There are many leaders in the world of professional sports who will never call out their team, no matter the circumstances.
Many others, however, seem to have a bit of a shorter fuse — because there comes a time when the players perform so inexcusably badly that nothing can be said except the obvious: They are really, really bad.
Take Florida Panthers GM Randy Sexton, for example. His squad has lost six straight and is falling further and further out of the playoff picture, so Sexton isn’t going to waste his time making excuses. Instead, he has chosen to compare his team to the most infamous nautical disaster of the 21st century.
Or take Colts GM Bill Polian, who was so disgusted by Indianapolis’ second-half performance against the Saints in the Super Bowl that he had no problem taking his offensive line to task via the media, following in the famous footsteps of the quarterback he employs.
Or take North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams, who perhaps took things a step too far, comparing his team’s subpar effort to the crisis in Haiti. That one probably doesn’t compute.
Does this tactic work? Probably not. But it’s still entertaining for the fans.
"This is not type of team we want. We’re going to keep making changes until we get that. It takes time. It’s like turning around the Titanic and not a rowboat."
–Panthers GM Randy Sexton, in the Miami Herald, on the difficulties of turning around his quickly sinking team
"I thought it was one of the worst performances I've had here at UConn in 24 years. I'm really incredibly disappointed by the performance, and I'm embarrassed by it, quite frankly."
–UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, in The Associated Press, on returning to the bench for the first time since Jan. 19 only to see his team get throttled by Cincinnati
"Our offensive line, by our standards, did not have a good game. They were outplayed by the Saints' defensive line. Our special teams, in terms of handing the ball — both in the return game and on the onside kick — were outplayed by the Saints. Therein lies the result. It had nothing to do with strategy or preparedness or toughness or effort."
–Colts GM Bill Polian, on NFL.com, on why his team lost the Super Bowl
"Our massage therapist told me, 'You know, coach, what happened in Haiti is a catastrophe. What you're having is a disappointment. I told her that depends on what chair you're sitting in. It does feel like a catastrophe to me, because it's my life."
–North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, on the Bleacher Report, following the Tar Heels’ loss to Duke
greenRAYn20: I have no control over trade rumors people. Let's just focus on being positive. I am a Celtic. Green all day.
–Celtics guard Ray Allen, via Twitter, addressing trade rumors
"I want a long-term deal, or I want to be free. Point blank. And that’s how I’m looking at it. That’s how my family is looking at it. It’s a short window of opportunity for me to go and make the type of money that I want to make. And hey, like I said, family comes first."
–Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork, on WEEI, on contract negotiations with New England
"The Colts were punching at it and grabbing for it, trying to get it out. But I didn't care if they broke all my fingers. There was absolutely no way in the world I was going to let go of that ball. That was our ball."
–Saints safety Chris Reis, on SI.com, on recovering the onside kick that changed the course of Super Bowl XLIV
"I don't know what it's going to look like on Sunday. I'm not clairvoyant."
–Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, on ESPN.com, when asked whether his foot injury would keep him out of the All-Star game. Utlimately, Bryant decided to sit out the event.
"I thought about it for a day. Your offseason comes around, and you move on. You can't sit there and wallow in it and say, 'Pitiful me, we got swept.' You get in the offseason, and you get home and you move on, you watch a couple of playoff games and a couple of World Series games and see who wins."
–Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, on MLB.com, on dealing with the disappointment of losing in the playoffs
"It was tough, walking away from the season like that. We had a good season. Won 95 games. We made the playoffs and came up short and got beat by a team that was better than us at the time. For us, this year, I think we have a pretty good team, and hopefully, we can get to the playoffs again and go further than the first round."
–Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, on MLB.com, on the disappointment of being swept out of the first round of the playoffs last season
"When you come to [the] All-Star [break], this is the time for you to sort of step out of reality, versus still being dismal, still being down. All-Star weekend, for players, is for them to sort of rejuvenate themselves; gives you a chance to sort of tone down the volume, if you will, a chance to enjoy other guys, peers, interact, get out and do some different things with family, friends. It’s the one time you can call a break a break. You sort of come out of reality a little bit here."
–Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, in The Boston Globe, on the All-Star break
