An anonymous Saints player blasted first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in a New Orleans Times-Picayune story than ran Wednesday, and that did not sit well with Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
"I'm bothered you reported it," Vilma told the paper. "We're not the Jets, who run to the media for everything."
Under Spagnuolo, the Saints defense was ranked last in the NFL in total defense and allowed the most yards ever in one season (7,042). The unnamed player criticized Spagnuolo for his performance and his personality.
"He does have that good-guy persona, but he is a control freak and treats people like crap," the player said. "[Spagnuolo has] no patience and zero personality. [He] has a way of pissing players and our defensive coaches off with how he says and does things. [I] think it's even harder after having [former defensive coordinator] Gregg [Williams], who guys enjoyed."
As for the Jets, they get criticized for talking to the media too much, and now they might get fined for not talking enough. With Rex Ryan reportedly vacationing in the Bahamas while owner Woody Johnson searches for a new general manager, the team has yet to hold a season-ending press conference. The Jets scheduled a conference for Tuesday, but the league mandates it must be held within a week after the final game.
Ryan received a public vote of confidence from Johnson in a team statement on Monday, but there's a great deal of uncertainty regarding the rest of the coaching and front office staff.
"Everyone is in limbo," a source told ESPN.
Read more about those stories and others, plus check out videos, trivia and more, at Thursday's Morning Mashup [1].
Links:
[1] http://leeinks.weei.com/sports/2013/01/03/thursdays-morning-mashup-saints-lb-jonathan-vilma-gets-in-dig-at-jets-while-criticizing-anonymous-teammate
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/general