October 27, 2009 News Clippings - National Football...

October 27, 2009 News Clippings

Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers' Wallace making most of opportunity Tuesday, October 27, 2009 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Ron Cook

Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace leads all rookies with 21 catches and 368 receiving yards. View all related images

They said Steelers rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace could run fast, but this is ridiculous. This kid has run from a dismal past to a bright future so quickly that it almost defies belief. It seems a shame he's going home to New Orleans this weekend for what figures to be nothing more than a quiet visit with family and friends during the Steelers' off week. They should throw a parade for him through the city's streets because he's the perfect example of what hard work, a burning desire to succeed and, yes, that extraordinary speed can accomplish.

What a great, positive, uplifting story.

David Johnson, Wallace's coach at O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans, predicted all of this for Wallace when the Steelers made him a third-round choice in the April draft. "Believe me, this kid won't take this opportunity for granted."

It seemed like just so much hype at the time. Not now.

From the beginning, Wallace did everything right. He learned the Steelers' complicated offense. He watched veterans Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes -- each a Super Bowl MVP -- to see how they carried themselves and went about their business. He did his work and kept his mouth shut, the way all rookies should, especially on a Super Bowl team. He caught just about everything thrown to him. He stayed out of trouble. He limited his splash plays to the field instead of taking them to parking lots outside of bars. He didn't tussle with any cops.

"This is a perfect situation for me," Wallace said after playing another huge role in the Steelers' 27-17 victory Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Field.

"There are a lot of guys here with a lot of pressure on them. I'm not one of them. I don't have to be 'The Guy.' That makes it a lot easier for me to just go out and play.

"I'm just trying to carry my weight. Hines, Santonio, Ben [Roethlisberger], they're the playmakers on this team. I'm just happy I can be a part of it. There can't be any drop-off when the ball comes to me."

Wallace's 22-yard catch and 40-yard touchdown on the same drive against the Vikings were his latest big plays. There were 29- and 21-yard catches against the Cleveland Browns as well as a 21-yard run on an end-around play. There was a 47-yard touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions. There was a 35-yard catch against the San Diego Chargers to set up a touchdown. There was a seven-catch, 102-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, including a 51-yard reception. There was a 22-yard catch against the Tennessee Titans in overtime to set up the winning field goal.

Carrying his weight? Wallace could be nose tackle Casey Hampton's size, and I would say the same thing.

"I'm not surprised at all," Wallace said. "I feel I can compete in any situation. I know my ability. I'm just glad the coaches aregiving me the opportunity to show it."

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Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians aren't fools. They learned quickly that Wallace's game is a lot more than just his 4.28-second speed in the 40-yard dash. He's more dependable than disappointing Limas Sweed, the team's No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft. The NFL stage isn't the least bit too big for Wallace. Roethlisberger sees that, too. He doesn't hesitate to throw to him in big spots.

Something Wallace said on draft day is instructive.

"I'm proud of myself for staying focused and not letting the negative stuff bring me down."

Wallace's brother, Reggie, went to jail on drug charges. A half-brother, Arnold, was shot to death. A good friend, Jamal Dorsey, also was shot and killed in an incident in which shots were fired at Wallace's sister, Jahlisa, who wasn't hit.

"I didn't want to be another statistic on the streets," Wallace said.

Just about everybody says that. A lot fewer make the commitment that Wallace did to make something of his life. He deserves tremendous credit for getting to college at Mississippi and taking advantage of his opportunities there before taking the next big step to the Steelers.

Here are two statistics that Wallace loves having associated with his name: His 368 receiving yards on 21 catches are the most among NFL rookies and his 17.5 yards-per-catch average is best among rookies with at least 20 receptions.

Believe me, this kid won't take this opportunity for granted ...

If there's one thing Wallace needs to work on, it's his touchdown celebration. He did a flip into the end zone Sunday. "I'd give it about an 8. I need to work on my elevation," he said, grinning.

Funny line, sure. But no one would have been laughing if Wallace had injured his shoulder doing such a silly stunt. He'll learn. He'll figure out it's a lot better to act as if he has scored a lot of touchdowns. You know, act like you've been to the end zone before.

Wallace figures to get plenty of practice scoring touchdowns before his career is done. He doesn't just have that kind of ability. He has that kind of desire.

Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected]. More articles by this author

First published on October 27, 2009 at 12:00 am

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SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL

On the Steelers: Defense could be without three starters Tuesday, October 27, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers linebacker Keyaron Fox replaced injured linebacker Lawrence Timmons in Sunday's win against the Vikings.

In the Steelers' case, there is rest for the weary.

Along with linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Keyaron Fox, the rest of the defense that spent 62 percent of the game Sunday on the playing field gets a chance to catch its breath during this open week.

Yet circumstances threaten to snatch three more starters from their lineup before their next game Nov. 9 in Denver. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons and defensive end Travis Kirschke each left the game against Minnesota with injuries in the fourth quarter, and free safety Ryan Clark still is not certain if he will play in Denver.

Timmons left with a sprained right ankle. A high left ankle sprain kept him out of the season opener. Kirschke left with whatlooked to be a bad left calf injury. Their status for a game 12 days away remains unclear.

"Thankfully we've got a little time to get those things addressed here not having to play a game next week," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

Clark has had more time to think about whether he wants to play in Denver, where he lost his spleen and gall bladder after his sickle cell trait caused his blood to attack his organs while playing in the high altitude there Oct. 21, 2007. He said again last week that he will decide this week after consulting with his doctors, and he repeated that assertion after the game Sunday.

I don't know yet," Clark told the Denver Post. "I've been checking, we've been doing our due diligence on it. Through the offseason and up until now. I don't think it's a decision you can make in a week or two. It is something you have to feel confident you can do.

"Any kind of test where they can look at your insides, they've run it on me. I think next if they can stick their head down my throat and look they'll do it. And things look good, but it's still a tough decision.

"I can promise you I will be on the plane, either way, and we'll just figure it out from there."

Fox has been more than a suitable replacement for Timmons at inside linebacker, particularly Sunday when he was in position to intercept Brett Favre's pass that sailed through halfback Chester Taylor's hands and return it 82 yards for the clinching touchdown with one minute left in the Steelers' 27-17 victory against Minnesota.

"We're aware that he's a quality football player," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. "We lost Lawrence so we were kind of using two guys in the nickel there, [safety Ryan] Mundy and Fox and I'm glad we had Fox in the game on that play.

"I think he's a confident player. You can't play as well as he does on special teams and not have the confidence that you're a very quality football player. I think this will just substantiate it. It might lift his status in the locker room a little bit on a big play like that. I think people have great confidence in him."

Kirschke, who replaced injured Aaron Smith, was replaced by Nick Eason the rest of the way Sunday. Eason and rookie Ziggy Hood would have to step up if Kirschke cannot play, with rookie Sunny Harris in the wings. Tyrone Carter or Mundy

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would start at free safety if Clark does not play in Denver.

