GatorEye Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34293-2003Apr24.html . . . Spurrier said he settled a dispute between guards Randy Thomas and Tre Johnson about which would get to wear No. 77 next season by awarding the number to Thomas, who signed with the club for next season first and is a starter. "The way I've always done it is, the guy who is the starter, he gets the number if they both want it," Spurrier said. "I've never been around a place where the numbers are so touchy." I guess that brings his true feelings to the forefront - he could care less about numbers. Makes sense since he never wanted his retired at Florida and refused to retire anyone else's. Kinda feel bad for the Big Banga though. He should have settled it by not giving it to either of them if it was going to be that big of a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByLinebacker Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I was surprised last year about what a big deal people were making about numbers myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coles the clutch man Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I agree, don't give either of them 77 they're acting like children Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidFan Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I'd rather hear what the guards had said about the argument or an in depth report on if they actually are mad at eachother and have made remarks or if this is just the agents bickering for their clients?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luca Brasi Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I think Coach made the right choice. The starter should get what he wants. Maybe this will motivate Tre to work his *** off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I thought they should have arm wrestled for it. Better man wins. I kind of side with Tre only that he has worn that number on the 'skins for many years, but I also agree that a number shouldn't be a big deal. It's strange what people get attached to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baculus Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I can see why some get attached to their number. It's the same as getting attached to one's handle. For example, if someone used "Baculus" before I did, I'd get annoyed. (This has yet to happen, though--don't let the "1" after my name fool ya, I just forgot the password for my first one!) After a point, the player identifies with the number and probably, to them, sees the number as a representation of themselves. Who do you think of when you hear #44, #28, #81, as a few examples? In the grand scheme of things the player, not the number, matters. But really, numbers do matter, and they matter to the player, especially if they've had this number for years. I would have let Tre keep #77; he's been here longer and it's been his number on this team. At least IMHO. :-) ~B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I like the way he settled it, the starter gets the number, makes perfect sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poidog22 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I can see both sides, but this isn't anything that couldn't have been settled with a good thumb-wresting match--best 3 out of five. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaganaut Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Spurrier should have taken another job if he doesn't care about the numbers. This is Washington. He could have gone to Jacksonville... do they even have any retired numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I think Spurrier is a pragmatist. Think about it. Retiring numbers is ultimately going to go away. There are only so many numbers. Assuming the apes don't really take over planet Earth, the NFL is going to be around for a long, long, time. I really don't think teams are going to start using 3 digit numbers for players a century from now. 'Number 133 is back to pass.....he hits number 446 coming out of the backfield with a perfect bullet!'. This is much ado about nothing in my book. I imagine Spurrier is more focused on putting together a winning season than massaging players egos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorEye Posted April 26, 2003 Author Share Posted April 26, 2003 Originally posted by Tarhog This is much ado about nothing in my book. I imagine Spurrier is more focused on putting together a winning season than massaging players egos. I hope so. I think he's got to be wondering the same thing. We're no where near the start of the season and guys are already worrying about what number they are wearing. I hope they are just as concerned about learning the playbook and how to hold without getting called for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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