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CNN Live At Daybreak

"Talking Sports" with Chris Cotter

Aired September 30, 2002 - 06:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Ryder Cup, pro football and news about Randy Moss and drug testing, hot topics for Chris Cotter of 790 The Zone right here in Atlanta.
Good morning -- Chris.

CHRIS COTTER, 790 THE ZONE: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Let's begin with Randy Moss because more trouble for him.

COTTER: Now in the substance abuse program with the NFL. And these aren't made public originally, so this is something that has happened a while ago. He's been in the program, and this is sort of a three strikes and you're out type of situation with the NFL.

COSTELLO: So is it true that a year ago he tested positive for marijuana and that's why he's in this treatment?

COTTER: Yes, it is true and that's why he's in the program, which is a random testing type situation unless you have -- there is suspicion that you have been smoking marijuana or taking other banned drugs.

COSTELLO: And this is important, because in the ashtray of the Lexus that he...

COTTER: Right...

COSTELLO: ... allegedly ran into the traffic cop, there was marijuana in the ashtray.

COTTER: They found a joint in the ashtray. And then they're not sure whether they're going to press charges legally against him for that, but the NFL certainly can test him now because there is suspicion. And if he tests positive, then he could be suspended and lose even more money and not play in some games.

COSTELLO: OK, so did people boo him last night, because last night's game came on late, I didn't get a chance to see it, but I understand Minnesota didn't do so well.

COTTER: Oh, well actually they didn't even have a chance to boo him because they were too busy cheering for their Seahawks who scored 45 points in the first half against Minnesota and then just cruised the rest of the way. Randy Moss did not have a good game, had a couple of drops, very un-Randy Moss like; and so it seems like this is certainly affecting him and he has not had a good season so far.

COSTELLO: See, he has a conscience.

COTTER: He -- I don't -- no. I just think...

COSTELLO: Yes. The other surprising loser this season has been the St. Louis Rams.

COTTER: The St. Louis Rams are 0 and 4 on the year. They've got all kinds of problems. And now their quarterback, Kurt Warner, has a broken finger. And you might think a broken pinky, just wrap that thing up and send him out there.

COSTELLO: Right.

COTTER: But for a quarterback on his throwing hand, that's a lot of trouble. He may be out for a month to six weeks.

COSTELLO: Oh you're kidding?

COTTER: No, it could be really, really bad for St. Louis. They're going to reevaluate him today; but 0 and 4, it doesn't look good.

COSTELLO: And you know who has a better record, the Detroit Lions do now baby.

COTTER: Detroit Lions. They've actually played two pretty good games in a row.

COSTELLO: Yes.

COTTER: The Lions are not going to win very many games, but head coach Marty Mornhinweg and this Harrington, their rookie quarterback, they play with a lot of heart and a lot of fire. And they beat the New Orleans Saints, giving them their first loss of the year. And here you can see a fumble recovery here by the defensive lineman, big guy,...

COSTELLO: James Hall, baby.

COTTER: ... rumbling and bumbling down the field and scoring a touchdown. They've got a lot of heart. They never give up, and I think they're going to be a fun team to watch this year.

COSTELLO: Oh gosh, I hope so, because the Lions' fans really need some fun in their lives let me tell you.

COTTER: Well they've got a great stadium to watch them play in.

COSTELLO: That's true, Ford Field...

COTTER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: ... Ford Field.

OK, let's talk about the Ryder Cup, because the Americans, were they embarrassing or was it just my imagination?

COTTER: Well, you know what, the Europeans came out. And after the Americans had a stunning comeback three years ago in Brookline, Mass, the Europeans really came out and took a page out of the American's own book. The Americans dominate the singles competition, which is on Sunday at the Ryder Cup, and the Europeans came out, put all their best players out early and started winning some matches and building some momentum. The crowd started getting into it, and they ended up just cruising home with this thing. The widest margin of victory in the Ryder Cup since 1985 -- dominated.

COSTELLO: Oh, so it was embarrassing, that's because the Americans put the best players at the end?

COTTER: That's right and the Europeans put their best players early. And the Europeans also though, they got some great performances from role players, guys like Phillip Price, Niclas Fasth, people that are not exactly household names in the sports world but they came through and beat the Phil Mickelson's of the world, those that -- people that were really expected to dominate.

COSTELLO: Yes, and then people like Tiger Woods just weren't a factor because he was at the end.

COTTER: Absolutely. Tiger Woods' match meant absolutely nothing. Whether he wins or loses, it didn't matter.

Now what Curtis Strange, the U.S. captain, had hoped to do was have Tiger at the end so that if it was really, really close and it came down to that one match there is nobody on earth that can handle the pressure of a match play like that like Tiger Woods can. Unfortunately, they were -- both coaches rolled the dice and...

COSTELLO: The American one lost.

COTTER: ... Curtis Strange lost.

COSTELLO: Yes.

OK, Chris Cotter, thank you very much. We'll check back with you again on Friday.

