Day: October 3, 2007

Here’s a look at what the local NFL columnist are saying this week:

– Stan Olson of the Charlotte Observer notes that Steve Smith is angry about not getting the ball more, and at the media, and at Kris Jenkins, and at…

– In the wake of Cadillac Williams’ season-ending knee injury, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Bay Observer marvels at how united the Bucs are this season.

– Mark Curnutee of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes (with help from ESPN’s John Clayton) that the Bengals season is already slipping away after their embarrassing loss to the Patriots Monday night, and how the locker room is still filled with selfish players.

– Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News details how contrasting the coaching styles are between current Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and former front man Bill Parcells.

– Mike Winters of the Green Bay Post Gazette comes to the realization that Troy Aikman was right all along about Brett Favre.

– Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post Dispatch obviously agrees with the Rams’ decision to bench Marc Bulger.

– Nancy Gay of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer is still pissed at Ravens’ head coach Brian Billick for benching him after winning the 2001 Super Bowl.

There’s a great article in this month’s issue of ESPN The Magazine about Jon Kitna. The article mainly focuses on his relationship with God both on and off the field, but there’s an underlining message of how Kitna has completely turned around the mentality of Lions players.

Walking into the Lions’ locker room a few days before the Vikings game, Kitna was greeted by silence. The Lions have three iPod docks that plug into their speaker system. But when someone began blasting Christian music, a tense standoff ensued. It was noted, loudly, that a majority of people in the room didn’t want to listen to God rock. And so the speakers remained mute until Kitna arrived. “Everyone’s music should be heard,” he said, “or no one’s.” The Christian rock was resurrected, followed by a heavy dose of hip-hop.

“Learning about each other, understanding each other, compromising for each other — that’s what it’s like in a good locker room,” says Lions wideout Roy Williams.

“That’s some real s… that went down with the music and Jon’s response. And that’s the stuff we never had around here in years past. Is that religion? I don’t know. Jon talks to everybody, I know that. And the last quarterback we had didn’t do that.”

It never ceases to amaze me how one strong leader can change the mindset of an entire team. Kitna was mocked nationally for predicting 10-wins for the Lions this year, but all it takes is one guy to believe for an entire team to come together. Kitna’s one of those players that doesn’t get enough respect for what he brings to the game.