OldCleat

Bruce Smith, Heisman Trophy Winner 1941, Featured on ESPN

2011-11-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Bruce Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner in 1941, was featured by ESPN on Outside the Lines. Smith's acceptance speech for the award was broadcast just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. According to reports, Smith's speech "was disrupted when a squadron of American Army planes was mistaken for German bombers causing an air raid alert to be signaled along the East Coast as he stepped to the podium." In September, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed “Bruce Smith Day” in Minnesota in honor of a one-time Heisman Trophy winner who will be celebrated at the University of Minnesota at Saturday’s home football game. Sports Illustrated ran a great piece on Bruce Smith and what he meant to a youngster who grew up in Minnesota.

"We didn't have television in 1941, so this paragon existed visually for me only in blurry black-and-white newspaper photographs and in the wildly dramatic moving pictures that reeled through my mind on autumn Saturdays as I heard of his heroics via radio play-by-play. The Gophers wore golden helmets and golden uniforms in those days, and I visualized them vaguely as a swashbuckling crowd of shining trophy statuettes with Smith being by far the fastest, strongest, smartest—and shiniest—statuette of them all."

With Memorial Day coming up, it's best we remember Bruce Smith.

Al Davis Bluffed His Way into Becoming a Football Coach

2011-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Al Davis was lauded and slammed after dying this week. One of my favorite things about Al was the fact that he bluffed his way into the coaching profession.

At Syracuse University, [Al Davis] studied English and ran with varsity jocks but was cut from the football team. He played with the junior varsity, a fact he tried to edit later. His yearbook bios in his jobs as an assistant coach at The Citadel and USC said he was a three-sport letterman; he lettered in none.

Since he was cut off [from the Syracuse football team] as a player, he set out to coach. He began soaking up strategy by taking copious notes at Syracuse practices until Syracuse Coach Ben Schwartzwalder noticed him there and did what any football man--and especially the latter-day Davis--would: He had the offender removed.

At Syracuse, Davis roomed with Bernie Custis, who as the Orangeman’s quarterback was Syracuse’s MVP in 1948 but who didn’t play in the NFL because he wasn’t going to be given a shot at quarterback, because Custis is black.

Custis was a quarterback at Syracuse University and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns, however, wanted to convert him to running back. Custis decided to go to Canada instead, where he was an all-star as a rookie QB in 1951.

Davis offered Custis a series of jobs for years, but Custis turned him down because he didn’t like to fly.

Some great quotes from the New York Times:

Don Shula, the Hall of Fame coach, once said of Mr. Davis, reporting on a conversation they’d had, “Al thought it was a compliment to be considered devious.”

“I don’t want to be the most respected team in the league,” Mr. Davis said in 1981. “I want to be the most feared.”

From the Washington Post:

When he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, Mr. Davis said with typical bravado, “I said many times that it should have happened a long time ago.”

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2011 Defensive Line, update

2011-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Below is an update of signing statuses of the 2011 OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team. The photo of Ryan Winterswyk is from rocktytoptalk.com.

Ian Williams DT 6-2 301 Notre Dame

Signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He was considered by Tony Pauline of Draftinsider.net as a top undrafted free agent. With the niners moving on from Aubrayo Franklin at NT, Williams could have a track to a backup job.

Lawon Scott DT 6-2 310 Mississippi

Scott signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Scott has the size and ability to be a backup NT in the NFL. He had a promising start to his college career, but he was moved to a backup in a rotation in his senior season. He sustained an injury in the Tennessee game.

Dexter Larimore DT 6-2 310 Ohio State

Larimore signed with the New Orleans Saints. He is a big 4-3 DT who could also play some NT. He flashes some athleticism for his size. He doesn't project as a great pass rusher.

Ted Laurent DT 6-1 303 Mississippi

Another of the three draftable Mississippi DTs (along with Lawon Scott and Jerrel Powe), Laurent is now playing with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. It turns out that Laurent lived in Canada until he was 15 and moved to Georgia. He was selected in the CFL's supplemental draft because of the NFL lockout. He still wants to play in the NFL.

Ollie Ogbu DT 6-1 285 Penn State

Ogbu is a quick but undersized DT who would need to go to a Tampa-2 team. Done. Ogbu was signed by the Colts. The Colts may have some cap issues, so he may have a chance to stick.

Ryan Winterswyk DE 6-4 263 Boise State

Coming out of college, Winterswyk was a 4-3 DE who was a little small for a run stuffer but not quite the pass rusher for a 260 pounder. So he was a bit of a tweener. Well, it appears that the Falcons are going to make him a blocking tight end. And apparently at least Miami was also interested in him as a TE.

Justin Trattou DE 6-3 252 Florida

Trattou signed by the Giants. OK, he was a part-time player until his senior year, but Trattou was behind two DEs at Florida (Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham) who were second-round picks in the 2010 draft (and Dulap was projected to be a top-10 pick before a slide). Trattou looked like a player to me as a senior. May be a step too slow to play DE at 255. But he has a chance.

Ugo Chinasa DE 6-5 252 Oklahoma State

Signed by the Carolina Panthers, Chinasa is a 4-3 DE. He may be a good NFL pass rusher with some refinement to his technique.

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2011 QBs, RBs, and ends

2011-07-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted ends, QBs, and backs 2011 is now out. Sorry about the huge number of backs. I was going to include more, but killed Locke of Kentucky and Spann of Northern Illinois at the last second. I'll update as they get signed. The pic of Terrence Toliver is from gridiron fans.

Weslye Saunders TE 6-6 273 South Carolina
Charlie Gantt TE 6-5 255 Michigan State
Andre Smith TE 6-4 265 Virginia Tech

Preston Dial TE-FB 6-3 237 Alabama
Henry Hynoski FB 6-2 260 Pittsburgh
Robert Hughes FB 5-11 245 Notre Dame

John Clay RB 6-1 248 Wisconsin
Mario Fannin RB 5-11 227 Auburn
Noel Devine RB 5-8 170 West Virginia
Darren Evans RB 6-0 223 Virginia Tech
Matt Asiata RB 5-11 229 Utah
Brandon Saine RB 6-1 219 Ohio State

Scott Tolzien QB 6-3 208 Wisconsin
Jerrod Johnson QB 6-5 243 Texas A&M
Pat Devlin QB 6-4 220 Delaware

Terrence Toliver WR 6-5 206 LSU
Dane Sanzenbacher WR 5-11 180 Ohio State
DeAndre Brown WR 6-6 231 Southern Miss
Armon Binns WR 6-3 210 Cincinnati
Terrance Turner WR 6-3 210 Indiana

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2011 Offensive Line

2011-07-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Offensive 2011 is now out. I am working on getting the stats boys done. There are several QBs and a bunch of running backs I like. Here are the big boys, and I really like Hix. The image is from nationalchamps.net.

Kyle Hix T 6-7 320 Texas
Darius Morris T 6-4 305 Temple
Rich Lapham T 6-8 322 Boston College
Bryant Browning G 6-4 313 Ohio State
Colin Madison G 6-4 315 Temple
Zach Hurd G 6-7 323 Connecticut
Justin Boren G 6-3 320 Ohio State
Ryan Bartholomew C 6-3 290 Syracuse
Chase Beeler C 6-3 277 Stanford
Ryan Pugh C 6-4 293 Auburn

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2011 Defense

2011-07-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Defense 2011 is now out, finally. OldCleat was also locked out. The signing period for these young men started today. Here are the guys I would want to see signed on the defensive side of the ball. I will work on the offense next, and I will update who they get signed by as that moves along.

Ian Williams DT 6-2 301 Notre Dame
Lawon Scott DT 6-2 310 Mississippi
Dexter Larimore DT 6-2 310 Ohio State
Ted Laurent DT 6-1 303 Mississippi
Ollie Ogbu DT 6-1 285 Penn State
Ryan Winterswyk DE 6-4 263 Boise State
Justin Trattou DE 6-3 252 Florida
Ugo Chinasa DE 6-5 252 Oklahoma State

Mark Herzlich OLB 6-4 238 Boston College
Mario Harvey OLB 6-0 250 Marshall
Dom DeCicco OLB 6-3 230 Pittsburgh
Eric Gordon OLB-SS 6-0 228 Michigan State
Nick Bellore ILB 6-1 241 Central Michigan
Alex Wujciak ILB 6-3 245 Maryland
Obi Ezeh ILB 6-2 240 Michigan

Kendric Burney CB 5-9 190 North Carolina
Devon Torrence CB 6-1 200 Ohio State
Mario Butler CB 6-1 180 Georgia Tech
Deunta Williams CB-FS 6-2 210 North Carolina
Will Hill FS 6-1 204 Florida
Jai Eugene FS 5-11 181 LSU
Jerrard Tarrant FS 6-0 202 Georgia Tech
Jeron Johnson SS 5-11 194 Boise State
DeAndre McDaniel SS 6-1 210 Clemson
Justin Taplin-Ross SS 6-3 214 Utah
Davon Morgan SS 6-0 198 Virginia Tech

OldCleat Redrafts Bengals Draft - 2011

2011-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

OldCleat redrafts the Bengals draft once again, this time for the 2011 Draft. This is year No. 4. The rules are, I would draft a player that the Bengals had drafted, or someone drafted after the selection, until the Bengals selected again. So, my universe of players that I would have chosen were the players in-between the Bengals draft.

I have learned that my redrafting isn’t any better than the Bengals normal drafting, nor really worse. Since I’m picking folks near the same universe (or the same players), my track record has been about the same. So the proof in drafting will be in several years to see who is better.

Round one, fourth overall: Bengals select A.J. Green, WR, Georgia. I would have taken Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU, who was selected No. 5 overall by the Arizona Cardinals. I am not a huge fan of taking wide receivers really high in the draft (or, apparently, at all). And, if you do draft one this high, I would hope that the WR is the whole package, including speed. I worry that Green may be a step slower than elite status; he also doesn’t have the bulk at 210 to be a Larry Fitzgerald type. But I am in the minority opinion on this. I think he will be a plus player. Peterson, on the other hand, it the whole deal. He is big, very fast, quick, and productive. I think he will be a shutdown corner from day one. I do understand that there were those who thought his cover skills were not that great, but I never saw that when I watched him. The image is from kellymlambert.blogspot.com.

Round two, 35th overall: Bengals select Andy Dalton, QB, TCU. I would have taken Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson who was selected 51st overall by the Buccaneers. Dalton was a need pick, and there seemed to be several folks who right before the draft commenced thought that Dalton might go as high as 12 overall to the Vikings. His selection by the Bengals has been widely lauded. It was a need pick because Carson Palmer gave the Bengals an ultimatum to trade him or he will retire. I hope that Dalton is as good as advertised. When I look at Dalton, I see a average athlete who is a hard worker and pretty good college quarterback, and about a fifth-round pick or so. I sincerely hope I’m wrong. He does look like a good fit for a West Coast offense that the Bengals will install this year. Bowers slipped because of a knee injury that may require microfracture surgery. And, yet, I would take him. I think he was a Top-5 talent, and I would even give him a redshirt year should he need it to get healthy. And, if not, I think he is at least a pass-rush guy from day one. One of the best values in the draft, if healthy.

Round three, 66th overall: Bengals select Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada. I would have taken Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas, who was taken 74th overall by the Patriots. I really like Moch’s measurables, and I think the Bengals may have a nice pass-rusher from the outside. He also has the speed to be a three-down outside linebacker, though out of the gate I think he will be just a pass rusher. But Mallet is a rare talent who has a lot of questions. He has a cannon, and he produced as a freshman at Michigan and also at Arkansas for two seasons in the SEC. During the season, he was looked at as one of the top three quarterback prospects, and he fell during the postseason, predraft process. He is not fast (he is in fact slow), but he was athletic enough to be a great college QB. I would draft him, sit him, and work with him to become an NFL quarterback.

Round four, 101st overall: Bengals select Clint Boling, OT-OG, Georgia. I also would have selected Boling. I think He can play left tackle in the NFL. But I think he will start off as a guard. He is athletic and very productive as a player. He should be a starter in the NFL in the next two or three years, and he should be a plus player as an NFLer.

Round five, 134th overall: Bengals select Robert Sands, S, West Virginia. I would have selected Ahmad Black, S, Florida, who was selected 151st overall by the Buccaneers. Here is the classic choice between a size-speed candidate (Sands) against a production candidate (Black). Sands would have been my second choice if Black wasn’t on the board (I also really liked Lawrence Wilson, the undersized OLB from U Conn who wasn’t selected until round six, 166 overall). Sands was a very good player in the Big East for the Mountaineers, but Black was one of the best players in college football. Sands is 6-3, 6-4, 215 or so, while Black is 5-9, 185 or 190. Sands ran about a 4.51 40, while Black ran a 4.7 40 at the combine, and a 4.85 at his pro day. So even more than the height issue, Black is not fast. (Of course, there are those who think Sands is too tall to be a DB in the pros.) It will be interesting to see if taking the college productivity guy versus the size-speed guy.

Round six, 167th overall: Bengals select Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford. I would have taken, oh, most of the other draftees in the sixth round, but specifically, I would have taken Greg Jones, ILB, Michigan State, who was drafted 185th overall by the Giants, barely over Quan Sturdivant, ILB, North Carolina, who was drafted 171st overall by the Cardinals, and Allen Bradford, who was drafted 187th overall by the Buccaneers. Good underneath receivers are fine and dandy, but I of course would have gone for a super productive linebacker like Jones. He was more highly ranked as a junior than as a senior, but he should be a big plus as a special teamer, and he could be a real good linebacker. I see Whalen as a third-down slot receiver. Sturdivant was less productive in college, because of injury, but he may have more upside than Jones. Bradford is a size-speed candidate (240 pounds, 4.6 40). Some of the other folks I would have taken instead of Whalen, more or less in order, are: Jerell Powe, NT, Mississippi, drafted by the Chiefs; Caleb Schlauderaff, G, Utah, drafted by the Packers; Brian Rolle, LB, Ohio State, drafted by the Eagles; Tyrod Taylor, QB, Va Tech, drafted by the Ravens; Charles Clay, FB-TE-TB-HB, Tulsa, drafted by the Dolphins; Ross Homan, LB, Ohio State, drafted by the Vikings; Mike Mohamad, ILB, Cal, drafted by the Broncos; and JT Thomas, OLB, West Virginia, drafted by da Bears.

Round seven, 207th overall: Bengals draft Korey Lindsay, CB, Illinois State. I would have taken Lee Ziemba, OT, Auburn, who was drafted 244th overall by the Carolina Panthers. I admit it, I am a sucker for 6-8, 300-plus pound tackles from the SEC who had a lot of college production and started for several years. From what admittedly little I know about Lindsay, it looks like he has the ability to play nickel corner in the NFL, as well as help on special teams. I liked Brandyn Thompson, the little corner from Boise State. I am intrigued by Stanley Havili, the athletic FB from USC who only weighs about 230 but who may be a great West Coast-type fullback.

Round seven, 246th overall: Bengals draft Jay Finley, RB, Baylor. I would have drafted Terrence Tolliver, WR, LSU, who was undrafted. Finally, OldCleat drafts a wideout. Four years, one wideout. Finley does NOT excite me. I think there are better undrafted running back prospects … guys who were bigger, faster, etc. (I like John Clay of Wisconsin, who is bigger and slower.) I do like Tolliver, who is 6-4, 210, and who is athletic. Not a whole lot of production in college, but Tolliver seems to be maybe one of those guys who may sneak onto a roster.

Cincy
1 4 overall A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
2 35 overall Andy Dalton, QB, TCU
3 66 overall Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada
4 101 overall Clint Boling, OT-OG, Georgia
5 134 overall Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
6 167 overall Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford
7 207 overall Korey Lindsay, CB, Illinois State
7 246 overall: Jay Finley, RB, Baylor

OldCleat
1 5 overall Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
2 51 overall Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
3 74 overall Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
4 101 overall Clint Boling, OT-OG, Georgia
5 151 overall Ahmad Black, S, Florida
6 195 overall Greg Jones, ILB, Michigan State
7 244 overall Lee Ziemba, OT, Auburn
7 UDFA Terrence Tolliver, WR, LSU

All-Stars and No Djokes - OldCleat NewsBeat

2011-07-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

The All-Star teams were announced yesterday, with Jose Bautista breaking the record for the highest number of fan votes ever. Bautista was able to get 7.4 million, beating Ken Griffey Jr.'s 6.1 million in 1994. leads the majors in home runs (26), walks (70), OBP (. 471), slugging (. 679) and OPS (1.150), while also batting .328, which ranks fourth.

Marvin Lewis 2011: Can He Duplicate Love Smith 2010?

2011-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Now that Marvin Lewis re-upped with the Bengals for two more seasons, the question is: Can Marvin Lewis in 2011 do what Lovie Smith did in 2010?

Lovie Smith was coming off a bad season in 2009. The Bears were 7-9, but the last two games were wins, and the season felt worse than 7-9. Jay Cutler was not playing well, the offense didn’t look good at all, the O-Line had some real issues, and the defense didn’t look good. The Bears had a lot of injuries. Many were surprised Lovie didn’t get the ziggy right then and there, and most didn’t expect him to last beyond 2010.

Lovie made some changes in his coaching, got a few new coaches (namely Mike Martz on offense, replacing Ron Turner; and Rod Marinelli as the new defensive coordinator, replacing … Lovie Smith). The Bears signed Julius Peppers, who played really really well, and got Brian Urlacher back from the DL, who also played really really well.

Bottom line: 11-5, NFC North Championship, Lovie has new-found respect.

I do think that Marvin could do something like that for the Bengals. They have some real weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. But a free agent or two could shore up that defensive backfield. One good offensive lineman, maybe, and a veteran wide receiver who would run a route, lose TO and Ocho, and who knows? Also, I would like to see the Bengals get a personnel director who would have some real power. I don’t think they are getting a GM, but it would be a (very very small) step in the right direction to get an experienced personnel man from the outside who could shore up that department.

Arian Foster and the OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2009

2011-01-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

I totally whiffed on Arian Foster. Foster was an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee who was signed by the Houston Texans after the 2009 draft. After I picked the original OCADNGDT in 2008, I decided to scale back the number of folks I added to the team. So I went from five running backs to three: P.J. Hill RB 5'10¼" 222 Wisconsin; Herb Donaldson RB 5'9⅞" 224 Western Illinois; and Kory Sheets RB 5'11⅛" 208 Purdue. Arian Foster is 6'1" 215. I didn’t think he was all that special, and neither did the drafters, since he was undrafted.

I liked Hill and Donaldson because they were both very productive and were tanks in college. I liked Sheets because I thought he was productive and had “third down back” written all over him.

Well, Foster beat out Steve Slaton, who I thought had a good chance to be a top back in the NFL after his 1,200 yards rushing as a rookie in 2008. And then Foster went on to win the 2010 rushing title with 1,616 rushing yards, also leading the league in yards from scrimmage (2,220), rushing touchdowns (16), and total touchdowns (18).

Foster broke the NFL single-season rushing record for an undrafted player, bettering Priest Holmes (1,615 in 2002) by one yard with a two-yard carry on his final attempt of the game. Foster also had 604 yards receiving to become the sixth player in league history to reach 1,500 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving in the same year.

P.J. Hill, who I was really high on, was signed by the New Orleans Saints after not being drafted out of Wisconsin. He was on their practice squad until the Eagles signed him. They put in on their practice squad a week later, and the Redskins signed him. He spent the offseason with the Redskins, who cut him in May. The Saints re-signed him, he tore his triceps, and he spent the year on the IR.

Donaldson was also signed by the Saints after the draft. He was on the Saints practice squad until November 2009. The Cowboys signed him in December 2009 and put him on their practice squad. He was waived by the Cowboys in final cuts in training camp 2010, but the Titans put him on their practice squad.

Sheets was signed by the 49ers, who put him on their practice squad. He was signed by the Dolphins to their active roster in October 2009. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2010 training camp was waived by the Dolphins.

OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2010

2010-08-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2010 is now out. It is below. I have included the teams that the free agents signed with. If I could not find the team, I left it blank.

Vince Oghobaase, DT, 6-5, 300, Duke - Miami Dolphins
Malcolm Sheppard, DT, 6-2, 285, Arkansas - Houston Texans
Greg Middleton, DE, 6-3, 265, Indiana
Brandon Sharpe, DE, 6-1, 250, Texas Tech - New Orleans Saints
Antonio Coleman, DE-OLB, 6-3, 255, Auburn - Buffalo Bills

Joe Pawelek, MLB, 6-2, 235, Baylor - Seattle Seahawks
Micah Johnson, MLB, 6-1, 255, Kentucky - New York Giants (tryout)
Kion Wilson, LB, 6-0, 235, South Florida - San Diego Chargers
Ryan Stamper, LB, 6-2, 235, Florida - Detroit Lions
Rico McCoy, OLB, 5-11, 220, Tennessee - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Devin Ross, CB, 5-10, 185, Arizona - Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Pinkard, CB, 6-1, 215, USC - Seattle Seahawks

Barry Church, S, 6-1, 222, Toledo - Dallas Cowboys
Kyle McCarthy, S, 6-0, 205, Notre Dame - Denver Broncos
Chris Maragos, S, 5-11, 200, Wisconsin - San Francisco 49ers

Adam Ulatoski, OT, 6-5, 300, Texas - Houston Texans
Ciron Black, OT, 6-4, 325, LSU
Vincent Vance, OT, 6-6, 330, Georgia - Chicago Bears
Dennis Landolt, OG, 6-4, 305, Penn State - New York Giants
Nick Stringer, OT, 6-5, 285, Kansas State - Cincinnati Bengals
Brandon Carter, OG, 6-6, 330, Texas Tech - New Orleans Saints
Jim Cordle, C, 6-3, 300, Ohio State - New York Giants
Jeff Byers, C, 6-3, 295, USC - Seattle Seahawks
Kevin Matthews, C, 6-3, 300, Texas A&M - Tennessee Titans

Colin Peek, TE, 6-5, 255, Alabama - Atlanta Falcons
Jeff Cottam, TE, 6-7, 260, Tennessee - Cincinnati Bengals

LaGarette Blount, RB, 5-11, 235, Oregon - Tennessee Titans
Brandon Minor, RB, 6-0, 215, Michigan - Chicago Bears
Stafon Johnson, RB, 5-11, 215, Southern Cal - Tennessee Titans

Jevan Snead, QB, 6-2, 225, Mississippi - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Daryll Clark, QB (RB?), 6-2, 235, Penn State - Washington Redskins
Tim Hiller, QB, 6-5, 230, Western Michigan - Indianapolis Colts

Brandon Banks, WR - RS, 5-7, 149, Kansas State - Washington Redskins
Scott Long, WR, 6-2, 215, Louisville - San Francisco 49ers
Freddie Barnes, WR, 6-0, 215, Bowling Green - Chicago Bears
Brandon James, WR, RB, RS, 5-7, 175, Florida - Indianapolis Colts
Dustin Woods, WR, 5-10, 190, Miami Oh

OldCleat Redrafts Bengals Draft - 2010

2010-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

OldCleat redrafts the Bengals draft once again, this time for the 2010 Draft. Yes, this is year three of my redrafting the Bengals draft. The rules are, I would draft a player that the Bengals had drafted, or someone drafted after the selection, until the Bengals selected again. So, my universe of players that I would have chosen were the players in-between the Bengals draft.

