The Fraud That Is Trent Dilfer
April 7th, 2010
Joe is proud that he has a journalism degree and also actually had classes in ethics (shockingly, not an oxymoron). To Joe, ethics in journalism is something not to just follow, but to treasure.
As one of Joe’s former editors told him when he first covered a Major League Baseball beat, “Your credibility is like your virginity. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.”
So whenever someone pretends to play with the news or go behind a microphone of any sort, Joe expects a modicum of respect and standards from said person.
This is why Joe just cannot stomach BSPN. He quit watching SportsCenter, the alleged signature outlet for propaganda by the KGB-influenced lot back in 2004. It just galled Joe to no end the daily amount of feces that outfit produced, assaulting the senses of any thinking sports fan with an IQ above 83.
Foghorn Leghorn cartoons are more credible than BSPN!
If the Soviets of sports aren’t trying to shove their unhidden agendas down people’s throats, they are too busy thieving other people’s work, copulating with young, vulnerable employees or worse, sexting women .
But the level that BSPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer recently stooped to would be grounds for firing from any company that remotely reveres ethics and prides itself on its reputation.
Recently, Dilfer, one of the most hideous NFL quarterbacks to ever snap on a chin strap, specifically when he set the standard for throwing asinine and mind-blowing ignorant interceptions, went on the offensive to tell anyone who would listen that Sam Bradford is the most overrated quarterback since, well, a slug was drafted in the first round by the Bucs out of Fresno State.
Just about anyone with any legitimate football knowledge whether it’s Mike Mayock or Pat Kirwan or Gil Brandt or even someone like helmet hair Mel Kiper has noted that Sam Bradford is the best quarterback of the 2010 draft class. There has been little debate on this.
That is, everyone aside from Trent Dilfer. Consider some of the comments Dilfer had about Bradford in recent days on WXOX-FM 101.1 in St. Louis, per Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“In my opinion he’s not even close to the best player in this draft,” Dilfer said. “I like Sam. I think he will be a good player one day. But I think he has major, major challenges ahead of him. I think if you look at the quarterbacks who have gone in the top five over the last few years, Bradford is not Mark Sanchez, he’s not Matthew Stafford, he’s not Matt Ryan. And I would even say he’s not Joe Flacco. Sam is a talented kid. But very, very raw. A good passer, but major challenges ahead.”
Dilfer went on to say that he doesn’t like Bradford’s footwork. Dilfer said Bradford operated in a system where he could play pitch and catch and make quick throws, without going through progressions (surveying receivers and his options as a play unfolds.) Dilfer said that Bradford’s accuracy really suffers when he has to make the reads and go through the progressions.
And the best QB in the draft? Dilfer said he’s repeatedly studied tapes of all the top QB prospects. He believes Colt McCoy will be the best NFL quarterback, but that it will take two or three years for McCoy to develop.
Of course, Dilfer would say that McCoy is the best quarterback in the draft. Why? Dilfer works hand-in-hand with McCoy, per a source with a little more credibility than Dilfer or Dilfer’s four-letter network employer, Peter King of Sports Illustrated via King’s Twitter account.
@FootballFan9216 Trent Dilfer says Bradford overrated. Says McCoy is better
@SI_PeterKing Have heard this. Respect Trent, but he works with Colt.
Conveniently, the gutless fraud that is Trent Dilfer didn’t mention this in his diatribe against Bradford.
Before anyone gets wise with Joe, he has absolutely nothing against McCoy. Joe likes him a great deal and is impressed with his choice of women; his fiancé is a hot blonde TV reporter. Well done, Colt, well done!
This shameless fraud Dilfer has added another wrinkle to a disturbing trend, in which NFL analysts and former coaches are hired by college football players, then the same NFL analysts and former coaches seemingly seek out anyone with a microphone or a notebook, gushing about how great said client is, despite the fact they are collecting a check from the very same player they are talking about.
