GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey

C-Mac · 08-10-2005, 07:09 AM

GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey
Aug 10, 2005, 5:11:08 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

RIVER FALLS, WI – They do not look alike, but they are so similar it’s eerie.

Kevin Sampson doesn’t know a thing about Dave Szott. But he’s a living, breathing, albeit bigger version of the Szotter and he’s walking the same path Szott took in making a place for himself on the Chiefs offensive line for a decade. Szott moved into the starting lineup at guard as a rookie in 1990. Sampson has moved into the starting lineup at right tackle this year, his second in the NFL.

“If he played in this league for 10 plus years then obviously he had something,” Sampson said.

Sampson may have something too. He’s done nothing in training camp to put that starting job in jeopardy. Every day, Sampson seems to get better and better. With three Pro Bowlers and Casey Wiegmann, right tackle was the possible weak link in the offensive chain. Right now, Sampson is showing that may not necessarily be the case.

“Every day, I try to improve,” said Sampson. “We’ve been told the five best players will play and I just want to be one of those five.”

Those are words that could have come out of Szott’s mouth, and not just with that Jersey accent either. There’s so much more that links these two guys:

-Szott wore uniform No. 79; that’s the number Sampson was assigned last year as a rookie.
-Clifton, N.J. was where Szott grew up; Sampson was born and raised in Westwood, N.J., just 14 miles away on the Garden State Parkway.
-As a high school wrestler, Szott put up a 109-8 record as a heavyweight; Sampson was undefeated during the senior league season of high school, also as a heavyweight.
-In 1990, Szott joined the team as a seventh-round draft choice; Sampson was a seventh-round pick in the 2004 Draft.

The Chiefs got a real gem in Szott. He had bounced back and forth between offense and defense at Penn State, never getting a chance to establish himself on either side of the line of scrimmage. But with the Chiefs, he was strictly a guard and a damn good one. Szott got into the starting lineup as a rookie in 1990, opening 11 games at left guard. He ended up starting 136 games during his Chiefs career. Overshadowed by Pro Bowl tackle John Alt to his left and the vociferous Tim Grunhard on his right at the center position, Szott never got the recognition he so deserved.

Now, there’s Sampson. He was downgraded in the 2004 Draft because he had some problems with stingers during his time at Syracuse. Stingers are burning sensation that generally runs down a player’s arm after he takes a blow that jars his neck and spine. They are a fact of football life and just about every player has suffered one if he’s played football for any length of time. Multiple stingers, however, draw the attention of the medical types and thus Sampson was still available in the seventh round on the 231st pick.

Almost immediately last year, the Chiefs coaching and personnel staffs were talking about this young man. He’s different from Szott because he’s much bigger, at 6-4, 312 pounds. Szott was also 6-4, but played most of his career somewhere in the 275 to 285-pound range.

But Sampson has that same “Jersey attitude” about playing the game. “It’s just doing what is necessary to get the job done,” said Sampson in describing their shared mentality.

Will Shields is the only guy on the roster who played with both Szott and Sampson, and he hasn’t really noticed any similarities between the two players. “Dave was unique,” said Shields. “His whole game was leverage inside. Kevin’s working on the outside and while you can see he understands leverage, he’s more of a mauler.”

Maybe it’s a stretch, linking Sampson with Szott. The Chiefs can only hope they are lucky the second time around when throwing the offensive lineman dice in the seventh round.

ZootedGranny · 08-10-2005, 07:14 AM

Summary of the article:

Gretz goes on and on about how Sampson is similar to Szott, then someone who actually knows what he's talking about is asked what he thinks, and says "Eh, not really. NEXT!"

Haha, if you're going through the trouble of writing that article and the comparisons, why even include that Shields quote?

Hammock Parties · 08-10-2005, 07:16 AM

Shitty and short, but interesting. Kind of like the relationships some of you have probably had.

BTW, Jordan Black should be pissed.

C-Mac · 08-10-2005, 11:26 AM

Halfcan · 08-10-2005, 12:13 PM

Speaking of articles- I hope someone posts the "People do stupid things article by Weir on Chiefs.com She talks about people saying dumb quotes and then messes up and states Steve Bono was the one that dogged KC restaurants making the fans never forget? Was that not Elvis Grbac? Seems she is the dumb one. Halfcan

jspchief · 08-10-2005, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Speaking of articles- I hope someone posts the "People do stupid things article by Weir on Chiefs.com She talks about people saying dumb quotes and then messes up and states Steve Bono was the one that dogged KC restaurants making the fans never forget? Was that not Elvis Grbac? Seems she is the dumb one. Halfcan

Someone is definately dumb.

milkman · 08-10-2005, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Speaking of articles- I hope someone posts the "People do stupid things article by Weir on Chiefs.com She talks about people saying dumb quotes and then messes up and states Steve Bono was the one that dogged KC restaurants making the fans never forget? Was that not Elvis Grbac? Seems she is the dumb one. Halfcan

No, I'm fairly certain it was Bono.

