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Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
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Do IT this week: Layering
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 10:44 p.m. EDT, Aug 23, 2009
CLEVELAND: James Davis didn't dare take off his helmet.
After the Browns' rookie running back dashed 81 yards for a third-quarter touchdown in a 27-10 victory Saturday night over the visiting Detroit Lions, the Cleveland sideline became a Davis love-fest. Defensive end Robaire Smith cradled him to his chest like a mama bear with her cub. Davis' mentor, Jamal Lewis, gave him a high-five and a huge hug.
Then there were all those pats on the head.
''I was gassed, then all the guys were hitting on my head,'' Davis said. ''I thought about taking my helmet off so all the guys wouldn't hit me in my head, but I couldn't even get my arms up to take it off.''
On his other 11 carries, the sixth-round pick from Clemson totaled 35 yards. But there were signs that the 5-foot-11, 218-pounder could share the load this season with Lewis, who turns 30 on Wednesday.
The most impressive play for Davis was the touchdown, which he said was the longest run of his career, including pee-wee football. His longest at Clemson was a 70-yarder in 2007.
Going over left guard and using what appeared to be a key block by George Foster, Davis made safety LaMarcus Hicks miss, then put his head down and took off as safety Stuart Schweigert gave chase.
''I knew the receiver was coming over to get the safety, but I had to wait on him, so I had to freeze him a little bit,'' Davis said. ''But then the receiver made the block. After that, I knew I had to make one guy miss. If you can make the safety miss, you know you can be a good running back in the league. After that it was off to the races.
''Once I put my head down, I got a feeling I might break it. I was just looking at the end zone. Hopefully no flags. I was just praying to God.''
After he crossed the goal line, Davis said he considered jumping into the end zone like Joshua Cribbs had done after an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.
''But I was so tired, it looked like [the wall] got higher,'' he said. ''So I ran off to the sideline.''
Browns quarterback Brady Quinn was impressed.
''That was great,'' Quinn said. ''To have your first touchdown be an 81-yarder is incredible. He showed off his speed a little bit there. He can fly. He's faster than my car right now.''
That wasn't supposed to be the strength of Davis, who ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds at the combine. Pro Football Weekly did not envision Davis as feature-back material and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wondered whether Davis was ''fast or elusive enough to get the job done at a high level in the NFL.''
Splitting time with C.J. Spiller for most of his Clemson career, Davis set the Tigers' career record with 47 rushing touchdowns and led the team's ground game in 2005-2007.
He also broke Lewis' records at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta. The two kid each other about that frequently and Davis admits he had an edge because he started for 31/2 years and Lewis, only three. They also have trained together in Atlanta.
''I see something real special in him,'' Lewis said early in training camp. ''I see a burst out of him and an aggressiveness out of him. We're from the same neighborhood, so he's got some fight to him. I just try to help him out as much as I can because I see the ability there.
''There's a lot of stuff that doesn't work in the pros. Not let him learn later the things that I learned later, try to give it to him now. I think he has a bright future in this league.''
After his touchdown Saturday, Davis said Lewis told him: ''Those runs come all the time. Relax and get ready to go back in there.''
Davis also had an impressive blitz pickup of Detroit linebacker Ernie Sims, a Florida State product Davis said he played against in college.
''It was a big adjustment, blitz pickup,'' Davis said. ''The linebackers are bigger and stronger. That's key. You've got to be able to pass protect.''
Coach Eric Mangini praised Davis for the touchdown run, but said, ''I wasn't sure if he was going to get caught there at the end. He looked like he had his head down and his legs moving and that was good.''
But Mangini said Davis' contribution on special teams will be just as important.
''I think I improved from last week and that's what he wanted to see out of me,'' Davis said. ''I knew the eyes were going to be on me on special teams. I did everything in my power to try to improve.''
Notebook
According to WKNR radio, former Browns defensive lineman Shaun Smith, now with the Lions, gave Browns General Manager George Kokinis an expletive-filled tongue lashing in the stadium hallway Saturday night. The station reported that Kokinis said nothing and walked away. Reportedly on thin ice and told to ''shape up and shut up'' in the offseason, Smith was released Aug. 8 after a run-in with defensive line coach Bryan Cox.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns.
CLEVELAND: James Davis didn't dare take off his helmet.
