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Buchanon Knows His Villains

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By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON arichardson@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 26, 2008

TAMPA - There are villains in every area of life, but when it comes to sports, Dallas owner Jerry Jones arguably is public enemy No. 1.

Jones has no problems spending money on prime-time players. He often stands on the sideline during games, and he has power struggles with his coaches about which decisions should be made on the field. Jones is so controlling, he probably criticizes the throwing motions of his peanut vendors.

As Tampa Bay plays Dallas today, I spoke with Tampa Bay cornerback Phillip Buchanon about villains for this week's Wide Right column. Buchanon is far from a desperado, but he knew enough about villains to never want to be around Suge Knight.

Anwar: Who is the bigger villain - Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner?

Phillip: Jerry Jones. I don't mean it in a negative way, but his reputation is very well-known. He's very sharp. People know how Jerry Jones runs his team.

Anwar: Who would you not want to owe money to - Suge Knight or O.J.?

Phillip: I'd have to say Suge Knight.

Anwar: Are you worried about being hung over a hotel balcony like Vanilla Ice?

Phillip: Well actually, that wasn't Vanilla Ice. It was somebody else that I know. I know who was actually held over that balcony.

Anwar: Well, I don't want to know. So, who is a scarier villain - Freddy Kruger or Jason?

Phillip: A lot of people will say Freddy Kruger, but I will say Jason. The dream thing never really scared me. I'll say Jason because it just seems like everywhere you went, he always magically appeared. He would be way over there and end up way over here so fast.

Anwar: Who on this team could portray a good villain in a movie?

Phillip: Coach Jon Gruden. It's just because of what people see on TV. People always tell me 'Man, Gruden looks so mean.' They say that, but to me, he's not mean. From the outside persona, I'd have to say Gruden.

Anwar: Which sports team did you dislike growing up?

Phillip: There wasn't really a team that I really hated. Out of all the organizations I ever hated, and I mean no disrespect, but I hated Florida State Buchanon played for Miami. Even though I was a fan of Florida State when Derrick Brooks played for them, but he left and Charlie Ward was gone, I stopped liking them.

Anwar: Which fans are more evil - Raiders or Eagles?

Phillip: I'll have to say Raiders fans. I haven't really seen the Eagles fans, but I've seen Raiders fans fighting during games and they fight outside of clubs. A couple of times fans came up to me and said, 'If anything ever happens to you, let us know, man. We'll handle it for you.' I don't know, but those fans are crazy.

Anwar: What is the biggest enemy to success?

Phillip: I'll probably say a lack of motivation and that everybody changes around you because people expect so much from you.

Anwar: Which food is the biggest villain to your stomach?

Phillip: I'm not really allergic to anything, but one thing I really hate when it comes to food is sushi. I don't go crazy over that. It's something that makes me want to throw up.

Anwar: Are receivers who celebrate after touchdowns villains in your mind?

Phillip: It's the NFL. It doesn't matter what I like. That stuff is a part of the game.

Anwar: So, if Terrell Owens burns you and starts celebrating in the end zone, that will not bother you?

Phillip: If we had the college rules when I was playing, then I would be mad. There are certain things that happen to me, like before the receiver catches the ball, they push off on me, but they aren't going to call it. Sometimes you don't have any control over that and referees let them push off. For me, I don't even get mad. At the Seattle game, the guy pushed off on me and caught that pass, but it wasn't called. It happens.

Anwar: Who is a bigger villain - Al Davis or Dr. Evil?

Phillip: I'd have to say Dr. Evil. From the time I first met Al Davis, he was cool with me. There is so much you hear, but I think he was a cool guy. That is all I can go off of.

Anwar: Is Kimbo Slice still the best street fighter around?

Phillip: As far as I'm concerned, he is. He lost a fight, but he wasn't a trained fighter. Most of those guys train, but he was just getting into the ring. If you're trained to fight in so many different styles of fighting, you have an advantage over a regular, normal street fighter.

Anwar: How badly would you like to be the villains who go into Dallas and leave with a win?

Phillip: I would love for us to go into their house and get a win. We're going to go out there and do what we do, which is go over there and play hard.

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425.

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