Another example is Marc Trestman and Sam Wyche waxing poetic about Tim Tebow with just about every media outlet in Florida, not mentioning the fact both were hired by Tebow for tutoring services; hardly objective sources.
In fact, they are sources with hidden agendas.
Whether Dilfer will benefit financially from his commentary is unknown, but his ties should be disclosed.
These people like Dilfer, Trestman and Wyche have financial incentives or potential incentives to see that “their guys” are drafted as high as possible. The difference between the three is that Dilfer is also paid handsomely to provide honest analysis for a living.
If BSPN has any scruples, whenever Dilfer shoots off his mouth on BSPN about any player, college or NFL, a crawl would appear on the bottom of the screen documenting who Dilfer collects money from.
Joe has a better chance of finding a scantily-clad Rachel Watson waiting in his bedroom for him when he returns home from the office this afternoon.
Yeah, right!
In short, why the hell would Joe believe another word that comes out of this Dilfer’s mouth without wondering what other kind of under-the-table deal he has cooked?
Hey Trent, next time you shoot off your mouth about a college football player, or any NFL player, why don’t you do everyone a favor and wear that stupidass one-bar Terry Bradshaw facemask again so viewers can be reminded about what a drip you really are?
Anyone that tries to undercut someone’s seven-figure earning potential by Pearl Harboring the man’s talents in a very public, crude manner at the same time building up the street cred of his client, all done under a cloak of secrecy, should never represent a reputable news gathering organization.
Then again we’re back to square-one with BSPN, aren’t we?
Update: This post was edited to reflect a published correction.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Joe, Now that is the – look for the facts- kind of reporting that should be done! Expose the back-room deals! Now, if you would just do that with the Bucs it would be nice! lol
April 7th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Thanks Tampa2. 🙂
April 7th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Wow. This is like Sabby telling us Ronnie Lott is over rated.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Joe I know I’m going to catch hell for this but,
Just wondering where, other than a twitter from Peter King , is there any info about Trent working with Mccoy? All I can find is that they are represented by the same agency.
Not saying its not true but your laying into the guy pretty hard based on a twitter. He isn’t the only person I’ve heard say that Bradford isn’t a sure thing.
We all know you don’t like ESPN. But it seems funny that when someone insinutated a few weeks ago that you took something out of context you freaked out about it and wrote whole post defending you honor and now you are lambasting Trent Dilfer, who by all acounts is a pretty good guy, based on a Twitter.
Like I said not saying its not true but come on…a Twitter is your source?
April 7th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Maybe Sam Bradford should go hire some other idiot talking head like Joe Theismann to trash Colt McCoy. After all turnabout is fair play.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Boy, I say boy, you see I’m a rooster. That Trent over there he’s a chicken, or a dog I can’t tell the difference. Are ya listening boy? I say it’s like talking to a barn door, the boy don’t listen!
April 7th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Although I think you are right, I don’t think what Dilfer said was so horrible and deserved the vitrol you vented on him in regards to his comments. BTW, didn’t McKay practically force Dilfer down Wyche’s throat? Wish you would bust your spleen on someone like (play nice drdneast — Joe) , who has less credibility when reporting about the NFL than Dilfer. That idiot blamed Gruden for everything including the sound of the football richocheting off Michael Clanghands mitts for years. The only dean the (play nice drdneast — Joe) rules over is the liquor cabinet.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:40 am
LOL This is a great analogy.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Foghorn Leghorn checking in!
Joe’s always been a big fan Foghorn, thanks for reading Joe!
How’s your cousin Bobby Bowden been doing lately?
April 7th, 2010 at 9:11 am
@drdneast, While I agree with you on the (blocked- be nice) tags, you have to rememder that Joe is his friend, and this is Joe’s site. So that subject is slightly off limits! lol As you can see, it was easy enough to figure out to whom you were speaking of. Although I don’t really know that all the liquor stuff is true.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:19 am
tampa2:
Joe’s going to address this just once. This thread is not about “youknowwho.”
First, Joe has a working business relationship with Clear Channel. Does Joe agree or even like everyone that works for Clear Channel? Of course not, but Joe’s not going to jeopordize a strong bond he has with Clear Channel just because someone wants to hurl personal insults about a radio personality.
As far as, youknowwho, yes, he is a trusted and close friend of Joe’s. That doesn’t mean one of Joe’s readers cannot write, “I think youknowwho is off his rocker because… ”
Notice only the slur was edited in the posts/comments in question?
Sadly, it doesn’t seem anyone can write anything about youknowwho without it turning personal. Joe can’t let that fly.
Joe trusts reasoned readers will understand.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I take a liking, I say, I take a liking to good literature! Nowadays good reading is as rare as a youngin’ with good manners. They don’t make em like they used to now. Are ya listening boy! As for Bobby, not much gets through that silly straw hat of his and he’s soggier than a used tea bag, I say.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Dilfer has killed me since he went to work for ESPN-suddenly he is an expert on what makes an NFL QB-knowledge he apparently did not use during his career.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:28 am
No kidding!
That’s why Joe was very skeptical of Dilfer to begin with. Than after Joe learned of his relationship with Colt McCoy and the way Dilfer tried to crush Bradford, ppppffftttt.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:40 am
I don’t know whether Trent was giving an honest assesment of Bradford, or if it was influenced by his working with McCoy. Maybe he would say the same thing anyhow.
But, such things ought to be disclosed so the listener can decide.
I always thought Trent had some potential but was thrown to the wolves without a supporting cast, from which he never recovered. He is not the only one in the boneyard of failed Bucs QB’s from that horrid period. Same fear I have for five if he isn’t “helped” as the Dream promised.
Dilfer does have a Super Bowl ring as a starting QB, albeit for the Ravens on that great defensive team. But, that still gives him more credibility IMO than was given on this post. Seemed a bit harsh and incomplete to me.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:46 am
LOL!!!
Foghorn, Joe just might have to hire you!
April 7th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Eric:
To be fair, Joe thinks Dilfer is polished and he seems to do his research.
Joe just cannot get past remembering how dreadful he was as a quarterback and for Joe, that taints whatever comes out of his mouth, even before Joe’s recent findings about his relationship with McCoy.
Does Joe expect avery analyst to be an All-Pro? No. But when Dilfer speaks, Joe always thinks of that awful Giants game to open the 1999 season at the CITS. Some of the stupidest plays Joe has ever seen from a quarterback — on any level of football — Dilfer tried to pull off in that game.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Joe, While I don’t care for -you know who- as a radio personality because he bashes callers then hangs up (I would never call in. lol), This “is” your site and you are entitled to run it any way that you want!
If a reader or poster doesn’t like it, then they can go elsewhere. But I like the fact that if I “accidently” let a word slip it doesn’t matter. As you can see, now that I have found your site I visit it quite often. I do not know that person personally. Nor do I know whether he drinks moonshine, or Caybrew, or doesn’t drink at all! Who cares! But he is your friend and I respect that! By the way, I have not made any slurs against your friend!
I still remember those “happy feet” of Dilfer when he was here! It was quite comical at times because he ran when he just “thought” he heard someone coming!
April 7th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Thanks for the compliments tampa2. Joe appreciates your support.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:57 am
@Eric, I think that Baltimore is proof that a team can win the Super Bowl in spite of it’s Quarterback!
April 7th, 2010 at 10:01 am
A players resume on the field rarely has anything to do with how good of an analyst he becomes.
Emmitt Smith, Michael Irving, Deon Sanders were all great players and horrible analaysts.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:03 am
@Joe
I am by no means implying that the man was a good QB. I recall pulling my hair out many times watching him play. But, even if you just hand the ball off and are told not to do anything stupid, but win the big game, that impresses me.
