Chuck Darby must make big impact

I was all set to write a healthy defense of Dewayne White and how he was by far the most important ex-Buc. But then I looked at the question and realized that you meant the current crop of ex-Bucs. I still think White is a vital player. He was having a very good year last year before getting hurt against the Broncos and was never the same after that. He can be a good, consistent pass rusher this year if he stays healthy, so he’s important.

First, I’d say that the Lions should not be criticize simply for going after former Buccaneers. If they are all disasters, then fine, criticize away. But they might actually be good additions, right? I mean, the fact that they were part of a successful defense and know the system Rod Marinelli want to put in place. I mean, that’s not a bad thing, is it? It’s not as if the Lions are bringing in a bunch of ex-Cardinals or ex-Raiders right? Or even worse, ex-Lions. (They re-signed Teddy Lehman? Scratch that last thought.)

Look, I haven’t a clue who WILL have the biggest impact. Who needs to have the bigger impact is the more important question. And I think the answer to that is Chuck Darby. Say what you will about Shaun Rogers, but he had some very good games and he certainly made an impact. I thought it was time for him to go, so I’m not ripping the Leos for making that happen. But it does leave a gaping hole on the line. Darby needs to fill that along with some help from others I’m sure.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Marinelli was a defensive line guru and the Lions line has stunk since he got here. Now he has more of “his guys” here to play the system. Let’s see some results.

Related: Chuck Darby reunited with Marinelli

The Man, Coach Tomlin has Become

The offensive line appeared to be suspect even before it lost perennial Pro Bowler Alan Faneca to free agency. Read more

Congrats to Chris Jackson on 1st Championship

Soul WR Chris Jackson had 11 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns to earn him Offensive Player of the Game honors.

NEW ORLEANS – The Philadelphia Soul captured Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII this afternoon, knocking off the San Jose SaberCats, 59-56, in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,244 at New Orleans Arena. The victory gave Philadelphia its first title in franchise history and denied San Jose its second straight ArenaBowl championship.

Soul quarterback Matt D’Orazio (Columbus, Ohio) completed 26 of 43 pass attempts for 302 yards and seven touchdowns and rushing for one score to be named Mitsubishi Motors ArenaBowl XXII MVP. Meanwhile, Philadelphia receiver Chris Jackson (Santa Ana, Calif.) was named the Offensive Player of the Game after totaling 11 catches for a game-high 146 yards and three touchdowns.

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Related: Jackson Helps Soul Win Championship

Second Season to Test Tomlin

Chuck Noll went 1-13 in his first year as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach. Bill Cowher started his Steelers coaching career with an 11-5 record.

Mike Tomlin went 10-6 in his debut on the Pittsburgh sidelines.

Those numbers really don’t mean anything.

Everyone knows what Noll and Cowher went on to accomplish.

Noll was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame after transforming the Steelers from NFL patsy to a four-time Super Bowl winner.

Cowher, meanwhile, averaged 10 wins in 15 seasons and probably landed his ticket in Canton, Ohio, by turning an 11-5 showing in 2005 to a Super Bowl victory as the wild card.

Tomlin, however, has a long way to go before he can be compared to his two predecessors.

For starters, Tomlin won’t have a cake schedule in 2008 as was the case in his rookie campaign.

The Steelers beat only two teams with winning records last year when they swept their two AFC North games with Cleveland and downed Seattle.

The Steelers’ other seven wins came against teams which finished with a combined 28-68.

If that weren’t bad enough one of the Steelers’ losses was in overtime to the New York Jets. which won only three other games. The Steelers needed a field goal to drop the 1-15 Dolphins, 3-0, in the rain on a Monday night.

The Steelers’ reward for winning the AFC North title in 2007 was one of the NFL’s toughest schedules.

The Steelers have to face the six teams considered at the top of the power rankings: New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas, Jacksonville and the New York Giants.

If that’s not enough to worry about, Cleveland is tabbed as the AFC North favorite by some of the so-called NFL experts.

