HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. -- This is the one everyone is already buzzing about, not because the New Jersey Crushers can continue to open some eyes with an unblemished start or because Rumblin Bumblin Stumblin can finally put a band-aid on its bleeding campaign.
This is about the two coaches, the ones who started talking at the beginning of the week and haven't stopped since. Simply put, two general managers are at war, but only one can win this round.
Plenty of haymakers have been thrown. Neither owner has fallen into the ropes - not until Sunday afternoon, at least.
RBS will travel to the the Crushers' new posh stadium this weekend (Sunday & Monday, 1 p.m. ESPN) with hopes of backing up their talk. There's been plenty of it.
RBS owner Brian Fitzsimmons, the architect of the 2006 championship team, and Crushers' leader Mario Mergola have dented their relationship with this week's banter. In fact, it's triggering memories of Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick - old friends, now foes.
Perhaps the handshake at the end of the weekend will be just as cold, too.
"Will I shake his hand? Sure, why not?" Fitzsimmons said. "But I have nothing to say to him, win or lose. We know we're the better team and we're about to prove it. I'll show my respect, but I'm not going to embrace the guy or by any means congratulate him on a 4-0 start if it gets to that point. Why crown him? He's done nothing. This year or in years past."
Mergola spoke to reporters yesterday, recalling the days of he and Fitzsimmons sharing memories together as fifth-graders. Fitzsimmons declined to comment on his rival's most recent press conference.
This weekend's game features two teams seemingly going in opposite directions. The Crushers have rattled off three straight wins, while RBS has looked sluggish and slow in their 0-3 start to 2010.
Losing running back Ryan Grant to injury after Week One was a huge blow to the team, but Fitzsimmons isn't ready to throw in the towel; you could have inferred that with his outrageous comments earlier in the week, promising victory.
"I don't retract my comments about winning," he told ESPN's John Clayton in an interview that aired on Friday's SportsCenter. "I said what I said, for a number of reasons - the biggest being I believe in my team and our goal of getting back in the race here."
Oddly enough, Fitzsimmons could be right. After all, it's hard to imagine Michael Turner, Tony Romo and Steve Smith floundering for an entire campaign.
Nevertheless, the soured relationship of Mergola and Fitzsimmons stole headlines all week, as the war of words have taken on a life of their own.
Haymakers at every which angle. Which owner will survive in the ring?
Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment