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Unsung Heroes O-line coaches given credit for A-plus gameplansPosted: Tuesday December 18, 2001 3:54 PM
Every Tuesday during the NFL season, CNNSI.com's Pat Kirwan will recognize the players and coaches who don't see much of the spotlight but get the job done. At the end of the season Pat will present his Unsung Coach of the Year award in the memory of former NFL player and coach Chip Myers. In January 1999, after having served as an NFL assistant for 15 years, Myers was named Vikings offensive coordinator. Just a month later Myers suffered a fatal heart attack. Head coaches get most of the credit for the success of their team and "hot" coordinators get mentioned regularly when head-coaching jobs are open. But down a level from the high-profile guy is a very important member of every staff: offensive line coach. The offensive line coach is like the engineer of the train. Without him nothing would go right, yet he's always in the background doing the dirty work. I have the utmost respect for offensive line coaches around the NFL. They coach five starting positions, more positions than any other coach, they need to coordinate the tight ends and fullbacks into their responsibilities and they often get little say in the play calling. Last week there were some excellent performances by these men.
Some unsung players who did some great things this week include Chike Okeafor, defensive end for the 49ers. He is a backup who started last week and he came through with four tackles and 2 1/2 sacks. Also in San Francisco, rookie Jamie Winborn stepped in for injured linebacker Jeff Ulbrich and led the team with nine tackles and had half a sack. The New York Jets got an excellent performance from backup wide receiver Kevin Swayne. Kevin has not stopped playing football for almost a year, from NFL Europe, to the Arena League straight to the Jets. He's not suffered burn out yet as he led the club in a win against the Bengals with four receptions for 74 yards. Off the bench for the Titans was running back Skip Hicks. All Hicks did in the win against the Packers was rush 17 times for 142 yards and a touchdown. And finally, I have to acknowledge the competitive spirit of every Detroit player who refused to give up. I've watched this team closely from Thanksgiving on and they had the pride to get up off the canvas each week to try again. Not once did they quit and say there's always next year. With a rookie QB they could be a dangerous team to play in the next few weeks. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated. Unsung Heroes appears every Tuesday at CNNSI.com.
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