Larry Brown Sports

There are plenty of people across the NFL who do not care for Jeremy Shockey. He has a reputation for being a loud mouth and has been accused of being a lousy teammate. That doesn’t mean it was right when Warren Sapp accused him of being the person who ratted out the Saints for running a bounty program. Sapp had nothing to support his claim, which is why the NFL Network wound up reprimanding him for his tweet. On Wednesday, Shockey’s former coach Ron Rivera gave the tight end a strong endorsement.

“If you know Jeremy Shockey, you know that’s not Jeremy Shockey,” Rivera said at the NFL owners meetings according to the Charlotte Observer. “I know there was an insinuation that he had been the guy. But that’s not Jeremy’s makeup. That’s not who Jeremy Shockey is.

“Jeremy Shockey’s a guy that if there was something going on, that’s their business. I would be surprised, I really would. It wouldn’t hurt him in my eyes either way because, first of all, I think Jeremy Shockey’s a tremendous person. I think he’s also a very good football person – a football personality who understands this game.”

Sounds like somebody would welcome Shockey back with the Panthers next season. Rivera’s opinion of Shockey is the complete opposite of Amani Toomer’s, who recently called him a bad person and worse teammate. As for whether or not Sapp’s accusation will affect Shockey’s ability to find work, I doubt it. The general consensus seems to be that Warren was out of line, and any character concerns teams might have about Shockey were likely there to before he was accused of being a snitch.

Photo credit: Chuck Cook-US PRESSWIRE

The Panthers used a trick play to score their third touchdown against the Texans Sunday, and it turns out the play was inspired by the football movie Little Giants. Asked about the play by reporters Monday, Carolina head coach Ron Rivera says the idea came from the “Annexation of Puerto Rico” play the Giants used to beat Kevin O’Shea’s Cowboys on the final play of the game.

“Just so you know, the unofficial name – I don’t know if you guys have ever seen the “Little Giants” – it’s called the Annexation of Puerto Rico. I’ve seen the movie a hundred times with my kids. They’re grown up now,” Rivera said. “So last night we were talking about and they called it everything from the Chud-a-rooskie to the Mauler to what have you. Somebody said, ‘well, it’s from the ‘Little Giants.”

Fumblerooskis are actually illegal in the NFL, but if you watch the play closely, you’ll see that quarterback Cam Newton took the snap and handed it to Richie Brockel between the fullback’s legs (watch video of the play at NFL.com). Brockel went untouched into the end zone for the score to put Carolina up 21-0. They won it 28-13, helping Doc Brown secure one of his Top 3 picks.

The only remaining question is if Ron Rivera gets to take over Gary Kubiak’s car business.

Thanks to Deadspin for sharing the awesome story.