Speaking of former bucs commentators, Mr. Sapp had some glowing comments on NFL Ntework about McNAbb and Shanahan, and how he believes that pulls the Skins up to Playoff contenders. Interesting stuff from the man who helped close down the Vet.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Tiki!!!
April 7th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Does anyone really think ANYTHING Dilfer says will effect the draft? Hardly! Oh yea, the Rams are going to now draft McCoy instead of Bradford. Dilfer … are jerks.
(Edited for hate speech).
Nice try, but come on Louie. You didn’t think you could sneak that change-up past Joe did ya? — Joe 🙂
April 7th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
while i pretty much agree w joe on his observations about trent, mr hair mel kiper has said a few times that he would take clausen over bradford if he was the rams so lets not make it sound that everyone o the planet believes by far and away that bradford is the consus number one q.b in the draft….having said that i will agree that dilfer is a complete clown/tool and to watch him sit up on his high horse and discuss the q.b position ad nauseum is reckless and plain hilarious to those of us who were unfortunate enough to have to follow trents career..
April 7th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Dilfer 1 Super Bowl; Joe Zero.
Dilfer played in the Pro Bowl; Joe has his own website.
Dilfer on the #1 Sports National and International TV Network ESPN; Joe, writes his own local blog about the Bucs who stalks the swashbuckler’s.
Dilfer actually pretty knowledgable on NFL QB’s; Joe knows Steve Carlson?
What Dilfer said is actually something I agree with… not that what I think matters… but Dilfer could be easily right. Sam Bradford played for Oklahoma, lost his National Championship game to Florida, hurt his shoulder several times… Bradford is a tremendous reach at #1… you watch Dilfer will be right about this one.
And Joe, calling ESPN commies? You jealous that they don’t even know who you are?
April 7th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Hate speech? Are we a little sensitive? That’s the problem with this country today. It’s interesting you left Dilfer’s name in there. So, it’s not hate speech for one person, but it is for another? Yea, right. Joe, I’ve lost a lot of respect for you today.
April 7th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Louie:
First, you must remember Joe enjoys sarcasm. That written, let me spell this whole thing out for you.
Joe has a contract with Clear Channel Communications, owner and operator of many radio stations in this market. Part of the stipulation of the contract is, as with any business dealing with any entity, no personal attacks on Clear Channel on-air personalities. Joe doesn’t know how to be more clear than that.
If commenters want to be critical of an on-air personality (someone is wrong because of X, Y and Z), OK. Personal attacks, no. Calling someone “a jerk” isn’t exactly endearing.
Sorry if this offends you but what offends Joe even more is if he lost his contract with Clear Channel because someone Joe has never met and doesn’t know has some ax to grind over a guy on the air. Joe doesn’t like editing comments any more than the next guy but Joe would hate even more to have Clear Channel dissolve the contract with Joe.
Unlike Dilfer, Joe is very upfront who he does business with. Just look at the ads on this site. They are there for all to see.
Feel free to tip Joe off when you hear Dilfer admit he’s working with Colt McCoy.
Joe values you as a loyal reader Louie, but unless you want Joe to charge for all content, Joe has to have advertising to keep this pirate ship afloat; Joe’s not a charity. With that comes some consolations. It’s how business is done in America.
April 7th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
RahDomDaBest:
ROTFLMAO!!! Good one man.
Gil Brandt — a guy who built one of the greatest NFL dynasties — claims Bradford is the franchise quarterback of the draft and said Bradford has the best Pro Day workout for any quarterback since Troy Aikman, better than McCoy, who Brandt readily admits he’s friends with McCoy’s family.
Dilfer — who knows so much about football he couldn’t even correct his own countless mistakes — rags on Bradford and lauds McCoy, but tries to cover up how he is working with McCoy.
Gee, Joe doesn’t know who to believe, hhhmmm?
Oh, no! BSPN is VERY much capitalists VERY much! LOL.
First off, if you think Joe has such a shallow life that he wastes one moment of the day worrying about what BSPN thinks of Joe, well, then Joe has some swampland in Arizona to sell you.