"We have guys in here who have been tested," right defensive end Brett Keisel said. "Nick Eason has been on this team for a long time. We all have trust in him to come in and play and he did well [Sunday].

"Fox is the same way. Fox is maybe the best special teams player in the league. Obviously Lawrence is a great player but to have guys like that, that are ready to come in to play when called upon, is great. That's why great teams make it to the playoffs, because guys step up and play.

"We're not out there playing touch. Guys get nicked up and people have to step up."

For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

First published on October 27, 2009 at 12:00 am

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Broncos eager to resume after bye week

By The Associated Press Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos coach Josh McDaniels took his kids to the zoo, while rookie Robert Ayers made a quick journey back to South Carolina to visit his mom and squeeze in some bowling.

Linebacker Andra Davis kept things simple, hanging out at his house with his family and watching a glut of football.

All made for fine distractions over Denver's bye-week break, but now it's back to business.

And business is booming for the Broncos, who remain one of three undefeated teams in the league after Minnesota tumbled at Heinz Field this past weekend.

The Broncos (6-0) will attempt to keep the momentum moving forward when they head to Baltimore on Sunday to face the Ravens (3-3).

"They're a dangerous team," said Davis, whose team leads the San Diego Chargers by 3 games in the AFC West. "We're not taking them lightly. We've got our hands full."

Before returning to work Monday, the Broncos made their first in-season move of the year by signing punter Mitch Berger and waiving Brett Kern. Berger is a 16-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler who played for the Steelers last season.

The final straw for Kern may have come when San Diego returner Darren Sproles took a punt 77 yards for a score against Denver last Monday. Kern was averaging 46.1 yards a punt, but ranked near the bottom of the league in net average (34.5).

The Broncos also had linebacker/fullback Spencer Larsen return to practice Monday, his first action since injuring his shoulder in a fall in the locker room at Cincinnati before the season opener.

Larsen's versatility is one of the reasons the Broncos didn't place him on season-ending injured reserve.

Last season at Atlanta, Larsen became just the fourth player in the NFL since 1990 to start on both sides of the ball, taking seven snaps at fullback, 55 at middle linebacker and eight more on special teams.

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"Spencer's a valuable player on our team," McDaniels said. "Hopefully, he'll be able to make an impact on our team going down the stretch here."

While his players departed for some rest and relaxation, McDaniels and his staff stayed behind to dissect the Ravens, who've dropped three in a row, and develop a game plan.

But it wasn't all work for McDaniels during the bye.

Not only did he visit the zoo, but he spent time helping his son learn to ride his bike without training wheels. Mission accomplished. These days, everything seems to be rolling along smoothly for McDaniels.

The Broncos are the surprise of the season after an offseason filled with drama for the first-year head coach. He becomes just the fifth rookie coach since 1966 to start his career with a 6-0 mark.

What's more, his quarterback, Kyle Orton, has thrown just one interception — on a Hail Mary pass at the end of a half, no less — and his defense has limited teams to only 10 points in the second half all season.

The special teams recently received a boost from Eddie Royal, who became the 11th player in NFL history to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the same game against San Diego.

Yet, McDaniels refuses to step back and consider what his team has done.

They will take on a Ravens team that's long prided themselves on their defensive toughness, a trait Mike Nolan helped instill when he was defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2002-04.

Now, Nolan is beginning to implement that same hard-nosed attitude with Denver.

"Every defensive coach in the NFL would like to think of his guys as tough," Nolan said. "If you gather the right individuals, you can put together a defense that can get the job done in the fashion you want."

So far, Nolan has done just that, transforming the Broncos into a top-notch squad that's allowing just 11 points a game.

They're marching to the beat of 36-year-old veteran safety Brian Dawkins, who provides the intensity.

However, Dawkins wasn't on the field Monday during the open portion of practice. He tweaked a hamstring during the first half against San Diego, but returned after halftime.

The energetic Dawkins has quickly emerged as the Broncos' emotional leader on the field, a role similar to the one Ray Lewis plays in Baltimore.



This Broncos defense certainly wouldn't mind more comparisons to the Ravens, who've traditionally been an aggressive, hard-hitting defense.

"They're a prototypical type defense that you want to be," Ayers said. "But we try to form our own identity ... Every defense wants to be known for knocking people in the mouth. We're no different."

The Associated Press can be reached at or .

Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media



Steelers safety Clark may not play in Denver

By The Associated Press Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Steelers safety Ryan Clark isn't injured, yet he isn't sure if he can play in the team's next game Nov. 9 at Denver.

Clark didn't play the rest of the 2007 season after becoming ill following an Oct. 21 game in Denver. He was hospitalized overnight in Denver, and his condition worsened after he returned to Pittsburgh.

Clark's spleen and gall bladder eventually were removed, and he lost more than 30 pounds before finally regaining his strength about three months later. Doctors told him his sickle-cell trait was aggravated by the high altitude in Denver and caused a serious blood disorder.

Clark plans to accompany the Steelers to Denver for the Monday night game, but isn't certain if he will be in uniform. He plans to talk to doctors during the Steelers' bye week and again next week, if necessary.

"We'll figure it out. We haven't figured it out yet," Clark said. "We don't know yet."

Clark also had problems playing in Denver while he was with the Redskins in 2005. He was diagnosed then with a bruised spleen, but the severity of his condition wasn't known until he played again in Denver.

Since returning last season, Clark has missed only two games and has not experienced a relapse of his problem, which caused blood vessels to burst and his spleen to become infected before it was removed in mid-November 2007. His gall bladder was taken out a few weeks after that, and his weight dropped from 205 pounds to about 175.

Clark couldn't resume working out and trying to get back into playing condition until January 2008 after the season ended.

Clark said previously he wouldn't play in Denver again unless he was certain there would be no medical problems if he did. He has undergone extensive testing during the last two years, receives six injections a year and treats any infection carefully.

During training camp this summer, Clark joked he might play suit up "there's nothing left they can take out of me" if he goes ahead and plays.

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After Clark came back last season, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said, "It's pretty much a miracle he's out there."

Last year, Clark said the Steelers' medical staff initially questioned not long after that game in Denver why he wasn't playing. It wasn't until he received a second opinion from a different physician that his condition was properly diagnosed and treated.

The Associated Press can be reached at or .



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Harris: Steelers' Mendenhall needs to seize starting opportunity

By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I'm not an agitator, just curious.

Curious minds want to know why Rashard Mendenhall won't take the Steelers' starting job and run with it.

Why doesn't Mendenhall protect the football, especially around the goal line?

Why does he shy away from contact despite weighing a muscular 225 pounds?

Every time Mendenhall fumbles or doesn't take a defender head-on, I'm reminded that he slipped to the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

He was projected to go much higher, which is why the Steelers didn't hesitate drafting him even though they didn't personally interview him or dig deeply into his background because never in their wildest imagination did they think he would be there.

