Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan simply don’t like each other at all, and I commend them both for not trying to fake.
Sapp fired another salvo in their back and forth yesterday when he tried to rip Strahan to shreds with comments about him almost being a bust.
During a conversation with the Tampa Tribune, Sapp took the ultimate shot at Strahan, saying that “he wasn’t even on the level of Simeon Rice as a pass rusher.”
“Nobody ever talks about Simeon,” said Sapp, who played three seasons with Rice in Tampa and saw the right defensive end average 14 sacks between 2001-03. “Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
Sapp also pointed out that Strahan didn’t become this dominant pass rusher until the Giants moved him from right end to left end.
“(Rice) didn’t rush the worst lineman,” said Sapp, who beat out Strahan for a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013. “You know the right tackle is the worst of the five. Strahan played right end his first four years. When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ‘B-U-S . OK, let’s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.’
“They put him at right end and he couldn’t do it, so they moved him to the weak guy. One-on-one with the (Eagles right tackle) Jon Runyans for eight quarters every year. Sim won’t ever have his name brought up (for the Hall of Fame), and that’s a shame. He’s one of the best pass rushers I’ve ever encountered in my life.”
It will be interesting to see if anyone agrees with Sapp, and if so, how many people do? Strahan played 15 seasons in the NFL and amassed 141.5 sacks, and the single season mark of 22.5 sacks in 2001.
Simeon Rice played 12 NFL seasons, and amassed 122 total sacks while helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2002.