Finnegan says he was talking about Tim Walton, not the Rams/PFT

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RamBill

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Finnegan says he was talking about Tim Walton, not the Rams
Posted by Mike Florio

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...he-was-talking-about-tim-walton-not-the-rams/

The comments from former Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan about former Rams defensive coordinator Tim Walton struck a chord in St. Louis. An article on PFT containing an off-the-record response to the comments struck a chord with Finnegan.

I know that because he called me.

While watching the first half of the U.S. and Germany game/match/whatever, the phone rang. And it was Finnegan.

He took issue with my characterization of his attack on Walton as an attack on the Rams. Finnegan said that he wasn’t talking about the Rams, only about Walton. I told Finnegan that, because Walton was a member of the Rams coaching staff, Finnegan necessarily was talking about the Rams.

“Someone asked me about a particular individual,” Finnegan said, referring to Walton, whom Finnegan previously called atrocious in 2013. “Obviously they fired him for that reason.”

Finnegan also didn’t appreciate the reference to his 2010 in-game fight with Andre Johnson, and Finnegan particularly wasn’t pleased with the last paragraph of the article: “While Finnegan currently is saying all the right things in Miami, those who know him predict it’s simply a matter of time before he has issues with the coaching staff there — especially if he struggles and needs someone other than himself to blame for it.”

While “those” would have been more accurate if the word “some” had been used (and I regret not using “some” instead of “those”), Finnegan accused me of expressing an opinion that he can’t get along with coaches. I tried to explain to Finnegan that it’s not my opinion, and that the information came from a source in position to appropriately have that opinion.

Finnegan didn’t accept that explanation, questioning my “morals” and “backbone” before adding that if/when we meet, the conversation will be more interesting.

I asked how that conversation would be different from the current one, and I came away with the impression that he was suggesting I’d possibly be getting the Andre Johnson treatment. (Someone who knows Finnegan believes he was just “clowning,” but that’s easy to say when you’re not the one who would get punched once or more than once.)

While trying to understand Finnegan’s frustration, I asked him how someone suggesting he would have problems with the coaching staff in Miami is any different than Finnegan calling Walton atrocious.

“Was he not?” Finnegan shot back. “Call James Laurinaitis. Call Chris Long. Call Robert Quinn. Coach Fisher fired him.”

Finnegan closed by asking that the next time I plan to write something about him I get the whole story. I told him that, before writing anything about him in the future, I will call him.

“Don’t call me,” he said.

I’m not quite sure how that will allow me to get the whole story the next time I write about Finnegan.

And now you have the whole story. Which is probably a lot more of the whole story than you wanted to hear.
 

JRobinson

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I agree with Florio. If you are talking about a member of the Rams organization, you are then talking about the Rams regardless. We may have all agreed that Walton was not a good coordinator, but that doesn't mean you turn around and criticize an ex-coach publicly. I would've liked to have seen Finnegan have a little more class than that.
 

HometownBoy

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All this has really showed me is what I knew already, Finnegan is kind of a pissy little runt.
 

DCH

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That's not very professional of Cort...
 

FRO

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I agree with Finnagen. Florio is a major douche who was just trying to create stuff that wasn't there. I may dislike Florio more than Bernie, and that's saying a lot.
 

CoachO

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I am not absolving Finnegan, and the original comments would have been best never uttered, but this just once again points out the unprofessional tactics of one Mike Florio. He has frequently gone out of his way to denigrate the Rams organization, and for him to limit his story to partial quotes to create the sandstorm is typical of his MO.

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good "story" seems to be how he goes about his business.
 

ChrisW

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Sounds like Florio is the whiny little runt. Writing a whole story this way is his way at getting back at Finnegan for standing up for his comments. Sure, the way Finnegan went about it was a little childish, threatening to fight Florio. But, Finnegan believes he was misquoted and Florio went all smart ass on him.
 

Selassie I

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I wouldn't have believed that I could have been any happier about Finn's release until I read this jewel. Wow.

If I was Florio, I would have told Finn to get something to write with so that he could write down all of the various times that I would be attending dolphin games throughout the year.
 

Sum1

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Who cares what Finnegan thinks about Tim Walton or anything else for that matter. Finnegan is gone. Walton is gone.

I'm more worried about what the guys on the team now are saying about the coaches we have now...and that seems to all be positive.
 

LACHAMP46

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If I was Florio, I wouldn't be worried. Hell, I'd just go the game when the Dolphins played the Texans & stand close to Johnson....:cautious::unsure::p:rolleyes:
 

CodeMonkey

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The thing is... he was right. Walton got fired did he not? That being said, he should have understood the ramifications of his comments even if what he is saying isn't factually incorrect. On the other hand, maybe he knows exactly what he is doing. He is after all getting a lot of press for a guy in his career station...?
 

A55VA6

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I think I side with Finnegan here. Walton was garbage and he got fired. Pretty much it. I never looked at it as an attack at the Rams.
 

Prime Time

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258mt81.jpg
 

WillasDad

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I don't buy into the argument that because Walton was on the Ram's staff last year, Finny's comments were directed at all of the Rams. If I talk smack about how Craig Dahl sucked for the Rams 2 years ago when he "played" for us, am I then talking smack about the Rams because he was on the Rams roster at the time? Finny was only saying what all of us were already thinking.
 

JRobinson

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I don't buy into the argument that because Walton was on the Ram's staff last year, Finny's comments were directed at all of the Rams. If I talk smack about how Craig Dahl sucked for the Rams 2 years ago when he "played" for us, am I then talking smack about the Rams because he was on the Rams roster at the time? Finny was only saying what all of us were already thinking.

But is there a reason to make a personal attack on a coach? You're not even on that team anymore. I just don't think it's a class act move and it's not necessary
 

WillasDad

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And frankly, most of us should be savvy enough to know that these so-called "journalists" can twist the comments of anybody to convey an intention exactly opposite of what the commenter was intending to say. I enjoy Florio's articles on occassion, but when the writer injects himself into his articles, I generally disregard the guy from that point forward.
 

WillasDad

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His comments were on his performance as a coach, not about family or anything I see as out of bounds. If that's personal, then we are all guilty. Class-wise, yeah, maybe not the best move, but Walton made a lot of people look bad on the defense last year. I could understand why some players might be mad.
 

HometownBoy

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His comments were on his performance as a coach, not about family or anything I see as out of bounds. If that's personal, then we are all guilty. Class-wise, yeah, maybe not the best move, but Walton made a lot of people look bad on the defense last year. I could understand why some players might be mad.
Finnegan's problem is he used it as a dodge for his bad play, Walton was bad, but Finnegan was terrible. He was using it as a crutch, that's probably what the source took offense with. Say what you want about Walton, but if you're gonna use a crutch, people are gonna call you out for it.

He was terrible when Walton wasn't here or had a big input in the defense, I wonder what he has to say about that?