The "hot hand" that coach Mike Tomlin said last week kept Mendenhall ahead of Willie Parker on the depth chart cooled off considerably against Minnesota.

If Parker gets healthy, things could become interesting.

Clearly, Tomlin likes Mendenhall enough to start him as Parker continues to struggle with turf toe. Tomlin, however, won't tolerate fumbling.

For the second consecutive week, Tomlin benched Mendenhall after a key fumble. Sitting Mendenhall against Cleveland was no big deal; the Steelers had that game in hand. But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, Mendenhall was on the bench despite averaging a whopping 6.9 yards on 10 carries.

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin went through the same thing with Tiki Barber, a notorious fumbler who developed better ball security once he changed how he carried the ball.

Mendenhall has only played in 11 NFL games. It's too early to judge his body of work.

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"The young fellow fumbled, and every time he puts a helmet on, it's a learning experience for him," said Tomlin, who reiterated that Mendenhall will start Nov. 9 against the Denver Broncos.

Mewelde Moore carried three times for eight yards on the Steelers' final possession. On second-and-4, Moore was dropped for a 2-yard loss. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked on the next play, and the Steelers were forced to punt holding a 20-17 lead.

Moore does a better job of securing the football, but he doesn't scare defenses the way Mendenhall does.

Tomlin is high on Mendenhall's potential; he just doesn't trust him late in games.

It's the Steelers' version of Catch-22.

Mendenhall averages 5.4 yards per carry and has four rushing touchdowns this season. Parker averages 3.1 yards per carry and has no rushing touchdowns. Mendenhall has out-gained Parker by 231 yards with only 18 more carries.

When I wrote prior to the third game of the season against Cincinnati that the Steelers should run Mendenhall more and Parker less, I believed it was Mendenhall's time because of his upside, fresh legs and Parker finally showing his age.

I still feel that way. But it wasn't until Mendenhall got some carries under his belt that his strengths emerged along with his weaknesses.

Mendenhall hits the hole faster and harder than Parker does. But Parker, even though he prefers taking it outside, is a more willing runner between the tackles. Ironically, Parker's willingness to mix it up inside contributed to some of his injuries.

Mendenhall is a big back who runs like a scatback.

Mendenhall isn't Jerome Bettis, but it's still early in his pro career. Maybe he'll eventually grow into becoming more comfortable running inside as Bettis did.

John Harris can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.



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Weighing in on Steelers good, not-so-good

By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Steelers were given the day off following a 27-17 win over the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

When the players report to the team's South Side practice facility today, they will get treatment and watch film from the Vikings game. Coach Mike Tomlin may then tell the players to enjoy the rest of the week and that he will see them Monday.

The players have earned whatever time off Tomlin gives the Steelers during their only extended break of the regular season.

The Steelers take a four-game winning streak into their bye week. They hadn't beaten a team that had a winning record before holding off the Vikings. With the bye and almost the midpoint of the season upon us, here is a look at what has gone right so far — and what the 5-2 Steelers need to fix:

THE GOOD

• Ben Roethlisberger has continued his ascent.

The two-time Super Bowl champion is second in the NFL in passing yards (2,062) and is completing more than 70 percent of his throws.

Roethlisberger continually rewards Bruce Arians for the trust the offensive coordinator has placed in him. The sixth-year veteran is seeing the field as well as ever, and Roethlisberger has taken full advantage of the playmakers the Steelers have at the skill positions.

He is on his way to a record-setting season as well as a Pro Bowl one.

• The offensive line has shown marked improvement.

The group's detractors were out in full force after the o-line was pushed around in the season opener against the Tennessee Titans. Since then, the offensive line has quietly turned into an effective and cohesive unit.

In their past six games, the Steelers have averaged 119 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry.

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If the Steelers can continue to run the ball effectively, it will make Roethlisberger and the passing game that much harder to stop.

• The defense has generally played at a high level.

No, it hasn't been as dominant as it was a year ago when it finished first in the NFL in scoring, total and passing defense.

But James Harrison is on pace to break the Steelers' single-season record for sacks (16), a mark he established a year ago. Meanwhile, no team has been able to run the ball consistently against the Steelers, who are second in the NFL in rushing defense (76.6 yards per game).

They have faced three of the top five rushers in the NFL — Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson — and none has gone over 100 yards against the Steelers.

NEEDS WORK

• The kick coverage team needs some improving.

Whatever problems the Steelers solved in this aspect of special teams last season have re-surfaced. The Steelers have allowed kickoff return for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. And in the NFL, where the difference between good teams is super-model thin, a special-teams gaffe could prove costly down the road.

Coach Mike Tomlin will spend at least part of the down time during the bye week identifying what is causing the leaks on the kickoff coverage team.

"I'm going to get it fixed," he said, "whether it's schematics, people or both."

• Rashard Mendenhall's ball security has been a concern.

His teammates made him carry a football at all times when he was at the Steelers' practice facility during preseason in 2008. Maybe it's time for them to mete out the same punishment following costly fumbles by Mendenhall in back-to-back games.

The turnovers have overshadowed the significant step Mendenhall has made since becoming the Steelers' starting running back. He is averaging a robust 5.4 yards per carry and has four rushing touchdowns.

But if he can't hang onto the ball, he is going to find himself on the sidelines at the end of games — as Mendenhall did against the Browns and the Vikings.

• Getting off the field.

The defense needs to create more turnovers — the Steelers have three more giveaways than takeaways — and it needs to do a better job on third down.



Opponents' conversion rate on third down is 43.3 percent this season, compared to 31.4 percent in 2008. Prior to LaMarr Woodley's 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the defense had allowed the Vikings to convert three times on third down — once when Minnesota needed 18 yards to move the chains.

THE X-FACTOR

• Injuries have played a significant part already this season.

The Steelers already have lost defensive end Aaron Smith (shoulder) for the season. They were also without strong safety Troy Polamalu for four games because of a sprained knee from which he is still recovering.

Outside linebacker Lawrence Timmons has injured both ankles, and defensive end Travis Kirschke, whose back is always a concern, hurt his lower leg against the Vikings.

If the Steelers can weather injuries, there is no reason to think they can't mount a serious run at defending their Super Bowl title.

And they appear to have righted themselves following a 1-2 start.

"We're stacking wins," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "In the month of November, we're heading in the right direction."

Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.





Tuesday October 27, 2009

Wallace jumps at opportunity By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times

PITTSBURGH — With the greatest of ease, Mike Wallace celebrated his second pro touchdown with a leap of faith.

His acrobatic somersault into the end zone Sunday is further proof that he is indeed a special rookie.

After catching a 40-yard TD pass in the Steelers’ 27-17 win over Minnesota, Wallace didn’t spike the ball or break into a dance. He just flipped head-first as he neared the goal line.