I have learned that my redrafting isn’t any better than the Bengals normal drafting, nor really worse. Since I’m picking folks near the same universe (or the same players), my track record has been about the same. So the proof in drafting will be in several years to see who is better. The image is from whatthebuc blog.

OK. Redrafting the Bengals draft, 2010:

Round one, 21st pick overall. The Bengals selected Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. I would have taken Sergio Kindle, DE - OLB, Texas, who fell to the second round, 43rd overall, to the Ravens. I like the Gresham pick, but I worry about the fact that he tore knee ligaments last year and missed the whole season. He does fill a huge hole that the Bengals have had for several years, namely a tight end that can go deep middle as well as block. Gresham, to me, is too much of a gamble. And if I’m going to gamble at this spot, I want to do it with an extremely talented front-seven defensive player. I am a sucker for really athletic guys like Kindle. I think he can play linebacker, and I think he could put his hand down and play a 4-3 defensive end. I passed on many players, including Jerry Hughes, who is also a DE – OLB, and Brian Price, the fireplug DT from UCLA.

Round two, 54th overall. The Bengals selected Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida. I would have taken Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama, who was selected 57th overall, by the Ravens. I have some mixed feelings about Dunlap. He was considered the most talented guy on a hugely talented Florida defense. He is a big, athletic DE, and he is considered a true 4-3 DE. But he had some off-field issues at Florida. At Florida. He was a top-10 talent, and if the Bengals can get that out of him, they may have something. Some questioned his desire. Anyway, I love Terrence Cody, who is an enormous DT and nose tackle. He reminds me of Ted Washington. I think Cody will dominate in the middle of a defense. He really would have taken up two blockers, provided some inside push, and freed up Bengal linebackers to make plays.

Round Three, 84th overall. The Bengals selected Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas. I would have taken Shipley’s battery-mate there at Texas, Colt McCoy, QB, who was selected the very next pick, 85th overall, by the Browns. I liked Shipley in college, and I think he has a chance to be a good slot receiver and return guy. But I really like McCoy. I thought he was the second-best QB prospect in the draft, after Sam Bradford. McCoy falling this far I think was a steal for the Browns. He may not be the tallest QB, but he has a good arm, is extremely accurate, is really athletic, and is a winner. By taking McCoy, I am passing on Navarro Bowman, LB, out of Penn State, who I also really liked. But I take a chance on the QB.

Round Three, 96th overall. The Bengals selected Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest. I would have taken Mike Johnson, G - OL, Alabama, who was drafted 98th overall by the Falcons. Ghee is really athletic, and he is big enough to play in the NFL. But he didn’t produce in college as much as he should have given his ability. The Bengals are taking a flier that they can coach Ghee up and make him a good CB. Johnson was a great guard at Alabama who also moved over to tackle. I also think he could play center if need be. He would a good addition on the offensive line.

Round Four, 120th overall. The Bengals select Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia. I would have selected Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana (PA), who was taken by the Cowboys 126th overall. I like Geno Atkins some, and I hope that he works out well. I just liked another DT from Georgia, Jeff Owens, better. They are both pluggers, but I thought that Owens had more production in college. (Actually Georgia had three DTs drafted in 2010. Think about that.) Now I am drafting Owusu-Ansah a pick after passing on Ghee. Owusu-Ansah is a size-speed-quickness prospect out of a small school. He did produce quite well on the D-II level, and if he isn’t a CB, at 210 pounds with tackling ability, I think he can play free safety. And he’ll be a special teamer and maybe a returner.

Round Four, 131th overall (the last selection in the round). The Bengals take Roddrick Muckelroy, LB, Texas. I would have picked Robert Johnson, S, Utah, who was selected in the fifth round, 158th overall. Muckelroy is a solid player from a great school. I think he is a bit slight for linebacker, but he is really athletic. He projects to a Will, where he played as a junior. But last year he was moved to Mike because there was an injury problem. I hope that he will become a good player. I love Johnson, who I think can play free safety and strong safety. Also, in a pinch, I think that he could play cornerback. He is an athletic, tough, smart player who is a bit slight for safety.

Round Five, 152bd overall. The Bengals take Otis Hudson, G, Eastern Illinois. I would have picked Anthony McCoy, TE, Southern Cal, who was taken 185bh overall by the Seahawks. This is the head-scratcher pick the Bengals have every year. I have learned from last year not to call anyone names, because I was upset with the Bernard Scott pick, and he really worked out. Having said that, there were several players that Cincy passed on to take Hudson. I like McCoy the most, a good-blocking 250-pound TE who can catch the ball. He may not be able to stretch the field like Gresham, but he can catch.

Hudson is the worst pick the Bengals had this year, I think. With the other picks, I like the Bengals selections and think that they are in the same ballpark. Not so with this one. Here is the list of players I would have taken instead of Hudson: Andrew Quarless, TE, Penn State who can block and catch; Riley Cooper, a big third-down WR out of Florida; two strong safeties who could play special teams: Larry Asante from Nebraska or Reshad Jones from Georgia; Anthony Dixon, a big talented RB from Mississippi State; Greg Hardy, a big DE from Mississippi; two linemen from Notre Dame, Sam Young, a huge OT who may be able to play left tackle! or Eric Olsen, a tough-guy center; Dan LeFevour, the Tim Tebow-esque QB from Central Michigan who may be able to develop in the NFL; a blocking TE from Pitt, Nate Byham; Clifton Geathers, a big old DE from South Carolina who is from the Geathers family who could have joined brother Robert on the Bengals; and Jonathan Dwyer, the big, quick wishbone FB from Georia Tech who projects to TB in the NFL.

Round Six, 229th overall. The Bengals take Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Kansas. I would have taken Kyle Calloway, T, Iowa. Briscoe is a big WR with some speed and lots of production in college. I love Iowa offensive linemen, however, and Calloway is 6-8, 320 or so. Big, strong, productive, technique-sound college o-linemen like Calloway sometimes develop into very good NFL players.

Round Seven, 228bh overall. Bengals take Reggie Stephens, G, Iowa State. I would have taken Jeff Owens, DT, Georgia. Stephens may be a good guard, but I think Owens could be a very good run stuffer at DT.

I have learned that you can’t tell about a draft. Here are the drafts, however.

Cincy
1 21 overall, Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
2 54 overall Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
3 96 overall, Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest
3 84 overall Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas
4 120 overall, Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
4 131 overall, Roddrick Muckelroy, LB, Texas
5 152 overall, Otis Hudson, G, Eastern Illinois
6 191 overall, Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Kansas
7 228 overall, Reggie Stephens, G, Iowa State

OldCleat
2 43 overall Ravens Sergio Kindle, DE - OLB Texas.
2 57 overall Ravens Terrence Cody, DT Alabama
3 85 overall Browns Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
3 98 overall, Falcons Mike Johnson, G, Alabama
4 126 overall, Cowboys, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana (PA)
5 148 overall, Titans, Robert Johnson, S, Utah
6 185 overall, Seahawks, Anthony McCoy, TE, Southern Cal
7 216 overall, Bills, Kyle Calloway, T, Iowa
7 243 overall, Eagles, Jeff Owens, DT, Georgia

Here is the 2009 draft comparison:

Cincy
1. Andre Smith, OT, Alabama.
2. Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal.
3. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech.
3. Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri.
4. Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas.
5. Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati.
6. Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan.
6. Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian.
7. Fui Vakapuna, FB, BYU.
7. Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis.
7. Freddie Brown, WR, Utah.

OldCleat
1. Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia.
2. Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal.
3. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech.
3. Dorell Scott, DT, Clemson.
4. Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas.
5. Jasper Brinkley, MLB, South Carolina.
6. Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan.
6. Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech.
7. Nick Reed, DE-LB, Oregon.
7. Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis.
7. P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin.

And here is the 2008 draft comparisons:

Cincy
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida
4 Anthony Collins, T, Kansas
5 Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno State
6 Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian State
6 Matt Sherry, TE, Villanova
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville

OldCleat
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Quentin Groves, DE/LB, Auburn
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Justin King, CB, Penn State
4 Jack Ikegwuonu, CB/S, Wisconsin
5 Jonathan Goff, LB, Vanderbilt
6 Andre’ Woodson, QB, Kentucky
6 Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky

2010 NFL Draft – Undervalued Tackle Prospects

2010-03-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

In the 2010 NFL Draft, here are some undervalued prospects, according to the various draft publications.

Jason Fox, OLT, Miami (Fla.) – Fox started 47 games for the Canes. He is a quick, talented, athletic left tackle. He is 6-6, 300 pounds. Rated as the No. 11 tackle and a 4-5 round pick by Pro Football Weekly, No. 9 and a 4th by USA Today, No. 14 and a 56 grade by ESPN, No. 14 and a 6th round pick by The Sporting News. He needs to work on his size and strength, but he has the physical tools to be able to play left tackle in the NFL. I can see him in Indianapolis. He should be a late second-early third round pick. The image of Jason Fox is from bleacherreport.com.

Adam Ulatoski, OT, Texas – Ulatoski started 44 games in his career for Texas as a left tackle. He probably projects to the right side in the NFL. He is 6-8, 295 pounds. Rated as the No. 13 tackle and a 4-5 round pick by PFW, No. 11 and a 4th rounder by USA Today, No. 10 and a 68 grade by ESPN, No. 11 and a 5th round pick by TSN. He needs to work on his footwork, and again, he may be someone who has to continue to work on his strength. But he is a future starting right tackle, and he may be able to play the left side. He should be a solid third rounder.

Ed Wang, OT, Virginia Tech – Wang started 37 games, both at right tackle and left tackle. He has the tools to play left tackle in the NFL, though he may be a better fit as a right tackle. He is 6-4 and change, 315 pounds. He is rated as the No. 17 tackle and a 5-6 round pick by PFW, No. 18 and a 7th by USA Today, No. 17 and a 47 grade by ESPN, and No. 18 tackle and a 7th rounder by TSN. I would see a 4th round as a good destination, maybe a 5th rounder. He is more of a developmental project. He also may be able to move inside at guard for a couple of years before moving outside to tackle.

Sean Casey, 35, is still the mayor

2009-07-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Sean Casey turns 35 today. The Mayor. I absolutely love this guy. His last season, with Boston, in 2008, he hit .322. I would love to see Sean play again, but I think it's over for him. I've seen some beloved players in Cincinnati Reds history, but this guy is pretty close to the top. With good reason.

thankyouverymuch,

Here are his Cincinnati numbers:

R H 2B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SA OPS
CIN 588 1223 256 118 604 387 465 .305 .371 .463 .834

OldCleat Puts Together Free Agent Team ... Almost the '08 Lions

2009-06-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

OldCleat is making another team. Here is a list of all the remaining unrestricted NFL free agents. This list does not include veterans who were released. So, Marvin Harrison and Deuce McAllister et al were not on the list, This team would be even better with a few of those guys. Also, I did NOT include any franchised players. My question is ... is this team, as structured, better than the 2008 Detroit Lions that went 0-16? Eh, probably not. If Marvin and Deuce and Derrick Brooks are added? Maybe. (The Millen photo slugging Pat Sullivan comes from Can't Stop the Bleeding.)

Defensive Tackle
Starters
Darwin Walker, DT CAROLINA
La'Roi Glover, DT ST. LOUIS

Backups
John Thornton, DT CINCINNATI
Jeff Zgonina, DT HOUSTON

Comment
Undersized and long in the tooth, this would not be the worse foursome I've seen in the NFL. Walker and Glover would be pretty dang good as a twosome. Thornton has had his moments. The Lions had Chartric Darby and Cory Redding as their starting duo last year, with Andre Fluellen and Shaun Cody as backups. Lions slightly better overall, though OldCleat’s team would be very close.

Defensive End
Starters
Ebenezer Ekuban, DE DENVER
Kevin Carter, DE TAMPA BAY

Backups
Orpheus Roye, DE PITTSBURGH
Roderick Green, DE SAN FRANCISCO
Josh Thomas, DE INDIANAPOLIS

Comment
Carter was a great pass rusher who says he’s ready to rumble again. Ekuban is a good NFL defensive end. Roye is a 3-4 end who can play the run. Green and Thomas fight for the last spot. Detroit had Jared DeVries and Dewayne White as its starters, with Cliff Avril was the rookie hope who got hurt and Ikaika Alama-Francis was last year’s draftee. OldCleat’s Des would be better for a one-year team, Detroit’s better with some good kids.

Middle Linebacker
Starters
Napoleon Harris, LB MINNESOTA
Nate Webster, LB DENVER

Backups
Teddy Lehman, LB BUFFALO
Rocky Boiman, LB KANSAS CITY
Derek Smith, LB MIAMI

Comment
Harris would probably be my starter, though Webster is very athletic. Smith is a grizzled old vet who would be a good option, while Lehman and Boiman are solid backup types. Paris Lenon was the Lions’ starter in ’08 … I think both Harris and Webster are better players.

Outside Linebacker
Starters
Willie McGinest, LB CLEVELAND
Rosevelt Colvin, LB NEW ENGLAND
Dontarrious Thomas, LB MINNESOTA

Backups
Donte' Curry, LB CAROLINA
Carlos Polk, LB DALLAS
Shantee Orr, LB CLEVELAND
Jason Babin, LB KANSAS CITY

Comment
McGinest and Colvin would make a good pass-rushing outside duo. Thomas is more of an overall linebacker type. The backups are all big linebackers. There is a dearth of athletic linebackers on free agency. The ’08 Lions just had athletic types. Ernie Simms and Ryan Nece were the Lions’ starters, with Alex Lewis and Jordan Dizon as backups. The Lions could use a Sam type, and OldCleat could use a Will type. Overall, the Lions score with Simms, OldCleat with Colvin or McGinest. Even.

Cornerback
Starters
Deltha O'Neal, CB NEW ENGLAND
Ty Law, CB N.Y. JETS

Backups
Aaron Glenn, CB NEW ORLEANS
Ricky Manning Jr., CB ST. LOUIS
Tyrone Poole, CB TENNESSEE
Daven Holly, CB CLEVELAND

Comment
O’Neal and Law are both experienced, athletic corners. They both are older, so it would behoove OldCleat to make sure that they still can turn and run, plus come up and force the run. But Law especially was one of the best in the business. The backups are all pretty dang good as third corner slot cover types. They are all a little smaller, but they all can get the job done. The Lions had Brian Kelley and Leigh Bodden as their staters, with Travis Fischer as a part-time starter. OldCleat’s corners are better.

Safety
Starters
Mike Brown, S CHICAGO
Rodney Harrison, S NEW ENGLAND

Backups
Will Allen, S TAMPA BAY
Lawyer Milloy, S ATLANTA
Marlon McCree, S DENVER
Michael Boulware, S MINNESOTA
Mike Green, S WASHINGTON

Comment
Brown and Harrison are among the best to have played their positions in the last two or so decades. How much do they have left? If healthy, they are great options. Will Allen is a free safety who could start or spell Brown. Milloy, McCree and Boulware are good options at strong safety. Green is a good player. The Lions had Daniel Bullocks and Kalvin Peterson as their starters, with Dwight Smith as a swing starter. Not too bad, but OldCleat safeties are better.

Centers and Guards
Starters
Tom Nalen, C DENVER
Melvin Fowler, OL BUFFALO
Chris Naeole, G JACKSONVILLE

Backups
Jeremy Newberry, C SAN DIEGO
Pete Kendall, G WASHINGTON
Chris Gray, G SEATTLE
Lennie Friedman, G/C CLEVELAND

Tackles
Starters
Wayne Gandy, OT ATLANTA
Jon Runyan, T PHILADELPHIA
Mark Tauscher, T GREEN BAY

Backups
Jason Fabini, OL WASHINGTON
George Foster, OT DETROIT

Comment
At this late date, OldCleat is still able to put together a pretty good offensive line. Nalen is undersized and older, but he is a great player. Fowler is a starting center who can swing over to guard and hold his own. And Naeole is a great run blocker who has been hurt over the past few years. The backups are all veterans who have started many years in the NFL and could start for a team all of this year and hold their own. At tackle, OldCleat has Gandy or Tauscher to play left tackle, Runyan, if healthy, to play right tackle, and Fabini and Foster to back up. Not at all bad. The Lions had Dominic Raiola as a starting center, and he’s a pretty good player. The guards, Edwin Mulitalo and Stephen Peterman, are big and young, but at this point, they aren’t that great. Left tackle Jeff Backus has been solid for many years, but is unspectacular. Gosder Cherilus at right tackle was a huge rookie last year, and he may be a very good player. Manny Ramirez, Damion Cook, and the aforementioned George Foster were the Lions backups and part-time starters. Because of the solid guard play, I would give OldCleat’s offensive line the edge.

Tight End
Starter
Marcus Pollard, TE ATLANTA

Backups
Mark Bruener, TE HOUSTON
Jerame Tuman, TE ARIZONA

Comment
OK, so tight end isn’t going to be a strength of the OldCleat team. All three are backups. Having said that, the Lions had John Owens and Michael Gaines as their tight ends. They are blockers, and my tight ends are better receivers. Let’s call it even.

Quarterback
Starter
Rex Grossman, QB CHICAGO

Backups
J.P. Losman, QB BUFFALO
Todd Bouman, QB BALTIMORE
Brooks Bollinger, QB DALLAS

Comment
I do not get it. Rex Grossman is at least a great backup in the NFL, and is probably a better starter than at least three to five starters in the NFL. The fact that he is still available baffles me. Losman has a great arm and starting experience. I would sign him if I were one of about 12 teams in the NFL. And Bouman and Bollinger would battle for my No. 3 spot, and they each could be a backup in the NFL. The Lions had Jon Kitna at the beginning of the season, Dan Orlovsky as the youngster, and got Dante Culpepper off the scrap heap. I’ll call this even. I like Kitna, and think Rex is about Kitna. Losman never was Culpepper, but at this point they are functionally equivalent. And Bouman/Bollinger are both better than Orlovsky.

Running backs
Starters
Fullback
Cecil Sapp, FB HOUSTON

Tailback
DeShaun Foster, RB SAN FRANCISCO

Backups
Tatum Bell, RB DENVER
Michael Pittman, RB DENVER
Rudi Johnson, RB DETROIT
Aaron Stecker, RB NEW ORLEANS

Foster is a heckuva player if healthy. And Bell is a speedy tailback with some size about him Sapp is a West Coast Offense type fullback, not a great blocker but more athletic than the normal guard wannabes that play fullback now. There just weren’t any fullbacks on this list. Pittman and Stecker are solid backup types. And it would be interesting to me to see if Rudi has anything left in the tank. The Lions had Kevin Smith, who is going to be one of the best all-around tailbacks in the league, I believe. Rudi played a few games, but he didn’t look that good. But he may need a whole camp to be back. And they had Jerome Felton at fullback, who appears to be a pretty good blocker. Advantage Lions.

Wide Receiver
Starters
Darrell Jackson, WR DENVER
Amani Toomer, WR N.Y. GIANTS

Backups
Brandon Lloyd, WR CHICAGO
Koren Robinson, WR SEATTLE
Reggie Williams, WR JACKSONVILLE
Ashley Lelie, WR OAKLAND
Keary Colbert, WR DETROIT

Comment
Jackson and Toomer are veteran receivers who can get a first down, though they are not downfield threats any more. Lloyd and Robinson are speed guys, but they are not consistent. The other receivers haven’t lived up to their promise. The Lions had Roy Williams for half the season, Calvin Johnson, and Shawn McDonald. Advantage Lions.

Kickers
Matt Stover, K BALTIMORE
John Carney, K N.Y. GIANTS

Punters
Hunter Smith, P INDIANAPOLIS
Mitch Berger, P PITTSBURGH

Kick Returners
R.W. McQuarters, CB/KR N.Y. GIANTS
Dante' Hall, WR/KR ST. LOUIS

Summary
While the 2008 Lions had more talent at certain spots, namely running back and wide receiver, the talent level at most roster spots isn’t much different than the OldCleat free agent team of 2009. There are some good veterans available still at this late date.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

The OldCleat 2009 Did Not Get Draft defensive linemen

2009-05-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here is an assessment of the OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2009 -- the defensive linemen. I've attempted to pare down the number of players that I included on the All Did Not Get Drafted Team for this year. We'll see if that was a good idea.

Here are the defensive linemen on this year's team.

Terrill Byrd, DT, Cincinnati, ??, 5'11⅜", 267 I cannot find any information on Terrill Byrd getting signed by an NFL team. He is a vastly productive and undersized defensive tackle out of the University of Cincinnati. He has had some off-the-field problems. That, with the fact that he is so short and so light, may have caused teams to stay away. I think he could be a good fit for a Tampa-2 team, or maybe as a 3-4 defensive end.

George Hypolite, DT, Colorado, Jacksonville Jaguars, 6'0⅞", 287 Hypolite, an undersized but productive defensive tackle out of Colorado, was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a good shot to be a productive player.

Antonio Dixon, DT, Miami (FL), Washington Redskins, 6'2½", 325 The Washington Redskins signed Antonio Dixon, a huge defensive tackle from the University of Miami. He has the size to be a nose tackle. He was not very productive in college, but at 325 pounds could be a run stopper.

Maurice Evans, DE, Penn State, New York Giants, 6'1½", 274 Maurice Evans was signed by the New York Giants. He had a good sophomore season, but a lousy junior year. He has some pass rush ability at 270-plus pounds. The image is from Reading Eagle.

Mitch King, DE, Iowa, Tennessee Titans, 6'1½", 280 Signed by the Titans, Mitch King will try to make it as a 4-3 defensive tackle. He was highly productive at Iowa. His best shot may be as a 3-4 defensive end.

Tim Jamison, DE, Michigan, Houston Texans, 6'2½", 256 Jamison is a 255-pound defensive end with good athletic ability. He should be productive in a 4-3 system. He is big enough and quick enough to play in the NFL.

Derek Walker, DE, Illinois, Washington Redskins, 6'3¾", 268 Derek Walker was signed by the Washington Redskins. The 270-pounder out of Illinois is solid all-aournd but not great in any one area. He may be a surprise as a player, however, because he had some nice games.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team - 2009 - signings update

2009-05-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team for 2009. I couldn’t find a few players on the list. I find it a little hard to believe that Byrd and Vanden Huevel weren’t signed. Lane is a little more believable, because I know he had some weight issues.

