Archive for May, 2009
How Tomlin Wins- On The Field and Off
Entering his third season as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has become more popular than his predecessor, Bill Cowher. This isn’t just because Cowher has upset Pittsburgh sports fans recently by adopting the Carolina Hurricanes as his favorite hockey team. It is primarily because Tomlin’s Steelers won the Super Bowl in [...]
Backdraft Detroit: Starring Sammie Lee Hill
Driving home from a film session one night in Alabama, Sammie Lee Hill and two former teammates spotted a burning house. “My teammate told me to turn around, because someone might need help and, sure enough, there was a lady outside saying that her father needs help. [Going inside] All we could do was put [...]
Sammie Hill heads from Stillman to NFL
Sammie Hill’s size held him back when he first started playing football. To his frustration, he was too big as a 10-year-old already topping 200 pounds to carry the football under youth league rules. “Every time they’d kick off, I’d drop back instead of looking to block someone. I was hoping I’d get to the [...]
New Lion Sammie Lee Hill has potential, but must improve technique
Sammie Hill is a big man from a small town. He’s a 6-foot-4, 330-pound defensive tackle from West Blocton, Ala., a place that is less than five square miles and has about 1,400 people. It isn’t one-stoplight small. It’s smaller. “Let’s see,” Hill said Saturday in the Lions’ locker room, between practices at rookie orientation. [...]
Russell Resurfaces with Raiders
Apparently, two teams in the the AFC West believe that the division will be decided this year by the number of running backs that a given team has under contract. At a time when the Broncos are hoarding tailbacks, the Raiders keep adding more to the roster as well. The latest addition is Gary Russell, [...]
Coach Tomlin’s Greatest Test Lies Ahead
Deep in thought? Coach Tomlin has added his own piece of silverware to the Pittsburgh Steelers un-matched collection of NFL royalties. He longer has the monkey on his back. Although it was never directly said, when Coach Tomlin earned the job, he was instantly expected to do what his predeccors Noll and Cowher achieved. Win [...]
George Bussey, Myron Pryor share common roots
While their hometown was awash in tout sheets and mint juleps, two proud sons of Louisville, Ky., spent the weekend in Foxboro participating in a different high-stakes derby. Patriots [team stats]’ second-day selections George Bussey (170th overall) and Myron Pryor (207th) were on opposite sides of the line during two days of double sessions at [...]
DT Sammie Hill is Showing His Athleticism
It is a big enough transition to the NFL when players are coming from the top-tier programs in college football. It is an even bigger challenge for NFL rookies when they haven’t seen a steady stream of top competition throughout their collegiate careers. What does that mean, then, for a player coming out of a [...]
