coach Larry Brown had been critical of Iverson up to this point, citing his failure to show up at some practices. When reporters corner A.I. on this topic, Iverson gives a long, rambling speech on practice.

My take: I think if you count the number of times he says practice in this one, it comes out to 25 or something. No one who watched A.I. during his career could say he wasn't a warrior on the court, but he was certainly lacking in the leadership department. Showing up to practice is just something a leader needs to do.





3) PLAYOFFS?

The Context: Coach Mora is back! This time he's the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, but once again his team is off to a disappointing start. After a loss to the 49ers dropped his team to 4-6, Coach Mora is asked about his team's playoff's chances. What follows is the stuff of press-conference lore. Mora's sentiments turned out to be well-founded, as his team only won two more games that season, and once again Mora was without a job at season's end.

My take: Poor Coach Mora, he just could never motivate a team with his outbursts. His delivery of the word "playoffs" is what makes this clip such a classic, and it's probably the one thing people will remember about him the most. Was also turned into a great Coors Light commercial, in which the guys asked Coach Mora if they should talk about the playoffs with their female companions.





2) BOBBY KNIGHT

The Context: It's the 1993 NCAA tournament and a reporter asks Bobby Knight about how one of his players will "look" the next season. Bobby Knight is clearly annoyed by this question, and he delivers one of his funniest speeches.

My take: Picking your favorite Bobby Knight moment is like picking the best Beatles album, it's nearly impossible. You can find even more here . I especially like the game face one towards the end.






1) I'M A MAN I'M 40

The Context: The Oklahoma State Cowboys had just defeated Texas Tech during the 2007 regular season. Rather that talking about the game afterwards, OK State coach Mike Gundy chose to address an article written that week about recently demoted QB Bobby Reid, an article which called into question the qb's mental toughness. Coach Gundy took great offense at this article, and called out the offending reporter during this classic press conference.

My take: The pinnacle of post-game sports press conferences. What sets this one apart from the rest of the pack is the sheer number of quotable lines, topped off by the immortal, "I'm a man! I'm 40!" The speech has been spoofed many times, but my favorite can be found right here. I'll tell you one thing, when I reach 40, I know exactly what the theme of my party will be.





BOUNUS: PRESS CONFERENCE REMIX!

This was done by DJ Steve Porter (who also came up with this gem), and it does a great job of mixing together a number of clips from above, plus a special guest appearance from a liquored up Broadway Joe.



That's it for the list of all-time sports press conference moments. With youtube becoming ever more prevalent, I can only imagine that we will be provided with many more hilarious moments in the years to come.


-PG