Terrill Byrd DT Cincinnati ??
George Hypolite DT Colorado Jacksonville Jaguars
Antonio Dixon DT Miami (FL) Washington Redskins
Maurice Evans DE Penn State New York Giants
Mitch King DE Iowa Tennessee Titans
Tim Jamison DE Michigan Houston Texans
Derek Walker DE Illinois Washington Redskins
Darry Beckwith ILB LSU San Diego Chargers
Dannell Ellerbe ILB Georgia Baltimore Ravens
Dominic Douglas OLB Mississippi State St. Louis Rams
Anthony Heygood OLB Purdue Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Casillas OLB Wisconsin New Orleans Saints
Maurice Crum OLB Notre Dame Tampa Bay Buccaneers (try out contract)
Bruce Johnson CB Miami (FL) New York Giants
Londen Fryar CB Western Michigan Kansas City Chiefs
Wopamo Osaisai CB Stanford San Diego Chargers
Derek Pegues S Mississippi State New York Giants (try out)
C.J. Spillman S Marshall San Diego Chargers
Robert Wilson S Miami (OH) ???
Edwin Williams OC Maryland Washington Redskins
Anthony Parker OG Tennessee ???
Ryan Stanchek OG West Virginia Atlanta Falcons
Alex Boone OT Ohio State San Francisco 49ers
Philip Trautwein OT Florida St. Louis Rams
Eric Vanden Huevel OT Wisconsin ???
Branden Ledbetter TE Western Michigan Green Bay Packers
Ryan Purvis TE Boston College Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Eric Kettani FB Navy New England Patriots
Jorvorskie Lane FB Texas A&M ???
P.J. Hill RB Wisconsin New Orleans Saints
Herb Donaldson RB Western Illinois New Orleans Saints
Kory Sheets RB Purdue San Francisco 49ers
Graham Harrell QB Texas Tech Cleveland Browns (try out)
Hunter Cantwell QB Louisville Carolina Panthers
Quan Cosby WR Texas Cincinnati Bengals
Jordan Norwood WR Penn State Cleveland Browns
Jamarko Simmons WR Western Michigan Green Bay Packers

OldCleat Redrafts Bengals Draft - 2009

2009-05-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

OldCleat redrafted the Bengals draft in 2008 and did OK. Of course, after the draft, I thought I did better than after the year. I will examine that before the start of the season. But it is time for OldCleat to redraft the Bengals draft, 2009. As last year, the rules are, I would draft a player that the Bengals had drafted, or someone drafted after the selection, until the Bengals selected again. So, my universe of players that I would have chosen were the players in-between the Bengals draft. I, of course, had the benefit of hindsight on this. Here is the OldCleat draft, 2009 edition.

Round one, sixth pick overall. The Bengals selected Andre Smith, OT, Alabama. I would have taken Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia, slightly over Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal, and Smith. When a team in the NFL is selecting in the high first round, I think that the most important thing is the floor, not the ceiling. I thought that Monroe was the best, most complete left tackle in the draft, even over the second overall pick, Jason Smith. I think Monroe will be a left tackle who can play in the NFL starting this season. Smith was the best tackle in college football last year, but he has, let's say, some issues. Having said that, I think that if he isn't a left tackle, he probably is a right tackle. He probably is a better run blocker than Monroe. Smith also will most likely be a fine guard if he can't play tackle. Andre Smith reminds me of Leonard Davis, the tackle from Texas who failed with the Cardinals at tackle and is now an expensive guard for the Cowboys. And I LOVE Maualuga. I would have had very little problem with the Bengals taking him here. But I think the pick should have been Monroe.

Round two, 38th pick overall. The Bengals selected Maualuga. I would have taken Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal. I just have a feeling that this will end up being one of those franchise-changing picks. (The image of Maualuga, above right, is from Jodatoa’s Blog). No pressure, however. This sort of makes up for the Jerome Simpson pick of last year.

Round three, 70th pick overall. The Bengals selected Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech. I would have taken Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech, closely, over two Alabama players -- Rashad Johnson, S, and Antoine Caldwell, center. Rashad Johnson seemed like a safe pick at this point. Caldwell, a little less so. Rashad may start for the Cardinals, and he will likely be a great special teamer because of his athletic ability and football instincts. Caldwell may have some problems from the get-go at center because of his size. But he is athletic and good and should be a good center. Michael Johnson, however, could become a GREAT pass rusher. And at this point I would be willing to give up these two choices for the possibility of greatness. One hopes that Michael Johnson decides to become great, because he supposedly has some of the most impressive physical tools at that position, and he did have some pretty good games in college.

Round three, 34th pick, 98th overall. The Bengals selected Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri. I would have taken Dorell Scott, DT, Clemson, over Travis Beckham, TE, Wisconsin. Coffman was TE of the year in college, just like Beckham was the year before. But I think Beckham is a better athlete who is a more explosive player with more upside, and neither of them are blockers at this point. Coffman is healthy, and Beckham isn't, and so Coffman may be more of a sure thing. Scott is a 6'4", 325-pound space eater in the middle who would have been a pretty good backup and spot player from the get-go.

Round four, sixth pick, 106th overall. The Bengals selected Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas. I would have taken Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas. He's a big boy who has been a great player in college for many years. I think he can come in and start early. This was a very nice pick by the Bengals. Don't get me wrong, the Bengals passed on some nice players, especially D.J. Moore, a corner from Vandy who should become a starter and Mike Thomas, WR and returner from Arizona State who will be a nice slot receiver. Some others that I liked but wouldn't have worried too much about such as Louis Murphy (speedy WR), Mike Goodson (speedy RB - ?returner??), David Bruton (size-speed prospect at S who wasn't a great player at ND), Terrance Taylor (squat NT from Michigan), Gartrell Johnson (size-speed prospect at TB from Colorado State), and Kenny McKinley (quick but slight WR from South Carolina). But Luigs is a top pick.

Round five, sixth pick, 142 overall. The Bengals select Kevin Huber, P, U of Cincinnati. I would have taken any of at least 18 players instead of a punter. I am very very much not a fan of taking a punter or a kicker, especially this high. Huber better be damned good, because I think it's close to a wasted pick. I guess out of all the players, I would have taken Jasper Brinkley, MLB, South Carolina. He's a big boy who would have been a good run-stopper. I'll just mention a few of the others I would have taken, more or less in order: Duke Robinson, very large G, Oklahoma; Victor Harris, CB, VA Tech; Cornelius Ingram, TE, Florida; James Casey, TE and slash, Rice; Nic Harris, OLB-SS, Oklahoma; Marcus Freeman, OLB, Ohio State; Javon Ringer, third-down RB and returner, Michigan State; Herman Johnson, larger G than the Duke, LSU; and there are others.

Round six, sixth pick, 179th overall. The Bengals selected Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan. I would have taken Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan, I guess, over Coye Francis, CB, San Jose State, and Cory Harris, CB, Southern Cal. I actually think Trent is a special teamer, corner, and safety. Francis and Harris are sub-package corners. Trent may not be the cover corner Francis and Harris is, but Trent will be a contributor I think right away. If Francis or Harris can't cover the slot, they are in trouble.

Round six, 36th pick, 209th overall. The Bengals selected Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian. Morons. I think that every pick is important. I think they got cute with this one. Scott is smallish, 25, from a DII school, a toublemaker who has gotten kicked out of two schools, and has had run-ins with the law. He is also a good player. But, so what? I would have taken Vance Walker, a talented but smallish DT out of Georgia Tech slightly over Chris Ogbonnaya, a 220-pound RB out of Texas.

Round seven, sixth pick, 215th overall. The Bengals selected Fui Vakapuna, RB and FB, BYU. Vakapuna is 5'11", 245, and he can run and catch. I am OK with this pick. But I would have taken Nick Reed, DE - LB, Oregon. I also liked Rickey Jean-Francois, DT, LSU, who was injured and a little size-challenged but talented. But Reed was extremely productive in his career. He might not have the combine measurables, but he certainly was able to get the job done in college. And he seems to be one of those guys who knows how to rush the passer.

Round seven, 40th, 249th overall. The Bengals selected Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis. I would have taken Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis, slightly over Derek Kinder, WR, Pitt, and Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty. Those were my only options, because with the 252nd selection, the Bengals took a Utah WR.

Round seven, 43rd overall. The Bengals took Freddie Brown, WR, Utah. I would have taken one of many players not drafted. I guess that at this point, they all look good compared to Freddie Brown to me, but I'll go with P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin. As a sophomore, he looked like Beanie Wells, the first-round pick out of Ohio State. Then last year, Hill had a DUI, got a little hurt, a little out of shape, and he didn't look very good. If you can light a fire under him, I think he can be a starter in the NFL in the right system.

So here are the picks. I really only have issue with two picks, the punter in the fifth round and the running back in the sixth. If more Bengals drafts had been like this one, they would be a better team. So the differences I took are just players I liked slightly more. I don't know if my draft is all that much better than Cincy's.

Cincy
1. Andre Smith, OT, Alabama.
2. Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal.
3. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech.
3. Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri.
4. Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas.
5. Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati.
6. Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan.
6. Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian.
7. Fui Vakapuna, FB, BYU.
7. Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis.
7. Freddie Brown, WR, Utah.

OldCleat
1. Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia.
2. Rey Maualuga, MLB, Southern Cal.
3. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech.
3. Dorell Scott, DT, Clemson.
4. Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas.
5. Jasper Brinkley, MLB, South Carolina.
6. Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan.
6. Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech.
7. Nick Reed, DE-LB, Oregon.
7. Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis.
7. P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin.

And here is the 2008 draft comparisons:

Cincy
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida
4 Anthony Collins, T, Kansas
5 Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno State
6 Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian State
6 Matt Sherry, TE, Villanova
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville

OldCleat
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Quentin Groves, DE/LB, Auburn
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Justin King, CB, Penn State
4 Jack Ikegwuonu, CB/S, Wisconsin
5 Jonathan Goff, LB, Vanderbilt
6 Andre’ Woodson, QB, Kentucky
6 Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team - 2009 - First Look

2009-04-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the first look at The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team for 2009. This list is not final, and I will have some more news and maybe a few more players on this list.

Terrill Byrd DT 5'11⅜" 267 Cincinnati
George Hypolite DT 6'0⅞" 287 Colorado
Antonio Dixon DT 6'2½" 325 Miami (FL)
Maurice Evans DE 6'1½" 274 Penn State
Mitch King DE 6'1½" 280 Iowa
Tim Jamison DE 6'2½" 256 Michigan
Derek Walker DE 6'3¾" 268 Illinois
Darry Beckwith ILB 6'0⅜" 242 LSU
Dannell Ellerbe ILB 6'1" 236 Georgia
Dominic Douglas OLB 6'0⅝" 227 Mississippi State
Anthony Heygood OLB 6'0¾" 223 Purdue
Jonathan Casillas OLB 6'1⅛" 228 Wisconsin
Maurice Crum OLB 5'11⅝" 237 Notre Dame
Bruce Johnson CB 5'9½" 170 Miami (FL)
Londen Fryar CB 5'10½" 187 Western Michigan
Wopamo Osaisai CB 5'9¾" 197 Stanford
Derek Pegues S 5'9⅝" 199 Mississippi State
C.J. Spillman S 6'0" 197 Marshall
Robert Wilson S 5'10⅝" 204 Miami (OH)

Edwin Williams OC 6'2¼" 308 Maryland
Anthony Parker OG 6'1⅞" 297 Tennessee
Ryan Stanchek OG 6'3⅛" 306 West Virginia
Alex Boone OT 6'7¼" 328 Ohio State
Philip Trautwein OT 6'5⅝" 307 Florida
Eric Vandenhuevel OT 6'7⅝" 232 Wisconsin
Branden Ledbetter TE 6'5¼" 236 Western Michigan
Ryan Purvis TE 6'3¾" 255 Boston College
Eric Kettani FB 5'11⅝" 231 Navy
Jorvorskie Lane FB 5'11¾" 295 Texas A&M
P.J. Hill RB 5'10¼" 222 Wisconsin
Herb Donaldson RB 5'9⅞" 224 Western Illinois
Kory Sheets RB 5'11⅛" 208 Purdue
Graham Harrell QB 6'2⅛" 223 Texas Tech
Hunter Cantwell QB 6'4⅜" 235 Louisville
Quan Cosby WR 5'8⅝" 196 Texas
Jordan Norwood WR 5'10⅞" 179 Penn State
Jamarko Simmons WR 6'2" 241 Western Michigan

Rey Maualuga Should Be the Lions' No. 1 Overall Pick

2009-04-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Rey Maualuga is the best choice in the 2009 NFL Draft. He will not be chosen in the top 10, according to the experts, but I would pick him first overall.

Todd McShay says the Maualuga lacks ideal instincts. "He makes up for his lack of ideal instincts with aggressiveness and power," though, he opines. McShay has Maualuga going No. 20 overall to the Lions.

Maualuga is rated No. 24 overall as a prospect, according to ESPN's Scouts Inc. He has a grade of 91. They gave him a "below average" mark in both durability and character. They say that his "durability is a somewhat of a concern," and they list several problems he has had in the past.

Mel Kiper has him going No. 16 to the San Diego Chargers. His opinion: "Maualuga is capable of becoming a quality "Mike" linebacker in the NFL but needs to use his hands better to ward off blocks and must be more consistent from week to week."

I think Maualuga is at least as good a prospect as Patrick Willis, Jon Beason, and DeMeco Ryans. Patrick Willis graded out a 95, Jon Beason graded out a 91, and DeMeco Ryans graded out an 87 according to Scouts Inc, while Maualuga has a 91 grade. He has more size than Beason and Ryans coming out of school, and is as explosive as those two athletes.

Whoever get Maualuga will get a difference maker from day one on defense. He is like a 250-pound Ray Lewis, or a slightly slower Brian Urlacher. I think Maualuga has more take on the guard or fullback in him than does Urlacher.

The Sporting News has Rey going No. 10 overall to the 49ers. That's actually more like it. GMJr.com has Maualuga going No. 9 overall to the Packers.

The Lions may be taking Matthew Stafford. Or they may be taking

Pete Johnson Turns 55

2009-03-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Pete Johnson, the Ohio State and Bengals' fullback, turned 55 today. He was born on March 2, 1954. He was, I think, the closest thing that I'll ever see to Marion Motley. He was 6-foot-nothin', 255 pounds, fast, tough, a real danged fullback. He blocked for Archie Griffin on the way to Archie's two Heismans. Johnson was a complete fullback. It is not a position that get carries any more in the NFL. So we shall see if there is another Pete Johnson that comes along. At the end of his career, he was traded to the San Diego Chargers for James Brooks, who went on to a great career for the Bengals. Johnson was done.

Woody Hayes Says "Happy V-Day. NOW!!!"

2009-02-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

Woody Hayes was born 96 years ago today. He was a great Miami of Ohio head coach, and he also had success subsequently. Hayes was a high school football coach for a couple of years before he enlisted in the Navy in 1941. He rose to the rank of of Lieutenant Commander. After his service in the war, he returned to his alma mater, Denison, as the head coach. Hayes "drove his first squad at Denison so hard that school authorities warned him to ease up on the team or face the consequences," according to WOSU. He had a 19-game at Denison, which led to the Miami job. Sid Gillman had been the Miami coach, but moved down state route 27 to the University of Cincinnati--Miami's rival. So, before Woody's rivalry with Bo Schembechler and Michigan while the Buckeye coach, Woody was rivals with Gillman and UC. Gillman disliked Woody, as well. By 1950, Woody had the Redskins in the Salad Bowl, where they defeated Arizona State. He was hired by Ohio State in 1951. The story is that Paul Brown was interested in coming back to Ohio State, but the school hired Woody instead. (The image is from buckeyefansonly.)

Hank Aaron Hammerin' Away at Racism at 75

2009-02-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

Hank Aaron is 75 today, and he is still hammering away at racism, according to this article on SportingNews. Here is what he had to say about those nutjobs who were upset that Hank was going to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time homer list:

"I thought, 'What in the world am I doing (to make) people despise me?'" he said during a lengthy interview in his Turner Field office for an upcoming feature in Sporting News Magazine. "But Babe Ruth was a hero. People just have their own heroes, and they don't want anything to come between them.

"A person who can't learn (to forget) is a miserable person, because you're not built to walk around all your life hating people. Everybody -- even me -- has got to walk a mile in another person's shoes before you condemn him."

At the bottom of the article I commented that I don't thing Hank Aaron is the
"real" home run king, as do several of the other commenters. Barry Bonds hit (or has hit, if he hasn't retired) the most home runs in a career. If you think he deserves an astericks or not may be one thing, but he is the homer king. Was Bonds jacked up on the juice? Maybe. Were there pitchers throwing to him jacked up? Probably. Also, though I don't really believe it, I have read that there are some who do.)

But back to Hank. Hank Aaron is what a hero looks like to me.

The picture of the dream 1960s NL outfield is from congressionalgoldmedal dot com ... left to right, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Hank.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Buddy Holly ... 50 Years Since The Day The Music Died

2009-02-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

Buddy Holly died 50 years ago in a plane wreck shortly after takeoff after a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa. It is known as "The Day the Music Died." Holly was a rock 'n' roll pioneer. In the few short years that he recorded, he laid down some of the greatest tracks in rock 'n' roll history, like "That'll Be the Day," "It's So Easy," "Maybe Baby," Oh, Boy," "Not Fade Away," and "Peggy Sue."

Like Chuck Berry, Holly was a great songwriter, a great guitar player, and a really wonderful vocalist. Holly was also a great showman. He hit the scene just after Elvis, and was in some ways a "nice" version of Elvis. But Buddy was different than Elvis, and there were so many versions of so many folks who wanted to be like Elvis that it ain't that great of a comparison. I'm not so glad I brought it up.

Killed in the plane crash with Holly were Richie Valens, J.P. Richardson ("The Big Boppper"), and pilot Roger Peterson. Richie Valens released two great songs, "La Bamba" and "Donna." The Big Bopper did "Chantilly Lace," a nice song.

Waylon Jennings was the Crickets bass player at the time. He gave his seat up on the plane to The Big Bopper, who had the flu. Tommy Alsup, the Crickets guitar player at the time, lost a coin flip with Richie Valens for the last spot on the four-person plane. Jennings and Alup then had to take a bus to the next stop on the tour, which was Moorhead, Minnesota.

The plane was a Beechcraft Bonanza, model 35, serial # D-1019, and the wing number was N3794N. It was manufactured October 1947. The folks at www.buddyhollyonline.com are clear, very clear, to point out that the plane's name was NOT Miss American Pie.

One of my favorite parts of the entertainment business, and by "the business" I mean "the industry," is that the February 3 show WENT ON AS SCHEDULED. According to buddyhollyonline dot come, "Frankie Sardo and Dion & The Belmonts continued until the end of the tour. Bobby Vee & The Shadows performed on the Feb. 3rd date, Jimmy Clanton, Fabian & Frankie Avalon were substituted as headliners, The Crickets finished the tour with Ronnie Smith as lead vocalist."

The images are from buddyhollyonline.com. The first is Buddy playing at Rhinelander, Wisconsin, in 1958. The second is Buddy on a double-date with Phil Everly. How cool is that?

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

National Freedom Day, Feb. 1

2009-02-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

National Freedom Day, celebrated in America on Feb. 1, is dedicated to remember that America is a nation dedicated to freedom. When Harry S Truman signed the bill to proclaim National Freedom Day in 1948, who would have thunk 60 years later that the President of the United States AND the leader of the opposition party would BOTH be African Americans?

Elvis Birthday Bash

2009-01-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

Elvis Presley would have been 74 years old today. Wow. Elvis will be forever young. I see more Elvis in the media now than I did when he was alive. And I hear more Elvis on the radio. This is all good. I think American needs more Elvis. The hard thing to remember, since Elvis seems to still be with us, is that he was born into another America, the Depression-era America, in 1935. There was massive unemployment, investment in businesses collapsed, home building all but ended, and housing and land prices dropped. But that was the Great Depression. Hey. Wait. What's the difference? Anyway, that's Elvis age 2 on the top with his ma and pa, and the house in Tupelo where he was born on the top right.

James Harris Out for Jags; Bengals GM Postion Open!!

2008-12-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

James Harris, who was a key member of the Baltimore Ravens personnel staff before their Super Bowl run, and who helped Jacksonville become one of the strongest teams in the NFL.

The Bengals need a GM. James Harris is the best available man for the job. I want Cincinnati to keep Marvin Lewis as its coach and to sign James Harris as its GM.

Harris was a scout at Tampa Bay from 1987 to '92. He was assistant GM for the Jets from 1993 to '96. He then moved on to the Ravens as director of pro personnel from 1997 till 2003, when he moved to the Jags as the vice president of player personnel.

Let's look at the record. TB never was good while he was there. And several of the draft choices were not that good. But, there were productive, outstanding, and long-lasting choices as well. Vinnie Testaverde, Paul Gruber, Broderick Thomas were the first-round picks in the first few years, and they provided a lot of years. But there were misses as well. Of course, as a scout, no one knows how much Harris was involved in the ultimate choices.

The Jets also weren't any good from 1993 to '96. But the drafts were, as with TB, productive. And they also started to show a trend: Bigger, stronger, tougher, from bigger schools.

In 1997, Baltimore picked up several contributors, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, Kim Herring, Jeff Mitchell, and Cornell Brown. The next year they found Duane Starks at the top of the draft. They were able to find Priest Holmes as well. The next year, Chris McAlister, Brandon Stokley, and Edwin Mulitalo. And they picked up Rod Woodson. In 2000, they drafted Jamal Lewis, Travis Taylor (eh), and, in the sixth round, Adalius Thomas. At tight end, they picked up Shannon Sharpe and Ben Coates, and at defensive tackle, they took Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa. The Ravens won a Super Bowl. After that, there was Todd Heap, Ed Reed, Ed Hartwell, Anthony Weaver, and Chester Taylor.

With Jacksonville, he did a great job. Byron Leftwich, Rashean Mathis, Vince Manuwai, and George Wrighster drafted the first year. Reggie Williams (eh), Daryl Smith, Greg Jones, Ernest Wilford, Josh Scobee, and Bobby McCray the next. OK, Matt Jones the next year (but ... Kahlif Barnes). Marcedes Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Clint Ingram last year.