Halfcan · 08-10-2005, 12:21 PM

I thought it was Elvis-maybe he didn't really catch on with fans because he was arrogant-but I thought for sure in his first interview he said the restaurant quote. Bono was a pretty nice guy when I met him-that seems out of character. Elvis was a total azz when he played on my blackjack table and I dealt to him. It seems I remember him sayig that. Maybe I am getting the "I can't throw the ball and catch it too quote mixed up"?

KCTitus · 08-10-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SideWinder

No, I'm fairly certain it was Bono.

It was...Elvis famous quote was "I cant throw it and catch it too"

Halfcan · 08-10-2005, 12:52 PM

My bad-damn you guys are good!! Just thinking of the old Bono and Grbac days makes me like Green all the more. I actually watched some old tapes lately. One was the Rams and Chiefs-where we beat the crap out of them when they came to Arrowhead undefeated. Grbac had a descent game but never had much touch on the ball-just missles-half of which were overthrown. Green came in after Warner was hurt and looked great. Comparing the two, Green was way more accurate. It pissed me off when Whitlock started the Trint comments. If he would have looked at old footage of the guy-he would have seen the real deal-like what we have now-just a great all-around classy QB.
Halfcan

shakesthecat · 08-10-2005, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfcan

It pissed me off when Whitlock started the Trint comments. If he would have looked at old footage of the guy-he would have seen the real deal-like what we have now-just a great all-around classy QB.
Halfcan

FTR, Whit didn't "start" anything. He ripped off Phobia.

KCTitus · 08-10-2005, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfcan

It pissed me off when Whitlock started the Trint comments.

TrINT originated here at the Planet by Phobia and was stolen w/o attribution by Jason.

Crush · 08-10-2005, 12:59 PM

"I felt pretty good out there today."

Halfcan · 08-10-2005, 01:14 PM

You mean Whitlock stole something? That is a shock. Trent was coming off surgery-4th one? A lot of those were bad routes and the ball bouncing off the chest of guys and getting picked. I hope our line protects him better-we didn't pick up the blitz very well last year-TG had a lot of fumbles. I am surprised Whitlock didn't start calling him the "fumbler". Its hard to tell if JW is a Chiefs fan or not sometimes. DId anyone catch his article on DT and the Hall of Fame?
Halfcan

08-10-2005, 07:09 AM
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2333699	GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey Aug 10, 2005, 5:11:08 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ RIVER FALLS, WI – They do not look alike, but they are so similar it’s eerie. Kevin Sampson doesn’t know a thing about Dave Szott. But he’s a living, breathing, albeit bigger version of the Szotter and he’s walking the same path Szott took in making a place for himself on the Chiefs offensive line for a decade. Szott moved into the starting lineup at guard as a rookie in 1990. Sampson has moved into the starting lineup at right tackle this year, his second in the NFL. “If he played in this league for 10 plus years then obviously he had something,” Sampson said. Sampson may have something too. He’s done nothing in training camp to put that starting job in jeopardy. Every day, Sampson seems to get better and better. With three Pro Bowlers and Casey Wiegmann, right tackle was the possible weak link in the offensive chain. Right now, Sampson is showing that may not necessarily be the case. “Every day, I try to improve,” said Sampson. “We’ve been told the five best players will play and I just want to be one of those five.” Those are words that could have come out of Szott’s mouth, and not just with that Jersey accent either. There’s so much more that links these two guys: -Szott wore uniform No. 79; that’s the number Sampson was assigned last year as a rookie. -Clifton, N.J. was where Szott grew up; Sampson was born and raised in Westwood, N.J., just 14 miles away on the Garden State Parkway. -As a high school wrestler, Szott put up a 109-8 record as a heavyweight; Sampson was undefeated during the senior league season of high school, also as a heavyweight. -In 1990, Szott joined the team as a seventh-round draft choice; Sampson was a seventh-round pick in the 2004 Draft. The Chiefs got a real gem in Szott. He had bounced back and forth between offense and defense at Penn State, never getting a chance to establish himself on either side of the line of scrimmage. But with the Chiefs, he was strictly a guard and a damn good one. Szott got into the starting lineup as a rookie in 1990, opening 11 games at left guard. He ended up starting 136 games during his Chiefs career. Overshadowed by Pro Bowl tackle John Alt to his left and the vociferous Tim Grunhard on his right at the center position, Szott never got the recognition he so deserved. Now, there’s Sampson. He was downgraded in the 2004 Draft because he had some problems with stingers during his time at Syracuse. Stingers are burning sensation that generally runs down a player’s arm after he takes a blow that jars his neck and spine. They are a fact of football life and just about every player has suffered one if he’s played football for any length of time. Multiple stingers, however, draw the attention of the medical types and thus Sampson was still available in the seventh round on the 231st pick. Almost immediately last year, the Chiefs coaching and personnel staffs were talking about this young man. He’s different from Szott because he’s much bigger, at 6-4, 312 pounds. Szott was also 6-4, but played most of his career somewhere in the 275 to 285-pound range. But Sampson has that same “Jersey attitude” about playing the game. “It’s just doing what is necessary to get the job done,” said Sampson in describing their shared mentality. Will Shields is the only guy on the roster who played with both Szott and Sampson, and he hasn’t really noticed any similarities between the two players. “Dave was unique,” said Shields. “His whole game was leverage inside. Kevin’s working on the outside and while you can see he understands leverage, he’s more of a mauler.” Maybe it’s a stretch, linking Sampson with Szott. The Chiefs can only hope they are lucky the second time around when throwing the offensive lineman dice in the seventh round.
Posts: 5,632

