Should the Bengals retain Marvin Lewis?

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Wednesday, December 31, 2008, 02:07 PM

Okay, many of us already know that it was the Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, but what is saving Marvin Lewis’ head coaching job with the Cincinnati Bengals? Is it the injury-plagued season with 23 players placed on injured reserve? The chunk of change owner Mike Brown would have to eat by dumping him? Or maybe, just maybe, Lewis is not the one to blame for the team’s mediocrity?

Despite a 4-11-1 record this season, Lewis still commands his post with the organization when head coach coaches like Rod Marinelli (0-16), Romeo Crennel(4-12), Eric Mangini (9-7) and Mike Shanahan (8-8) have already been relieved of their respective duties.

The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams are now seeking new coaches, but all remains the same in Cincinnati, for now.

You can look at the situation in Cincinnati a number of ways. The way I see it, if Lewis were to be fired he would be nothing more than the organization’s sacrificial lamb. It’s no secret that the owner is calling all the shots. I hate to refer back to an ugly situation that took place during training but must. You know the whole Chris Henry saga.

Everyone had their own opinion on Mike Brown throwing Lewis under the bus in regard to re-signing Henry. Rather than getting into some acrimonious dispute with the owner over the matter Lewis took one for the team. Heck, I say, with job security like this put the bus in reverse and run me over some more. Jobs are hard to come by these days.

During an interview with linebacker Rashad Jeanty when the team started out 0-8, he shared his feelings about coach Lewis and his situation with the Bengals.

“Coach Lewis is hard working, dedicated, and I believe in everything he says,” Jeanty said. “I’m trying to do the best I can do to make this team better for him.

“I definitely feel sorry for coach Lewis. He teaches you to work hard and stress that every day. It’s unfortunate that we’re 0-8. However, he’s the head coach and going to take the heat, but at the end of the day it’s not all on him. As players it is our job to go out there and perform. It’s unfortunate that he has to take the heat for it.”

Contrary to belief it sounds like Lewis did have support of at lease one player. I’m sure there were many others.

So, what do fans think? Is it time for a change in Cincinnati?

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Browns place RB Wright on IR

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 04:09 PM

The Cleveland Browns have placed RB Jason Wright on the Reserve-Injured list and have signed TE Brad Cieslak to the active roster.

Wright, 5-10 and 215 lbs., appeared in 15 games this season for the Browns and totaled 23 carries for 85 yards and 22 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown. Wright has played the last four seasons in Cleveland and has played in 49 games, including four starts in his five year NFL career with Cleveland and Atlanta.

Cieslak, 6-3 and 260 lbs., was with the Browns in training camp earlier this season and was waived on Aug. 30. In 2007, Cieslak appeared in two games for the Buffalo Bills and spent the final three weeks of the regular season on the Browns practice squad.

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Must read book about OSU football

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 09:00 AM

Author paints vibrant picture of Woody Hayes and his fantastic team of 1968’s Super Sophomores

Ten days into their first college football season, in an inter-squad scrimmage, the Ohio State freshmen of 1967 almost beat the varsity. The gauntlet had been thrown and the freshmen had thrown it. They were the fabled Super Sophs—the brazen, talent-laden group who went on to a 10-0 season—as well as a national title and the resurrection of Woody Hayes’ coaching career.

In writing 1968: The Year that Saved Ohio State Football, author David Hyde interviewed virtually every member of the team, the famous, the infamous, and the unheralded. There’s the familiar faces, of course—Rex Kern, Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, Jim Otis, and John Brockington—but there’s also a surprising supporting cast with stories never before revealed in public. Hyde’s book is a one-of-a-kind narrative that begins with early recruiting, continues into practices both hellish and hilarious, then marches triumphantly through a flawless season. Hovering over it all is the larger-than-life figure of Woody Hayes, the magnificent bundle of contradictions who drove them so relentlessly to the very pinnacle of college football.

“They were recruited from around the country, they weren’t just Ohio boys, says author Hyde. “They were from West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. And they were of different cultures. This was one of the first teams to have so many different backgrounds represented—African American, Native American, Croatian—at one point five of the recruits were in the restroom at a restaurant and they looked at each other and realized they had one thing in common. They were all black. And they were playing for a white team and this was not the norm. Not yet anyway. Woody and his new group of coaches looked deeper into America to see what it had to offer to his program. And what he found was amazing and legendary.”

Earl Bruce talks OSU ‘68 team…

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McNabb respects Browns “D” but will throw

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Monday, December 15, 2008, 11:21 AM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has rebounded after having being benched against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. McNabb has elevated his game since the benching throwing five touchdown passes in his last two games. More importantly the Eagles are on a two game winning streak.

McNabb will be looking to extend that streak Monday night by engineering the team’s seventh ranked offense to victory over the Cleveland Browns twenty-sixth ranked defense.

Despite the ranking the Pro Bowl quarterback isn’t taking the defense lightly.

“They are a team that I think is being overlooked,” McNabb said. “They’re a team who creates turnovers, whether it is fumbles or interceptions or batted balls. At times, people tend to just focus on the record or focus on where they are ranked, as far as stopping the run and the pass.

“They are 28th, I believe, as far as the run is concerned, and 15th in the pass, or so. It’s important to be able to establish that run game. It sets up the play action and gives us an opportunity, maybe, to look downfield. If nothing is there, check it down. In a game like this, it’s important that we play smart football—don’t turn the ball over, create turnovers on defense, special teams giving us big yards and forcing them to be backed up. That’s something we’ve been doing in previous weeks. It’s important that we stay on top of it and do what we started in the Thanksgiving game, and continue on.”

