HOF inductee Joyner happy to apologize to ex-mates
PHILADELPHIA » Regrets? Seth Joyner has had a few.
The outspoken linebacker might even address the peace he’s seeking when he and Clyde Simmons are inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame at halftime of Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Joyner and Simmons, the ultratalented defensive end, starred on the 1991 Eagles defense with the late Reggie White that ranked first in the NFL in fewest passing, rushing and total yards allowed. Just four other units achieved the triple crown in the history of the league.
Joyner also was known to be super critical of teammates, ownership and head coach Rich Kotite, who succeeded the late Buddy Ryan. Joyner felt the window closing on an Eagles team with a Super Bowl-caliber defense and an under-manned offense. Too often, he boiled over.
Joyner said he’s trying to make peace with his past during a wide ranging interview on Pro Football Report, hosted by Merrill Reese and yours truly.
“If there’s one thing that I wish I could do, I wish I could go back to those ex-teammates and apologize to them because how I handled it was completely wrong and really immature,” Joyner said. “But be that as it may, when I see those guys I do apologize to them. It was what it was. It was the emotions of the moment. But I realize now you’ve got to be bigger than that. You’ve got to be a better teammate than I was.”
Joyner, 53, was one of the most disruptive defenders to suit up for the Eagles. The eighth-round pick out of Texas-El Paso recorded two sacks and one interception in 14 games in his rookie season. He missed just two games the rest of his Eagles career.
Joyner is the only player in club history with 35 or more sacks and 15 or more interceptions. He and Brian Dawkins are the only Eagles with at least 20 forced fumbles.
Joyner said he took on the persona of Ryan, who had a “very unconventional” way of motivating players. Joyner’s love for Ryan took on the coach’s battles with ownership over the lack of resources.
Reese recalled the Eagles’ bus ride to the Kingdome for a game with the Seattle Seahawks in 1992.
“It was a gray, rainy Sunday morning,” Reese said. “Of course, it’s always raining and gray in Seattle. And there was a story that broke in The New York Times about Richie Kotite being a puppet.”
At that point, Joyner lost it, smiling and burying his head.
“And I said, ‘Seth, did you say it?’” Reese said. “And you said, ‘yep.’”
If Joyner had the postgame interviews to do again, he said he would probably cool down with a shower before spouting off to the media. Though the criticism may have motivated some teammates, in retrospect, he feels it was unnecessary.
“I didn’t understand, as one of the better players on the team and as one of the leaders on the team, you can’t handle the situation that way,” Joyner said. “Because what a leader does is a leader builds up and raises up guys when things aren’t going well. You don’t tear them down. Nothing good ever comes of that. A leader looks at those guys that are struggling and tries to find out the positive things to say to try to lift them up and motivate them. Some guys were motivated by it but there were a lot of guys that didn’t like me — at all. In a team with 50-some guys on the roster you don’t want your teammates not to like you when you dress up in the same color uniform every Sunday and you’re going out there with a common goal. That’s just nonproductive.”
Joyner and Simmons left the Eagles in 1994 to join Ryan, who became head coach with the Arizona Cardinals. Ryan was unable to win a playoff game with the Eagles or the Cardinals.
Simmons, 54, recorded a leaguehigh 19 sacks in 1992. Simmons finished his Eagles career with 76.0 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries and three touchdowns in 124 games. He trails only White (124.0, 1985-92) and Trent Cole (85.5, 2005-14) on the all-time Eagles sacks list.
Joyner, a pro football analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia, is refreshingly honest breaking down Eagles games. At the same time, he couldn’t help but share in the team’s Super Bowl celebration. He doesn’t think Eagles fans overdid it.
“If you go up and down the northeast corner, the Eagles were the only team that hadn’t one won,” Joyner said rattling off the cities with Super Bowls, including Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore and Washington. “Even the raggedy Jets won one with Joe Namath. Now you understand why the fans of Philadelphia were so ticked off. I love the organization, I’m happy for Doug (Pederson), I’m happy for the players. But more than anything I’m happy for the fans of Philadelphia, that they get to revel in this like other cities have been able to revel in over the years.”
Joyner, after all these years, isn’t too proud to say he was wrong. And that’s just another reason he’s embraced by Eagles fans.