Rex Ryan, Joey Porter and the Biggest NFL Trash Talkers
The NFL is not about hard hits, victories or records. Its all about getting into the mind of your opponent. At least that is the mantra of the following individuals.
Sometimes to get over on your opponent, you simply have to irritate them. That maneuver has worked for countless athletes over a great swath of sports. But these magicians of the mouth are the best on the gridiron. They know the fine art of rhetoric and how that can translate into a competitive advantage. That or they are just chatty people.
Here is the best of the bunch, the loquacious locos, the verbose villains. Here are the best trash talkers in the NFL.
20. Donte Whitner
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Smack talk is an ever-evolving art form. Whitner has taken the on-the-field verbal barbs onto the Internet. Whitner likes to tweet his insults.
That takes the game to a whole new level. There his opponents can read his smack. The best has to be his call for the NFL and Congress to crack down on HGH when Houston Texan linebacker Brian Cushing was caught for using performance enhancing drugs.
19. Darnell Dockett
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It isn't just offensive players that can talk a good game. Defensive end Darnell Dockett is fond of mocking quarterbacks when he sacks them. He also likes to tweet an upcoming opponent, like he did to Vernon Davis last season.
He tweeted that Davis was "soft" and he wrote "I'll make you feel pain son." I'm glad someone on the Arizona Cardinals actually has some confidence. I am not sure it is warranted after the 2010 they had.
18. Ray Lewis
3 of 21Ray Lewis will hit you and then make you angry that you let him do that. He takes great pride in getting under the helmet. That is where many players have succumbed to his ways.
Eddie George famously coughed up an interception to Lewis in an AFC divisional playoff game. It was noted that Lewis had been riding George all game, so much so that George tried to fire back to little success. Ray Lewis had won the battle of words.
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17. Darren Sharper
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Darren Sharper does not mind giving fuel for opponent's fire. It all serves to make things interesting for the veteran safety.
He even took to the internet to send warm wishes to his former teammates in Minnesota. On the eve of a 2010 matchup, he sent a few tweets calling out, among other Minnesota Vikings, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. He relayed that Shiancoe would be receiving no touches on the football.
16. Jay Cutler
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This dude has a mouth on him. The NFL lost a great rivalry when he left to Chicago. San Diego Chargers QB Phillips Rivers and he would have shouting matches to declare who was the supreme talent.
Now he is a much more reserved player. He has tried his best to take the high road. He was into a twitter feud with Chad Ochocinco until Cutler decided to be the more mature one and drop it all together.
15. Ed Reed
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There is only one caveat to good trash talking. You have to be able to back it up on the field. Ed Reed has no problems doing just that. He is one of the best safeties to ever play the game. He also happens to be fond of jibber-jabbering with his opponents.
Ed Reed will pick one off and run 30 yards. He will then walk by the quarterback and make him feel utterly stupid for throwing in his vicinity.
14. Shawne Merriman
7 of 21Really, Shawne Merriman is not a lovable character. I don't think he will be on the cover of any NFL children's cereal anytime soon.
He has verbally accosted quarterbacks. Merriman got into a twitter war with Chad Ochocinco and even went public about his volatile relationship with Tila Tequila. But the most annoying part of his personality has to be his "Lights Out" dance. It forces bystanders to wonder, really dude, you have your own dance?
13. Cortland Finnegan
8 of 21Cortland is like a little gnat. He gets your ear and just yammers on all game. He then puts his hands all over you. It is enough to drive the most sound person insane.
He grates on you until you cave, much like what happened to Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson. Finnegan got under his skin and Johnson was not taking it anymore. The two had one of the more memorable fights of the season on the field, and Cortland got the worst of it.
12. Jared Allen
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Salt in the wound, that is the best way of describing Jared Allen. He is by far one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. But he is also fond of rubbing it in your face that you just got busted.
So while you are laying on the ground writhing in pain, he is breaking down what exactly happened on the play in your ear. His post-sack dances don't help matters either.
11. Phillip Rivers
10 of 21Now this is more like it. In a day and age where athletes meet up after the game for dinner and hang out, it's nice to see some venom. He has had quite the rivalry with fellow QB Jay Cutler.
His greatest moment was publicly trash talking Cutler as his Broncos were getting smoked. For fans, we want our teams yelling expletives at each other. It raises the stakes. It makes a meaningless game in October all the more special.