“It was about an 8 on a scale (of 1 to 10),” said the speedy wide receiver taken in the third round of this year’s draft. “I have to get more elevation and execution.”

So far this season, Wallace’s execution on the field of play has been quite promising to say the least.

Before Wallace was taken with the 84th overall pick of the draft, 10 wide receivers were taken ahead of him (including six in the first round). But after Week 7 of the season, only one of those (Minnesota’s Percy Harvin, 23) 10 has more catches.

Tight end Heath Miller leads the Steelers with four TDs. Wallace and 12-year veteran Hines Ward each have two each while Santonio Holmes only has one.

Wallace also leads the team with a 17.5 yards per catch average.

“I’m fresh out of college, so I’m happy with whatever I can get,” he said. “I just want to win. I’m trying to block and run routes, do anything. I’ll even be a decoy. But if they come to me, I’ll be ready.”

Already, Wallace has gained the trust of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Wallace is earning that trust because he’s capable of hanging on to the football. Except for a dropped pass two weeks ago in Detroit that would have gone for a 71-yard TD, Wallace is catching balls thrown in his direction.

Wallace has also benefited from the fact most opposing defenses are preoccupied with stopping Ward and Holmes.

“Everyone wants to double team Hines and ’Tone, so it leaves me kind of free at times,” Wallace said. “I’ll take whatever scraps I can get.”

As the Steelers enter their bye week, Wallace has been one of the team’s most refreshing success stories this season. And as he showed with his acrobatics Sunday, he can be entertaining once he reaches the

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end zone.

Wallace doesn’t know when he’ll get another chance to somersault into the end zone. He even said his flip Sunday wasn’t planned. But he didn’t rule out future acrobatics.

“It was alright,” he said. “I have to practice it a few times and get the execution down.”

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Tuesday October 27, 2009

Notes: Tomlin stands by his starter By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times

PITTSBURGH — Despite losing a fumble in each of the past two games, Rashard Mendenhall will not lose his starting job.

When the Steelers play the Broncos on a Nov. 9 Monday night game in Denver, Mendenhall will make his fifth start of the season at running back.

Coach Mike Tomlin isn’t happy about Mendenhall’s fumbling problems. But he isn’t even thinking about demoting Mendenhall.

“Not at this point, no,” Tomlin said. “Not at all.”

With the Steelers leading 13-10 Sunday, Mendehall lost a fumble at the Minnesota Vikings’ 3-yard line on the second play of the fourth quarter. Fortunately for Mendenhall, he wasn’t he goat as the Steelers later scored two defensive touchdowns in a 27-17 win.

Last week in a win over Cleveland, Mendenhall lost a third-quarter fumble at the Browns’ 15-yard line.

“The young fellow fumbled and every time he puts a helmet on, it’s a learning experience for him,” Tomlin said of Mendenhall, the Steelers’ first-round pick in last year’s draft. “Just a little careless in that instance.”

But after Mendenhall’s fumble against the Vikings, it was Mewelde Moore who carried the football three times on the Steelers’ last possession.

Did Moore’s presence at crunch time have something to do with Mendenhall’s fumbling issues?

“It did and it didn’t,” Tomlin said. “It just speaks to a level of trust we have in Mewelde. He’s closed games for us in the past. We feel comfortable with the ball in his hands.”

WHERE’S WILLIE?

Including three reverses by wide receivers, the Steelers ran only 18 running plays against the Vikings.

Mendenhall got 10 carries. Moore got four. But Willie Parker, who still hasn’t fully recovered from a turf toe injury, touched the ball just once.

It’s the fewest amount of carries for Parker since he broke his leg on his first carry in Game 15 of the

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2007 season.

So why didn’t Parker, the starter from 2005-2008, play more?

“I think we had the ball 23 minutes (during the game)” Tomlin said. “We had a couple of three-and-outs and things of that nature. You’re not going to find rhythm within games like that.”

WARD CATCH

Hines Ward, the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver, did extend his streak of consecutive games with a catch, but just barely.

Ward caught one pass for 3 yards. That came midway in the first quarter. Ward didn’t catch a pass the rest of the game. Ward did bruise his tailbone at one point in the first half but wouldn’t use that as an excuse.

“It was a little stiff. But no, I don’t really think it affected me,” Ward said. “Their defense was taking me away on certain things. And there was nothing I could really do about it.”

Ward has now caught a pass in a team-record 169 games.

LONG WAY TO GO

While the Steelers (5-2) were delighted to hand the Vikings (6-1) their first loss, they don’t think it’s time to start printing playoff tickets.

Ward doesn’t even think Sunday’s win was a statement game that proves the Steelers are bona fide contenders.

“I don’t know,” Ward said. “It was a great atmosphere, a playoff atmosphere (with) the most fans ever at Heinz Field. (They were) 6-0, but we still have a lot of games left. It’s great to go into the bye week at 5-2. We’re stacking wins.”

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Not-so-special coverage for Pittsburgh 10/27/2009 3:31 AM PITTSBURGH - Masked by their two defensive touchdowns in a 27-17 victory Sunday over Minnesota was the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown for the second consecutive game.

A week after Cleveland's Josh Cribbs took a kickoff 98 yards, the Steelers allowed Minnesota's Percy Harvin to go 88 yards for a fourth-quarter score, eliminating any momentum Pittsburgh had gained from linebacker LaMarr Woodley's 77-yard fumble return.

Though the Steelers head into their bye week with a 5-2 record after four consecutive victories, shoring up their special-teams coverage unit will be a priority.

"It's good to get into a bye winning a few in a row," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "We'll continue to improve in our areas of deficiency, kickoff coverage being one of them."

Covering kickoffs had not been a problem for the Steelers in recent years as their special-teams units have ranked among the league's best since 2005. The two recent kick returns for touchdowns match the total Pittsburgh gave up in the previous four seasons.

But the coverage units in previous years included special teams stalwarts such as linebackers James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons and cornerbacks William Gay, Ike Taylor and Anthony Madison.

Madison, the team's leading special teams tackler last year, was released at the end of training camp to make room for rookie cornerbacks Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis. Madison's now covering kicks for Cleveland.

Harrison, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, hasn't covered kicks this season. Gay and Taylor, the two starting cornerbacks, have been used sporadically on special teams.

Only Timmons - a starter at inside linebacker - is still a regular on special teams coverage units. But he suffered a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter Sunday and was not on the field for Harvin's return.

The Steelers are allowing 24.5 yards on kickoff returns. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, no Pittsburgh team has given up that many yards per return.

"We'd better fix it and fix it in a hurry," said Tomlin. "I accept responsibility for that. I'm going to get it fixed, whether it's schematics, people or both."

Kickoff returns haven't been the sole problem for the Steelers.

In seven games, the defense has allowed only 11 touchdowns (nine passing, two rushing). But the Steelers have given up five touchdowns on returns, two on kickoffs, two on interceptions and one on a fumble. The only other team to allow five touchdowns on returns is the winless St. Louis Rams.