08-10-2005, 07:14 AM	#2
ZootedGranny Chump Steamroller Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: . Casino cash: $10015042	Summary of the article: Gretz goes on and on about how Sampson is similar to Szott, then someone who actually knows what he's talking about is asked what he thinks, and says "Eh, not really. NEXT!" Haha, if you're going through the trouble of writing that article and the comparisons, why even include that Shields quote?
Posts: 3,974

08-10-2005, 07:16 AM	#3
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4700478	Shitty and short, but interesting. Kind of like the relationships some of you have probably had. BTW, Jordan Black should be pissed. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 277,920

08-10-2005, 11:26 AM	#4
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2333699	RP
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08-10-2005, 12:13 PM	#5
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	Speaking of articles- I hope someone posts the "People do stupid things article by Weir on Chiefs.com She talks about people saying dumb quotes and then messes up and states Steve Bono was the one that dogged KC restaurants making the fans never forget? Was that not Elvis Grbac? Seems she is the dumb one. Halfcan
Posts: 43,200

08-10-2005, 12:21 PM	#8
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	I thought it was Elvis-maybe he didn't really catch on with fans because he was arrogant-but I thought for sure in his first interview he said the restaurant quote. Bono was a pretty nice guy when I met him-that seems out of character. Elvis was a total azz when he played on my blackjack table and I dealt to him. It seems I remember him sayig that. Maybe I am getting the "I can't throw the ball and catch it too quote mixed up"?
Posts: 43,200

08-10-2005, 12:52 PM	#10
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	My bad-damn you guys are good!! Just thinking of the old Bono and Grbac days makes me like Green all the more. I actually watched some old tapes lately. One was the Rams and Chiefs-where we beat the crap out of them when they came to Arrowhead undefeated. Grbac had a descent game but never had much touch on the ball-just missles-half of which were overthrown. Green came in after Warner was hurt and looked great. Comparing the two, Green was way more accurate. It pissed me off when Whitlock started the Trint comments. If he would have looked at old footage of the guy-he would have seen the real deal-like what we have now-just a great all-around classy QB. Halfcan
Posts: 43,200

08-10-2005, 12:59 PM	#13
Crush Amateur Poster Join Date: Mar 2004 Casino cash: $5247091	"I felt pretty good out there today."
Posts: 15,297

08-10-2005, 01:14 PM	#14
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	You mean Whitlock stole something? That is a shock. Trent was coming off surgery-4th one? A lot of those were bad routes and the ball bouncing off the chest of guys and getting picked. I hope our line protects him better-we didn't pick up the blitz very well last year-TG had a lot of fumbles. I am surprised Whitlock didn't start calling him the "fumbler". Its hard to tell if JW is a Chiefs fan or not sometimes. DId anyone catch his article on DT and the Hall of Fame? Halfcan
Posts: 43,200