I'm ready. Let 'er rip.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Bill of Rights Day is Dec. 15

2008-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Bill of Rights Day is Dec. 15 ... today. It's a good time to sit back and reflect that the Bill of Rights is the document that protects our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, our right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment -- among other things. The U.S. Constitution was in jeapordy of not being ratified because it didn't protect basic rights adequately. The Bill of Rights was introduced by James Madison and championed by Thomas Jefferson. So please, PLEASE, don't let lesser statesfolks mess with your fundamental rights ... the Bill of Rights ... without you taking a huge part in it. I am a big fan of that First Amendment. I know that there are many folks that are very very concerned with the Second Amendment. Whichever is the Amendment that you are concerned with, make sure that whoever is going to mess with it does so with the utmost care. I happen to think that the Bush Administration fell far short in this regard.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Greg Maddux Column, by Gene Wojciechowski

2008-12-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Greg Maddux retires, and Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN (formerly of the Chicago Tribune, but they let him get away ... huh, wonder why they are in trouble?) writes a great tribute column about the Mad Dog. My favorite Maddux saying has always been, and I paraphrase, "The only thing I worry about is making a good pitch." His entire career summed up in that sentence. He was always only concerned with the next pitch, and all he wanted to do with that pitch is make a good pitch. [[NOTE: Here are some quotes that are close to what I'm talking about that I could find on the Internet Machine. Maddux saying: "I just think about what I have to do to make good pitches. That's it." or “The key tonight?” [Maddux] says. “The key was making more good pitches than bad ones.”]] See ya around, Mad Doggie. The great old picture of Greg Maddux is from spring training 1987 from Woolis.com, a site that all you Cub fans should visit.

Joe Nuxhall Finalist for Ford Frick Award, Announced Dec. 9

2008-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Joe Nuxhall is one of the finalists to be named as the Ford Frick Award winner for 2009, which will be announced today. Again, not to say anything to the past several winners of this award, but it would have been nice if Nuxy won the danged thang before he died. Just like it would have been nice if the veterans on the veterans committee would give Ron Santo his due. Nuxy richly deserves the Ford Frick Award according to the criteria. Let's just hope that they give the thing to him.

George Foster, slugger of the Big Red Machine, Turns 60 Dec. 1

2008-12-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

George Foster was an amazing slugger, and I was at an early age when I became a big fan of his. It is hard for folks to remember when hitting 50 homers was a landmark event. In 1977, Foster hit 52 homers. It was the first time that someone had broken the 50 mark since Willie Mays in 1965. The runner-up to Foster in 1977, Jeff Burroughs, had 41 homers. Mike Schmidt won the homer crown in 1976 with 38 dingers. In 1974, Schmidt led the league with 36. So when I was young, 52 seemed awesome. He was this skinny guy with a higher than average voice and a huge baseball bat colored jet black named "Black Beauty." He was awesome. Of course, you contrast those numbers with 2001, when Barry Bonds had 73 homers, Sammy Sosa had 64, Luis Gonzalez had 57, and in the A.L. shortstop Alex Rodriguez had 52 homers. Oh well. Foster's 52-homer season is tied for 25th all-time. There are only two guys in baseball history with a 50-homer season who don't really seem to belong ... for one reason or another. I would put Luis Gonzalez in that category, along with Brady Anderson and his 50 homers in 1996. But Foster belonged, and how.

Duck Dunn bass player birthday boy

2008-11-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Duck Dunn has been the bass player for Booker T and the MG's since 1965. Dunn was born in 1941 on Nov. 24. He was not the bass player for the band in 1962 when it recorded "Green Onions," but he made up for that by being THE soul bassist since 1965 on the Sam and Dave catalog, Otis Redding, Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, and countess others. He is the bass player that defines soul bass players. Like Steve Cropper, Dunn never overplayed, and was a servant to the song.

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 10-Game Update

2008-11-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the update on The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team ... not everyone, but the ones that I can find some updates on. The image is from ESPN.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis has started three games for the Patriots, who have been hit by the injury bug at running back. He has really stepped up and looks like a No. 1 or No. 2 back in the NFL. He was a tough running back at Indiana and Mississippi, and he had some quicks to go with his 225 pounds. A very good pickup for the Pats, but that's not surprising.

Dantrell Savage played pretty well in the one extended shot he got with the Chiefs, though he muffed a punt. But he has shown that he can be a situational back in the league.

Darrell Robertson was signed by the New England Pats. He after he was cut by the Cowboys in final cutdowns, he spent a couple of games with the Edmonton Eskimos. Just an aside, I don't understand why more of these guys don't do the CFL option. Maybe I am just not understanding the opportunity or process that Canada has. Also, again, I'm not surprised the Pats picked this guy up.

Simeon Castille played in four games for the Bengals, and he was the nickel back early in the season for the team. He is at least a dime back, and he could be a starter, maybe as a free safety.

Hank Ballard, R&B Legend

2008-11-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Hank Ballard, one of the greatest R&B performers in American music, was born 81 years ago on Nov. 18, 1927. He performed “Work With Me Annie” with the Midnighters, and he wrote (and performed) “The Twist,” that Chubby Checker made his own. He recorded for Cincinnati’s King Records, under the producer Ralph Bass. The lyrics of Annie were risque, and the song was banned from the airwaves, though it was a big hit. This image was found on Microwaves 101.

The War of the Worlds -- Orson Wells Broadcast 70 Years Ago

2008-10-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

The War of the Worlds produced by Orson Wells and Mercury Theater on the Air was broadcast on radio 70 years ago, scaring the bejesus outta a nice chuck of the U.S., who thought that Martians were actually invading. There were several recreations around the country, including Ball State. Could something like this happen again? I think absolutely it could ... and will. The above image is from www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk.

Steve Cropper ... Play It, Steve

2008-10-21T09:24:00.001-07:00

Steve Cropper has a birthday today. The guitar solos he plays in "Green Onions" with Booker T and the MGs literally brings tears to my eyes. Are there solos that are so in tune with the tune as those. Three notes. Four notes. Perfect. He is the ultimate in economic playing. Never never waste a note. Play it, Steve.

Jim Taylor, Fullback, 73

2008-09-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jim Taylor, fullback for the Green Bay Packers in the Lombardi era, is 73 today. Jim Taylor was the epitome of the word "power sweep." Tough, strong, tough, compact, tough, quick, and tough, Taylor used to run through defenders. There is tape of him running to daylight, being able to run past a safety downfield down the sideline, but turning toward the center of the field just to run over the safety. Very cool. He was to the Pack offense what Ray Nitschke was to the defense.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Paul Brown, Greatest Football Coach in History, Born 100 Years Ago

2008-09-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

Paul Brown was born 100 years ago today. Paul Brown was the greatest coach in football history, I think (as do others), and I think that I can make the case.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in high school football history. But he did create the myth and legend of the Massillon Tigers High School program, which lays claim as the greatest high school program in football history. It is certainly among the top high school teams in football history. Brown was 80-8-2 in nine years at Massillon, with six state championships. Combined with his 16-1-1 mark at Severn, a Naval Academy prep school, before taking over the Massillon program, Brown was 96-9-3 record in 11 years as a high school coach. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

Brown was not the greatest coach in college football history. But he did win a National Championship in his second season as Ohio State's coach, in 1942. He lost most of his team to the war effort the next year, and his Baby Bucks went 3-6 in 1943, his final season as a college coach before going into the Navy. He was 18-8-1 in three years as the Buckeye's head coach. Good … not the greatest.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in pro football history. But in his first 13 season in the NFL, as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Brown was 111-44-5. If I am calculating that correctly (I'm not sure how to calculate ties … I think you throw them out), he had a better-than 71 percent winning percentage. In those 13 seasons, he won three NFL titles, went to the Championship Game seven times, and went to the postseason eight times. Vince Lombardi was 89-29-4 in his nine years as the Packers head coach (.754 winning percentage), with five NFL titles (two Super Bowl wins) and an additional appearance in the Championship Game. Brown's first nine years in the NFL compare very favorably. Brown was 81-25-2 (.764 winning percentage?), three NFL titles (pre-Super Bowl), and an additional five appearances in the Championship Game. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

There are other things, of course, including the four AAFC Championships, the Great Lakes Naval Station teams, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown, a member of the Cradle of Coaches at Miami University, was innovative, using classrooms and inventing the facemask, etc. Taken all together, certainly a very good argument can be made that Paul Brown was the greatest football coach of all time.

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team update

2008-09-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the update on The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team. There were seven players that when given the chance impressed coaches enough to make the active squad. There were six players that were waived but then put on apractice squad (mostly their own teams, but Titus Brown was signed by the Browns after being cut by the Dolphins. One retired from football instead of trying the NFL. There are 13 players out of 39 on the list who will be with their teams when the season starts.

Xavier Lee - QB 6'4" 232 Florida State Baltimore Ravens
Lee was moved to TE from QB and dropped not far into training camp.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi New England Patriots
Green-Ellis was waived on final cutdown, but was re-signed to the Pats practice squad.

Dionte Johnson - FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
Johnson was waived on final cutdown.

Kalvin McRae - RB 5'9" 208 Ohio Kansas City Chiefs
McRae was waived during traning camp.

Kregg Lumpkin - RB 6'0" 226 Georgia Green Bay Packers
Lumpkin made the Packers' active roster, beating out Vernand Morency and Noah Herron for a roster spot.

Dantrell Savage - RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State Kansas City Chiefs
Dantrell Savage made the Chiefs' active roster.

Tony Temple - RB 5'9" 210 Missouri Cleveland Browns
Temple signed with the Browns and was waived during camp. He then tried out for Bills. Can't see that he was signed.

Dorien Bryant - WR 5'10" 169 Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers
Bryant failed the physical for Steelers ... And he didn't appear to be signed by anyone else.

D.J. Hall - WR 6'2" 190 Alabama New York Giants
Hall was cut by the Giants near final cutdown day.

Maurice Purify - WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska Cincinnati Bengals
Purify was waived by the Bengals near final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Bengals practice squad.

Todd Blythe - WR 6'6" 209 Iowa State New Orleans Saints

Blythe was waived before final cutdown day.

Taj Smith - WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse Green Bay Packers
Taj Smith was cut by the Packers during training camp, and tried out for the Jaguars.

Digger Bujnoch - OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati New York Giants
OK ... I have to admit that Digger was going to make OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team mostly because of his dad, Glenn Bujnoch, former Bengal guard. But Digger was a pretty good player in his own right. Bujnoch was placed on injured reserved instead of being cut by the Giants because of a sprained knee.

Robert Felton - OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas Buffalo Bills
Felton was waived by the Bills on final cutdown day.

Adam Kraus - OG 6'6" 305 Michigan Baltimore Ravens
Kraus was waived by the Ravens during final cutdown day.

Drew Miller - OT 6'5" 302 Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
Miller was waived by the Jaguars on final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Jags' practice squad.

Martin O'Donnell - OG 6'5" 312 Illinois Retired
O'Donnell battled leg and foot injuries during his college career and decided to not pursue an NFL career.

Tyler Polumbus - OT 6'8" 312 Colorado Denver Broncos
Polumbus made the Broncos active roster.

Drew Radovich - OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Minnesota Vikings
Radovich made the Vikings active roster.

Matt Spanos - C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Miami Dolphins
Spanos was waived during final roster cutdown.

Chris McDuffie - G 6'4" 330 Clemson Kansas City Chiefs

Originally incorrectly listed as a defensive tackle (sorry about that), McDuffie was waived during camp at some point.

Tommy Blake - DE 6'3" 272 TCU - tryout Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tommy Blake was a highly regarded prospect but had issues with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder that made him miss several games his senior year. He had a tryout, at least, with the Buccaneers, but it doesn't appear that he was signed. I can find no additional information on him.

Jeremy Geathers - DE 6'2" 256 UNLV New Orleans Saints
Geathers -- Jumpy Geathers's son -- was waived in final cutdown.

Wallace Gilberry - DE 6'3" 263 Alabama New York Giants
Gilberry was waived in final cutdown, then was re-signed by the Giants for the practice squad.

James McClinton - DT 6'0" 289 Kansas Kanas City Chiefs
Was given a tryout by Chiefs but was not signed, apparently. Can find no further info on him.

Darrell Robertson - DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech Dallas Cowboys
Robertson was waived in final roster cutdown.

Titus Brown - OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State Miami Dolphins
Brown was cut during final roster cutdown by the Dolphins, but the Browns signed Brown to their practice squad.

Vince Hall - ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech St. Louis Rams
Hall was waived with an injury early in camp by the Rams. He had a hamstring injury.

Ali Highsmith - OLB 6'0" 226 LSU Arizona Cardinals
Highsmith made the Arizona active roster.

Jeremy Leman - LB 6'2" 240 Illinois Minnesota Vikings
Leman was cut on final cutdown.

Ben Moffitt - OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida Houston Texans
Moffitt was waived in final cutdown.

Wesley Woodyard - OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky Denver Broncos
Woodyard made the Broncos active roster.

Simeon Castille - CB 6'0" 190 Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
Simeon Castille made the Bengals active roster.

D.J. Wolfe - CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma Atlanta Falcons
Wolfe was cut during training camp by the Falcons.

Jamar Adams - S 6'2" 212 Michigan Seattle Seahawks
Adams was released by the Seahawks on final cutdown day but was re-signed by the Seahawks to the practice squad.

Cornelius Brown - S 5'11" 200 Missouri Kansas City Chiefs
Pig Brown was waived by the Chiefs sometime during training camp, but I can't find when.

Marcus Griffin - FS 5'10" 201 Texas Minnesota Vikings
Marcus Griffin was waived by the Vikings near the beginning of camp.

Tony Joiner - FS 6'0" 215 Florida Tennessee Titans
Tony Joiner was waived during final roster cutdown.

Nehemiah Warrick - SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State New York Giants
Warrick was waived near the beginning of Giant training camp with an injury.

Paul Dietzel, Cradle of Coaches Coach, Turns 84

2008-09-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

Paul Dietzel, one of the four I believe Miami University Cradle of Coaches coaches who have won a National Championship, is 84 today.

Born September 5, 1924, Paul Dietzel served in World War II. After serving, he was an All-American center from Miami University. After he was graduated in 1948, Dietzel was an assistant under Red Blaik and Bear Bryant, two of the greatest coaches in history. Blaik was one of the four Miami coaches who went on to win a National Championship. The others were Paul Brown (in my opinion the greatest football coach of all time), Ara Parseghian, and Woody Hayes.

Dietzel became the head coach at LSU in 1955. He was credited with popularizing the platoon system when, in 1958, he won a National Championship with a starting team, the White Team, that was the starting offensive and defensive unit, the Gold Team, which was the second string offense, and the Chinese Bandits, the second string defense. The Chinese Bandits have gained fame for being smaller, quicker, less talented but more ferocious players. Dietzel went on to coach at Army and South Carolina.

There is a great article from Bud Johnson of the Advocate on the magical 1958 LSU Season. That is where the image is from.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Miami Redhawks football ... livin' the dream

2008-09-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Miami Redhawks play at the larger-than-average hizzy in Michigan Saturday. This is my dream upset ... The Redhawks beating the old blue and yellow giant weasels in their place making the fans of the old blue and yellow very very sad. But, there are several problems with this dream. 1) Appalacian State came in a year before and did a masterful job in destroying the weasels. Even if the Redhawks were to beat the weasels, it would be bad but not rank as the big upset. 2) Lloyd Carr either was forced out or just had it, and the new coach doesn't run the circa-1989 pro style offense that old Gary Moeller had devised. Thus, Utah beat the weasels at the larger-than-average hizzy. 3) Daniel Raudabaugh, the Miami QB, may not have the ability to do those things to take an underdog on the road and beat a bigger-school team. He has a pretty good arm, but he isn't that accurate. And he doesn't have great feet, which is problem when you are running the spread option. So he doesn't really move the chains. And, yes, as far as it goes, the blue and yellow giants weasels offense, which doesn't look all that great, will score against the Redhawks D. So keeping the ball and moving the chains will be important to the Redhawks. A dream deferred. (Photo is from Ohio.com ... Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal)

OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team ... Maybe not

2008-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team has some updates. Some are good, some are, well, not so good.

The only quarterback on the team, Xavier Lee, was moved to tight end by the Ravens. He didn't make it to first cuts, much less last cuts. So the team isn't going to have a lot of passing. Be interesting to see if there is another undrafted QB that makes a team. Dorien Bryant from Purdue was a top OldCleat pick to eventually become an NFL starter. Oops. Bryant failed his physical with the Steelers. I can't find that he's hooked on any where else.

More later.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Lou Piniella throws a birthday base

2008-08-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

Lou Piniella turns 65 today. He was the World Series-winning manager for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. One of my favorite teams of all time was the 1990 Cincinnati Reds ... I may have mentioned this before. I am not sure what became of Lou after, I don't know, about 1992. (Actually, I am going to Wrigley Field tonight, as it happens, to see Sweet Lou.) Happy Birthday, Lou ... throw a base for me.

John Hiatt, 56 Years Old today

2008-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

John Hiatt turns 56 today. I am tempted to say somthing about the cracked rear view of his life, but I will resist that temptation. "Bring the Family" is I think one of the great all-time albums, and it may be the most overlooked great album of the last whatever years. The image is from Amazon.

OldCleat Draft and Undrafted Update: Injury Bug

2008-08-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

OldCleat just recommends 'em, but they have to play. And to play, they have to stay healthy. Well, that ain't happening.

In redrafting the Bengal's draft, I would have taken Justin King over Bubba Caldwell for the Bengals in the third round. Barely. Well, King tore his toe ligament in the first preseason game and is out for the year. Caldwell is fighting for the No. 3 wideout position for the Bengals.

In the fifth round, I would have taken Jonathan Goff and Alvin Bowen over Jason Shirley (as well as a few other players). Goff injured a vertabrae (a fractured transverse process) and is out indefinitely. Bowen has a torn ACL and is probably out for the year. The big news about Shirley, all this according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "is that he faces a Sept. 24 trial date in Fresno, Calif., on three misdemeanors: hit-and-run, driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher, the Fresno Bee reports. It will be his second trial. In June, a jury failed to reach a verdict after three days of deliberation. The trial had been scheduled to begin Aug. 27, but a judge at a hearing Thursday said he would give Shirley's lawyer more time to acquire and review transcripts of the first trial."

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team, with updates, I picked Nehemiah Warrick as one of the top players not to get drafted. The Giants signed him. Warrick hurt his knee in the first preseason game and the Giants cut him. The tough thing is, while many teams keep several safeties because of special teams, there are more strong safeties coming out of colleges than free safeties. So we shall see about Warrick. Vince Hall, another top OldCleat pick, looked impressive in early Rams camp but was waived because of a hamstring injury.

Good news, though, Ali Highsmith is impressing the Cardinals staff. And Wesley Woodyard played very well for the Broncos and is moving up in an injury-depleted staff.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Danny Graves Born in Vietnam 35 Years Ago Today

2008-08-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Danny Graves, former Cincinnati Reds closer, was born in Saigon 35 years ago today. He is the first and thus far only Vietnamese-American player to have made the bigs. He was part of one of the best trade deadline deals in Reds history, and one of Jim Bowden's best deals as Reds GM.

Graves was part of the deal with Jeff Branson and John Smiley on July 31, 1997 that Bowden got from the Cleveland Indians. Bowden gave up Jim Crowell, Damian Jackson, and Scott Winchester. This was one of the great deals in Bowden's great deal-bad deal dichotomy.

Graves had seasons of 27, 30, 32, 32, and 41 saves for the Reds. They tried to make him a starter during that stretch, and he want 4-15 that season. But he was a helluva closer for several seasons. He is still active, pitching for the Twins Triple-A club. Minnesota was trying to make him a starter, but they recently abandoned that experiment. The image of Danny is from Sports Illustrated and Andy Lyons/Getty Images.

The Reds released Danny in 2005 after he gave the one-gun salute to some drunken moron who made racial slurs toward him at a game. Graves was really struggling, and it appeared that his time as a Red was coming to an end. While I almost always try to side with the fans--who I think are the least-considered stakeholder in pro sports--this time, no. I don't think Danny should have made the gesture. But they should have stuck with him at least for a while instead of letting that moronic damned fan "win."

Happy Birthday, Danny.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Ken Griffey Jr. -- Good Guy Wearin' Black

2008-07-31T17:14:00.001-07:00

Ken Griffey Jr. is now a Chicago White Sox. Good Guys wear black. Grab some bench. One Dog. Big Hurt. Little Hurt. Rockin' Robin. Paulie. El Duque. (Hawk Harrelson is sort of like George W. Bush in so many ways, but in this instance it's because he has nicknames for everyone.)

Ken Griffey Jr. cared about what the fans of Cincinnati thought about him. Paul Daugherty of the Enquirer called Junior the most thin-skinned star that he had covered in 20 years. Why was Junior thin-skinned, however? Because he cared what the fans thought. Most pro players could really give a rat's patootie.

I hope that Junior wins a World Series with the ChiSox. Since I'm up in Chicago, I am now going to go to some White Sox games down at the Comiskey and root Junior on. Junior is a great player, and I am a Junior fan. Sue me.

Junior is wearing No. 17. I don't know why.

Maybe I can round the kids up and go see Junior next week when the Sox are at home. Go Junior. Go Nick Masset. Go Rocket Richar.

Joe Nuxhall Born 80 Years Ago Today

2008-07-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Joe Nuxhall would have been 80 years old today. And all of Reds Nation misses him, I would think. The Reds have done a very nice job honoring Nuxy, one in a spate of folks that the Reds are honoring. That, friends, is an entry for another day (Joey Jay had a few monster years for the early-1960s Reds, but are the Cincinnati nine honoring too many former players?). I have nothing at all against Dave Niehaus, but I still am a little saddened that the HOF didn't honor Nuxy when he so richly deserved it (especially after huge support from his fans). According to this story, Nuxy dominated everyone -- "Of the 122,505 fans who participated in the online election, 82,304 (67.2 percent) voted for Nuxhall, who died Nov. 15 from pneumonia at the age of 79. His passing was mourned throughout baseball, especially in Cincinnati. -- In the online balloting, King received 7,659 votes and Morgan got 6,065." The image is from the Cincinnati Enquirer and their great cartoonist, Jim Borgman.

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker

2008-06-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker from 1968 to 1975, celebrates a birthday on June 25. He was born June 25, 1944, in Baton Rouge, LA. He was a fine player, and he held down an outside backer job from the Bengals inception for eight years. He also played in St. Louis for the football Cardinals.

Beauchamp played at Southern University, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1968 draft by Paul Brown. The Bengals had an interesting draft in 1968. They were a first-year expansion team, so a lot of the players had an opportunity to impress right away. Also, Paul Brown didn't have a team to coach in 1967, so he was able to scout full-time. And he was the GM-head coach, so he didn't have to answer to anyone, so it was a little like building the Browns back in 1946.

Besides Beauchamp, Brown found Howard Fest, Bob Trumpy, Jesse Phillips, and Paul Robinson in later rounds in that draft.