"Those are usually the kind of plays that kill you," said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. "We were fortunate that our defense scored twice to offset the touchdown they got."

Page 1 of 2Not-so-special coverage for Pittsburgh

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Odds and end zones

Steelers safety Ryan Clark said he is still unsure if he will play in Denver when the Steelers play there Nov. 9. Clark had his spleen and gall bladder removed after the Steelers played in Denver in 2007. Clark's body had an adverse reaction to playing in the high altitude. ... Wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has 408 yards from scrimmage, is second among NFL rookies to Denver running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno has 449 total yards.

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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October 27, 2009

N.F.L.’s Dementia Study Has Flaws, Experts Say

By ALAN SCHWARZ

The N.F.L. and its doctors have consistently dismissed independent studies showing unusual cognitive

decline in former players. They insist that a long-term study by the league’s committee on concussions,

expected to be published in several years, will be the authoritative analysis.

But that study is fraught with statistical, systemic and conflict-of-interest problems that make it

inappropriate to examine the issue, according to many experts in epidemiology, dementia and health policy

who assessed the study’s design. Another voice belonged to a member of the House Judiciary Committee,

which will hold a hearing on football brain injuries Wednesday.

“Hey, why don’t we let tobacco companies determine whether smoking is bad for your health or not?” said

Representative Linda T. Sanchez, Democrat of California and a member of the Judiciary Committee. “It’s a

very appropriate metaphor.”

Every independent expert in epidemiology and neurology contacted by The New York Times cited at least one

of the following issues: that the study’s paucity of subjects will leave it unable to find any statistically

significant difference in dementia rates; that a study financed by the N.F.L. and run by its committee doctors

cannot be considered trustworthy; and that Dr. Ira Casson, the league’s primary voice in discrediting all

outside evidence, should not personally be conducting all of the neurological examinations.

The critics said their primary concern was that an improperly conducted study, should it claim no discernible

cognitive decline among players, could mislead the public about the seriousness of football brain injuries.

More than a million children play high school football, and hundreds are seriously injured by concussions

every season — many of them by imitating their N.F.L. heroes and playing through pain.

“The findings of our current study will be transparent to Congress, player alumni and to our critics,” Joe

Browne, a league spokesman, said in an e-mail message. “We like to think we have earned the trust and

respect of many members of Congress over the years by consistently acting in that fashion.”

Eric Campbell, an associate professor at Harvard University’s Institute for Health Policy who specializes in

conflict-of-interest issues, said that no doctor with Casson’s connections to the N.F.L. should have such a role

in the study. He said that the league should “fund the study but get a major university to conduct it, so that

the N.F.L. has no role in the examinations, the interpretations of data or any conclusions.”

Casson, 60, is a neurologist for the Long Island Jewish Medical Center who was widely praised for studying

brain damage in boxers a generation ago. Responding to Sanchez’s comment, he said in a telephone

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interview, “I assume that the congresswoman was not a scientist and not a physician — she is not an expert,

so I will not comment on that.”

Casson said the committee handling his study included many experts in various fields with no connections to

the N.F.L. He said their approach and protocols had been approved by the internal review board of Wayne

State University — where two N.F.L. committee members are on the faculty, including the co-chairman

David Viano — but he declined to answer questions about the study’s design.

“Any scientist or member of the scientific community who wants to contact me and talk about the study can

do so,” Casson said. “I’m an open book.”

According to previous interviews with Casson, the N.F.L. study will examine 120 men ages 30 to 60 who

played two seasons or more in the N.F.L. and 60 men of comparable age who played only through college and

no more than one season in the league. As such, the study is focusing on possible differences between college

and N.F.L. players — not between N.F.L. players and the general population, where differences would almost

certainly be more detectable.

Casson has said the purpose of the study is “to determine the long-term effects on the brain of a career in the

National Football League.”

More than a dozen experts in dementia and medical ethics who were contacted by The Times considered a

three-page summary of the study’s characteristics and methods compiled through interviews with league

officials and fellow researchers briefed by Casson.

Dr. Amy Borenstein, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida who specializes in dementia

research, was among several in her field who said the N.F.L. study’s pure numbers could not fairly examine

rates of dementia or substantial cognitive decline. She said that detecting differences between the N.F.L.

players and the collegians would require far more than 20 primary subjects and 10 control subjects in each

standard five-year age group between 30 and 60.

“The design suffers from a total lack of statistical power to detect an effect if one truly exists,” Borenstein

said.

Subjects have been solicited to participate through a mailed letter to anyone for whom the league had a

current address, about 5,000 in all, and some random phone calls. Those who volunteer and pass eligibility

standards are flown to Long Island for a full day of examination.

The letter does not mention Casson’s previous work on behalf of the league. It also does not mention that the

medical director and co-founder of the facility where the volunteers will be examined is Dr. Elliot Pellman,

the team physician for the Jets and a member (as well as a former longtime chairman) of the league’s

concussion committee.

Borenstein praised the study’s strong use of magnetic resonance imaging examinations and tests for genetic

markers. But she joined several peers in saying that mail and phone solicitation would almost certainly leave

the study group overly weighted with people with fewer cognitive problems.



Dr. Daniel P. Perl, the director of neuropathology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said:

“People with significant impairment are less likely to be reachable, and if they are reached, they’re less likely

to respond to mail or even answer the phone. They also might not be able to get themselves to New York. The

response rates will not be equivalent.”

Beyond Casson, six other members of the study’s 13-person panel are members of the N.F.L.’s concussion

committee, whose independence has been questioned by peers in the field since it was formed in 1994.

Pellman is a Jets employee, Casson has consulted for the Jets since 1994, and Dr. Joseph Maroon is the

Pittsburgh Steelers’ team neurosurgeon. Another committee member, Mark Lovell, owns the company that

makes — and markets through its use by most N.F.L. teams — the ImPACT neuropsychological test used in

the study.

Campbell and Perl said Casson’s consistent statements disputing any evidence of cognitive decline in N.F.L.

players presented another conflict. As repeated outside studies from the University of North Carolina and

elsewhere have claimed to find strong links, Casson has focused only on the shortcomings of their methods

and how his study is the only proper approach.

Asked once whether any evidence supported a connection between brain trauma and “any long-term

problems,” Casson responded: “In N.F.L. players? No.”

Harry Carson, a Hall of Fame linebacker for the Giants, said earlier this year that he encouraged several

friends to participate in the study. After reading Casson’s comments four weeks ago regarding an N.F.L.-

sponsored phone survey that indicated rates of dementia and other cognitive disease — Casson said that

phone surveys were inaccurate and that the players’ answering that they had been diagnosed with a disease

was not reliable — Carson said he would no longer recommend that fellow players see him.