COTTER: Absolutely.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 30, 2002 - 06:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Ryder Cup, pro football and news about Randy Moss and drug testing, hot topics for Chris Cotter of 790 The Zone right here in Atlanta.
Good morning -- Chris.

CHRIS COTTER, 790 THE ZONE: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Let's begin with Randy Moss because more trouble for him.

COTTER: Now in the substance abuse program with the NFL. And these aren't made public originally, so this is something that has happened a while ago. He's been in the program, and this is sort of a three strikes and you're out type of situation with the NFL.

COSTELLO: So is it true that a year ago he tested positive for marijuana and that's why he's in this treatment?

COTTER: Yes, it is true and that's why he's in the program, which is a random testing type situation unless you have -- there is suspicion that you have been smoking marijuana or taking other banned drugs.

COSTELLO: And this is important, because in the ashtray of the Lexus that he...

COTTER: Right...

COSTELLO: ... allegedly ran into the traffic cop, there was marijuana in the ashtray.

COTTER: They found a joint in the ashtray. And then they're not sure whether they're going to press charges legally against him for that, but the NFL certainly can test him now because there is suspicion. And if he tests positive, then he could be suspended and lose even more money and not play in some games.

COSTELLO: OK, so did people boo him last night, because last night's game came on late, I didn't get a chance to see it, but I understand Minnesota didn't do so well.

COTTER: Oh, well actually they didn't even have a chance to boo him because they were too busy cheering for their Seahawks who scored 45 points in the first half against Minnesota and then just cruised the rest of the way. Randy Moss did not have a good game, had a couple of drops, very un-Randy Moss like; and so it seems like this is certainly affecting him and he has not had a good season so far.

COSTELLO: See, he has a conscience.

COTTER: He -- I don't -- no. I just think...

COSTELLO: Yes. The other surprising loser this season has been the St. Louis Rams.

COTTER: The St. Louis Rams are 0 and 4 on the year. They've got all kinds of problems. And now their quarterback, Kurt Warner, has a broken finger. And you might think a broken pinky, just wrap that thing up and send him out there.

COSTELLO: Right.

COTTER: But for a quarterback on his throwing hand, that's a lot of trouble. He may be out for a month to six weeks.

COSTELLO: Oh you're kidding?

COTTER: No, it could be really, really bad for St. Louis. They're going to reevaluate him today; but 0 and 4, it doesn't look good.

COSTELLO: And you know who has a better record, the Detroit Lions do now baby.

COTTER: Detroit Lions. They've actually played two pretty good games in a row.

COSTELLO: Yes.

COTTER: The Lions are not going to win very many games, but head coach Marty Mornhinweg and this Harrington, their rookie quarterback, they play with a lot of heart and a lot of fire. And they beat the New Orleans Saints, giving them their first loss of the year. And here you can see a fumble recovery here by the defensive lineman, big guy,...

COSTELLO: James Hall, baby.

COTTER: ... rumbling and bumbling down the field and scoring a touchdown. They've got a lot of heart. They never give up, and I think they're going to be a fun team to watch this year.

COSTELLO: Oh gosh, I hope so, because the Lions' fans really need some fun in their lives let me tell you.

COTTER: Well they've got a great stadium to watch them play in.

COSTELLO: That's true, Ford Field...

COTTER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: ... Ford Field.

OK, let's talk about the Ryder Cup, because the Americans, were they embarrassing or was it just my imagination?

COTTER: Well, you know what, the Europeans came out. And after the Americans had a stunning comeback three years ago in Brookline, Mass, the Europeans really came out and took a page out of the American's own book. The Americans dominate the singles competition, which is on Sunday at the Ryder Cup, and the Europeans came out, put all their best players out early and started winning some matches and building some momentum. The crowd started getting into it, and they ended up just cruising home with this thing. The widest margin of victory in the Ryder Cup since 1985 -- dominated.

COSTELLO: Oh, so it was embarrassing, that's because the Americans put the best players at the end?

COTTER: That's right and the Europeans put their best players early. And the Europeans also though, they got some great performances from role players, guys like Phillip Price, Niclas Fasth, people that are not exactly household names in the sports world but they came through and beat the Phil Mickelson's of the world, those that -- people that were really expected to dominate.

COSTELLO: Yes, and then people like Tiger Woods just weren't a factor because he was at the end.

COTTER: Absolutely. Tiger Woods' match meant absolutely nothing. Whether he wins or loses, it didn't matter.

Now what Curtis Strange, the U.S. captain, had hoped to do was have Tiger at the end so that if it was really, really close and it came down to that one match there is nobody on earth that can handle the pressure of a match play like that like Tiger Woods can. Unfortunately, they were -- both coaches rolled the dice and...

COSTELLO: The American one lost.

COTTER: ... Curtis Strange lost.

COSTELLO: Yes.

OK, Chris Cotter, thank you very much. We'll check back with you again on Friday.

COTTER: Absolutely.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com