Rookie Riley Reiff is a Lion of the future

The Lions' Riley Reiff breaks from the line during training camp in July. / Duane Burleson

By Jeff Seidel

July 30, 2012

Jeff Backus stood behind the Lions' huddle, wearing a brace on his right hand. He was not allowed to practice Sunday morning because of a thumb injury.

Would it have kept him out of a regular-season game? Probably not. Backus is so durable and tough he would still play if his appendix popped out of his belly button.

But the Lions do have an age-old problem on their offensive line; it is, well, getting age-old.

And that is why the Lions drafted Riley Reiff in the first round -- he is an insurance policy in the short term and, they hope, the left tackle of the future.

Backus has started every game for the Lions since 2001, the same year Reiff entered the sixth grade.

And now, Backus is developing into a mentor for this rookie from the University of Iowa.

"He's going to be here and he's going to play a lot of football," Backus said of Reiff. "As much as I can help him, I will. It's just part of my job description now. And I enjoy it."

'Tough, competitive guy'

Reiff is a big country boy from South Dakota. He grew up in a town of about 2,000 and he would rather go fishing than head to a big city with -- you know -- traffic lights.

Reiff is already a big fan of the fishing opportunities in Michigan. About a month ago, Reiff went out with some friends on Lake St. Clair. "We caught a whole bunch of smallmouth," Reiff said. Which, I think, are technically fish, not babes in bikinis still out floating around from the Jobbie Nooner.

"The water in Michigan is beautiful," Reiff said. "It's great fishing."

Before the NFL Combine, some considered Reilly to be a top 15 pick, but he slipped to the Lions at 23 because, some say, he has short arms for a left tackle.

"Reilly is just a hard-nosed, tough, competitive guy," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

Ferentz said he believes the Lions got a steal. Ferentz said that if Reilly would have stayed for his senior year, he would have been a top eight pick. "He is going to get even better as a pro," Ferentz said. "His best football is ahead of him."

Reiff roomed with James Ferentz, the coach's son, for three years at Iowa. He said Reiff liked to do two things: fish and watch game film. When they were freshmen, the two roommates got into a fight. "He killed me," James Ferentz said. "I can't hang with him."

So James Ferentz did the logical thing: He never got into a fight with him again, and he gave Reiff whatever he wanted, including the bottom bunk in their dorm.

"That year was one of the best years of my life," Reiff said.

Reiff turned down a chance to go to New York City for the draft because, well, there are way too many traffic lights. He stayed at his parents' home in South Dakota because his grandfather, Lloyd Reiff, is fighting lung cancer and wasn't doing so good. But he keeps hanging in there.

"My grandfather told me he wanted to make it to the bowl game," Reiff said. "Then, he wanted to make it to the draft. Now, he wants to watch my first pro game."

'A smart guy'

Reiff started training camp working with the third team. He got some snaps with the first team Saturday and worked at right tackle with the second string Sunday. He also played left guard at Iowa.

"He's a smart guy, been well coached," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "He is going through things for the first time, and there is going to be a learning curve for him, but he's doing well."

Reiff was a little overwhelmed during minicamp, but he is starting to feel comfortable.

Even driving around in an area with so many traffic lights.

Browns' special teams try to be special again

By Fred Greetham

July 27, 2012

As the Browns prepare to embark upon their second season under Pat Shurmur there are many questions that remain. With training camp opening this coming week, we’ve taken a position-by-position analysis of the current roster as the team heads to camp.

This is the last part as we take a look at the specialists.

Candidates: Phil Dawson, Reggie Hodges, Christian Yount, Jeff Wolfert and Spencer Lanning.

It wasn’t too long ago that the strongest part of the Browns was their special teams. With Phil Dawson kicking, Dave Zastudil or Reggie Hodges doing the punting and Ryan Pontbriand handling the long-snapping.

However, last year under first year special teams coach Chris Tabor, the Browns special teams took a step back in several areas. Hodges tore his Achilles in training camp. Pontbriand—who had made the Pro Bowl as a long-snapper—seemingly lost his touch with bad snaps in 2011 costing the Browns a couple of games. He was quickly released.

Dawson had another stellar season and was franchised for the second-straight season, indicating the 14-year kicker is one of the most valuable players on the Browns. Dawson is on pace to eclipse many Browns franchise records if he plays a couple more seasons in Cleveland.

In addition to the specialists, Josh Cribbs was hampered by injuries and had a sub-par season in returning kickoffs and punt returns.

Phil Dawson (5-11, 200, 14th year, Texas) – Dawson is the second-leading scorer in team history with 1,155 points behind only Lou Groza. Dawson despite being 37-years old has not slowed down. In 2011, Dawson kicked seven field goals for 50 or more yards, which tied an NFL record. His career field goal accuracy is 83.1 percent, highest in Browns history and 10th best in NFL history. In 2011, Dawson hit 24-of-29 attempts and 20-of-20 PATs for a total of 92 points.