“It was probably a waste of time,” Carson said. “I was under the impression that those guys could get some

kind of resolution or diagnosis, and I don’t think they did. When I encounter guys in the future, I’ll make sure

when I refer them it’s to an independent — someone that’s totally unbiased.”

In response to Carson’s comments, Casson said: “I think that Harry Carson is a wonderful human being. But

Harry Carson is not a scientist. Those are personal statements. He is not an expert in this field.”

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

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The Huddle: The latest word on NFL news, notes and buzz

Eagles lose Brian Westbrook to concussion after taking a knee to the head

Redskins may have lost Chris Cooley for the year with broken bone in ankle

Oct 27, 2009

Tennessean: Titans owner Bud Adams tells Jeff Fisher he wants Vince Young to start 01:24 AM

Comment

1 Recommend

Jeff Fisher's unwillingness to install Vince Young as the Titans' starting QB could have some strong opposition.

The Tennessean reported that team owner Bud Adams wants Young, the third overall pick in the 2006 draft, to become the starter now. The paper cited

an team insider close to the situation.

On Monday, Fisher was evasive when asked whom he would start Sunday for the 0-6 Titans. He said both Young and incumbent Kerry Collins have

performed well in practice, but he singled out Collins for "an especially good week."

Still, he declined to identify a starter. "Let's just say I am not going to be as specific and open-ended from a competitive standpoint," he said.

Adams said after last week's 59-0 in New England that he wanted Young to get a chance to play. "I just think we need to find out how well (Young) can do,"

Adams said. "If you don't play the guy and lose all your games, it is hard for you to see what he can do if he is not playing.

Neither Fisher nor Adams commented to the Tennessean on Monday on whether the owner would compel the coach to start Young. -- Sean Leahy

Tags:NFL Tennessee Titans Vince Young Jeff Fisher Kerry Collins Bud Adams PreviousEagles lose Brian Westbrook to concussion after taking a knee to the head

NextRedskins may have lost Chris Cooley for the year with broken bone in ankle

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By Nate Davis, USA TODAY

There suddenly seems to be a scarcity of parity in the NFL.

"On any given Sunday" has long been a mantra for the league's unpredictability. Yet on any given weekend in 2009, it seems you're more likely to witness a dog of a game than an underdog taking down a top dog.

The Week? 7 schedule, which only had 13 contests, produced six games decided by 28 points or more. That had never happened since the field-leveling salary cap was implemented in 1994, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In fact, only once in the 16-year salary cap era had four games had a margin of at least 28 points in the same NFL weekend — and that occurred in Week? 5 (when four teams were on bye).

PHOTOS: Week 7 highlights

"It's kind of been a bit of a bizarro world," says NFL Network analyst Charles Davis.

The 2009 season is also the first since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger with three undefeated teams surviving through seven weeks; conversely it is also the first that saw three winless teams remaining after Week ?7. With four clubs sporting six wins and six franchises with fewer than two victories, the NFL is suddenly resembling Major League Baseball with its polarized standings of haves and have-nots.

From 1994 to 2006, the average margin of victory league-wide for any season ranged from 10.4 to 11.9 points per game. That jumped up to 12.5 in 2007 and 12.2 last year before spiking to this season's average spread, 14.0 points.

Is a wide spectrum of quarterback play — Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning all lead six-win teams while the Rams (0-7), Buccaneers (0-7), Titans (0-6), Browns (1-6) and Lions (1-5) all rank in the league's bottom quartile in passer rating — the reason for a widening spectrum of winning percentages?

"I think a lot of teams would love to add a Sam Bradford," says Davis, referring to the University of Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who plans to enter the 2010 draft.

"(But) it's gotta be more than the quarterback. (Tennessee's) Kerry Collins is the same guy as last year."

Speaking of last year, recent seasons have foreshadowed such unprecedented excellence and unsightly ineptitude.

The 2007 New England Patriots were the first NFL club to complete a 16-0 regular season. A year later, the Detroit Lions were dissimilarly perfect while becoming the first 0-16 team in league annals.

Could such divergent accomplishments occur on the same calendar? Up and down arrows intersected Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts, winners of 15 consecutive regular-season games dating to 2008, throttled the St. Louis Rams 42-6. Now losers of 17 in a row, the Rams have not enjoyed the thrill of victory since Oct.? 19, 2008.

"We're looking for consistent winning. We're not looking to just get one win," says St. Louis rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo, who will try to get his first victory Sunday at Detroit, where the 1-2 Lions broke their 19-game slide earlier this season.

"I do think there's some pieces there. (But) when you go up against a team like (the Colts), you need a few more pieces."

At this point, a win would be a nice piece for Spagnuolo's team to place in a foundation that hasn't taken much shape yet.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, and obviously we're working towards whatever it is we're building here," said rookie tackle Jason Smith, the No. ?2 overall pick in the draft and presumably one of the cornerstones of what the Rams hope is a brighter future.

But will the future have upsets NFL viewers have come to occasionally expect — like the Raiders' Week ?6 ambush of the Eagles — with more league-wide "disparity" possibly on the horizon?

Unless the NFL and players union reach a new collective bargaining agreement in the coming offseason, the 2010 campaign will be played without a salary cap — each club could spend as much (or as little) as it desires — meaning the talent gulf between good and bad could very well grow.

"As far as the uncapped year," says Davis, "it may be the story of the NFL for 2010."

'Bizarro world': Wide gap divides NFL's haves, have-nots

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Johnson uses slurs for Haley, reporters

ESPN.com news services KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson used a gay slur for the second time in as many days Monday, The Kansas City Star reported on its Web site.

Johnson refused to speak with reporters, a day after the Chiefs' 37-7 home loss to the Chargers. Sitting in front of his locker, he turned away and muttered the slur in telling reporters to get "out of here," according to the Star, which recorded the comment.

On Sunday, Johnson belittled rookie head coach Todd Haley on Twitter in a series of posts that also included the same gay slur.

AFC West blog

ESPN.com's Bill Williamson writes about all things AFC West in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

Haley said Monday the Chiefs were looking into "a couple of situations" involving Johnson, but declined further comment. Asked about the slurs, he said the team was "gathering facts."

"I will say that how our players conduct themselves with the media and through the media is very important to myself as a head coach, and to the Chiefs as an organization," Haley said.

ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen reported a league official said Johnson's slurs are "on our radar."

Johnson, drafted in the first round out of Penn State in 2003, needs only 75 yards rushing to overtake Priest Holmes' club record of 6,070 yards. But he is no stranger to controversy, having been benched for three games last year and suspended for one in connection with separate incidents involving women in bars.

The tweets were posted to the "Toonicon" account, an online alias the Star reported Johnson has said is his. The account includes a link to Johnson's personal Web site. Chiefs spokesman Bob Moore said the team could not verify that is Johnson's account.

The Twitter remarks were posted after San Diego routed the Chiefs (1-6).