As for Joe being jealous that BSPN may not know who Joe is, Joe wonders then why BSPN the Rag called him last fall to feature Joe in an article about Kellen Winslow? Strange?
April 7th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Forget about Dilfer, i am getting me one of them cougars!
April 7th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Damn, they said I am too old to be a “cub”.
Joe, I may sue your ass over this!
April 7th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Joe here,
Eric, thanks. You can feel good that you just earned Joe about 15 cents for visiting Cougarland. Sorry they rejected you. C’mon, don’t you attorneys know how to lie?
April 7th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I will stick to the topic at hand. I actually think Dilfer is a good analyst. He’s articulate and gets his point across well. King said that Dilfer is working with McCoy. That doesn’t necessarily mean he is collecting a paycheck from McCoy. But maybe he is. I do think he should disclose that he has worked with McCoy when he states his opinions on him. I didn’t think his comments on McCoy were that effervescent. He said that it would take 2 or 3 years for him to develop. That is not exactly singing his praises to the rooftop.
And his comments on Bradford weren’t that bad. Brother. He said he is a good passer, but he is raw. He points out some things that he can work on and that he isn’t as polished as some of the other QBs that have come out the last few years. Jake Locker would have no doubt been drafted before Bradford if he had come out. So Bradford isn’t exactly the bullet proof can’t miss QB.
I wasn’t exactly a fan of Dilfer when he was here. He made some of the dumbest passes imaginable. Having said that, the guy did win a Super Bowl. He did play for 13 seasons. He did play in a Pro Bowl. He did have a winning record as a starting QB. I can’t believe I am defending him, but he wasn’t a horrible QB. He was mediocre. He clearly didn’t reach his potential as a top 5 draft pick, but he wasn’t a huge bust either (like Leaf, A. Smith, Shuler, Mirer, Harrington, etc.).
So I don’t get the venom toward Dilfer in this case. He was wrong for not stating his relationship toward McCoy, but I don’t feel his commentary was that out of line or inflammatory.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Damn, if I’m a Glazer, I’d advertise with you to silence the critics.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
LOL!!! Good one Louie.
Joe hopes you can understand. Joe appreciates your loyalty man.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Eric S:
No question. He’s very polished. Seems to do his research. Sounds intelligent. Joe’s not questioning that at all.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Joe,
Having listened to the podcast Dilfer did state that he had “worked out with Colt” and that his arm was stronger than he thought, IIRC.
Now, is he represented by the same agents? Sure. Is he collecting a check from Colt McCoy? I don’t know, your a journalist, you tell me. I’d have to see a clearer link than the same agency handling them than to believe that there is a quid pro quo going on.
I can empathize with your disdain for Dilfer’s Bucs days. The guy was mostly horrible. He did not have the mental processor to play the game well at the NFL level. BUT he did find a way to last for 14 years in the NFL. That is an accomplishment, and speaks to his work ethic and locker room presence despite his limited skill set. 14 years is as long as Derrick Brooks lasted and 1 year longer than Warren Sapp! Again, speaking purely on longevity…
I believe the guy says what he believes. He’s paid to do it and he does it well. I say props to you Trent, the more honest analysts (and I think he was being honest) the better. I can’t stand cowtowing and BSing. I can’t stand when everyone has the same opinion. Where were the people who called out Joey Harrington, or Mike Williams (either)?
Finally “The Godfather” Gil Brandt, is a tad past his prime. The man is way closer to drinking prune juice on a daily basis at 77, than working at a high capacity for NFL teams. He’s been out of the NFL since 1989 remember.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Tom:
Not sure what podcast you are referring to. Can you e-mail a link?
April 7th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Best article ever. I hate ESPN, Trent DIlfer, and all the other idiots too.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Joe, I’m pretty disappointed in your censoring me. If certain radio broadcasters can dish it out, then they ought to be able to take it.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
drdneast:
Joe never censored you, he edited you. Please read the posts above. Joe has a contract with Clear Channel he very much wants to keep intact.