Jeff Wolfert (6-2, 185, 1st year, Missouri) – Wolfert was in camp last season and is back to give Dawson a break from some of the kicking in training camp.

Reggie Hodges (6-0, 220, 6th year, Ball State) – Hodges returns after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training camp last season and sidelining him for the entire season. Richmond McGee started the season but also was injured and veteran Brad Maynard steadied the ship for the bulk of the season. The Browns are hoping Hodges returns the form he showed in 2010 when he was ranked 9th in the NFL in punting with a 43.9 average. Maynard was last in yards per punt 40.5 in 2011. In addition, Hodges is a good holder for Dawson.

Spencer Lanning (5-11, 1st year, South Carolina) – Since Hodges is coming off of a major injury, Lanning is in camp as insurance that Hodges is able to perform.

Christian Yount (6-1, 256, 2nd year, UCLA) – Yount joined the Browns after Ryan Pontbriand imploded after 11 games and played the final five games as the team’s long snapper. He handled the long snapping duties for Tampa Bay for the first seven games of the season after signing as an undrafted rookie free agent. Yount handled the final five games flawlessly. Bad snaps cost the Browns two games in 2011 and Pontbriand was recently cut by the 49ers and former Browns special teams coach Brad Seely.

Better than 2011?: Dawson has been as steady a player as the Browns have had and the return of Hodges should improve the field position game. The Browns also lost two games in 2011 due to bad snaps and Young came in and was nearly flawless once he took over.

Josh Cribbs should be able to return to what he does best and that is covering kickoffs and returning kicks. Trying to get Cribbs back to an elite level is a top priority.

Mike Stoops Return Could Return Sooners To National Title Glory

By Zack Poff

July 25, 2012

Oklahoma is the final team on this list. They have a ton of talent, but it all starts with their senior quarterback, Landry Jones. Despite throwing for 4,463 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, Jones struggled down the stretch for the Sooners. After starting 6-0, Oklahoma finished 3-3 in their final six regular season games. Landry Jones is one of the favorites to contend for the Heisman Trophy entering his senior season.

Junior tailback, Dominique Whaley, was one of the best stories in college football last season. The walk-on led Oklahoma in rushing through six games before suffering a broken ankle against Kansas State and was shut down for the rest of the season.

Now that Bob Stoops has given Whaley a scholarship, the junior can finally quit his part-time job making sandwiches at Subway and focus on football. He will be the main cog in the rushing attack for Oklahoma heading into 2012. The Sooners also brought in two talented freshmen recruits in Alex Ross and David Smith to add depth to the backfield. Oklahoma also added a very talented back in Damien Williams, a junior college transfer from Arizona Western.

The Sooners also return Roy Finch, who rushed for 605 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Oklahoma's bread and butter is on the offensive line. They only allowed 11 sacks last season and will make Landry Jones job upright most of the season. A great offensive line is always one of the most underrated aspects of the game and Oklahoma returns four of their five starters.

The Sooners struggled mildly last season when their star wideout Ryan Broyles went down with a torn ACL. It will be crucial for Oklahoma's receiving corps to step up now that Broyles' Oklahoma career is over. He will be a tough guy to replace after becoming the all-time receptions leader in FBS history. Junior, Kenny Stills, will be the main cog in the passing attack. He finished with 849 yards and eight touchdowns.

Juniors Jaz Reynolds and Trey Franks were expected to be main pieces for Oklahoma's passing attack, but have been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. It will be crucial for Reynolds and Franks to get their acts together if Oklahoma wants to compete for the Big 12 Championship and contend for the national championship.

Mike Stoops returns as the new defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and will have the task of restoring the Sooners suffocating defense. Stoops was a co-defensive coordinator for Oklahoma in 2000, when they won their last BCS National Championship against Florida State. That defense did not allow one point from an explosive Seminole's offensive unit.

In four of the five seasons while Mike Stoops was on Oklahoma's staff, the Sooner's also finished in the top ten in total defense. The guy knows how to coach defense. Oklahoma has struggled mildly in the past, finishing outside of the top 50 in total defense during three of the last four seasons.

Junior linebacker, Tom Wort is the defensive quarterback for Oklahoma heading into 2012. He had 71 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season, and will have an even bigger role this year. Expect Corey Nelson, who racked up up 59 tackles and 5.5 sacks and will see time at linebacker and safety this season, to step up in his junior campaign..

Oklahoma returns three starters from their secondary. Senior defensive back, Demontre Hurst, a Second Team All-Big 12 selection, is the main cog. Hurst had 55 tackles last season to go with one interception and 11 pass breakups. Junior, Aaron Colvin, is one of the most talented defensive backs in the country.

He led Oklahoma with 84 tackles last season and is one of the top tackling corners in the nation. Tony Jefferson is a guy to pay close attention to this season. He spent his first year and most of his sophomore campaign playing linebacker for Oklahoma, but moved to safety during the tail end of last season. He is expected to start in the secondary this year. Jefferson was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2010 and is coming off a good sophomore season. He finished with 74 tackles, four interceptions, 4.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss last year.