One tweet read: "My father got more creditentials than most of these pro coaches." That was followed by: "My father played for the coach from "rememeber the titans". Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn."

Haley, hired earlier this year to replace the fired Herm Edwards, did not play high school or college football and attended college on a golf scholarship. He did not enter coaching until he was in his 20s. He

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was hired as Kansas City's head coach after serving as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinalsin their Super Bowl run last year.

His father, Dick Haley, is one of the NFL's most distinguished scouts and personnel men, having helped build the Steelers dynasty in the 1970s. Todd Haley has spoken of how he immersed himself in football while growing up and traveling with his father to games and on scouting trips.

"I'm very proud of what I've done to get to where I am," he said. "I'm very proud of my results as a position coach, as a coordinator. Right now, am I proud of my head coaching record? No. But I intend to do everything I can to change that."

Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer, said, "I talked to Larry about it and he was focusing more on pumping up his father than anything else. He wasn't trying to downgrade anyone ... yes, everyone is frustrated after a loss like this but I wouldn't put too much into it."

The tweets drew responses, including one that referred to a nightclub incident in which Johnson was accused of spitting in someone's face.

Johnson's response included a three-letter gay slur. The final post read: "Make me regret it. Lmao. U don't stop my checks. Lmao. So 'tweet' away."

Johnson's account has since been made private.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Johnson was benched for three games by Edwards last year for an unspecified violation of team rules. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the fourth game for violating the league's player conduct policy in connection with incidents involving two women in bars.

Johnson then was sentenced to two years' probation after pleading guilty to two counts of disturbing the peace. One woman accused him of throwing a drink on her and another said he had pushed her head at a Kansas City night spot.

A judge earlier this year suspended the sentence and said he would remove the guilty plea from the public record if Johnson finished the probation period without further incidents.

He was one of the best running backs in the NFL in 2005 and '06, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each season. In 2006, he set an NFL record with 410 carries, but his production fell to 559 yards the following season after he sat out training camp in a contract dispute.

Running behind a poor offensive line, he has not done well this season, averaging only 2.7 yards per carry.

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN.com's Bill Williamson was used in this report.

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Posted: Monday October 26, 2009 5:48PM; Updated: Monday October 26, 2009 5:48PM

Joe Posnanski>INSIDE THE NFL

Anger helped bring Johnson fame, and it will help bring him down

Story Highlights Larry Johnson had big shoes to fill, replacing Priest Holmes Johnson embraced the underdog role, thriving on proving people wrong Recent outburst on Twitter is Johnson's leftover anger talking

My father played for coach from "rememeber the titans". Our coach played golf. My father played with redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn. -- Twitter from @toonicon (Larry Johnson).

I suppose it is pretty well known, at least in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, that I sort of see myself as Priest Holmes' Boswell. For four years, from 2001 to 2004, I had this strange, interesting, confusing, intricate journalistic relationship with Priest. It should be said that he was an absolutely amazing running back those four years. Amazing. In 2001, he led the NFL in rushing. In some ways, that was his least impressive year.

In 2002, he was on his way to perhaps the greatest season a running back ever had before he hurt his hip ? in 13 1/2 games, he ran for 1,615 yards, caught 70 passes, scored 24 touchdowns and gained 2,287 yards form scrimmage. I have often tried to project that season out ... simple math comes out like this:

16 games 1,900 yards rushing 82 receptions for 790 yards 2,691 yards from scrimmage 28 touchdowns

Amazing as those numbers look, I believe he might have done even better than that. He had a real shot a 2,000 yards rushing, 800 yards receiving and 30 touchdowns. He was that good and the Chiefs offensive line was that good. He could do more or less anything he wanted back then.

In 2003, he was not quite the same -- he was never quite the same after the hip injury, I don't think -- but he still set an NFL record with 27 rushing touchdowns, and he had 2,110 yards from scrimmage and he was a fantasy football monster.

In 2004, he again was not quite the same. And he got hurt. But even so, in a half season -- eight games -- he rushed for 892 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. So ... double up those numbers ... yeah, not bad. In 38 games from 2002-2004, Priest Holmes scored 66 touchdowns. SIXTY-SIX TOUCHDOWNS. That looks like a misprint. But it was very real. It's impossible to separate what Holmes did from the brilliance of that Chiefs offensive line and passing attack, but if that Chiefs offense was The Godfather, then Holmes was Brando.

And for whatever reason, we connected. Maybe it was the chess matches we played -- we used to play every week. Or maybe we just sort of understood each other. Priest was never easy for most reporters. Heck, he wasn't easy for me. After most games, Priest would announce he wasn't talking to the media. But it was understood that I would sort of stand around after the game for an hour or an hour and a half, however long it took, waiting for him to finish getting his body and mind recovered from the game.* And then we would go over the game, talk about various things. It became ritual. And Priest Holmes, like many great athletes, believed in ritual.

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*Football took a terrible toll on Priest Holmes. I guess it does on most football players, but I saw it firsthand with Priest. He would have to enter another world emotionally and physically to take on the violence and fury of the NFL. Priest is about my height. He wasn't especially fast -- he went undrafted even though he played at the University of Texas. He wasn't an especially overpowering runner. He was a great running back because of his extreme preparation (I suspect no running in the history of the NFL read blockers better or was more precise about steps than Priest Holmes) and because of his extreme will.

Anyway, I've never had quite that sort of relationship with any other elite athlete ... I'm still not entirely sure how it happened with Priest. And because of that relationship, I did not have much interest in Larry Johnson when the Kansas City Chiefs shocked everyone by drafting him in 2003. Nobody really understood the pick at the time. The Chiefs desperately needed defensive help ... they had led the NFL in points scored in 2002, and they still finished 8-8. That defense was some kind of awful. The official explanation for the Larry Johnson pick was that the Chiefs were worried about the health of Priest Holmes -- and they had every right to be worried. The official explanation was that Larry Johnson was simply too good a value to pass up with the 27th pick*. The official explanation was not the whole truth, of course. It seems to be that Chiefs president Carl Peterson had fallen in love with Johnson's talents and, against the wishes of head coach Dick Vermeil, he took L.J. with the pick.

*The Chiefs actually had the 16th pick in the draft but, not seeing a defensive player who fit their eye, they traded down to 27. That would not be worth a side-note except Pittsburgh is the team that traded up to 16 ... and with that pick they took safety Troy Polamalu, one of the most dominating defensive players in the NFL.

I don't think it's revisionist history to say that Larry Johnson looked awful in his first camp. I remember it being the talk of campat the time. He looked plodding and slow and like he could think of about 237 places he would rather be. He also fumbled a bit. He was angry then, legitimately angry, and the reasons were easy to understand. He did not get a real chance to play in college until his senior year. And he should have won the Heisman Trophy that senior year ... he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, scored 29 touchdowns, and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. He was actually averaging eight yards per carry -- EIGHT YARDS PER CARRY -- going into the bowl game. He finished third in the voting behind Carson Palmer and Brad Banks.

