For Wisconsin’s Bielema, Tough Times Become Motivators to Success

While reflecting on an upbringing filled with callused hands, early wake-up calls and a don’t-skip-a-day work ethic that helped mold him into one of the country’s top young coaches, Bielema, 41, also recalled one of the defining moments of his formative years.

While he was a student at Iowa, only hours after the Hawkeyes beat Michigan in 1990 to help propel them to the Rose Bowl, Bielema found out that his 27-year-old sister, Betsy, had died while doing charity work with underprivileged children in the Seattle area. A snake darted from under a rock and spooked a horse, which threw Betsy, who landed on her head.

Since that day, games against Michigan have always carried extra meaning for Bielema. Last year, Bielema told his team before the Michigan game that everyone deals with demons, but “how you handle those things really define you.”

Bielema did not mention his sister, but after the Badgers won, 48-28, the Wisconsin senior defensive back Aaron Henry approached Bielema and said, “Your sister is watching, Coach.”

Tears welled in Bielema’s eyes while he reflected on Henry’s gesture.

“I got caught up in the moment,” he said. “After we had just beat Michigan like we did. Wow.”

When No. 4 Wisconsin plays No. 15 Michigan State in the marquee game of Saturday’s college football schedule, there will also be a reminder on the opposite sideline of that dark time.

The Michigan State defensive line coach Ted Gill held the same job at Iowa in 1990 and was the one who delivered the news of Betsy’s death to Bielema on that Saturday night.

“I went over to the dorm and everyone was still on the high from beating Michigan,” Gill said. “When I told him what happened, we went from one extreme to another.”

Bielema is still grateful that four of his closest friends, all of whom will be groomsmen in his wedding, met him at the Iowa football facility that night and rode home with him. One, Chris Greene, stayed with Bielema for a week, through all the services for his sister.

Betsy’s death forever bonded Bielema and the teammates who helped him through it. It also further strengthened his resolve.

“That probably did go a ways in terms of making him feel like, I’m going to wake up and go to work today,” Greene said. “Life is precious and can end unexpectedly. He’s not going to waste the opportunity he’s been given. And as much as anyone, Betsy is one of the ones he would have wanted to disappoint the least.”

Bielema’s response to his sister’s death accentuated the relentless mentality forged while growing up on a hog farm in a town, Prophetstown, Ill., where the Bielema family’s 2,500 pigs outnumbered the human population of 1,800.

Bielema woke up before sunrise every weekday, primarily saddled with the task of cleaning out the hog pens. He would wake at 7 a.m. on Saturdays to work while his friends spent leisurely days at the mall. Family vacations were nonexistent; Bielema said the only traveling he did was to a pig show in Minneapolis and a few bus trips to the Six Flags amusement park in a Chicago suburb.

“That was a big deal,” he said. “I’d never been on a plane until I went to the Peach Bowl my freshman year at Iowa.”

For Bielema, football became a joyous escape from the monotony of farm life. He chose to be a walk-on at Iowa instead of going to a Division III college but finished his career as a scholarship player and a team captain.

Bielema, Greene and Paul Kujawa got Hawkeye tattoos after all three earned scholarships, a pact they made early in their careers. The tattoo is a humorous talking point every time Wisconsin plays Iowa, and Bielema likes to note that he was born at Illini Hospital in Silvis, Ill., giving him two awkward ties to Big Ten rivals.

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Tough doesn’t necessarily mean clutch with Romo

Published: October 3rd, 2011 | Tags: Around the League, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Tony Romo

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Tough? We’ll give Cowboys QB Tony Romo that much. He proved, by playing through broken ribs and a punctured lung the previous two weeks, that he’s one tough SOB.

Clutch? Well, let’s not confuse tough for clutch. There’s a difference.

By throwing three second-half interceptions Sunday allowing the Lions to complete a 24-point comeback win, Romo proved once again that there’s still room for improvement in the clutch department. There’s something to be said for triggering the biggest collapse in the Cowboys’ illustrious history.

“The worst thing about him is, as I think of the quarterbacks I’ve played with, Brees and Brady, they all have short-term memories,” Heath Evans said Monday on “Around the League.” “They could make a mistake, and they would correct it the next time out. We saw back-to-back pick-sixes, and then we see the pick at the end of the game … You just can’t continue to do these things. You’ve got to let that stuff get out of your mind.”

Evans is pretty spot on. Dwelling on his mistakes has always been one of Romo’s biggest downfalls. The result: For every performance like the one in Week 2 against the 49ers, it feels like Romo delivers 10 times as many that are similar to Sunday against the Lions. So where does that leave Romo as a leader?

As NFL.com’s Steve Wyche put it, strap in, buy low and sell high.