Look at it this way: Said contract is helping keep Joe free!
April 7th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Thanks for the compliments IHEADT!
April 7th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Dilfer responded to the criticisms quite quickly. Really not your finest moment Joe. Before attacking someone’s integrity, it would be nice to get all the facts in.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Eric S:
If Dilfer really has no hidden agenda, he should have been upfront about his relationship with McCoy. By not doing so he opened the door.
As always, whenever Joe goes after someone, Joe will offer said person an unedited forum to respond.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Joe here,
Eric S. — To be fair, nobody is going to know all the facts. That’s the whole point in a nutshell. If Dilfer wants to be ethical and credible, he and his employer needs to disclose in advance this kind of stuff. …Almost how on CNBC the stock analyst discloses whether he owns any shares personally (of the stock being discussed) or whether his firm has any of said shares in its portfolio.
Also, Florio claims Dilfer told him he completed his evaluation of the QBs before they hired agents. …That’s almost impossible to believe that Dilfer wasn’t swayed by anything these guys did after any of them got agents.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:51 am
“What this shameless fraud Dilfer has done is just another example of a disturbing trend where NFL analysts and former coaches are hired by college football players, then the same NFL analysts and former coaches seeminly seek out anyone with a microphone or a notebook, gushing about how great said client is, despite the fact they are collecting a check from the very same player they are talking about.”
Joe,
I’m afraid if your site is to have any credibility, you should retract that statement immediately. Dilfer stated he did not get any compensation from McCoy or from the agency. You made a leap regarding how this is part of a bigger trend…that you have not proven to exist in Dilfer’s case. In other words, you did not do your research before making such a statement but merely made a conclusion based on what you perceived. Until otherwise proven; You. Are. Wrong.
Furthermore I fail to see how Dilfer gets the slightest bit of benefit if his agent makes more money. HE does not make more money. His agent does. I guess you could pay your car insurance agent an additional 10% just because your a swell guy, but I’d fail to see the benefit in that to you either.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:58 am
And if you are looking for some conisistency, maybe you can tell me if Derek Anderson was represented by Dilfer’s agent too:
http://larrybrownsports.com/football/trent-dilfer-hammers-cleveland-browns-decision-bench-derek-anderson/3544
April 8th, 2010 at 2:55 am
1) To blame Dilfer for the Bucs failures on offense in his years is completely ridiculous. What great coaches and weapons did he have to work with? As they always say the QB gets more of the credit then he deserves in a win and more of the blame then he deserves in a loss. Dilfer proved himself to be a serviceable 14 year NFL QB and reached the pinnacle winning a Superbowl, not many QBs can say that.
2) A consensus before the draft on who will be best means absolutely nothing; was Tom Brady drafted #1? Sam Bradford might destroy his shoulder again and Colt McCoy might end up being the best QB, no one knows.
3) The fact that you don’t think playing QB for 14 years in the league is “legitimate football knowledge” makes me cringe. Dilfer has forgotten more about playing QB then Kirwan, Mayock and Brandt know combined.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Tom:
A couple of things:
1) I will reference this statement to Dilfer via ProFootballTalk.com:
This is interesting on many levels. So Dilfer only evaluated them as college players? He never watched a Pro Day, workouts, etc.? He references McCoy as the better quarterback prospect without even factoring the nerve damage to his throwing arm, really?
Look, as always, anyone that believes Joe has wronged them, they have an open, unedited forum to explain their side of things. This also applies to Dilfer.
Joe has reached out to Mike Florio to try to reach Dilfer. Again, Joe offers an unedited, open forum for Dilfer to respond.
To Joe’s knowledge, Dilfer has never prefaced his breakdown on quarterbacks explaining his relationship with McCoy which Joe believes to be important.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Tom:
E-mail received. Thank you. Joe will review the podcast (and check your e-mail as well).
Thanks again.