And then, he had these big NFL dreams -- Johnson is a student of NFL history -- and he ended up getting drafted by a team that already had Priest Holmes coming off one of the great running back seasons ever. Yes, he was very angry, and he brooded constantly, and his coaches and teammates were annoyed by him. He wanted the ball. He only carried the ball 20 times his rookie season.

In 2004, though, Priest Holmes got hurt. Believe it or not, Larry Johnson was not next up ... a running back named Derrick Blaylock became the starter (and he had a 186-yard rushing game -- man oh man was that a good offensive line). But Blaylock got hurt, and Larry Johnson got a chance to carry the ball. He was amazing. The Chiefs had one of the great offensive lines in the history of the NFL then (anchored by future Hall of Famers Will Shields and Willie Roaf and soon-to-be Pro Bowler Brian Waters) and Larry Johnson scored 10 touchdowns in his final five games -- three of them were runs of 32 yards or more. He was clearly lacking various other skills -- he was close-to-useless as a pass blocker and he was a limited receiver. And with Priest Holmes more or less filling up my time, I didn't really take much notice of Johnson except to notice that, damn, he ran hard.

And then there's 2005 -- and that's the year when everything crescendoed for Larry Johnson. Anger met opportunity, all behind a breathtakingly good offensive line. It was awe inspiring. Johnson started nine games in 2005 -- and he ran for 100 yards in all nine. He rushed for 1,351 yards and scored 17 touchdowns in those nine games. He ran for 211 yards against Houston, scored three touchdowns against Dallas, broke off touchdown runs of 49, 14 and 20 yards against Cincinnati. The line was so good that he was regularly able to break though the first line of defense, and then he would unleash ... he would run over linebackers and defensive backs ... damn, he ran hard. I wrote a column that year comparing him to Jim Brown, andheard from some people who were infuriated by the comparison though I should also say I heard from two of Jim Brown's former teammates who thought the comparison was just right. "Same guy," one of those ex-teammates wrote.

In 2006, Herm Edwards became head coach of the Chiefs ... and things changed. For one thing, Willie Roaf -- who is probably the greatest offensive tackle I ever saw up close -- retired. For another, Trent Green, the Chiefs prolific quarterback, suffered a concussion in the first game. And third, Edwards wanted to change the basic structure of the Chiefs. The team had scored a bunch of points from 2002-2005 -- more than any team in the NFL by a pretty substantial margin -- but they had only made the playoffs once, and they lost that playoff game. Edwards believed the team wasn't tough enough. He wanted to refocus the team's persona. The Chiefs were now about Larry Johnson.

Something changed at that point. Roy Williams, when asked why his assistant coach Matt Doherty flamed out as head coach at North Carolina, shrugged and said: "Those 18 inches can be pretty wide." He was referring to the 18-inch gap between the head coach's chair and the chair of the No. 1 assistant coach. It seems to me now -- and yes, I appreciate that this is a lot of pop psychology -- that Larry Johnson was built to be the outsider. He thrived on proving people wrong. He



Copyright © 2007 CNN/Sports Illustrated.

thrived on feeling under-appreciated and mistreated and unloved. He could be charming and funny and smart (he once came out for a Herm Edwards press conference and did a dead-on Herm impression to the shock of the media), but you always got the impression that he wanted to hide that side of himself. He seemed to feel like that side of himself wasn't real.

And so, he played the angry young man ... and it all made sense when he had reasons to be angry. But then, suddenly, he was an NFL star. He was famous. He was successful. He had a coach who didn't just like him but built an entire team around him (in 2006, Larry Johnson got 416 carries ... an NFL record). And suddenly, the angry act didn't make much sense to anyone, least of all to L.J. What did he have to be angry about? Nobody knew. Only he stayed angry. He was arrested for assault for waving a gun in his girlfriend's face. Charges were dropped. He was arrested again, this time for allegedly pushing his girlfriend to the ground. Charges were dropped. Daily Larry Johnson rumors emerged around town. In 2008, he was arrested two more times for assault --once for pushing a woman in a night club and a second time for spitting a drink in a woman's face. Off the field he was out of control.

And on the field? In 2006, when he was getting 25 to 30 carries every single game, he still ran with purpose and talent. He ran for 1,789 yards, scored 19 touchdowns, was one of the stars of the league even if the offensive line wasn't nearly as good. But, yes, something did seem missing. He yards per carry average dropped a yard. His enthusiasm for contact, his sporting rage, his ability to gain two or three extra yards without people seeming to notice, it all seemed to be withering. He ran for only 32 yards in the playoff game against Indianapolis and afterward bitched about the Chiefs offense trying to run the ball against a defense that knew it was it coming. It seemed wrong -- Larry Johnson suddenly didn't want the ball so much.

What followed is pretty typical NFL stuff. Johnson wanted a lucrative new contract even though his first contract had not expired. The Chiefs gave it to him even though they were well aware that NFL running backs who run the ball more than 400 times in a season are usually used up. Will Shields retired, leaving that once great offensive line in tatters. And Larry Johnson diminished before our very eyes. You could blame it on a thousand things, and any one of those could be right. Maybe his brilliant early performance was simply due to a great offensive line and a multiple offense. Maybe the 400 carries in a season finished him. Maybe injuries were the key. Maybe he simply lost control of himself and his life. Or maybe a talent like Larry Johnson is temporary, a flash across the sky. Maybe nobody can run that angry for very long.

Whatever the reasons, Larry Johnson averaged 3.5 yards per carry in 2007 and got hurt. He ran for 874 yards in a bleak 2008 season overwhelmed by off-the-field incidents. And this year, he averages 2.7 yards per carry and has not scored a single touchdown. Larry Johnson will turn 30 years old in mid-November. The general feeling in Kansas City and around the NFL is that he's done as a good NFL back. Maybe the fact everyone doubts him again will reignite him. Then again, maybe not.

And I can't help but feel sad for him. I like him in a strange way ... maybe because I have seen a little bit of that side he doesn't like showing people. Also I loved watching him play football.

The Larry Johnson Tweet that tops this post is gone from his account now ... I assume he removed it along with various other angry things he wrote last night after the Chiefs humiliating loss to San Diego. A few of the angry comments he wrote to fans are still up, though, if you want to see those ... sort of the vapor trail of his Twitter rage. People have asked me why he would just go off on Twitter like he did, but I think I understand. Anger helped make Larry Johnson into a breathtakingly good NFL running back. Anger helped make him famous and successful and rich. Anger helped him fulfill the dreams he had been having since he was a child.

The trouble is, at some point, all those other things faded away. He's not a breathtakingly good running back now. He's not especially famous, not particularly successful, and being rich -- assuming he has been smart with his money -- isn't enough. This is the the sad thing about Larry Johnson. All he's left with is the anger.

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October 27, 2009 News Clippings - National Football...

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