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‘Tough Irishman’ Ryan helps Falcons forget Vick

Published: September 19th, 2011 | Tags: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, Dan Reeves, Michael Vick, Mike Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

You have to wonder how Matt Ryan felt seeing thousands of red-and-white Michael Vick jerseys scattered throughout a raucous Georgia Dome crowd Sunday night.

The Falcons’ fourth-year starting QB was overshadowed in the whirlwind leading up to Vick’s return to Atlanta, but Ryan’s grit in a 35-31 victory over the Eagles wasn’t lost on his coach, Mike Smith.

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“He’s a tough Irishman,” Smith told The Associated Press. “I’ve said that before. He gets hit, and he takes that hit and he keeps going. He is a guy that will never give up. When you have a guy like that leading your football team, it’s going to pay dividends in the long run.”

While ex-Falcons coach Dan Reeves believes the organization abandoned Vick in his hour of need, it’s hard to fault the franchise for moving on when the passer’s future — and commitment to football — was up in the air during an 18-month stay in federal prison on dogfighting charges.

Both quarterbacks took a beating Sunday. Vick left the game with a concussion. Ryan hobbled around following a second-half sack, but he rebounded to lead the 14th of his game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. It was a performance that saved the Falcons’ night and potentially their season. It’s more of the same from Ryan, whose 34 wins in three-plus seasons is just shy of Vick’s 40 in six seasons in Atlanta.

“This is a team that doesn’t blink,” Smith said. “This is a team that stays focused, knows what the task is, and to the best of their abilities goes out and tries to perform.”

– Marc Sessler

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Jeff Tedford faces tough choices

Jeff Tedford is smarter than I am. He's a standup guy. And he has a moral compass in a business where you do better when you don't. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Paul SakumaCalifornia coach Jeff Tedford faces an important offseason following a disappointing 5-7 season.I can't recall him throwing a player or coach under the bus for shortcomings or gameday failure. My impression is Tedford values loyalty -- among his players and assistants -- above anything else. To a fault perhaps, because that value might come before winning. And Tedford needs to start doing that again.

There is something wrong at Cal. The Bears have too many good players to finish 5-7. Yet there's also abundant evidence that Tedford is a good coach.

That means that he needs to take a long, hard and coldly objective look at his staff this month.

Why has his offensive line play slipped since Jim Michalczik left in 2008? Why has the performance at quarterback cratered? Does he have enough fire in the locker room? Does he have enough discipline? Why does his team show up and fight some weeks and seem completely flat others?

"It’s very important to evaluate everything that we do," Tedford said. "Obviously, we need to improve. There were games that were close and games that weren’t. Schematics, offseason work — whatever it is -- my job as head coach is to go back and evaluate everything we do. I’m going to gather information."

Gathering is good. I do not have answers. I am not in the locker room. I don't watch practices. And I won't use hearsay to judge a program. But let there be no doubt: Just going into 2011 with everything the same will not only signify inertia, it will inevitably lead to failure.

My impression is defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast did a solid job this season, and the long-time NFL coach will have a far better feel for the Pac-12 and the college game next fall. Still, is each defensive position coach the right fit? Does he get the most out of his players?

As for the offense: What is a fair and reasonable judgment of coordinator Andy Ludwig after two seasons? Should the Bears offense be better? Does it consistently out-scheme and outflank opposing defenses? Does it make successful, in-game adjustments? Is it fulfilling its potential based on available talent? Are players getting better as they get older?

Then comes quarterback. The Nate Longshore-Kevin Riley years ruined Tedford's reputation as a quarterback guru, and after a few games with Brock Mansion, well, let's just say Bears fans aren't confident that the lackluster play at the position will get better next fall.

Tedford needs to find a mentally tough swashbuckler who demonstrates that mistakes and setbacks won't shake his confidence and make him tentative. And some consistent accuracy would be nice, too.

“It’s going to be wide open [at quarterback]," Tedford said. "We have some candidates there. We have some young guys that haven’t gotten an opportunity because of injuries and youth. There are going to be five or six guys in the competition. Our challenge will be trying to evaluate that many guys with the practice time. It’s not just a two-man race. It’s everybody. Brock got some invaluable experience down the stretch. Obviously, we have to play better at that position. And we need to do a better job of putting them in position to be successful as well."

Cal fans have been obsessed for the past few years over the question of whether Tedford is the guy to get the Bears to the proverbial "next level." Has Tedford plateaued? Or have Cal fans just become too greedy? Berkeley, after all, is not Tuscaloosa or Columbus. It's an elite university that's known more for its counterculture than its football culture.

And you know what? Our country needs a Berkeley more than it needs another win-at-all-cost institution. Of that I am 100 percent certain.