McNabb has done his homework on the defense especially on the two talented cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald.

“Two young corners,” he said. “I believe McDonald has three interceptions. Wright is a young guy who is really fast and has a lot of confidence in his speed. The scheme they have for them is playing a lot of zone and not much man, where they’re not really putting their hands on receivers as much.

“I think Wright is a little more aggressive than McDonald, but McDonald really reads his keys well. He had a pretty good game against the Giants on Monday night, McDonald against [Giants WR] Plaxico Burress. They feel really confident in their safeties, to be able to aid in stopping the run, as well as being in the middle third versus some of the deeper routes.”

So how does the veteran quarterback plan to neutralize the Browns pass-rush? Throw the ball.

“I’m looking to throw,” McNabb said. “It’s about buying time for your receivers. If there’s a running lane, you step up in the pocket. Hopefully one of your receivers or running backs finds a way to get open. Then, you just deliver it to him to give him an opportunity to make a play. You have to have that clock in your mind on when you’re getting close to the line, to just tuck it away and pick up what you can.”

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Browns promote RB Patrick

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Thursday, December 11, 2008, 11:01 AM

The Cleveland Browns have signed running back Allen Patrick from the practice squad to the active roster, the club announced today. The team also signed TE Jed Collins to the practice squad.

Patrick (6-1, 200) has spent the last 13 weeks on the Browns practice squad. Patrick signed with Baltimore as an undrafted rookie free agent this past spring and was waived by the Ravens at the end of training camp.

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Panthers’ Williams was born to run

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 09:34 AM

Carolina Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams’ gridiron legacy began in Arkansas at the age of 7 when he first lined up at the defensive end position on his peewee football team. Although Williams excelled at the position, it didn’t take long for coaches to recognize his speed and quickness. They promptly move him to running back, and the rest is, shall we say, history.

Heading into the 2005 season at the University of Memphis, Williams was a Heisman hopeful and touted as one of the top running backs in the country after leading the nation in rushing (1,948 yards) in 2004. Williams picked up where he left off the following year as the nation’s leading rusher midway through the season before losing the title to then Minnesota Gopher RB Laurence Maroney, who earned the No. 1 spot with a dynamic performance against Wisconsin running for 258 yards and a touchdown. Although Williams dropped to No. 2, it didn’t stop him from making his mark in the record books.

Williams joined some elite company during his college career, cracking the all-time top 10 list in career rushing yards. Williams surpassed LaDainian Tomlinson (5,263) to take over the No. 7 spot in rushing and closed out his college career with 6,026 yards and 55 touchdowns.

It is no surprise that Williams is having a breakout year in the pros this season. He rushed for 186 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns in a Carolina beat down of Tampa Bay Monday night.

Williams is currently fifth in the league in rushing with 1,141 yards while sharing time in the backfield with rookie first-round pick running back Jonathan Stewart.

Coming out of college Williams was compared to the likes of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, but he said that he was no way ready to fill those backs’ shoes or even be compared to them.

“I was a huge Barry Sanders fan because of his size and ability,” said Williams. “He definitely brought a new meaning to ‘size doesn’t matter’. Because of that I respected his game. He broke a lot of people down and made them believe.”

Williams wore the number 20 in college but not because of Sanders. When he arrived on campus, Williams wanted to wear the number 34 in honor of his favorite running back while in high school Dolphins RB Ricky Williams, who played for Texas at the time. However, teammate Robert Douglas had already laid claim to the number. Now in the pros Williams gets to sport the same number as his high school idol.

Despite all the numbers Williams put up in college, there were some skeptics who question his ability due to the talent level he faced in Conference USA. Therefore Williams came into the league with something to prove and has so far silenced many of his critics.

I scouted Williams all through college and can tell you that individual accomplishments mean very little to him. But you better believe he is looking to make his mark as one on the best to ever play the game.

Williams said he gets that determination from his mother who is a breast cancer survivor.

Roll on Mighty Mouse!

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Brian Dawkins: The Gift that keeps on giving

By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Monday, December 8, 2008, 08:25 AM

Since his arrival as a second round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996, a gift from Clemson University, Brian Dawkins has been a shining light for an organization that has had the most successful stretch of its 76-year history. On the field, the six-time Pro Bowler has been a strong spiritual leader who has helped redefine the safety position. His 105 victories, 180 regular season games played, 15 playoff games played, and 38 career interceptions (34 regular season, 4 playoffs) as an Eagle are unsurpassed by any other Philadelphia football player, and he has already been selected as the best free safety to ever wear an Eagles uniform.

His impact on the field has created premature buzz about whether his career will be worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, upon retirement. Presently, however, it is clear that his off-the-field exploits have stamped his ticket as a certifiable Hall of Famer to the people of Philadelphia.

In 1996, Brian was fortunate enough as a rookie to be given the locker next to Troy Vincent, the Eagles’ newly acquired free agent. The two became fast friends and Brian learned what it was like to be a professional athlete both on and off the field from Troy. Troy’s work in the community was recognized in 2004 when he was honored with the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Over 13 years, Brian has done some wonderful things in the community through contributions of his time and money, as well as his sterling image as a strong family man, man of faith, and leader of men. He is the only Eagles player to be part of every yearly Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP) Carnival and has helped build all but one of the Eagles’ charitable wing’s annual playgrounds (in 2007 when he needed to be in Florida to tend to his newborn twins). He has helped support nationwide charities such as the United Way, Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Diabetes Association (ADA), and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), as well as local charities such as the Burn Prevention Foundation (BPF), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC), just to name a few.

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