Every year, there are multiple teams that talk a big game, and some of those teams deliver on their promises. Other teams fall flat on their faces. The media devotes a great amount of attention to trash talk, but does it really mean all that much? Who really cares what someone from an opposing team said about your team?
The latest example has been the back and forth between Jets’ CB, Darrelle Revis, and Jaguars’ WR, Jason Hill. Hill made his comments while talking to the Florida Times-Union:
“This is a league full of great players. I think sometimes (the Jets) get over-hyped. I talked to Drew (Coleman). Drew played there. He says it’s just the aura of New York. They got a big media. That’s not the Jacksonville paper, that’s the big New York Times paper, so they get more pub. That’s what it is.”
Revis shot back after practice today:
“I don’t even know who that is. He shouldn’t have been talking in the first place.”
So with all this media attention surrounding two guys shooting their mouths back and forth, it should have a major impact on the game. Right?
Wrong.
The fact of the matter is that we, as a nation of fans, have glorified trash talk, half-time speeches, and any other “rah rah” activity that occurs off the field. In reality, the only thing that really matters is what happens on the field, and that won’t change.
I’ve never been a fan of the idea that momentum, speeches, or trash talk play a major role in games. I find that idea too universal. I have a better explanation. Momentum is perceived only when a team is mentally or physically unprepared for an event. Since you may be scratching your head, I’ll give you an example.
Team “A” scores a touchdown, and Team “B” gets the ball. Team “B” then runs 3 plays on offense, and they’re forced to punt it away. Team “A” then marches down the field and scores again. Was the second touchdown a result of momentum? No. It was a result of superior talent and preparation. This is the reason that we sometimes see big underdogs, especially in college, jump out to a big lead before “losing momentum,” and they ultimately lose the game as well. The underdog was simply better prepared, but they lacked the talent to sustain their efforts throughout the game.
The same principle applies to speeches and trash talk. It simply isn’t relevant. It won’t change the outcome. In fact, the only impact it has is on players that aren’t mentally prepared for their game on Sunday.
I enjoy listening to guys go at it as much as anyone else. The fact of the matter is that we like to think that someone is great because they correctly predict an outcome, but that’s often not the case. Football wouldn’t be the same if no one said something offensive to another team through the week. Trash talk is here to stay, but on game day, it really doesn’t matter what was said on Tuesday and Wednesday. The only thing that matters is each team’s level of play on game-day.