Tomlin’s first season was a bit misleading since the Steelers were 7-2 after nine games and closed with four losses in their last five contests.

It didn’t help that the NFL’s leading rusher at the time, Willie Parker, broke his leg in the opening minutes of the next-to-last regular season game at St. Louis and defensive end Aaron Smith missed the final four games with injuries.

Drafting Rashard Mendenhall first was a safeguard in case Parker goes down, but the Steelers didn’t strengthen the defensive line by either the draft or free agency.

If Smith, Casey Hampton or Brett Keisel gets hurt, the Steelers are in serious trouble.

The same goes for Ben Roethlisberger on offense.

Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers aren’t going anywhere.

Charges Sign Mark Jones

The San Diego Chargers have signed free agent wide receiver and punt returner Mark Jones to a one-year deal.

Originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the seventh round in 2004, the 5-9, 185-pound Jones ended up spending his rookie season with the New York Giants after being waived by the Buccaneers. He re-signed with Tampa Bay in 2005 and spent the 2005-07 seasons in Tampa Bay.

Jones is a wide receiver, but his NFL experience has been exclusively as a punt returner. In 2007, he returned 12 punts for 143 yards (11.9 avg) with a long of 35. His year was cut short however by a knee injury that landed him on Injured-Reserve on Oct. 24. He has since recovered from that injury.

“Mark’s versatility was very attractive to us,” said General Manager A.J. Smith. “He’s an experienced NFL punt returner and a solid player who will raise the level of competition in our camp.”

For his career, Jones has 117 returns for 1,017 yards, an average of 8.7 yards per return.

The 27-year-old Jones was born in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. He attended Strath Haven High School and the University of Tennessee.

Raheem Morris: A Hot Coaching Commodity

The casual NFL fan likely has not heard of Morris, but that will change soon. He will be an NFL head coach. It might not be in 2009, but it won’t be long after that. Some shrewd teams will examine Morris after this season. And even though Morris is just 31, two head coaches named him as the best assistant coach in the league in the ESPN.com survey. Morris is known as a motivator and a strong X’s and O’s man. He has drawn comparisons to Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who just three years ago held the same position Morris currently holds. Mark it down, Morris is a coach to watch.

Full Story: Super Bowl performance has Spagnuolo highly touted - [ESPN]

Soul’s Jackson Named Top Offensive Player

When the Soul set out to upgrade their roster after going 8-8 during the regular season and losing in the second round of the Arena Football League playoffs last year, the team’s top target was free-agent wide receiver Chris Jackson.
The Soul landed their man - one of the league’s career statistical leaders at his position - and bringing Jackson to Philadelphia has proven be a smart move.

That was evident again yesterday, when the nine-year veteran from Morrisville was named the AFL offensive player of the year.

“It’s an honor and a blessing to receive that award, but I choose to look at it more as a team award,” Jackson said after the Soul went through their last full-scale practice in preparation for their National Conference championship game against the Cleveland Gladiators tomorrow at the Wachovia Center.

“I’m humble enough and have been around long enough to know that it’s not possible to win that without the offensive line we have, the two great quarterbacks we have, and the support of the other receivers.”

This is the second time the 33-year-old Jackson has claimed the award.

After being named rookie of the year in 2000 with the Los Angeles Avengers, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Washington State product was named offensive player of the year in 2003.

Jackson, who is the only AFL player to claim both honors, left Los Angeles after the 2004 season for a spot with the Georgia Force, where he spent three seasons before signing one of the league’s most lucrative contracts with the Soul.

For his career, Jackson is second all-time in touchdowns (318) and receiving yards (13,229), and tied for second with 991 receptions. In his only year with the Soul, he set regular-season records for receptions (140), receiving yards (1,710), and touchdowns (49).