The image of Al Beauchamp is the 1969 Tresler Comet Bengals card, and it comes from footballcardgallery.com.

Terry Hoeppner Inducted into Hall of Honor

2008-06-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Terry Hoeppner will be inducted today, June 19, 2008, into the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor, one year to the day after he died from brain cancer. The story about Coach Hep in today's Shreveport Times by Teddy Allen is very well done. Hoeppner was a great coach and a better person, and I am amazed that Miami (and the Big Ten and the college football community in general) lost two such young and amazing men as Hoeppner and Randy Walker in such a short space of time. The amazing reaction the entire Indiana University community had to Hoeppner is an indication of his impact. I'm glad Hoeppner was able to coach for the Hoosiers. The image of Terry Hoeppner is from Jeff Swinger of The Enquirer.

Here is the poem Don't Quit:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out --
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Penguins To Decide on Next Cup Move on Saturday

2008-06-05T07:32:00.001-07:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins, while acknowledging that the Detroit Red Wings have won enough games in the Stanley Cup Finals to take the Cup, have not made a decision on whether to suspend their quest for the championship this year.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien congratulated the Red Wings for their campaign, but he did not concede the Cup. "This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight," he said. There were reports after the Red Wings won the fourth game that Pittsburgh would concede, but Therrien said Pittsburgh was "absolutely not" prepared to do so.

"I am just enormously grateful," Therrien said, "because, in the millions of quiet moments, in thousands of places, you asked yourself a simple question: Who will be the strongest team. Who will be ready to hoist the Stanley Cup and take charge as champions and lead hockey to better tomorrows?

"You know, I understand that that a lot of people are asking, 'What do the Penguins want? What do they want?

"Well, the Penguins want what the Penguins have always fought for in this whole campaign. The Pengins want to win the Cup.

"Now, the question is: Where do we go from here? And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a sport, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight.

"But this has always been the fans campaign. So, to the 800,000 people who came to Penguins games, and to our 18 million other supporters out there of all ages, we want to hear from you. I hope you'll go to the Penguins website at penguins.nhl.com and share your thoughts with the team and help in any way that you can.

"And in the coming days, the Penguins will be consulting with supporters and other teams in hockey to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our team and the NHL guiding our way."

Eric Davis Another Year Older

2008-05-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Eric Davis for about five years in the late 1980s was what I thought Willie Mays was. Sorry. I know that you are not supposed to compare anyone to Willie Mays. But Davis was the best package, the most complete centerfielder, I had ever seen. At age 24, he had 27 homers and 80 stolen bases. At age 25, he had 37 homers and 50 stolen bases. Of course, then Junior came along, and E kept getting hurt, and so on. But, E was the guy. He was the one who led the Reds out of the dark times, all the way to a wire-to-wire World Series with one of my favorite teams of all time. In 2007, Davis received three out of 545 ballots for the Hall of Fame, or 0.6 percent. He tied Dante Bichette. Dante Bichette, for cryin' out loud. Jose Canseco doubled that vote total, getting six votes. Goes to show that Hall of Fame voters can be moronic just like the rest of us. Davis is 46 years old today. The somewhat disturbing image of Eric Davis and Marge Schott is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Glenn Hartong.

Bill Doran is 50

2008-05-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Bill Doran turned 50 years old yesterday. He grew up in Cincinnati, was a Mt. Healthy Owl, and played for Miami. He is the best major league player that Miami ever produced (sorry Charlie). When Billy was a Houston Astro, Bill James had what I think can best be described as a little crush on him. James used to talk and talk about how Bill was the second best second baseman in the NL, next to Ryne Sandberg, but nobody knew it. Bill was on the Reds in 1990 when they won the World Series, but he was on the DL during the postseason run. Happy Birthday Bill. The image is from Astros Daily.

John Fogerty still rockin' at 63

2008-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

John Fogerty turns 63 today. He was born May 28, 1945, in Berkeley, CA. I bought the Creedence Clearwater Revival boxed set and have been listening to it, especially the Golliwogs disc. The Golliwogs were the Fogerty brothers with Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford playing together before they became CCR. The Golliwogs had some pretty good tunes. They were closer to a pop-R&B sound than CCR was. Listening to the CCR songs, each one, back to back, you realize what a great damned band that was. I also have been listening quite a bit to Revival, John's most recent album, where he just gives the White House some holy hell. I would love to see John this summer, but I just checked on John Fogerty dot com and it doesn't look like he's coming to Chicago. The image at right is from Rolling Stone.

Larry Wilson, All-Time Great Safety, Turns 70

2008-05-25T04:11:00.000-07:00

Larry Wilson was the greatest free safety of his era. He was Ed Reed. Wilson was a ballhawk (some say he was THE ballhawk), a fine run supporter, and a great cover player. And, he is supposedly the first safety to blitz. Wilson turns 70 this weekend. A coordinator named Chuck Drulis has been credited with creating the safety blitz for Wilson to take advantage of his unique abilities. The HOF profile, however, disputes that he invented it or was the first safety to blitz. Usually, these disputes come down to the fact that these schemes are reinovated again and again. The card image is from Football Card Gallery.

Aaron Harang Turns 30, Needs A Beer

2008-05-10T04:07:00.000-07:00

Aaron Harang turned 30 years old yesterday. I just wanted to show him some support, since his teammates don't seem to.

Let's see … 15th in the League in ERA. No. 2 in the NL in strikeouts. No. 12 in the League in WHIP. Twenty-fifth in opponents slugging percentage. No. 12 in opponents on-base percentage. What's that get ya? A 1-5 record. The Reds have scored two runs or fewer in four of his losses. His 2.44 runs per nine run support is 180th overall, 94th out of 96 for all pitchers who have tossed 20 innings thus far this year. (Barry Zito is at 95th with 1.87 and Yovani Gallardo is 96th with 0.90)

Happy dang birthday, Aaron. Have a beer. Have five. You deserve it.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Johnny Unitas 75th Birthday -- Greatest QB Ever?

2008-05-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Johnny Unitas was born 75 years ago today, May 7, 1933. In my view, Johnny U. was the greatest quarterback of all time.

When OldCleat was growing up, there was no doubt who the best quarterback in NFL history was. It was Johnny U. When he retired, he held the career marks for most seasons leading the league in TD passes, most touchdown passes, most yards gained passing, most passes attempted and most passes completed. He was top five in the NFL in yards per pass in 11 different seasons. He was first team All-Pro in five seasons. He went to 10 Pro Bowls. The Favres and Marinos and Montanas and Elways and Mannings be damned, I still think Johnny U. is the greatest.

In the first round of the 1955 NFL Draft, the first selection overall, the Baltimore Colts selected George Shaw of Oregon. In the ninth round that year, 102nd overall, the Colts selected Johnny U.

Here are some other facts.

The second QB taken in the first round of the 1955 draft was Notre Dame's Ralph Gugliemi, by the Washington Redskins. Then, in the seventh round, the Cardinals selected Ohio State's Dave Leggett.

The Steelers in 1955 drafted quarterback and punter Vic Eaton out of Missouri. Eaton made the squad. Unitas was cut.

The Green Bay Packers in the 16th round of the draft, 185th overall, selected quarterback Charlie Brackens out of Prairie View. Brackens made the Packers, played in one game, and was the third African-American player to play quarterback in the NFL.

The two quarterbacks on the 1955 Steelers were Jim Finks, who later became a Hall of Famer as a GM, and Ted Marchibroda, who had two different stints as the Colts head coach. Finks was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 1952.

The card image is from MacCauley Sports Cards.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

OldCleat Redrafts Bengals Draft

2008-04-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

OldCleat redrafted the Bengals draft - first (2008) edition. The rules are, I would draft a player that the Bengals had drafted, or someone drafted after the selection, until the Bengals selected again. So, my universe of players that I would have chosen were the players in-between the Bengals draft. I, of course, had the benefit of hindsight on this. Here is the OldCleat draft.

First round, ninth pick. Cincinnati picked Keith Rivers, linebacker out of USC (I got the image of him overrunning Darren McFadden from Razorsblog and/or ap). I would have picked Keith Rivers. I disagree with some experts that said that the Bengals should have given up picks to move up for Sedrick Ellis. If Ellis fell to them, fine. But he didn’t. And I think that the Bengals were well served to get the best front seven player on the board. I think Rivers is a 10-year player.

Second round, 15th pick, 46 overall. Cincy picked Jerome Simpson, a wide receiver out of the Carolina School of the Beach. I would have picked ANYONE ELSE. AAAAAAAAHHHHH. As my brother-in-law said, every year the Bengals just have a head-scratcher. This is it. Hope I’m wrong. At this point, I really wanted Quentin Groves, DE/rush linebacker from Auburn. Calais Campbell from the U would have been a pick here as well. If you needed to draft a wideout, Limas Sweed or Malcolm Kelly were on the board.

Third round, 14th pick, 77 overall. Cincy picked Pat Sims, nose tackle out of Auburn. I would have picked … Pat Sims. I like him. He is a run stuffer. He may not be the greatest pass rusher ever, but at this point, I want someone to clog the middle of the porous, tissue thin, let’s face it not very good middle of the Bengals defense.

Third round, 34th pick, 97 overall. Cincy picked Andre “Bubba” Caldwell, wide receiver out of Florida. I would have picked Justin King, cornerback out of Penn State … I guess. Just barely. I think that King may not be that great, but he may be good. He has the physical skills. Caldwell may be awesome. He is UofF’s all-time leading receiver, and he ran a 4.3 something at the combine. But many receivers don’t pan out, and you need all the corners you can get in this league.

Fourth round, 13th pick, 112 overall. Cincy picked Anthony Collins, offensive tackle out of Kansas. I would have picked Jack Ikegwuonu, cornerback out of Wisconsin. I really like the Collins pick. I think he might develop into a right tackle, and perhaps even a left tackle. He also may be able to provide more immediate help at guard. I think Ikegwuonu was a first-round to early second-round talent at cornerback or free safety. He fell to the fourth round because of a knee injury suffered at the combine. I would have gambled on the future at this pick. I like Red Bryant of Texas A&M here as well, but would have gone with Ike.

Fifth round, 10th pick, 145 overall. Cincinnati picked Jason Shirley, defensive tackle out of Fresno State. I would have picked Jonathan Goff, linebacker, Vanderbilt, slightly over Alvin Bowen, linebacker, Iowa State. This was the Bengals worst pick in the draft, not Jerome Simpson, for this reason: Shirley was not worth the gamble. He has been a bad apple on the college level, and … is his upside really worth the pick? Goff is big and a tackler. Bowen is a good player but needs to pick up some size. There were several other selections I would have taken over Shirley. Owen Schmitt, Roy Schuening, Dennis Dixon, Josh Johnson, Dominique Barber, Geno Hayes, Frank Okem, and Barry Richardson, more or less in order.

Sixth round, 11th pick, 177 overall. Bengals picked Corey Lynch, safety out of Appalachian State. I would have taken Andre’ Woodson, quarterback, Kentucky. I really like Corey Lynch. He should be fine on special teams, and maybe he is a safety. I also like Mike Hart of Michigan. The Wolverines (Giant Weasels) were a completely different team when he played. But Woodson is a first round talent. He may have been the most talented quarterback in this draft. To get him in the sixth round is a steal.

Sixth round, 41st pick, 207 overall. Bengals picked Matt Sherry, tight end, Villanova. I would have picked Chauncey Washington, tailback out of USC. I think he is going to be a backup in the NFL, and he may, I repeat, may have a Ryan Grant-type season or two in him. Matt Sherry? I frankly have no idea.

Seventh round, 37th pick, 244 overall. Bengals picked Angelo Craig, pass rush linebacker from the University of Cincinnati. I would have picked … Angelo Craig. With the rules of this little exercise, I have to pick between him and Lionel Dotson, defensive tackle from Arizona, since the Bengals had the 39th pick, 246 overall. Dotson isn’t the stuffer I would look for, though he may become one. Craig should be able to help on special teams and may be able to rush the passer. UC’s defense looked great last year, and he was a reason.

Seventh round, 39th pick, 246 overall. The Bengals signed Mario Urrutia, wide receiver out of Louisville. I would have picked Wesley Woodyard, linebacker out of Kentucky just barely over Ali Highsmith, linebacker out of LSU, neither of whom was drafted. I think that both will have a shot to start in the NFL at some point in their careers. If having to pick a drafted player, I would have picked Kirk Barton, offensive tackle, Ohio State. Barton will be a right tackle in the NFL, and can be guard in the NFL as early as next year.

So here are the drafts. OldCleat’s is more defensive oriented, and, I think, much better.

Cincy
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida
4 Anthony Collins, T, Kansas
5 Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno State
6 Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian State
6 Matt Sherry, TE, Villanova
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville

OldCleat
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Quentin Groves, DE/LB, Auburn
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Justin King, CB, Penn State
4 Jack Ikegwuonu, CB/S, Wisconsin
5 Jonathan Goff, LB, Vanderbilt
6 Andre’ Woodson, QB, Kentucky
6 Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Undrafted free agent update

2008-04-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here are The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team and the NFL teams that signed the players:

Lee, Xavier QB 6'4" 232 Florida State Baltimore Ravens
Green-Ellis, BenJarvus RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi New England Patriots
Johnson, Dionte FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
McRae, Kalvin RB 5'9" 208 Ohio Kansas City Chiefs
Lumpkin, Kregg RB 6'0" 226 Georgia Green Bay Packers
Savage, Dantrell RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State Kansas City Chiefs
Temple, Tony RB 5'9" 210 Missouri Cleveland Browns
Bryant, Dorien WR 5'10" 169 Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers
Hall, D.J. WR 6'2" 190 Alabama New York Giants
Purify, Maurice WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska Cincinnati Bengals
Smith, Taj WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse Green Bay Packers
Bujnoch, Digger OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati New York Giants
Felton, Robert OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas Buffalo Bills
Kraus, Adam OG 6'6" 305 Michigan Baltimore Ravens
Miller, Drew OT 6'5" 302 Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
O'Donnell, Martin OG 6'5" 312 Illinois Retired
Polumbus, Tyler OT 6'8" 312 Colorado Denver Broncos
Radovich, Drew OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Minnesota Vikings
Spanos, Matt C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Blake, Tommy DE 6'3" 272 TCU Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Geathers, Jeremy DE 6'2" 256 UNLV New Orleans Saints
Gilberry, Wallace DE 6'3" 263 Alabama New York Giants
McClinton, James DT 6'0" 289 Kansas Kanas City Chiefs
McDuffie, Chris DT 6'4" 330 Clemson Kansas City Chiefs
Robertson, Darrell DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech Dallas Cowboys
Brown, Titus OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State Miami Dolphins
Hall, Vince ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech St. Louis Rams
Highsmith, Ali OLB 6'0" 226 LSU Arizona Cardinals
Leman, Jeremy LB 6'2" 240 Illinois Minnesota Vikings
Moffitt, Ben OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida Houston Texans
Woodyard, Wesley OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky Denver Broncos
Castille, Simeon CB 6'0" 190 Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
Wolfe, D.J. CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma Atlanta Falcons
Adams, Jamar S 6'2" 212 Michigan Seattle Seahawks
Brown, Cornelius S 5'11" 200 Missouri Kansas City Chiefs
Griffin, Marcus FS 5'10" 201 Texas Minnesota Vikings
Joiner, Tony FS 6'0" 215 Florida Tennessee Titans
Warrick, Nehemiah SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State New York Giants

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team

2008-04-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

Here are the guys that didn't get drafted who should have. It is The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team, The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2008. The biggest surprises to me are Ali Highsmith and Vince Hall. Not all of these guys will make an NFL team (especially Xavier Lee), but most will. I'll bet there are five to ten potential starters.

The players in bold are my best bets to become an NFL starter.

Lee, Xavier QB 6'4" 232 Florida State
Green-Ellis, BenJarvus RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi
Johnson, Dionte FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State
McRae, Kalvin RB 5'9" 208 Ohio
Lumpkin, Kregg RB 6'0" 226 Georgia
Savage, Dantrell RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State
Temple, Tony RB 5'9" 210 Missouri
Bryant, Dorien WR 5'10" 169 Purdue
Hall, D.J. WR 6'2" 190 Alabama
Purify, Maurice WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska
Smith, Taj WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse
Bujnoch, Digger OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati
Felton, Robert OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas
Kraus, Adam OG 6'6" 305 Michigan
Miller, Drew OT 6'5" 302 Florida
O'Donnell, Martin OG 6'5" 312 Illinois
Polumbus, Tyler OT 6'8" 312 Colorado
Radovich, Drew OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Spanos, Matt C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Blake, Tommy DE 6'3" 272 TCU
Geathers, Jeremy DE 6'2" 256 UNLV
Gilberry, Wallace DE 6'3" 263 Alabama
McClinton, James DT 6'0" 289 Kansas
McDuffie, Chris DT 6'4" 330 Clemson
Robertson, Darrell DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech
Brown, Titus OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State
Hall, Vince ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech
Highsmith, Ali OLB 6'0" 226 LSU
Leman, Jeremy LB 6'2" 240 Illinois
Moffitt, Ben OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida
Woodyard, Wesley OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky
Castille, Simeon CB 6'0" 190 Alabama
Wolfe, D.J. CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma
Adams, Jamar S 6'2" 212 Michigan
Brown, Cornelius S 5'11" 200 Missouri
Griffin, Marcus FS 5'10" 201 Texas
Joiner, Tony FS 6'0" 215 Florida
Warrick, Nehemiah SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State

Joe Novak, 63 today

2008-04-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Joe Novak, former Northern Illinois head football coach, turned 63 today. He coached the way a Cradle of Coaches coach should coach.

As the Northern press guide says, "Honesty. Integrity. Respect. These are the principles that have guided Joe Novak, not only throughout his 11-year tenure as head coach of the Northern Illinois football team, but throughout his 40 years as a football coach."

He also had Northern running the heck out of the ball. And he came up with great running backs, very good offensive linemen, smart quarterbacks, and tough defenses. He did it the right way.

Joe, have a good day today. We'll miss ya, but we won't miss watching the RedHawks defense get just run over.

Look at the picture at OldCleat got from the mutha. He looks like the second coming of Bo Schembechler. Love it.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Hot Dog Day, Danger Dog Day, April 18

2008-04-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

April 18 is Hot Dog Day, though I am ready to call Danger Dog Day. I went to SuperDawg today (don't tell Doug), and I am having a big old hot dog grill out tamale (hot!).

Hot dog day originated at Alfred State University. So I want to extend the tradition to an every year event.

Gatemouth Brown Born April 18, 1924

2008-04-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown would have been 84 years old today. He didn't like being called a blues performer or blues guitarist, but he was one of the best in that genre ever. He also was an accomplished fiddler, and he played a variety of instruments. He also played a variety of genres, including swing, country, rock 'n' roll, and R 'n' B.

I saw Gate in New Orleans in 2001.

Here are some facts from his bio on gatemouth.com, which is no longer active.

Louisiana-born, Texas-raised multi-instrumentalist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown has been dishing up his unique blend of blues, R&B, country, jazz, and Cajun music for more than 50 years. A virtuoso on guitar, violin, harmonica, mandolin, viola, and even drums ...
Brown was born in Vinton, Louisiana, and raised not far from the Gulf Coast in Orange, Texas. He learned guitar and fiddle from his father who played and sang the tunes of the region, including French traditional songs and even German polkas. He reminds us that: "Everybody played music in those days."

He began working professionally as a drummer during World War II. After a stint in the U.S. Army, Gatemouth made his debut as a guitarist in 1947 by simply walking on stage at Don Robey's famed Peacock Club in Houston and picking up an electric Gibson guitar that an ailing T-Bone Walker had put down mid-show. Gate so wowed the audience, playing his own "Gatemouth Boogie," that within a few minutes he had been showered with $600 in tips - a large haul in those cash-strapped days.

Robey soon had Brown fronting a 23-piece orchestra on a tour across the South and Southwest. The manager then formed Peacock Records, the first successful post-war, black-owned record label, to take Gateï¿½s sound to a national audience. Dozens of hits soon followed, including "Okie Dokie Stomp," "Boogie Rambler," and "Dirty Work at the Crossroads."

After splitting with Robey, Brown moved to Nashville, where he hosted a television show and began adding country music to his repertoire, even recording with Roy Clark and appearing on Hee Haw. Heavy touring in the 1970s established new audiences in Europe, East Africa, and the Soviet Union, where Gate toured as a musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department.

Here is a bit from World Music.

... the club's owner, a Houston businessman named Don Robey. Robey hired Gate to play the club and eventually became his manager. He teamed Gate with a swinging 23-piece orchestra and booked him into venues across the South and Southwest.

Gatemouth made his first records for Hollywood's Alladin Records in 1947. When Alladin's promotion and release schedules didn't live up to expectations, Robey founded Peacock Records as an outlet for Gate's music. Dozens of Brown's records, including Okie Dokie Stomp, Boogie Rambler, Just Before Dawn and Dirty Work At The Crossroads, became big hits. Beginning with Gate's hits, in a few years Peacock grew to become a major independent R&B record label, with an artist roster that included stars like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Parker and Joe Hinton.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown didn't like being called a blues performer or blues guitarist, but he was one of the best in that genre ever. He also was an accomplished fiddler, and he played a variety of instruments. He also played a variety of genres, including swing, country, rock 'n' roll, and R 'n' B.

Chuck Bresnahan Gone -- Bengals Fire D Coordinator

2008-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Chuck Bresnahan is no longer the D coordinator of the Bengals. This is good news to all Bengal fans who have suffered through a third-down easy completion for 15 yards on a third-and-12 by a crapola offense quarterbacked by Brock Berlin or Shaun Hill.

The Bengals need some help on their team. But this was the No. 1 problem on their team if you ask me. Not getting off the field on third down killed the Bengals. This problem has hurt them for years.

And it made everything else on their team seem worse. Their offense looked pretty good. But they always seemed to be pressing (especially Carson Palmer). And usually it was because they weren't on the field very long, and when they were on the field, they were usually having to score.

Marvin Lewis ran one of the greatest defensive teams in the recent history of the NFL when he ran the Baltimore Ravens. He needs to find a D coordinator who believes in his philosophy. I don't think that Bresnahan did.

Joe Nuxhall: Hero, Great Guy

2007-11-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Joe Nuxhall was the best. I did a post on RedReporter regarding Joe Nuxhall, calling him my hero and saying I want to be half one day that he was. I just wanted to express my appreciation for the man.

I met him on one occasion, when he was going around with the Reds Caravan in the 1980s with Marty Brenneman. Nuxy was great. Just the nicest guy, who laughed, joked, kidded around with, and debated in a good-natured way all the fans in the crowd (it was in Oxford at Miami) who had come to talk a little baseball in February.

