Linebacker David Bowens was concerned about making the Cleveland Browns' roster this season. He enters his 12th season in the NFL as the oldest (33) defensive player on the Browns. Bowens also had to worry because he missed most of training camp with a sore left knee. Ohio.com reporter Nate Ulrich writes how players, coaches and reporters often joked...
Linebacker David Bowens and coach Eric Mangini. Linebacker David Bowens was concerned about making the Cleveland Browns' roster this season. He enters his 12th season in the NFL as the oldest (33) defensive player on the Browns.
Bowens also had to worry because he missed most of training camp with a sore left knee.
Ohio.com reporter Nate Ulrich writes how players, coaches and reporters often joked with Bowens about his joining the coaching staff this summer.
''Physically, I just wasn't out there, and that's reason enough to be on the bubble,'' Bowens said. ''This league is performance based. And if you're not out there, you really [are at risk]. I just wanted to get out there as soon as I could and show what I could do.''
Browns General Manager Tom Heckert said the preseason finale on Thursday against the Chicago Bears didn't make or break any player's chance of earning a job. Bowens, however, said he treated the final exhibition game as a last audition, and his performance certainly didn't hurt his cause. He compiled four tackles, a half-sack and two quarterback hits.
So now that Bowens has made the cut, now what? Whether Bowens can duplicate his production from last season remains to be seen. Bowens is just thankful for a chance to try.
''This team has a lot of upswing, and to not be a part of it, especially when we started something at the end of last year, would have been devastating,'' he said. ''I feel like these guys are family. This is one of the good teams I've been on. You don't really come across that, and I just wanted to be a part of it.''
Thumbs up
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since he broke the thumb on his throwing hand in a preseason game three weeks ago.
Roy Cummings for The Tampa Tribune writes:
Though he and the Bucs have discussed the possibility of protecting the thumb by wrapping it, putting it in a splint or having him wear a glove, Freeman has chosen to leave his thumb au naturel.
"I just feel a lot more comfortable going with bare hands," said Freeman, who has every intention of going into Sunday's season opener against Cleveland the same way.
"We're going to try out some different things this week, but right now I'm just going without any wraps or anything," Freeman said. "It felt really good (Tuesday), so that's going to be the plan."
Several Bucs wideouts said Freeman threw the ball as well Tuesday as he did before the injury.
"He looked fine to me," said Micheal Spurlock, who also caught several balls from Freeman during a pregame throwing test in Houston last Thursday. "He doesn't look like he's got a broken thumb at all."
Hits and misses
CantonRep.com reporter Steve Doerschuk picks up a quote from The Tampa Tribune from Raheem Morris:
“(Jake Delhomme) is going to know our defense as good as one of our vets on our own team. He might know it better than some of our young players. He probably knows it better than (Bucs rookie safety) Cody Grimm right now. When you go into the game, you got to understand that and know that he knows that you know that he knows.”
The Ocho and T.O. Show
That crazy duo in Cincinnati, receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, will also team-up off the field for their own television show.
Not only do they each have their own individual reality shows, the two players will find time to do another show during the season.
Ochocinco and Owens will host a 30-minute talk show discussing sports and pop culture, according to a news release.
The show will make its debut on Oct. 12 at 10:30 p.m. ET, but there will be teases for the show during Versus' nightly talk show, "The Daily Line," at 11 p.m. ET.
“This is coming from the perspective of two professionals. We play the game, we live the game and viewers will get to live it through us week in and week out,” Chad Ochocinco said in a news release. “Versus is taking a big risk giving us this show. It's gonna be dangerous. Watch with care.”