So, uh... how is your Saturday going? Mine was going super. Just hanging out, playing with the kiddos and watching inside linebacker film. Then Tamba Hali went scorched earth on twitter and now I can’t feel my face.
Since the linked article went up, Tamba has continued to tweet about various stuff on Twitter, both on his timeline and in replies.
(NOTE: this isn’t everything. Check out his timeline yourself. I’m trying to get everything I can that doesn’t seem repetitive and gives us some information. Also, this is definitely ongoing so by the time it’s up more may have happened)
Yes it does. You now know why I'm not playing so you can stop saying to me on my timeline stick to football
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
No I'm not high or drunk I just want to play more football.
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
Then there’s a REALLY important one (especially considering some of his prior tweets ABSOLUTELY looked like he was calling out Chiefs who missed OTA’s):
Offcourse I'm not talking about my team I'm talking about the lies and lack of playing.
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
Guys it shouldn't come as a surprise knowing most people are ignorant to reality of the football business.
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
So people are curious if I'm holding out or got cut. No to both. I want to play more.
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
And then there’s this tweet that, uh, doesn’t exactly give you confidence in Tamba’s opinion of how the coaches have determined who gets to play.
No
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
And in case you’re thinking “man, Tamba should be saying this to the coaches, not to Twitter,” well...
Did that
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
And then Tamba RT’d his appearance on a podcast where he talked more about some of this same stuff...
Listen to our show to hear what @TambaHali91 had to say to Brad and Tom when he come on podcast!https://t.co/Em5DLHjz7E
— Arrowheads Abroad (@KCChiefs_UK) July 22, 2017
Maybe someone to help with the run game because I am a linebacker
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
You’re wondering why you didn’t hear something sooner?
It makes more sense to have clarity moving forward instead of voicing your thoughts after a loss. Plus that will seem more emotional
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
Or hey, maybe you think he’s mad at Dee Ford?
He will lead the league in sacks
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) July 22, 2017
And maybe just to finish things off (as I write this, Tamba is still replying to people, so I assume more is going to happen here), Tamba had something to say to Adam Teicher as well. I’ll show this as a picture to save you some time...
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Tamba then went on to agree with a fellow Twitter user that Terez Paylor >>>>> Teicher (which, to be fair, Paylor is the man).
Speaking of Paylor:
Good question. And FYI, he did bring it up internally. He was told at his exit meeting in January with Coach Reid to "keep getting better." https://t.co/V1LkEVdb0b
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) July 22, 2017
What to make of this? Quick thoughts here...
- I think Tamba has a legitimate point regarding playing time, especially in the playoffs. He played 7 snaps against Pittsburgh in a game we needed guys to step up while Houston and Jones were constantly given extra attention. I wrote about Tamba earlier, and reviewing the film he’s still got something left in the tank.
- That said, this is a bit strange so close to camp, and so public. It’s one thing to be unhappy about snap counts, another thing to go off publicly about it. Tamba is a Chiefs legend, and if anyone gets the benefit of a doubt he does, but it’s still... interesting.
- Regarding the OTA comments, Tamba seemed to be trying to say he’s not talking about his own teammates. However, looking at the quotes themselves it’s hard NOT to view them that way. However, with the entire context of his comments/replies to Twitter users, one way to view it is he was tired of people questioning his commitment to football and was using his dedication to OTA’s and winning as a way to point out he IS committed, not to really swipe at anyone else. Good Lord, I hope that’s what he meant.
What does Tamba have left? It’s complicated
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- A good answer to a question we get often: How much does Tamba have left?
- Also: Tamba’s reaction to Dorsey’s firing
At the end of the day, though, this is something that gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach. It’s hard not to feel like there’s a serious disconnect between Tamba (who everyone knows is all about winning, and has been for years) and the organization. And that’s not a good feeling. That Paylor tidbit that Andy just told him to keep getting better in response to his concerns makes me a bit ... I dunno. It just feels not OK.
This has been a weird, weird offseason. From the unexpected Jaye Howard release (seriously, surprising at the time) to the Jamaal Charles release (expected, but seemingly handled... roughly) to the REALLY unexpected Jeremy Maclin release to the REALLY REALLY REALLY unexpected John Dorsey firing... to this. I don’t know, it’s just becoming a bit difficult to believe that all is well within the organization at the moment.
Of course, this could all be nothing. Just a player trying to get EVERYTHING off his chest so he can focus on football to start camp. But it’s definitely not the reason you want your team to be in the news. We’ll have to stay tuned. At the rate things are going there will be a lot more to talk about shortly.