He then stuck around and talked to each and every one of the kids that wanted to talk after the program was over. And he did. We talked, and one of my favorite memories was when my friend Tammy, an Indians fan, expressed her consternation that the Tribe had traded Von Hayes for some guy named Julio Franco. Now, Tammy is about 5'2" tall, and Nuxy, who was 6'3" or so and a big man, put his big ol' arm around little Tammy and said, "Now, don't you worry, that Franco is a RABBIT." (That was back when Julio Franco was a rabbit.)

I may be biased ... OK, I AM biased, but I thought Joe Nuxhall was a great broadcaster. I live in Chicago now, and I heard Harry Carey for years, and I don't think he had anything on Nuxey. I listened to some of the best broadcasters there are in several different sports, and play-by-play or analyst, I think Joe was among the best ever.

Joe was a great community guy. Joe was very concerned about kids being brought up right, and about a community's commitment to its senior citizens. Nuxy had a vision for a better town, and he put his vision into action. Here are a few articles about that.

Here's a nice quote:

Despite his passing, many of Nuxhall's charitable initiatives will carry on. "Nuxhall was the honorary chairman of our committee to help school funding," said Paul Flood of Fairfield. "In his speech, he said the kids can't help themselves, we have to step up to help them. He always stepped up to help the community. It was never about him."

The great Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News wrote the following:

For many years, Nuxhall put on his old No. 41 uniform and pitched batting
practice and the competitive juices flowed. If a player hit too many line
drives, he might find the next pitch heading for his head, and as he hit the
dirt he'd hear that infectious Nuxhall laugh and a comment like, "Try hitting a
line drive from down there."

But he was beloved by players because Joe
had been there and done that. He thought like a ballplayer and he empathized
with them, spending many hours after games consoling young pitchers who had a
bad night.

"I had a lot those," Joe would tell them. And he had a lot of
very good ones

Nuxhall again is on the ballot for the broadcasters Hall
of Fame. He should already be there. When Brennaman was voted in, they should
have included Nuxy right then. The two are inseparable to fans. It was always
Marty & Joe.

The first time I met Nuxhall was in 1967 at a
basketball game at Miami University, a school he adopted and loved as his own
even though he never attended college.

I was introduced as a young reporter and Nuxhall said, "Son, just be
yourself. Always be yourself. Don't try to be anybody else."

It was sound advice for a guy who thought he wanted to be the next Jim
Murray or Red Smith. Nuxhall was true to his word. He never wanted to be Vin
Scully or Harry Caray. He never changed and never imitated. He was Hamilton Joe,
the ol' left-hander — a unique guy with a distinctive voice and an even more
distinctive style.

In my 35 years of covering the Reds, Nuxhall is in my
top three of all-time nice guys. Right now I can't think of who might be No. 1
or No. 2.

And this is one of my favorite Nuxy quotes:

"You don't replace him," said Chris Welsh, a former Reds pitcher and currently a television broadcaster for the club. "Look how long it took for him to grow into what he was. It's like losing the biggest oak tree in your yard that's been there a century longer than any other tree. Now, all of a sudden, you have this barren spot. You fill it with memories of his voice."

There will never be another Joe Nuxhall.

Lewis Looks for a G.M.; OldCleat is Happy with Lewis

2007-10-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

According to Yahoo Sports Rumors, Marvin Lewis says that the Bengals need a G.M. in charge of personnel.

They have a reputation for drafting guys other teams take off their boards, according to the report.

But the Bengals have done a pretty good to darned good job drafting under Lewis, with some missteps.

OldCleat will be taking a look at the Bengals draft under Lewis.

Lewis's first pick as Bengals defacto G.M. in the 2003 draft was Carson Palmer, who was picked first overall. There were those who thought that Kyle Boller was going to be a better NFL QB. (Chris Mortensen, Len Pasquarelli were there.) So, that goes a little ways toward very good.

Second round, he picked up Eric Steinbach, which was an excellent pick. Third round, 65 overall, Kelley Washington out of Tennessee. I thought this was a great pick. Washington was a very good SEC player. Didn't turn out that way. Look who they passed up:

66 Cory Redding DE Texas Detroit Lions
67 Antwan Peek LB Cincinnati Houston Texans
68 Lance Briggs OLB Arizona Chicago Bears
69 Jason Witten TE Tennessee Dallas Cowboys

Ouch. Fourth round, 98, Dennis Weathersby, CB. Again, was a risk/reward pick. Gunshot victim as a bystander, he might have worked out, but he was injured in a car wreck and was forced from the game. Here is who the Bengals passed on:

99 Artose Pinner RB Kentucky Detroit Lions
100 Todd Johnson DB Florida Chicago Bears
101 Domanick Williams RB Louisiana State Houston Texans
102 Montrae Holland G Florida State New Orleans Saints
103 Bradie James LB Louisiana State Dallas Cowboys
104 George Wrighster TE Oregon Jacksonville Jaguars
105 Onterrio Smith RB Oregon Minnesota Vikings
106 Shaun McDonald WR Arizona State St. Louis Rams
107 DeJuan Groce CB Nebraska St. Louis Rams

Holland is pretty good, James not bad, McDonald has contributed, but, all in all, no big deal.

Second fourth round pick was Jermi Johnson, the slightly overrated FB still on the team. Pretty good.

Fifth round, Khalid Abdullah, a linebacker from Linebacker U II, Mars Hill. Confusing. Who Marvin missed out on:

137 Terrence Holt DB North Carolina State Detroit Lions
138 Robert Mathis DE Alabama A&M Indianapolis Colts
139 Bobby Wade WR Arizona Chicago Bears
140 Derek Pagel DB Iowa New York Jets

Not good. Sixth round was Langston Moore out of South Carolina, a pretty good pick who is currently on the Lions. Pretty good. Scott Kooistra, a seventh rounder, is the backup right tackle, and he was a pretty good pick. The Bengals also took Elton Patterson in the seventh.

The next year was supposed to be Marvin's big draft. He was saying that he knew better what he was doing. The first thing he did was trade out of No. 17 down to 24, picking up starting CB Deltha O'Neal. The Broncos took DJ Williams from Miami. I still take this trade. So far, so good.

Then, Marvin traded down to 26, passing on Steven Jackson. The Bengals took Chris Perry from Michigan instead. Oops. Nobody thought this was good except for Marvin. Bengals also picked up Stacy Andrews in the fourth round. Here are some of the other players the Bengals passed on for No. 26:

27 Jason Babin OLB Western Michigan Houston Texans
28 Chris Gamble CB Ohio State Carolina Panthers
29 Michael Jenkins WR Ohio State Atlanta Falcons
30 Kevin Jones RB Virginia Tech Detroit Lions
31 Rashaun Woods WR Oklahoma State San Francisco 49ers
32 Benjamin Watson TE Georgia New England Patriots

I would say the Bengals were about in the middle of that mess. Gamble might have been nice. Watson is a good TE.

Second round, 49 overall, they picked Keiwan Ratliff, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year CB at Florida. The Bengals just recently cut him. I thought it was a great pick. They got some value out of him, but in the end, he couldn't really cut it as a nickle back. Here are who they passed on.

50 Devery Henderson WR Louisiana State New Orleans Saints
51 Dwan Edwards DT Oregon State Baltimore Ravens
52 Jacob Rogers T USC Dallas Cowboys
53 Michael Boulware DB Florida State Seattle Seahawks
54 Darius Watts WR Marshall Denver Broncos
58 Shawntae Spencer CB Pittsburgh San Francisco 49ers

So they were in the middle to the end of that. Spencer is at least a nickle back.

Not so good there. Then, with the second second round pick they got from the Patriots for Corey Dillon, the Bengals took Madieu Williams. I thought it was a bad pick, and that turned out great. I think he is one of the most underrated safeties in the game.

Third round, No. 80 overall, Bengals take skinney LB from Arkansas, Caleb Miller. That is an OK pick. He is a good backup, special teams player, occasional starter. Here's who they passed on:

81 Chris Cooley TE Utah State Washington Redskins
82 Devard Darling WR Washington State Baltimore Ravens
83 Stephen Peterman G Louisiana State Dallas Cowboys
84 Sean Locklear G North Carolina State Seattle Seahawks
85 Jeremy LeSueur CB Michigan Denver Broncos
86 Jorge Cordova LB Nevada-Reno Jacksonville Jaguars
87 B.J. Sander P Ohio State Green Bay Packers
88 Darrion Scott DE Ohio State Minnesota Vikings
89 Matt Ware DB UCLA Philadelphia Eagles
90 Matt Schaub QB Virginia Atlanta Falcons

So they were near the top of that group. Chris Cooley, Darrion Scott, Matt Schaub, not bad. The others, not great. Last pick of the third round, Bengals take Landon Johnson, a very good pick. He as been a starter for most of his career. Who they passed on:

97 Reggie Torbor DE Auburn New York Giants
98 Shaun Phillips LB Purdue San Diego Chargers
99 Carlos Francis WR Texas Tech Oakland Raiders
100 Alex Stepanovich C Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
101 Demorrio Williams LB Nebraska Atlanta Falcons
102 Will Poole CB USC Miami Dolphins
103 Bo Schobel DE Texas Christian Tennessee Titans

Phillips and Schobel are very good players. But Johnson is just a step or two below that, I think.

Fourth round, Bengals pick Matthias Askew, a DT from Michigan State who really didn't work out. They passed on:

115 Nat Dorsey T Georgia Tech Minnesota Vikings
116 Niko Koutouvides LB Purdue Seattle Seahawks

So no big deal. 117 overall, they take Robert Geathers, DE, out of Georgia. GREAT pick. Sure, he may be a bit overrated because of the sacks, but he's pretty good.

118 Anthony Maddox DT Delta State Jacksonville Jaguars
119 Mewelde Moore RB Tulane Minnesota Vikings
120 Ernest Wilford WR Virginia Tech Jacksonville Jaguars
121 Bruce Thornton CB Georgia Dallas Cowboys
122 Glenn Earl SS Notre Dame Houston Texans

So that's a great pick. Then they took Andrews 123 overall. They passed on:

124 Michael Waddell CB North Carolina Tennessee Titans
125 Jason David CB Washington State Indianapolis Colts
126 Jared Allen DE Idaho State Kansas City Chiefs
127 Richard Seigler LB Oregon State San Francisco 49ers
128 Cedric Cobbs RB Arkansas New England Patriots
129 J.R. Reed DB South Florida Philadelphia Eagles
130 Brandon Chillar OLB UCLA St. Louis Rams
131 Trey Darilek T Texas-El Paso Philadelphia Eagles
132 Adrian Jones T Kansas New York Jets

Sure, Jared Allen hurts. But Andrews is a starting quality guard, and I do think that he could be a starting right tackle in the league.

NFL Leaders in 1997

2007-10-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Just looking at some NFL history. Went back ten years.

In 1997, the overall touchdown leader was a player in his second year in the NFL. I would not have guessed this if you gave me 25 clues. Here they are:

1. He played for the Miami Dolphins.
2. In 1999, he played for the Cleveland Browns.
3. He went to UCLA.
4. He was drafted in the third round of the 1998 draft.
5. He rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 1998.
6. He shared a name with another standout UCLA athlete, at least in pronounciation, if not spelling.

Give up?

It was Karim Abdul-Jabbar. How soon we forget.

OK, here's another one:

This Oakland Raider running back in 1997 finished fifth in the NFL in rushing with 1,294 yards. Who was he?

1. It was his third year in the NFL.
2. He was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 1995.
3. He went to the University of Washington.
4. He finished ninth in Heisman voting in 1994.
5. He ended up splitting time with Tyrone Wheatley after the '95 season.
6. He shares a first name with a little French dictator of the Nineteenth Century.

Give up?

It was Napolean Kaufmann.

OK. Last one. In 1997, this quarterback lead the NFL with 35 TD passes. I'll give you one clue:

1. In 1997, he played for the Green Bay Packers.

Da Cubss ... Why This Year Feels Different

2007-10-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just being in Chicago with the Cubs in the playoffs, 2007 feels so much different than 2003. I am not a Cubs fan, but I've lived among them now for 22 years. They are in the playoffs (though they lost Game One last night). But this year is different.

In 2003, there was actual hope. In Dusty did they all Trusty. They had Wood. And Prior Knowledge.

But then came Game Six of the 2003 NLCS. You know, the game with He Who Shall Not Be Named in OldCleat's blog because it was not his fault, really.

Having gone to the seat that the unfortunate Cubs fan sat in and looking down on the field, it looks to me like Moises Alou would have had to have been Dikembe Mutumbo to have gotten that pop foul.

Anyway, it wasn't just that game, I believe, that has exacerbated the angst. The strum und drang.

First, it was the Red Sox. Misery loves company, and when they won it in '04, it gave the Cub fans hope for '05, which, of course, hurt worse when it didn't happen.

But at least it wasn't happening for Chicago baseball.

Then came 2005. Grinder Ball. Ozzie. Good Guys Wear Black.

When the White Sox won the Series in '05, that was when the Cubs fans KNEW that they were toast. No more Sammy. No more Dusty. No more Woody (well ... he is sorta still around).

The Cubs in 2006 were a morass. They finished in sixth place in the N.L. Central.

But with Sweet Lou and a whole bunch of money, they turned it around and got in the playoffs by finishing first in the Central this year.

And I have never seen more long, unhappy faces.

Sure, they are all wearing their silly Cub uni tops. And they act like they believe.

But they don't. They sit in fear and loathing, waiting for the crapola to hit the old fan. It isn't fun. '98 was fun. 2003 was more fun than this. Nothin', of course, beat 1984. But this is just morose.

Have some fun, Cub fans. It sure as hell beats having seven losing seasons in a row, like the Reds have had.

Bengals History: Additional Twists

2007-09-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

There were some additional twists in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise.

In 1967 a Cincinnati-based ownership group led by Paul Brown was granted a franchise in the American Football League.

By 1966, Paul Brown wanted to become involved in professional football again. James A. Rhodes, then the governor of Ohio, convinced Brown that Ohio needed a second team. Cincinnati was deemed the logical choice, in essence, splitting the state.

However, Brown was not a supporter of the rival American Football League, stating that "I didn't pay 10 million dollars to be in the AFL," He only acquiesced to joining the AFL when he was guaranteed that the team would become an NFL franchise after the impending merger of the two leagues.

There was also a complication: the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds were in need of a facility to replace the antiquated, obsolete Crosley Field, which they had used since 1912. Parking nightmares had plagued the city as far back as the 1950s, the little park lacked modern amenities, and New York City, which in 1956 had lost both their National League teams, the Dodgers and the Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, were actively courting Powel Crosley. However, Crosley was adamant that the Reds remain in Cincinnati and tolerated worsening problems with the Crosley Field location, which were increased with the Millcreek Expressway (I-75) project that ran alongside the park.

With assistance from Ohio governor James A. Rhodes, Hamilton County and the Cincinnati city council agreed to build a single multi-purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city. The new facility had to be ready by the opening of the 1970 NFL season and was officially named Riverfront Stadium, which was its working title.

Here is another take:

Planning for the Cincinnati Bengals franchise began three full years before the team began playing in the American Football League in 1968. Paul Brown, who had enjoyed exceptional success as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for 17 seasons before departing in 1962, had the urge to get back into pro football. In 1965, he met with then-Governor Jim Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team. A year later in 1966, Cincinnati's city council approved the construction of 60,389-seat Riverfront Stadium, which was scheduled for completion by 1970. The next year, a group headed by Brown was awarded an American Football League franchise that would begin play in 1968. Brown named his team the Bengals in recognition of previous Cincinnati pro football franchises with the same name in the 1930s and 1940s.

And then there's this monkey business that tells of the original ownership group, and a little of how Mike Brown gained control of the franchise.

During the dance to keep the Cincinnati Bengals from moving to Baltimore, team president Mike Brown was asked in 1995 if he could help fund a new stadium in Cincinnati.

During the dance to keep the Cincinnati Bengals from moving to Baltimore, team president Mike Brown was asked in 1995 if he could help fund a new stadium in Cincinnati.

He's right. He didn't. Twelve years earlier, his father, Paul Brown, the legendary NFL coach and founder of the Bengals, signed away the family's profits so that one day 10 years down the road, his son Mike could own and control the team.

From 1984 to 1993, the Bengals paid out every penny of profit — $66 million — to shareholders. Nearly all of that money was paid to John Sawyer and Austin Knowlton, the men whose money brought the new franchise to Cincinnati in 1968.

And some more:

Upset at losing control of and being fired as coach of the team that bears his name by the Cleveland Browns upstart owner Art Modell, football pioneer Paul Brown rebounded by planning to bring a professional team to Cincinnati.

Brown sought the political clout of Ohio Gov. James Rhodes but needed money. He turned to John Sawyer, owner of a farm management and estate brokerage firm, and a Columbus-area construction company owner named Austin E. Knowlton, known to all as "Dutch."

Before the Bengals were born in 1967, Knowlton already was a wealthy construction company owner interested in professional athletics. In addition to helping form the Bengals, over his lifetime Knowlton also was the majority owner of the Cincinnati Reds and was active in the horse racing industry, serving as a trustee of the Brown Jug Society, which runs the Triple Crown for standard bred pacing horses, as well as a breeder of show horses at his Emerald Farm outside Columbus.

As owner of 236 of the 586 shares of Bengals stock, Knowlton controlled the largest block of shares, something Chesley believes irked Mike Brown, current team president and son of Paul Brown.

That, Chesley suggested, was the driving force behind the Brown family's eventual purchase of 60 of Knowlton's Bengals shares that gave the Browns control of the team. Brown and Knowlton signed a controversial 1983 document that gave the Brown family the option to buy those 60 shares for $6 million, or $100,000 per share, a shockingly low price, Chesley maintains.

Bengals History: It was 40 Years Ago Today

2007-09-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Bengals History:

I saw this today on the NFL website:

NFL History
September 27, 1967
A group with Paul Brown as part owner, general manager, and head coach, was awarded the Cincinnati franchise.

Growing up in Cincy, I was a fan. All my life.

I looked up some history of the franchise. I found some on some interesting websites.

In 1965 Paul Brown and Ohio governor James Rhodes met with Cincinnati civic leaders about bringing a pro football team to the city. In 1966 Cincinnati city council set aside a 48 acre site that later would be used to construct a stadium that would house the Reds and a pro football team. With the promise of a new stadium Brown was awarded an AFL expansion team on September 27, 1967. Although many names were suggested the most popular being the Buckeyes, Brown rejected it to avoid confusion with Ohio State University and name the team the Bengals in honor of an earlier Cincinnati AFL football team of the late 30's and early 40's.

This was a recently published article that I thought was very well done:

Brown signed Stofa, the ex-Miami Dolphin, as the first Bengal on Dec. 27, 1967. Now the team needed a center. So Brown tapped Bob Johnson, an All-America from Tennessee, as his top draft pick on Jan. 30, 1968, and immediately installed him as the captain.

"I was the first guy drafted, so for an expansion team it was like I was one of the few guys that probably knew he was going to make the team," Johnson said. "You walked in and Coach Brown made me the captain, but you were the captain of sort of a strange, unusual collection of people.

"If you look back at that group, there were some good players, but as you would expect, there was no really good players in the prime of their career. They were either at the tail end or were viewed to be marginal."
Johnson played 12 seasons (1968-79), and his number — 54 — is the only one retired in club history.

Here is how the Bengals website has the history:

The Bengals arrive on Sept. 26, 1967 in a birth announcement at a packed house in the Sheraton Gibson Hotel as the newest member of the American Football League.

But the labor pains begin long before on the back porch of Paul Brown's home in exile in La Jolla, Calif., where one of his former Ohio State players, Bill Hackett, a London, Ohio veterinarian, urges him to be NFL commissioner when the job opens up again.

Brown tells Hackett what he really wants to do is own a team and the comments spark a Dec. 14, 1965 meeting of 125 Cincinnati businessmen listening to Brown make the irresistible pitch to bring an American Football League franchise to Cincinnati with local entrepreneur John Sawyer as a critical go-between.

The city and the sport are meeting in just that right intersection of opportunity and luck. Professional football is about to explode on the American scene and overtake baseball as the national pasttime, and even though Brown has been out of the game more than two years he remains one of its most recognizable faces and names.

Mike Brown, Paul's son and a Cleveland attorney, has surveyed potential cities for pro football expansion and recommends Cincinnati because of its market size and his father's Ohio ties.

The road is arduous. There must be a stadium built and there must be an accommodation with baseball's Reds, one of the country's most treasured civic prizes.

Plus, amid the NFL and AFL's trench warfare, there are peace talks about a merger, and Brown's group has to negotiate through the political minefields of not one, but two leagues.

They have help.
Ohio governor James Rhodes takes a break this night from the introductory news conference outside the hotel and recalls how he made "22 trips outside of Ohio just on this." NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, who owes his position in some measure to the day in 1960 Brown turned down the job, is a key ally. Cincinnati city officials like mayor Gene Ruehlmann roll up their sleeves in brokering a deal with the Reds and Bengals for one multipurpose stadium on the riverfront.

"When I assured (Rhodes) that I was serious enough to invest a sizable amount of my own money, he began setting up a series of meetings that really started the franchise on its way," Brown later writes in his autobiography with Jack Clary.

"It wasn't too long before I was commuting often between California and Cincinnati in 1966, meeting prospective members of our ownership group and working on the details that attach themselves to such a massive venture. When I wasn't in Ohio, I was being awakened nearly every morning in La Jolla by Bill Hackett's phone calls giving me the latest news."

But it is the sheer force of Brown's personality and accomplishments that drive it. A legendary high school coach in Massillon, Ohio. Coach of a national champion at Ohio State. One of the founders and coach of a Cleveland Browns franchise that became the NFL's first dynasty.

Since Brown's firing at the end of the 1962 season by Browns owner Art Modell, all eyes have been on his return to pro football and five years later the microphones and cameras find him in Cincinnati as owner, general manager and, everyone assumes, head coach.

"This is like coming home," Brown says, barely a month removed from his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. "I'm living again. It's a happy day for me and I hope it turns out to be a happy day for Cincinnati and its environs."

There are plenty of details still dangling.
Two of the sites mentioned as possible venues for the two seasons before the stadium is finished are the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium and the Reds' Crosley Field.

And there is the matter of a name, although no doubt the name of Cincinnati's pro team in the late '30s, the Bengals, will resonate with Brown.

Even the coaching job has yet to be hammered down definitely. Brown, who'll turn 60 the day after his team's first game in September of 1968, admits he'll probably coach at least that first season and "take the bumps."
But two things are certain.

Cincinnati is a two-sport town on the pro scene and Paul Brown is back.

"I'm breathing again," he says on a September night the Bengals take their first breath.