“I just came out and did my things, and worked as hard as I could to make this team be productive,” Jackson said.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Ask Tony Hills

From Lou Ellis in Newark, New Jersey: What was it like waiting to be drafted?
Tony Hills: It was a long process. I felt relaxed though. I had piece of mind knowing the body of work I put in during my four years at Texas was about to pay off. I just was waiting to find out where I was going to be.

From Dan Abrahams in Elyria, Ohio: What was your reaction when you got the call from the Steelers telling you they drafted you?
Tony Hills: It was a sigh of relief. I was just thanking God that finally somebody called. When it was the Steelers I was really happy to be in that situation. The success they have had over the years, recently winning the Super Bowl and then Coach (Mike) Tomlin bringing them back to the playoffs. There was so much excitement going on in Pittsburgh so I was happy about that.

From Jamie Miller in Morgantown, West Virginia: Did you have any idea that they were interested in you beforehand?
Tony Hills: I did not. I spoke to them and had am meeting with them at the combine. They were one of my interviews. But I had a bunch of other interviews too so I tried not to read into it too much. When Coach (Larry) Zierlein came to work me out I thought maybe I could end up there.

From Jacob Biggerstaff in Normal, Illinois: Did having to wait until the fourth round give you any extra motivation to prove yourself?
Tony Hills: Definitely. You always play the game to be the best. It’s motivation, but so is just getting in there and proving myself and showing I belong there. I am going to go in there and do whatever I can to help the team.

From SSG Michael Molinaro stationed in Camp Liberty (Baghdad), Iraq: What was your favorite moment during your college career?
Tony Hills: When we beat Central Florida my senior year. We had a very young team. It was a game with a lot of adversity. I saw a lot of my teammates grow up in that game and make big plays. It was one of those things where you see all of your hard work pay off.

From Tom Kelly in Cranberry, Pennsylvania: Who in your opinion was the toughest opponent you faced?
Tony Hills: That’s a hard question to answer. As far as defensive ends were concerned they were all pretty good. I think Nathan Peterson from Oklahoma State gave me the most problems.

From Jake Kurnot in Dunbar, Pennsylvania: Now that you have gone through your first minicamp, what are your initial impressions of the Steelers offense?
Tony Hills: It’s a power offense. You know they are going to run the ball. As far as pass protection they use a system to where there is a lot of man-on-man blocking but you also have help from the interior guys and running backs. I can’t wait to get in and learn it. I am anxious to produce.

From Tom Grant in Chicago, Illinois: You protected Vince Young and college and Ben Roethlisberger is your quarterback. Both of them like to scramble and use their legs. What kind of adjustments do you have to make on the fly when your quarterback starts to improvise?
Tony Hills: It’s one of those things that you just have to find out how to read him. You see what the situation is, if they are blitzing off the edge does he like to duck under or try to outrun it. It just depends on who you are blocking. If he is a ducker you want to take the closest person to him. If he tries to scramble outside you might want to take the widest person. I have played with a lot of scrambling quarterbacks and it is something I am used to.

From Thomas Kross in Culpeper, Virginia: How quickly do you think you can adjust to the nuisances of the NFL - pass protection schemes, etc.?
Tony Hills: I am going to try to get adjusted as quick as possible. It’s a lot different from college. You get to spend all of your waking hours studying football. I am hoping by studying and working with the coaches and veteran players I can get it down fast.

From John Baloga in Dupont, Pennsylvania: It was documented that you had some lower leg circulatory problems that had been corrected by surgery. Are there any lingering effects of that injury that may limit your mobility?
Tony Hills: Not at all. I have been saying it for four years but the best way to show that I am fine is to go out and prove it.

From Chuck Dettling in Atmore, Alabama: How important is it to have your Texas teammate Limas Sweed, and Casey Hampton, also from your alma mater, on the team?
Tony Hills: It will definitely help a lot because you go in knowing some people. That helps with the comfort factor. Casey has been there, has been successful and knows the organization in and out. He can give me pointers on what I need to do to be success at this level. Then you have the comfort level of having your college teammate who you played with for four years and I lived with in the summer. We worked out together all of the time. It gives you that extra push and when times get hard you can lean on each other.