After the Browns' rookie running back dashed 81 yards for a third-quarter touchdown in a 27-10 victory Saturday night over the visiting Detroit Lions, the Cleveland sideline became a Davis love-fest. Defensive end Robaire Smith cradled him to his chest like a mama bear with her cub. Davis' mentor, Jamal Lewis, gave him a high-five and a huge hug.
Then there were all those pats on the head.
''I was gassed, then all the guys were hitting on my head,'' Davis said. ''I thought about taking my helmet off so all the guys wouldn't hit me in my head, but I couldn't even get my arms up to take it off.''
On his other 11 carries, the sixth-round pick from Clemson totaled 35 yards. But there were signs that the 5-foot-11, 218-pounder could share the load this season with Lewis, who turns 30 on Wednesday.
The most impressive play for Davis was the touchdown, which he said was the longest run of his career, including pee-wee football. His longest at Clemson was a 70-yarder in 2007.
Going over left guard and using what appeared to be a key block by George Foster, Davis made safety LaMarcus Hicks miss, then put his head down and took off as safety Stuart Schweigert gave chase.
''I knew the receiver was coming over to get the safety, but I had to wait on him, so I had to freeze him a little bit,'' Davis said. ''But then the receiver made the block. After that, I knew I had to make one guy miss. If you can make the safety miss, you know you can be a good running back in the league. After that it was off to the races.
''Once I put my head down, I got a feeling I might break it. I was just looking at the end zone. Hopefully no flags. I was just praying to God.''
After he crossed the goal line, Davis said he considered jumping into the end zone like Joshua Cribbs had done after an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.
''But I was so tired, it looked like [the wall] got higher,'' he said. ''So I ran off to the sideline.''
Browns quarterback Brady Quinn was impressed.
''That was great,'' Quinn said. ''To have your first touchdown be an 81-yarder is incredible. He showed off his speed a little bit there. He can fly. He's faster than my car right now.''
That wasn't supposed to be the strength of Davis, who ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds at the combine. Pro Football Weekly did not envision Davis as feature-back material and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wondered whether Davis was ''fast or elusive enough to get the job done at a high level in the NFL.''
Splitting time with C.J. Spiller for most of his Clemson career, Davis set the Tigers' career record with 47 rushing touchdowns and led the team's ground game in 2005-2007.
He also broke Lewis' records at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta. The two kid each other about that frequently and Davis admits he had an edge because he started for 31/2 years and Lewis, only three. They also have trained together in Atlanta.
''I see something real special in him,'' Lewis said early in training camp. ''I see a burst out of him and an aggressiveness out of him. We're from the same neighborhood, so he's got some fight to him. I just try to help him out as much as I can because I see the ability there.
''There's a lot of stuff that doesn't work in the pros. Not let him learn later the things that I learned later, try to give it to him now. I think he has a bright future in this league.''
After his touchdown Saturday, Davis said Lewis told him: ''Those runs come all the time. Relax and get ready to go back in there.''
Davis also had an impressive blitz pickup of Detroit linebacker Ernie Sims, a Florida State product Davis said he played against in college.
''It was a big adjustment, blitz pickup,'' Davis said. ''The linebackers are bigger and stronger. That's key. You've got to be able to pass protect.''
Coach Eric Mangini praised Davis for the touchdown run, but said, ''I wasn't sure if he was going to get caught there at the end. He looked like he had his head down and his legs moving and that was good.''
But Mangini said Davis' contribution on special teams will be just as important.
''I think I improved from last week and that's what he wanted to see out of me,'' Davis said. ''I knew the eyes were going to be on me on special teams. I did everything in my power to try to improve.''
Notebook
According to WKNR radio, former Browns defensive lineman Shaun Smith, now with the Lions, gave Browns General Manager George Kokinis an expletive-filled tongue lashing in the stadium hallway Saturday night. The station reported that Kokinis said nothing and walked away. Reportedly on thin ice and told to ''shape up and shut up'' in the offseason, Smith was released Aug. 8 after a run-in with defensive line coach Bryan Cox.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns.
Comments
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Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 01:18 AM, 08/24/2009
James Davis = good player with self-discipline and a great future.
Shaun Smith = mediocre, undisciplined player with a cloudy future. Look for him to be in the slammer at some point.
Posted 01:44 AM, 08/24/2009
Shaun Smith shows his true colors again.
What a waste of air.