Griffey Is Between Frank Robinson and McGwire: That's About Right

2007-06-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ken Griffey Jr. is now in-between Frank Robinson and Mark McGwire in terms of career home runs. Frank Robinson is ahead of him with 586 dingers, while Junior has 584, and McGwire finished with 583.

Looking at the careers of these three, it is amazing to me how many big seasons McGwire had bunched into his relatively shorter career. It's like he was really primed for fewer seasons. This compares with Griffey, who had more seasons that were the best in the league (though not 70 and 65 homer seasons).

Finally, it is really instructive to see Frank Robinson's career. Wow. The length, the productivity, the fact that he was in the top 10 of his league in homers in 15 seasons, and that he hit over 39 homers only in his Triple Crown year of 1966.

With Junior going to pass Robinson ... maybe this week, this is a good time to sit back and really take stock of Frank Robinson's career. He certainly may be the most underappreciated great player of all time.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Terry Hoeppner: Great Man, Great Coach

2007-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Terry Hoeppner died Tuesday of complications from a brain tumor.

Months after Randy Walker, former Miami player and head football coach, died unexpectedly at a very young age, his assistant, Hoeppner, died at the age of 59.

Hoeppner was what you want a coach and a man to be. He was optimistic without being unrealistic and confident without being cocky. He knew how to handle the good times and more importantly the bad times. He was one of my favorite coaches of all time (as was Walker).

Like the time that Miami lost a very tough, very close game against Marshall at Marshall in the last seconds. Things got out of hand after the game. One Miami assistant coach was led off the field in handcuffs, while another basically trashed the visiting coaches booth. Hoeppner handled the situation with grace and humility. He apologized for the actions of the staff. And he said that Miami had had a streak of 70 straight years of acting with class that was broken, and that the'll just have to start another streak starting today.

As the coach of the mid-major Miami (my alma mater), he had a saying that he would meet anybody, any place, any time. The RedHawks were not afraid to play any team.

It of course helped to have Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback during the 13-1 season of 2003. But those teams were stacked with good players who played the game tough and right. It was Hoeppner who got those players and had them playing well.

Hep had the Hoosiers on the right track. They were going to be pretty good pretty soon. It may be a tough road to win consistently at Indiana. But they are on the right track.

OldCleat

Mr. Briggs Goes to Washington, Perhaps

2007-03-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lance Briggs, Bears linebacker and all-around unhappy camper, and his agent what's his name are pushing a trade from the Bears to the Washingtons, according to Len Pasquarelli. What's his name and Washington's owner, Daniel Snyder, can agree to a contract, Lenny the P reports.

The thing that is disturbing in this whole scenario is the fact that the players through their association, the Player's Association, agreed to the whole franchise tag system that the NFL teams employ. But Briggs and what's are really just jobbing the system. Briggs said he would sit out the first 10 games and then play the six so that he gets credit for the whole year.

Washington will propose a swap of first-round draft picks in this year's draft -- the Redskins own the sixth overall selection and Chicago has the 31st choice -- in exchange for Briggs.

I don't think this is enough for Briggs. If I were Bears GM Jerry Angelo, I'd look around to see if there is a team or two that they could job the system right back. Unfortunately, the Bears I think have to protect themselves in this situation. So they have to be buyers for the right deal.

But the unhappiness of every player who is franchised (except for kickers) has to be addressed. Each player who gets slapped, so to speak, with the tag is upset.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Peter King Loves Pats Moves; OldCleat Does NOT

2007-03-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Peter King, in this week's SI, lovingly describes a New England Patriots offseason as one for the ages. "In New England, the rich don't just get richer. They get smarter," King coos. Well, I disagree. They have signed Adalius Thomas ... and that is their best offseason move so far.

I have no problem giving the Patriots credit when they've done the right thing. And they've done the right thing over and over and over again in their recent history. Most notably, they drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round of the draft in 2000.

This of course made up for the fact that they passed on Brady and instead drafted Adrian Klemm in the second round, J.R. Redmond in the third round, Greg Randall in the fourth round, the incomparable Dave Stachelski and Jeff Marriott in the fifth round, and Antwan Harris in the sixth round before Brady. I guess I'm saying that the Pats lucked into Tom Brady.

They were also lucky that Cleveland drafted the really incomparable SpergonWynn of S.W. Texas State and New Orleans drafted MarcBulger (actually, this was a pretty good pick) in the 2000 sixth round before the Pats tabbed Brady. So I guess I'm saying that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli are good, very good, but not geniuses.

But this offseason I think has been a not great one for the Pats. The Thomas move was very good, because Belichick will be able to put him in situations to succeed. I will say one thing, however. While the Pats picked up Thomas, they lost Tully Banta-Cain. This may be a little thing. But it all adds up.

I thought the Pats were very smart in being able to get a first-round pick last year for Deion Branch. However, this offseason, they had to trade a second and a seventh for Wes Welker, who is not close to being as good a wide receiver, to replace Branch. They gave up too much for Wes Welker, and that also makes the Branch deal a little less wonderful.

As for their other starter at wideout, they signed Donte' Stallworth with a $12 million signing bonus for a contract worth $30 million over six years (how muchdid Branch want?). Stallworth's best season: 70 catches, 945 yards, 13.5 yards per catch, and 7 TDs. He's been in the league five years. The Saints and Eagles ain't losing sleep over losing him. Good signing?

Last year, King notes, the Pats had to suffer with Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Troy Brown as their wideouts. I agree. But they are trying to fix their problem with Stallworth and Kelley Washington, who was a disappointment with the Bengals. Washington's best season was his second, with 31 receptions, 378 yards, 12.2 yards per catch, and 3 TDs. While his signing bonus was only $300,000, he has a $4 million bonus due in 2008. Bet he doesn't collect it. I've seen him play for four years in Cincinnati. He's not as good a player as he thinks he is. Washington sort of reminds me of David Terrell, without all the talent.

King says "2006 first-round pick Laurence Maroney [is] ready to become a 300-carry-a-season running back," though it appeared to me that Maroney was badly faded at the end of his rookie year. I believe the Pats had to cut Corey Dillon, though.

Been there. Dillon became unhappy in New England just like he did in Cincinnati. But King is happy with the Sammy Morris sign as an alternative. He can't be serious. I think Heath Evans is a better player than Sammy Morris. The Pats better keep looking for another back.

The Pats lost Daniel Graham at tight end, which is fine, because he wasn't their best tight end and wasn't worth $6 million a year. But then they signed a badly faded Kyle Brady for almost $3 million a year. Terrible signing. I remember Belichick almost jumping off a roof as Cleveland's head coach a hundred years ago because Kyle Brady was drafted right in front of his pick. He then traded the rights to J.J. Stokes in a huff, which turned out to be a pretty good call, though I thought it was a terrible decision at the time.

And finally, there's the Asante Samuel franchise tag for $7.79 million for one year. That's a tough one for me to decide on, because there are no good corners on the B-list. But a few years ago, the Pats would have let him walk and drafted a guy like, well, Asante Samuel in the fourth round and plugged him in.

King says: "New England's flurry of activity doesn't signify a shift in philosophy." Horsefeathers. I think the Thomas sign doesn't shift their philosophy, because they were willing to go after great, best-in-class, expensive, available players before, such as Dillon or Roosevelt Colvin. But when have they started overspending for guys like Stallworth? Or spending $5 million for the first two years of a mediocrity like Sammy Morris? Kelley Washington?

There is still time in the offseason to stick to what makes the Patriots the Patriots. The Pats haveplenty of time to pick up a couple of good players very cheap very late, a bargain like Edgerton Hartwell or Warrick Holdman, or even a LaVar Arrington at linebacker. They could get a Mike Doss at safety or a Kevan Barlow at running back at dime store prices, and that would be the Patriots I know and respect.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Pass Interference Rule Is Looked at By Mike Nolan

2007-03-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

The pass interference rule in the NFL has been a source of frustration for years. Mike Nolan, the coach of the Niners and Dick Nolan's son, has stepped up and is being counted. He is asking the competition committee to let the officials have some say as to whether the pass interference call should be a spot foul or a 15-yard penalty.

I think that many of the pass interference calls really hurt the game. I have seen terrible calls getting 50 yards for the offense. I've seen two players go for the ball, and the offense getting an automatic first-and-goal from the one-yard line.

There are other penalties that need to be addressed. I think the 5-yard chuck rule being an automatic first down is a bad rule. There should be a minor roughing the passer rule that is a 5-yard and play over rule, and a major roughing the passer rule that is a 15-yard personal foul. I think the sideline rulings have become bad; many of these players are making football plays, and they get the 15 -yard penalties because the opposing player steps out of bounds nano-seconds before the action happens.

The NFL officials need some more flexibility on these plays.

Deon Grant Sees Safety in Numbers

2007-03-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Deon Grant is now the third-highest paid safety in the NFL, according to John Clayton of ESPN. Wow, that's a whole lotta dough for a mediocre safety. Grant is nowhere near a top safety in the NFL, nor does he have any sort of special skill that would warrent an $11 million signing bonus.

Teams are throwing their monies around. While I don't think it's as bad a signing as Leonard Davis, (who received more than $13 million in a signing bonus), Grant isn't that great of a player. And Davis at least has an appreciable skill of being a road grader that makes him somewhat attractive as a player. Grant isn't a huge sticker, and I've never heard anyone who has been wowed by his cover ability or speed.

Ed Reed makes more, but is much better. Best safety in the league. Roy Williams makes more, but is a much better tackler and a play-at-the-line sort of safety. Adam Archlata was signed for too much money last year, but at least he is really fast for a 215-pounder. Micheal Lewis was a pro bowler and a pretty great player.

ESPN has Grant listed as the second-best free agent saftey available, behind Ken Hamlin. I call that damning with faint praise. Of course, that says even less for the fellas that are behind these two, such as Terrence Kiel, Mike Doss, Robert Griffith, Kevin Kaesviharn, Shaun Williams, Terrence Holt, Todd Johnson, Troy Vincent, Tyrone Carter, or Tony Parrish. But I would say that all of those safeties offer something that Grant doesn't, one way or the other. (I say that even though Kevin Kaesviharn has driven me to drink several times in the last several years.) Most are better run supporters, some are better coverage guys, and a few are younger.

Grant's an OK player, not the third best safety in the league. You have to play the salary cap game correctly in the NFL, and this isn't a signing that will do that. What happened to the idea a few years ago that Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick were geniuses for not signing mediocre to good players for huge salaries?

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Cleveland Rocks the Offseason

2007-03-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

Say what you want, but to me, it looks like Cleveland is having a helluva offseason. The Browns struck early, bagging Eric Steinbach. Did they overpay? Maybe. But at least they paid for a young, athletic offensive lineman who can swing to tackle (even left tackle) if they need him to. He has the most upside of all the offensive lineman in free agency this year.

Then, they added Jamal Lewis. With the uncertain status of Reuben Droughns, Lewis was a fantastic pickup. He will pound between the tackles. This makes Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson better, makes Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow (who is a warrior!!!) more dangerous. Maybe Lewis won't take it to the house 70 yards away anymore, but he will pound you. I hear that they may cut Droughns. That may not be a bad move, salary cap wise. But if he is on the Browns, that's just ensuring that you have a couple of pounders.

On defense, the Browns signed Kenny Wright, a mediocre corner in a mediocre class, and Antwan Peek. Peek didn't pan out for the Texans as an outside linebacker in the 3-4, but maybe he will for the Browns. Maybe not, but if you run the 3-4, you can never have too many options. Mike Vrabel didn't pan out for the Steelers as a backer in the 3-4, and he's had a pretty good run in New England. Wright, well, what the hey, there aren't too many other options.

What did the Browns lose? Dennis Northcutt. No biggie.

Cleveland hasn't made the moves that Denver has, but the Brownies have improved.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Paydirt: Might as well jump

2007-01-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Might as well JUMP. There is a nice list of juniors who are jumping to the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. Dwayne Jarrett and Adrian Peterson join that list. Jarrett sure looked good against Michigan. I would be a little leery of him, however. He just looks skinny to me. But I love Adrian Peterson. He certainly is a guy I would take a chance on. He could be a franchise-making running back.

Walk on by. Darius Walker, the Notre Dame tailback who could have used a few more carries against LSU, saw that Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma was going to go pro, so he immediately announced that he, too, was going to skip his senior season and go pro. Actually, I don't quite know what Walker is thinking. Walker is listed at 5-10, 208. He doesn't look 208 to me. He looks smaller. I imagine he will be a second-day pick, maybe a fifth or sixth rounder like Walli Lundy, who was picked fairly low out of Virginia. Lundy had a nice rookie season. To me, Marshawn Lynch of Cal seems to be the better breakaway back.

Conversation. "Roger?" "Yes?" "Roger, it's Paul." "Paul, how are you?" "Fine, Roger, fine. Now listen, Roger. My jacket size is 46, 2XL. Now my tailor is coming over to fit up the sleeves and take in at the waist. I have such a hard time being fitted for jackets." "Well, yes sir. That'll be fine." "And Roger, I'm going to have my fabric gal come over and discuss options for the gold. You know, Old Pete picked those out, and they are just garish. You know I told him many times that Chan didn't like them and that we should change them." "Yes sir." "Now, Roger, instead of that chintzy stuff, I'm going to get a nice breathable wool, and my gal ... I don't recall her name..." "It's Mitzy, sir." "Oh yes, Mitzy, is going to tone down that gold." "Is that all sir?" "Well, that's it for now. Give my best to Jane. I've called over at Michael's, and now they should be able to get you in next Tuesday." "Thank you Paul. Goodbye."

Paydirt: Famers.

2007-01-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

Famers. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn Sr. were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. Ripken is No. 3 in voting percentage all time, with 98.53 percent of the votes cast for him. He beat out Ty Cobb, George Brett, and Hank Aaron. I can see Brett, maybe. That a higher percentage of voters voted for him than Aaron is ludicrous. I like Ripken, but ... . Tony Gwynn received 97.61 percent of the vote, higher than Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, Steve Carlton, BABE RUTH, and Honus Wagner. That is insane. Sorry, Tony, but that is just wrong.

Flex time. Mark McGwire received 23.5 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The minimum needed was 75 percent of the vote. Many didn't vote for him because they think he might have taken steroids. Many argue that the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" applies in a court of law, but this ain't a court of law. That is probably true. However, when sitting in judgement of someone, you need to have some sort of due process, and McGwire's Congressional testimony doesn't cut it for me as far as due process. And certainly Jose Canseco's book means nothing to me. McGwire was a 12-time All-Star, he is 13th all-time in on-base plus slugging percentage, 10th all-time in slugging percentage, and is No. 1 all-time in home runs per at-bat. I think he is a Hall of Famer, and I think he belongs in Cooperstown.

My name is Jose. What about Canseco? He received six votes for the Hall of Fame, and he is no longer eligible for elections by the BBWAA. He was a six-time All-Star. He was in the top five in slugging in his league five times, and he won an MVP award. He may not be a Hall of Famer, but he was worth more than six votes.

E. One of my top 10 favorite players of all time, Eric Davis, received just three votes (half as many as Canseco!?!) and is also no longer eligible. Davis won three Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger awards ... and that's about it. But he was about as five-tool as you can come. Unfortunately for him, that sixth tool, namely staying healthy, wasn't in his arsenal.

Goose, Rice, Andre, Bert. Goose Gossage, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, and Bert Blyleven are the next four on the list that still have not gotten in. I hope that they do next year. They all deserve to.

Good Broncos. I think that Florida deserved the No. ranking in college football this year. I think the Broncos of Boise State should have been No. 2. They didn't play for the National Championship, so the team that wins that game deserves it. But they won their BCS bowl, and every other game that they played this year.

Bad Broncos. Not to single out Mike Shanahan, but he is responsible for firing Larry Coyer, the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. They has the best defense in the NFL after five games, and finished the season 14th overall. If you're a half-empty guy, that means you slipped 13 places in 11 games. If you're a half-full guy, it means that your defensive was top-half of the league, even though your offense wasn't holding on to the ball as much as it had been earlier. But it seems that NFL head coaches are throwing over their coordinators (and other assorted assistant coaches) much more than they had 15 or 20 years ago.

Paydirt: Whoops, I think the Gators just scored again.

2007-01-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

Whoops, I think the Gators just scored again. Watchingthe BCS Championship Game last night, I was struck by how similar it was to the 1996 Fiesta Bowl game that Nebraska beat Florida 62-24. In that game, Florida kept using five-wide formations all night (before that was a totally accepted concept). The problem was, Nebraska's defense was so much faster than Florida's O-line that they beat the living bejesus out of DannyWuerffel. Florida's passing offense didn't produce first downs and points. Last night, Ohio State didn't adjust during the game. Florida's defensive ends specifically and D-line generally were beating OSU's O-line soundly. At some point, you need to keep more blockers in.

In the zone. At some point, if you are getting whupped by a team that is throwing bubble screen and four-yard passes time and time again, you need to get out of your zone and start manning up with some deep safety help. Yet the Buckeyes let Florida just carve 'em up.

Chris Leak. All the things thatI've now read about this kid, and, yes, I compared him to Troy Smith unfavorably ... for all that, this kid is classy. He came to Florida with huge fanfare, and he left the all-time leading passer and National Champion. Enjoy this time, Chris. You earned it probably more than most.

Ginn up the works. Boy, is Ted Ginn fast.

Zooker. If I were an Illinois fan, and I admit that I am a Ron Zook fan, I would be giddy right now. Zook knows how to recruit. I actually think he knows how to coach as well. And when it comes down to it, there isn't really much more than those two factors. I think the Illini future looks pretty good.

Paydirt

2007-01-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

You can call me Bobby. Atlanta hired Bobby Petrino. I liked Jim Mora better, and I think that the Falcons should have stuck with him. But Petrino has some NFL coaching experience as a quarterbacks coach and an offensive coodinator. John L. Smith built the Louisville program, and Petrino took it over and advanced it a little bit. (Just a thought, but maybe Smith will come back to Louisville. I think he is fun to watch.) But the NFL is another kettle of meat. (from Bob Dylan's "Quinn the Mighty Eskimo": "Ain't my cup of meat".) More coaching changes. I think that this move helps the Steelers. Strike another team off of the Wisenhunt-Grimm bandwagon. Arizona, Miami, Oakland, and Pittsburgh are still looking. Here are some of the rumors. Norm Chow, former USC and BYU offensive coordinator and current Tennessee Titan offensive coordinator, to Arizona to coach Matt Leinart. The Dolphins are going to go all out after Pete Carroll, USC's head coach. If I were the decision maker in Pittsburgh, I would go for Russ Grimm. I also may try to start a Mike Ditka rumor to Pittsburgh. That could be fun. Oakland? Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, Buddy Ryan's kid, would seem to be the front-runner. He's a Raider now. The players like him. His defense played very well. God help 'em if they pick John Shoop. I also could see them going to Ken Wisenhunt, the Steelers offensive coordinator. I would love to see Mike Singletary be a head coach somewhere. But I don't think Oakland would be the place. Tom Coughlin will be back with the Giants if the Giants can't convince Charley Weis or Bill Parcells to come coach in New York. Tony the Slip. Shut up already about the shiny, slippery football. Tony Romo just didn't handle it. Reminds all of the Brad St. Louis-Kyle Larson botched snap that killed the Bengals' playoff chances. Here's a thought: have a wide receiver do the holding. A wideout should have better hands than a backup quarterback, not to mention a punter. WRs should beway more athletic when the snap is no good. The added arm strength a QB should be offset by the speed and the fact that a wide receiver wouldn't really need tothrow a deep out on a botched extra point or even a botched field goal. Rex Kern lives. Ohio State will win the National Championship game tonight 30-14 over Florida. You say it's your birthday? Happy birthday, King. Seventy-two, if my counting is right. My friend, Hot Doug, who owns a hot dog stand, has the Dr. George Nichopoulos as his special sausage today. The game sausage of the week? Gator. Go Buckeyes.

Paydirt

2007-01-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Cowher power. Bill Cowher more than anything did the nearly impossible, namely, replace a Hall of Fame coach like Chuck Noll, and have a Hall of Fame career right after. Off the top of my head: Tommy Lasorda for the Dodgers, Bill Russell (maybe?) for the Celtics and Tom Osborne at Nebraska maybe sorta equal what Cowher did. I'll have to do some more research on that. Shell game. Poor darned Art Shell. I feel I doomed him bysaying it was the best coaching hire of the year. But, more, I feel bad for him because I think he deserved another shot at an NFL head coaching job for years, and when he finally got it, he really laid an egg. You can win anywhere in the NFL, but that Raiders job would be the worst place to be a head coach in the league right now, if you ask me. Secret Leak. Chris Leak was the No. 1 player out of high school as a senior four years ago. Quarterback. Signed famously for Florida. Is Florida's all-time passing yardage leader. Starter as a freshman. Won the SEC title several times. Is playing for a National Championship Monday night. Andthe biggest name in the game? Troy Smith. Smith wins the Heisman. Smith will probably be a first-day pick in the NFL draft, maybe a first-rounder. I'll be interested to see if Leak is drafted, and if he is, where. [Todd McShay of ESPN has Chris Leak as the No. 7 QB in the draft, after Kevin Kolb of Houston. He also said that Leak merits some consideration as a second-day prospect.] And Smith wasn't not only not heralded coming out of high school, he wasn't the starter his sophomore year. It was Justin Zwick, also a sophomore and the big-name high school recruit QB for the Buckeyes. Remeber that when you hear about such-and-such a school winning the recruiting wars in football.

Paydirt

2007-01-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Oops, I think LSU just scored again. The Tigers did anumber on the Irish in the Sugar Bowl. Be interesting to see how JaMarcus Russell is perceived by the NFL, or at least fans. He has a real nice arm and is huge. He doesn't seem to be real close to NFL-ready, but he can chuck. Quinn the Mighty Raider? If there is a team that needs a quarterback that would pass on Brady Quinn to get a player like Russell, I'm guessing that team would be the Raiders. Pennington over Brees. I said that I would take Chad Pennington over Drew Brees in terms of injured QBs coming back (I also picked Art Shell as a great coaching hire and Eric Mangini as a bad one). The AP agreed, giving Pennington the Comeback Player of the Year Award over Brees. The only problem is ... I don't agree with it. I think Brees deserved the award, albeit slightly. Barren desert. I don'tagree with those who say that the Arizona job is terrible and noone should take it. They were saying that about the Cincinnati job before Marvin Lewis.There were those who were saying that Marvin should have turned the job down and waited for another one, a better one. You can win in the NFL anywhere, despite any sort of team history. Just because Denny Green was fired in Arizona, and they haven't had a playoff game since Jake the Snake was their QB, doesn't mean you can't win there.