10. Terrell Suggs
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Suggs likes to throw a little extra when he sacks a quarterback. One instance drew the ire of Tom Brady. When no flag was thrown, the two players began jawing at each other.
When reached for comment about the incident, Suggs stated the following: "He was trying to tell me how to bag a Hollywood actress...He said, 'If you want to get a Hollywood actress, take my seminar on Saturday.' ...He was going over the Dow and the economy and politics. He doesn't really talk football that much."
9. Jeremy Shockey
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He once called Bill Parcells a derogatory slur against homosexuals. He is an in-your-face tight end that does not mind being the bad guy. He actually lives for it.
He cannot simply catch a pass in the end zone and flip the ball to the referee. He has to flail his arms and shout in your direction. He wants the defenders to see him. He wants them angry. If they bring their best and he still beats them, all the more better for his ego.
8. Chris Johnson
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There was nary a lineman or defensive back in the NFL that did not know how special a season Chris Johnson was having in 2009. They knew because Johnson told them all the time.
He had no qualms about listing off all the talents and ways he was going to break down the defense. The talk was all in good fun and was quite merited. Johnson ran for over 2,000 yards that year. He has been relatively quiet during the 2010 campaign. I wonder why?
7. Joey Porter
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There is nothing Joey Porter enjoys more than getting inside your head. Whether it be yelling in your ear after a tackle or sending lovely tweets to stoke the fires, Porter is a master of smack. He is one player that fully realizes that if he can get you out of your game, his team is all the better for it.
His production and sack totals have dropped recently. That may stem from the fact that he is not only aging but is on a team that boasts one of the softest defenses.
6. Braylon Edwards
15 of 21Braylon Edwards sometimes gets lost amongst the other receivers that talk trash. But make no mistake, Edwards has no qualms about letting you know he just got over on you.
Here you can see him score, get hit to the ground, then pop up and dance in the face of the Patriots opposition, all in about five seconds. It is almost like he was on the floor thinking: "Damn, I have to get up and Dougie after a catch like that."
5. Randy Moss
16 of 21Some people might forget that Randy Moss is still going strong in the NFL. Alright, that is a bit much. He is still employed in the NFL. How about that?
Moss is very good at getting on the nerves of people. so much so that the people he irks are not relegated to the opposition. Even his teammates can't stand him. That may be why he has played for a good portion of NFL teams. No one can stand to have him on their roster for more than a couple years.
4. DeSean Jackson
17 of 21As Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens get on in years, a new wide receiver with a massive ego must take their place. That man is DeSean Jackson.
DeSean is fond of showing up the opposition whenever he gets the chance. Too bad for other NFL teams that he gets a great many chances. Jackson is a monster on the field. You can believe that he will have many more touchdown runs with even more imaginative endings.
3. Rex Ryan
18 of 21Rex Ryan is a reporter's dream and certainly the most entertaining NFL coach. While other coaches mumble cliches and softly utter attaboys to the competition, Ryan says what is on his mind.
He has verbally singled out Bill Belichick and the Patriots. His most famous tirade demanded that the New York Jets were not the least bit fearful of the New England Patriots. In the above clip, he takes on Eric Mangini and the Cleveland Browns.
2. Chad Ochocinco
19 of 21From his gold grill in his mouth to his flashy celebrations, Ochocinco loves to rub it in. Sometimes trash talking doesn't have to be about verbal assault. Sometimes it is about how you succeed in this game.
While Ochocinco can talk a good game, he is known for his flashy celebrations. You better not let him score on you. Then you will be treated to a show of celebration like no other in the end zone. It is uncertain if Ochocinco is a better receiver or showman.
1. Terrell Owens
20 of 21Terrell Owens loves himself. It goes beyond self confidence. I really believe that the man is head over heels in love with Terrell Owens.
Owens makes a point of letting those around him know how great he is. If it is your duty to cover TO, the game will be marked by the unrelenting chatter of what he is about to do to you.
Honorable Mention: James Harrison
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James Harrison is a soft-spoken person off the field. But on the gridiron, he is an entirely different beast. Harrison is the hardest hitter in the NFL. Nothing makes him happier than watching a receiver wallow in pain on the ground in front of him.
That fact was illustrated when the NFL decided to crack down on illegal hits this season. Harrison made note that he would not be letting up. Why take all the fun out of the game for him?
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