From Paul Lytle in Greensburg, Pennsylvania: What would you say is your strength, run blocking or pass protection?
Tony Hills: I am trying to make both of them my strengths right now. I try to be as balanced as I can because they are both important.

From Andrew Williams in Sarasota, Florida: Which side do you prefer to play on, the right on the left?
Tony Hills: Definitely the left because it is what I played the last four years. That is the quarterbacks blind side so it’s a lot of responsibility to make sure you protect him. I am always up to challenges.

From Ben Jewel in Louisville, Kentucky: Is it strange coming in as a rookie and basically starting over again like when you were a freshman?
Tony Hills: Definitely. I have never been in this situation before. I was never in Pittsburgh before mini-camp. You see how things are run for the couple of days that we are there. Everything was at a fast past. You get what you can on the fly and do the best you can. It will be a lot different in training camp when they have more time to spend with us.

Watch out for Russell

Pittsburgh’s acquisition of ex-Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round of April’s NFL draft was part of the reason why the Steelers recently decided to part ways with fellow runner Najeh Davenport. Further, the offseason pickup of free agent Mewelde Moore made Davenport’s ability to return kicks somewhat obsolete; after all, Moore is also an adept returner and a viable backup option at halfback. Still, there was another reason why Pittsburgh decided to drop Davenport, who rushed for 763 yards and seven touchdowns for the club over the course of two seasons.

That reason? Second-year running back Gary Russell, whom the Steelers didn’t want to part with. Russell has a lack of experience, having garnered just 21 yards on seven carries during his pro career, but the Steelers were impressed during the 2007 preseason with two things: First, Russell’s power; secondly, his willingness to learn. Moreover, they liked the way he finished runs, finished blocks, and generally improved during the course of last season.

Beyond his preseason performance from last summer, however, is the fact that Russell showed the ability to play very well at the highest level of college football; as a sophomore with the Minnesota Gophers, he rushed for 1,130 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Even more impressive is that he split time with current Patriots running back Laurence Maroney while doing so, adding to the intrigue.

So how did a guy like this not get drafted? Well, that’s the other side of the coin. Simply put, Russell flunked out of school after that great season he had with the Gophers.

“It was me just being lazy, immature,” said the 21-year-old Russell.

Adding to the negative side of things is the fact that the 5-foot-11, 225-pounder showed up at the combine overweight and only ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash. But the bottom line is that Pittsburgh has seen players with little fanfare turn into stars. Their starting running back, Willie Parker, serves as a prime example of that. And they believe that Russell can be developed into a top-notch back in Parker’s mold.

It’s hard to argue with the Steelers, who have proven over the years that they can find diamonds in the rough.

Steelers Sign Hills

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed fourth round draft pick, Tony Hills, to a three-year deal on Thursday, reportedly for $1.45 million dollars, with a $304,500 signing bonus, according to scout.com. Hills played his college ball at the University of Texas.

The 6′6″, 305 lb lineman has dealt with severe injuries over his short football career. He had a career-threatening injury in his high school state championship game, that many thought he would never come back from. The Longhorns and the NCAA granted Hills a medical hardship in 2003, while he recovered from his knee reconstruction. By 2004 he was back on the team. By 2005, he was a top back-up on the line. By 2006, he was a starter. In 2007, Hills was receiving national recognition, that would ultimately see the big lineman drafted by the Steelers.

He was projected as a second rounder, before a broken leg late in 2007 ended his year, and his high draft status. The Steelers may have gotten a steal in the fourth round.

The real question about Hills won’t really be answered until we can see him play once he’s learned the offense. At 305, Hills isn’t close to what he’ll ultimately weigh in the NFL. Look for him to gain 10-20 pounds in the next year, as he lifts with the Steelers strength coaches. Overall, he has good strength and movement. He’s extremely quick, but really, still learning the game.

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