Paydirt

2007-01-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Good luck, Nick: The Alabama job ain't the Michigan State job or even the LSU job. The list of coaches forced out or fired: Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, and Mike Shula. Two GMs do great job. The two GMs of the two best NFL teams this season are due some credit after their respective bashings earlier in their careers. A.J. Smith has received some credit for the Chargers, but, really, it is Marty Schottenheimer who receives most of the credit. And in Chicago, Jerry Angelo should be hailed. But, instead, the question is whether to pull Rex Grossman after a few bad passes in the playoffs. Michigan CB has some woes. Leon Hall was a Jim Thorpe candidate in '06, but I think his Rose Bowl might have cost him a little money. He was beat and beat bad on the Dwayne Jarrett long TD. Now, there were plenty of breakdowns in the Wolverine secondary, but I'm just sayin'. The kid is No. 3 on Mel's Big Board. ... Go where you're drafted: Heard Greeney on Mike squared this morning say that Brady Quinn should pull an Eli and try to get out of the Raiders' clutches in the '07 draft. Couldn't disagree with him more. You just don't know how things turn out. Teams change all the time. Pats top pick. OK: Here is the Super Bowl 41 (XLI) prediction: New England gets revenge for Super Bowl No. 20 by beating the Bears. Go ... Run ... Fly to Vegas and put all your money on every team other than the Pats and Bears. thankyouverymuch. OldCleat

Know Your Super Bowl MVPs, No. 4

2007-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Know your Super Bowl MVPs. This former Super Bowl MVP is the second Super Bowl MVP from Junípero Serra High School, the same high school that produced Barry Bonds. He is a quarterback who has been named Super Bowl MVP more than once.

Barely Representative Jack Kingston Ain't No Ripken

2006-12-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

I always used to smile when they described Cal Ripken Jr. as the "Iron Man." Now, don't get me wrong, his onsecutive game streak was impressive. But, hey, he worked from February to October, maybe November if he was lucky. The earliest salary I got for him was in 1985, when he made $800,000 for eight months work, which might make it easier to get up in the morning.

He is going to the Hall of Fame. He was a great player.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ripkeca01.shtml

But the Iron Men (metaphorically, just sounds better than "Iron People") that I think of are the guys and gals who work 50 weeks a year, five or six days a week, laying pipe, or even in an office, or out on the road, or in a police station or a firehouse. And they ain't making $800,000. And then there are those men andwomen who had to leave their families behind to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.

And then there are the folks in Washington who sent them there.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is makingthe members of the House of Representatives work a five-day week. Five whole days a week. The response?

Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), says "Keeping us up here eats away at families. Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families, that's what this says."

Time away from Washington is just as important tobeing an effective member
of Congress as time spent in the Capitol, said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga.
"When I'm here, people call me Mr. Congressman. When I'm home, people call
me 'Jack you stupid SOB why did you vote that way?' It keeps me
grounded."

Really? You had me at "stupid SOB." How about all those folks you and your friends sent to Iraq? Was that an "anti-family" action?

This isn't new for representative Kingston. Accordingto the Chicago Sun Times, in 1998 Kingston said, "You can't be in Washington five days a week and service your district. I'm just enough of a populist to believe that the real action is on the streets of America and not in Washington."

Here is an editorial from the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601780.html

The 109th Congress will have been in session for agrand total of 103 days
this year, which, as Lyndsey Layton pointed out in yesterday's Post, is seven
days fewer than the "Do-Nothing Congress" of 1948. Anordinary full-time worker
with a generous four weeks of vacation would have clocked 240 days of work
duringthat same period.

... they need time to campaign and to grub for campaign cash. But it's
undeniable that the time lawmakers spend in the capital, actually legislating,
has been on a downward path for the past few decades. According to the American
Enterprise Institute's Norman Ornstein, the average number of days in session
for a two-year Congress has dropped from 323 in the 1960s and '70s to just 250
during the first six yearsof the Bush presidency.

Eats away at families? Gee, Mr. Kingston, they could move here. And, we
wonder: Where, exactly, did you think the Capitol was when you ran for this
job?

Know Your Super Bowl MVPs, No. 3

2006-11-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

Know your Super Bowl MVPs. This Super Bowl MVP led his college football team to back-to-back Grantland Rice Bowls. He was named the MVP of the Grantland Rice Bowl as a junior when his college team beat Akron, 33-13. In this Super Bowl MVP's senior year, the Rice Bowl was a different story, as his squad lost to East Tennessee State, 34-14. This quarterback was sacked 12 times in that game. The quarterback for East Tennessee that game was named Larry Graham. Who is this Super Bowl MVP?

Some Slug(ger)s Rank Louisville No. 4

2006-11-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is ridiculous. Louisville is undefeated, and somehow, in the USA Today poll, they are ranked No. 4 in the nation, behind one-loss Texas.

Now, I understand that Texas' only loss was to Ohio State, and that they should be rewarded for playing a team like that. I have litte problem with them being a top-five one-loss school. But Louisville just beat the No. 3 team in the nation, formerly undefeated West Virginia! And they are undefeated. And they beat Miami (OK, not a great accomplishment, but, who knew?)

Who cares what the Cardinals do Thursday night? (As my good friend, Doug Sohn, says ... "On any given Thursday night ... ") The Cards play the Knights of Rutgers, another undefeated team. (Greg Schiano for Governor of New Jersey!!! ... or maybe mayor of Miami, Florida, if you know what I mean.)

And why is Rutgers No. 14 in the nation, behind two-loss LSU? Sure, an SEC schedule is brutal, but Rutgers beat everyone they've played.

Ahhh, the joys of the polls.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Know Your Super Bowl MVPs No. 2

2006-11-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

Know your Super Bowl MVPs. This is the second question. This Super Bowl MVP was a 12th-round draft pick out of Texas Christian University. He was one of the first Super Bowl MVPs to use his breakout game to score a big contract the following year. He was a Cowboy.

Know Your Super Bowl MVPs

2006-11-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Know your Super Bowl MVPs. This Super Bowl MVP broke Chuck Foreman's school rushing records in college at the University of Miami. He went on to become the first rookie running back in NFL history to average more than 100 yards a game rushing over the course of an NFL season. Who is this Super Bowl MVP?

Sean Casey for ... for ... for MAYOR

2006-10-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sean Casey is a cool guy. Sean Casey is a great ballplayer.

Sean Casey is sssssslllllloooooowwww.

But, what the hey. Love the Mayor.

Tim Sullivan describes Casey as "baseball's best Samaritan, a genuine, honest-to-goodness, real-life George Bailey, only with much better bat speed. " I just think that George Bailey would beat Case in a foot race. While carrying all the kids.

This from the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "On the slow side: Leyland occasionally jokes about Casey's lack of speed. Yesterday, Leyland said: "My steal sign for Casey is when I jump up in the air and don't come down. When that happens, he can run." Casey, a 9-year veteran from the University of Richmond, has 15 career steals, peaking with four in 2003." -- John Markon

Sullivan also writes: "Long before he attained All-Star status, Casey was so friendly to fans of the Cape Cod League that Brewster (Mass.) manager Mike Kirby was moved to remind him that he was a ballplayer and not the mayor. Casey has been known as “The Mayor” ever since. "

Anyway, I love the Mayor, and I'm glad to see him get a shot at the postseason.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Boomer Esiason Foundation Is a Four-Star Charity

2006-09-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you live in New York or on the East Coast, a fantastic charity does great work and has a ton of great events for you.

Here is a link to a piece about the Boomer Esiason Foundation.

http://heartdonation.blogspot.com/2006/09/boomer-esiason-foundation-is.html

Here is another link regarding Jim Otto and the "Legends of Center" award.

http://rbcsacramento.wordpress.com/2006/08/31/otto-finalist-for-legends-of-center-award/

The BEF does great work, and is a four-star charity.

Rashad Jeanty Makes Jump From CFL to NFL

2006-09-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

It's all about Rashad.

Rashad Jeanty was an undersized defensive end out of Central Florida who dropped out of school and headed north the the Canadian Football League to help his mom, who was evicted from her house.

This young man was signed by the Bengals, backed up David Pollack, beat out eight-year veteran Hannibal Navies for the job, and started Sunday's Season Opener in Kansas City as Pollack has what Dave Wannstedt loving calls a "hammy."

Jeanty recovered a muffed punt by Dante Hall and had three tackles in the Bengals season-opening 23-10 victory over the Chiefs.

Texas Longhorns Now 4-1 in No. 1 vs. No. 2 Football Matchups

2006-09-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a piece of trivia: before the Ohio State loss on Saturday, Texas was 4-0 all-time in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, with all four coming en route to the national championship. The other previous meetings were in 1963 (No. 2 Texas beat No. 1 Oklahoma 28-7), the 1964 Cotton Bowl (No. 1 Texas beat No. 2 Navy 28-6) and 1969 (No. 2 Texas beat No. 1 Arkansas 15-14).

The Goose's trivia question during the game was naming the first regular season No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in college football. The answer, I believe, was the 1963 game, when the Longhorns beat the Sooners.

Taking the long view, the BCS championship concept does seem to be working better than not having a BCS, if you just consider the No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a bowl. Not that there aren't problems with the BCS, but there are problems with the polls as well. There are some coaches who don't know who they voted as the No. 1 team in the nation.

I got this info off of CBS's Sportsline:
Since the AP poll started in 1936, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams have met 36 times -- 21 during the regular season and 15 in bowl games. Since the first matchup in 1943, the No. 1 team has beat the No. 2 team 23 times, lost 11 and tied twice.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the AP Poll
Date Matchup Result Bowl
Sept. 9, 2006 No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 2 Texas 24-7
Jan. 4, 2006 No. 2 Texas def. No. 1 Southern Cal 41-38 Rose
Jan. 4, 2005 No. 1 USC def. No. 2 Oklahoma 55-19 Orange
Jan. 3, 2003 No. 2 Ohio State def. No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 31-24 (2OT) Fiesta
Jan. 4, 2000 No. 1 Florida State def. No. 2 Virginia Tech 46-29 Sugar
Jan. 4, 1999 No. 1 Tennessee def. No. 2 Florida State 23-16 Fiesta
Nov. 30, 1996 No. 2 Florida State def. No. 1 Florida 24-21
Jan. 2, 1996 No. 1 Nebraska def. No. 2 Florida 62-24 Fiesta
Jan. 1, 1994 No. 1 Florida State def. No. 2 Nebraska 18-16 Orange
Nov. 13, 1993 No. 2 Notre Dame def. No. 1 Florida State 31-24
Jan. 1, 1993 No. 2 Alabama def. No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 34-13 Sugar
Nov. 16, 1991 No. 2 Miami (Fla.) def. No. 1 Florida State 17-16
Sept. 16, 1989 No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 2 Michigan 24-19
Nov. 26, 1988 No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 2 USC 27-10
Jan. 1, 1988 No. 2 Miami (Fla.) def. No. 1 Oklahoma 20-16 Orange
Nov. 21, 1987 No. 2 Oklahoma def. No. 1 Nebraska 17-7
Jan. 2, 1987 No. 2 Penn State def. No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 14-10 Fiesta
Sept. 27, 1986 No. 2 Miami (Fla.) def. No. 1 Oklahoma 28-16
Oct. 19, 1985 No. 1 Iowa def. No. 2 Michigan 12-10
Jan. 1, 1983 No. 2 Penn State def. No. 1 Georgia 27-23 Sugar
Sept. 26, 1981 No. 1 USC def. No. 2 Oklahoma 38-24
Jan. 1, 1979 No. 2 Alabama def. No. 1 Penn State 14-7 Sugar
Jan. 1, 1972 No. 1 Nebraska def. No. 2 Alabama 37-6 Orange
Nov. 25, 1971 No. 1 Nebraska def. No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31
Dec. 6, 1969 No. 1 Texas def. No. 2 Arkansas 15-14
Jan. 1, 1969 No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 2 USC 27-16 Rose
Sept. 28, 1968 No. 1 Purdue def. No. 2 Notre Dame 37-22
Nov. 19, 1966 No. 1 Notre Dame tied No. 2 Michigan State 0-0
Jan. 1, 1964 No. 1 Texas def. No. 2 Navy 28-6 Cotton
Oct. 12, 1963 No. 2 Texas def. No. 1 Oklahoma 28-7
Jan. 1, 1963 No. 1 USC def. No. 2 Wisconsin 42-37 Rose
Nov. 9, 1946 No. 1 Army tied No. 2 Notre Dame 0-0
Dec. 1, 1945 No. 1 Army def. No. 2 Navy 32-13
Nov. 10, 1945 No. 1 Army def. No. 2 Notre Dame 48-0
Dec. 2, 1944 No. 1 Army def. No. 2 Navy 23-7
Nov. 20, 1943 No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight 14-13
Oct. 9, 1943 No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 2 Michigan 35-12

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Illinois College Football: Northwestern and Illini Stink It Up

2006-09-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, does Big Ten football in Illinois stink.

I only saw the first quarter of the Illinois-Rutgers game on the tube. Going in, I thought that Rutgers was a trap game for the Illini. Rutgers is a downtrodden Big East team that is improved, and could give the Illini trouble.

Rutgers blew threw Illinois like nuthin'. How is Illinois going to play Ohio State or Iowa? And Rutgers will win the National Championship! OK, probably not. But they made Illinois look slow and small.

The reason I only saw the first quarter was that I took the fam to Northwestern-New Hampshire game. NHU rolled up 300 and some odd yards againt the Northwestern defense. On the pregame radio show on WGN, new coach Pat Fitzgerald kept talking about how he wanted NW to be physical, but it was NHU that took the game to the Big Ten team.

Rutgers creams Illinois, 33-0. Division I-AA team New Hampshire gives Northwestern a beat-down, 34-17. Yesterday was a black day in Illinois football.

How Should Marion Jones Be Viewed?

2006-09-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Marion Jones case of the "A" test and the "B" test is a tough one.

I assumed, as I think many people did, that Jones was finally caught, and that was that.

There is a story in the L.A. Times that discusses her problems.

The 30-year-old sprinter had fallen on hard times after winning three gold
medals and two bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Her ex-husband C.J. Hunter and ex-boyfriend Tim Montgomery had been
suspended for doping violations, and her former coach Trevor Graham had been
sanctioned.

Jones also had been swept up in the BALCO scandal,
confronted with allegations of steroid use, which she steadfastly
denied.

Then the unthinkable, at least to me, happened. Jones's "B" sample of the test didn't match the "A" sample of the test, and thus she was cleared. At least of this one test.

And, to quote Jones, "I have always maintained that I have never, ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, and I am pleased that a scientific process has now demonstrated that fact."

So, given her history, what to think?

Well, Jon Saraceno of USA Today, for one, doesn't believe her.

... It is an Olympian leap of logic to be cleared of any doping in one meet and
then claim that means you never used performance-enhancing drugs.

I agree, but with reservations.

When athletes fail one drug test, they are automatically suspended. Many of these suspensions are long term. Many thus are banned basically for life because of the nature of their sports.

By that logic, if Jones passes one drug test, doesn't it follow that she should get to claim that she is completely drug free, any evidence to the contrary? But the drug-testing standard, Marion Jones is a clean athlete.

While to me that really doesn't pass the sniff test, I think that she needs to be considered clean as of now. Especially considering that while this was a drug test that got some publicity, this wasn't the only drug test that she has ever passed. Up until now, she's passed all of her tests.

Mark McGwire has been accused of using steroids (mostly by that paragon of virtue, Jose Canseco), and it is confirmed that he used "andro," which was banned by most other sports organizations but not HIS ruling body, Major League Baseball. He seemed evasive in front of Congress when asked point-blank if he had ever used steroids.

Having said all of that, I think that, historically, Mark McGwire, never having failed a drug test, never admitting to using steroids, should be considered a clean athlete. You can bring the circumstantial issues up when discussing him. But to me, he's clean.

As is, as of this moment, Marion Jones.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Damon Allen's Passing Yards Mark Flies Under Radar

2006-09-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Damon Allen, who is the younger brother of NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, broke Warren Moon's all-time professional passing yards mark over the weekend. Allen now has 70,596 yards passing. As is the case with almost all Canadian Football League news, this flew under the radar here in the States.

Moon's mark stood at 70,553 yards combined in the NFL and the CFL. The Hall of Fame doens't really recognize any of the yardage of course, so you can't really tell that Moon had the combined mark. The NFL's policy seems to be that AFL records are in, but all other records are to be kept separate.

They do, however, mention Moon's five Grey Cup victories ... pretty much almost in passing.

I like CFL football. I like football. I wish that the U.S. press would pay more attention to the CFL. I had hoped that the internet was going to help the situation, and it has, but only marginally. I have occasionally watched some action on my satellite, but I haven't seen that much CFL.

Here are Allen's career stats.

Career Passing Statistics
YEAR TEAM ATT COMP % YDS TD INT RATING
1985 EDM 98 48 49.0 661 3 3 68.4
1986 EDM 87 49 56.3 878 8 3 107.4
1987 EDM 287 150 52.3 2,670 17 13 85.3
1988 EDM 218 94 43.1 1,309 4 12 46.2
1989 OTT 434 209 48.2 3,093 17 16 69.6
1990 OTT 528 276 52.3 3,883 34 23 79.6
1991 OTT 546 282 51.6 4,275 24 31 68.7
1992 HAM 523 266 50.9 3,858 19 14 76.2
1993 EDM 400 214 53.5 3,394 25 10 92.4
1994 EDM 493 254 51.5 3,554 19 15 75.2
1995 MEM 90 228 58.5 3,211 11 13 80.6
1996 BC 368 219 59.5 2,772 13 10 83.5
1997 BC 583 378 64.8 4,653 21 11 93.5
1998 BC 479 282 58.9 3,519 16 16 79.0
1999 BC 521 315 60.5 4,219 22 13 89.9
2000 BC 525 324 61.7 4,840 24 11 98.4
2001 BC 471 251 53.3 3,631 18 14 79.0
2002 BC 474 268 56.5 3,987 22 10 90.9
2003 TOR 450 267 59.3 3,395 17 10 86.3
2004 TOR 312 189 60.6 2,438 12 4 92.6
2005 TOR 549 52 64.1 5,082 33 15 102.7
2006 TOR 145 85 58.6 1,274 6 4 85.7
TOTALS 8,881 5,000 56.3 70,596 385 271 --

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Anibal Sanchez Hurls No-No as a Rookie

2006-09-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last night, Anibal Sanchez pitched a no-hitter as a rookie. He gets added to the list.

Anibal Sanchez, Florida, beat Arizona, 2-0, Sept. 6,2006.

Here are a couple of lists of rookie no-hitters in the past century or so. I have several different lists because there are some disagreements about who should be on and who shouldn't.

This first list is circa 1983, and it came from the New York Times (or, as I like to call it, the paper of records - HA!). I've added it because it includes the pitcher's career won-loss record.

Pitcher, team Yrs. W L
'01 Earl Moore, Indians 14 161 153
'07 Nick Maddox, Pirates 4 43 20
'12 Jeff Tesreau, Giants 7 119 72
'22 Charles Robertson, W. Sox* 8 49 80
'34 Paul Dean, Cardinals 9 50 34
'35 Vern Kennedy, W. Sox 12 104 132
'47 B. McCahan, Athletics 4 16 14
'53 B. Holloman, Browns 1 3 7
'55 Sam Jones, Cubs 12 102 101
'62 Bo Belinsky, Angels 8 28 51
'67 Don Wilson, Astros 9 104 92
'70 Vida Blue, Athletics 17 209 161
'72 Burt Hooton, Cubs 15 151 136
'73 Jim Bibby, Rangers 12 111 101
'73 Steve Busby, Royals 8 70 54
'83 M. Warren, Athletics 3 9 13
*Perfect game.

This list is from ESPN.

Rookie no-hitters since 1900
Pitcher Team Opponent Result Date
Bud Smith St. Louis San Diego 4-0 9/3/01
Jose Jimenez St. Louis Arizona 1-0 6/25/99
Wilson Alvarez Chicago (AL) Baltimore 7-0 8/11/91
Mike Warren Oakland Chicago (AL) 3-0 9/29/83
Jim Bibby Texas Oakland 6-0 7/30/73
Steve Busby Kansas City Detroit 3-0 4/27/73
Burt Hooton Chicago (NL) Philadelphia 4-0 4/16/72
Vida Blue Oakland Minnesota 6-0 9/21/70
Don Wilson Houston Atlanta 2-0 6/18/67
Bo Belinsky L.A. (AL) Baltimore 2-0 5/5/62
x-Bobo Holloman St. Louis (AL) Philadelphia 6-0 5/6/53
William McCahan Phila. (AL) Washington 3-0 9/3/47
Vernon Kennedy Chicago (AL) Cleveland 5-0 8/31/35
Paul Dean St. Louis (NL) Brooklyn 3-0 9/21/34
Charles C. Robertson Chicago (AL) Detroit 2-0 4/30/22
Charles Tesreau New York (NL) Philadelphia 3-0 9/6/12
Nicholas Maddox Pittsburgh Brooklyn 2-1 9/20/07
Christy Mathewson New York (NL) St Louis 5-0 7/12/1900
x -- first major-league start

For a synopsis of at least one of the rule changes for a no-hitter, click here.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Brining Your Pork Chops

2006-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Pork chops are among the perfect foods for a barbeque or a tailgate. They are delicious, they are relatively quick to prepare, they are delicious, they have some wiggle room as to being well prepared, and they are delicious.

One of the techniques to preparing great pork chops is to brine the chops.

Here are some tips to brining pork chops. Many of these tips came from James P. DeWan's article in the Chicago Tribune.

* Brining makes meat juicer. The meat has more liquid when you start grilling, and thus is juicier when grilling is finished.

* Brining seasons the inside of the chops, so while you may be a big proponent of rubs, as I am, this will get the whole chop tasty.

* The brining time for most regular-sized pork chops takes only about an hour.

* Make sure you have enough liquid to cover all the chops.

* About 1/4 cup of table salt per quart of water.

* Dissolve salt in a little hot water first. Add the rest of the cold liquid solution to cool the temp of the liquid.

* BRINE IN THE REFRIGERATOR. Don't send your guests to the hospital. While funny, it's not that nice.

* Remove chops from fridge, pat dry, add rub, grill.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Bronson Arroyo Does His Stopper Bit

2006-09-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bronson Arroyo proved to be a stopper. Boy, did he step up big, holding the Giants to three singles in a 3-0 shutout last night.

Despite it all, I'm still not in favor of the Wily Mo trade. Every time that Arroyo pitches well, it softens up my staunch opposition to the deal. But Pena can smoke the horsehide, and he is soooo young.

I do understand, however, that if you want to change the culture of a team, you have to make some hard decisions.

The Reds are floundering. Junior is hurt, but this time, they aren't overflowing with outfielders to cover his loss. Thank heavens for Todd Hollandsworth.