When Cal fans ask about Tedford, you almost feel they are as much asking about themselves and their university: Should I not care this much? Am I keeping this football stuff in perspective? Or should I be more even critical because Tedford is paid a whole bunch of money when world-class professors are not?

Two years ago, the questions were unfair and premature. Tedford had transformed a program and made it a cash cow. But this fall, they became fair and relevant. And it's clear Tedford knows that.

His job this offseason is to make changes that right the program and redirect it toward the trajectory it had during his first five seasons.

The Bears roster doesn't look like one that will win nine or 10 games in 2011. That's not the real issue. It's more about putting forward a consistent product that performs to its capabilities.

You know: One that lays a tangible foundation to again start winning nine or 10 (or 11) games on a regular basis in the future.

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Playbook picks: Colts or Bolts? Tough call

Published: November 24th, 2010 | Tags: Brian Baldinger, Michael Lombardi, Mike Mayock, Playbook picks, Sterling Sharpe

The November Nine. No, it’s not just the name given to the final table at the World Series of Poker. It also represents a feat two NFL teams are trying to accomplish Sunday night.

The Chargers are going for their ninth consecutive November victory, while the Colts are aiming for their ninth consecutive November home win. Which one of those two clubs will achieve their goal?

Sterling Sharpe, Michael Lombardi, Mike Mayock and Brian Baldinger made picks this week. While Lombardi and Mayock both like the Colts to get the job done, Baldinger sides with the Chargers.

Baldinger is also an island with his picks in two other key games. He predicts the Packers and Jaguars will come out on top this week, but Lombardi and Mayock go with the Falcons and Giants.

Without further ado, take a look at all of their Week 12 picks:

“Playbook” combines Xs-and-Os analysis of each NFL game with roundtable debates on the NFL’s hottest topics. For more information, check out NFL Network’s broadcast schedule.

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Another tough week for the Cardinals

“We’ve got to find a way,”  Derek Anderson said.  “This is getting old.”  Indeed it is and it doesn’t seem like the Cardinals have any new solutions.  There’s not much to say about the Cardinals’ latest loss, except that it was more of the same.   Arizona was easily handled on both sides of the ball as they never really bothered the Chiefs all day.

For the second straight game in a row, the Cardinals started out strong on their first offensive possession.  Arizona started on their own 31 yard line and quickly gained 17 yards on a Larry Fitzgerald (6 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD) catch and run.  The Cardinals kept things moving, completing passes to Steve Breaston (5 receptions, 92 yards) and Fitzgerald again.  Arizona drove down to the Chiefs’ 18 yard line where they faced a 3rd and 8.  Derek Anderson (25/46, 295 yards, 1 TD) missed down the right sideline to Early Doucet (2 receptions, 13 yards) with a pass that probably should have been caught by Doucet as it went through his outstretched hands.  The Cards had to settle for a field goal, taking an early 3-0 lead.  They would never hold the lead again.

Surprisingly, the Arizona defense held strong all throughout the first quarter, forcing the Chiefs to punt on their only two possessions.  In the second quarter, however, Kansas City roared to life by putting up two touchdowns on consecutive possessions.  The first score came on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Cassel (15/24, 193 yards, 2 TDs) to Dwayne Bowe (6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TDs).  Arizona gave the Chiefs a short field and Cassel quickly went to work at the Cards’ 38 yard line.  In one play, Cassel competed a 37 yard pass to Bowe after he beat Paris Lenon, which put Kansas City on the Cards’ one yard line.  Arizona held tough for two downs, but on third down, the Chiefs hit pay dirt when Cassel went to his guy Bowe on a 1-yard completion, beating Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a quick slant.  After another Cardinals punt, the Chiefs struck again.  This time, the Chiefs drove 78 yards on 5 plays before Thomas Jones (15 carries, 71 yards, 2 TDs) pounded it in on a 1 yard up and over.  The Chiefs took a commanding 14-3 lead and the game was never in contention after 10:14 in the second quarter.

Arizona was able to add a field goal in the third quarter and a meaningless touchdown with no time left in the game when Anderson hooked up with Fitzgerald.  The Chiefs added two more touchdowns and a field goal before it was all over making the final score 31-13.  Thomas Jones and Dwayne Bowe each picked up additional touchdowns on the ground and through the air respectively.  Bowe has been on an absolute tear for Kansas City as of late, recording 10 touchdowns in his last six games, which is a Kansas City franchise record.

Offensively, the Cardinals were doomed after their first possession.  Derek Anderson continued to show why he’s not a starting quarterback.  Although his mistakes didn’t show up in the box score, he cost the Cardinals points once again.  Anderson missed no fewer than five wide open targets by either firing the ball into the ground or sailing it way overhead.  One was on an absolutely wide open Steve Breaston who beat his defender by about four or five steps down the seem.  Anderson threw the ball about 10-15 yards over Breaston’s head.

Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells had a decent day on the ground, but they only combined for 20 carries.  Hightower gained 62 yards on just 12 carries with a 16 yard long around right end.  Wells, who made his return from knee swelling, gained 39 yards on just 8 carries with a 12 yard long up the middle.  Hightower and Wells averaged 5.2 and 4.9 yards/carry respectively, but Arizona trailed for most of the game, which made the running attack an afterthought.  It’s too bad because the running backs played quite well and Arizona proved they could run on the Chiefs.  Whenever the Cards gained some ground, though, they shot themselves in the foot whether it was a false start, a holding penalty or an errant pass from Anderson.  “Good football teams don’t do (that),” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “And right now we are not playing like a good football team…[but] I think we were pleased with what we were able to get accomplished in the run game.  If there is one area we can have a little bit of hope in I think that is it because we ran the football a little better.”

Defensively, the Cardinals weren’t able to continue on their stout first quarter effort.  Eventually the Chiefs proved to be too much for the Cardinals’ secondary to keep up with.  Dwayne Bowe time and again came wide open, usually over the middle, and poor tackling once again allowed for yards after the catch.  Matt Cassel, unlike Anderson, didn’t miss once during the game.  In addition, Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles eventually wore on the Cardinals up front.  The Chiefs finished with 352 total yards, 159 on the ground and 193 through the air.

The rest of the NFC West lost this week so the Cardinals didn’t lose any ground in relation to the rest of the division.  It seems like a moot point, though.  Arizona appears incapable of snapping its 5-game losing streak.  Unfortunately, things are really turning sour in Arizona.   “I feel this is the lowest we can go,” Steve Breaston dejectedly explained.  “You have a Monday night game, national TV, better show up there.  If you don’t show up there, we’re going to be embarrassed on national TV.”  The Monday night game is against the other bottom scrapper in the West, the 49ers.

INJURIES:

WR, Early Doucet (head) – possible concussionLB, Will Davis (ankle) – day-to-dayDE, Calais Campbell (ankle) – day-to-day

AROUND THE NFC WEST:

1 – Seattle Seahawks: 5-5, 0 GB, Last Week: L @ New Orleans, 34-192 – St. Louis Rams: 4-6, 1 GB, Last Week: L vs. Atlanta, 34-173 – San Francisco 49ers: 3-7, 2 GB, Last Week: L vs. Tampa Bay, 21-03 – Arizona Cardinals: 3-7, 2 GB, Last Week: L @ Kansas City, 31-13

NEXT WEEK:

Arizona (3-7) will host the 49ers (3-7) on Monday Night Football. It will be the two teams’ first meeting of the season.  Amazingly, if the Cardinals win and the Seahawks lose, Arizona would only be one game out of first place, though they would be 1.5 games below .500.  That’s how bad the NFC West is this year.

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Draft Day 2011 Could Bring Tough Choices, Surprise Decision for Seattle

The final seconds tick off the clock. Beads of sweat trickle down your face as you shuffle through your notes. All around you, phones ring and voices fight to be heard. You’re moments away from making Seattle’s first pick in the 2011 National Football League Draft and you’ve decided the team’s going to invest in a quarterback and the options at the position are plenty.

There’s Jake Locker. He’s the local product who has captured the hearts of many. Standing at 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, his physical tools are well known. He’s more mobile than most at the position and has a strong arm. His competitiveness has never been in doubt despite playing for one of the country’s worst college football teams over the past few years.

There’s also the downside to the Husky. He’s an erratic passer and, because of his mobility and competitiveness, he’s been banged up more than you’d like for someone his age.

What about Ryan Mallet? Not many quarterbacks come in the form of a 6-foot-6, 238-pound gunslinger. He’s spent two years in the SEC – a conference everybody knows is among the best if not the best in terms of competition. In the conference, he’s not only shown that he can play, but play well. His completion percentage (67.3) has jumped roughly 12 percentage points in his second season at Arkansas and is approaching 70 percent.

He’s not all that mobile, though, but is that something you need from your quarterback?

How about a dark horse? Someone that can play with the best of them and that can be had with your pick or possibly a later one if you trade back a few spots and pick up an additional selection or two in the process?

Enter Cam Newton.

In his first year starting in the SEC, Newton’s put himself front and center among the nation’s top quarterbacks and has built a strong portfolio towards winning the Heisman Trophy. His completion percentage (68.2) is better than Mallet’s and, with 1,297 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry and 17 rushing touchdowns, is as much a threat on the ground as he is via the air.

With all the hype also comes a serious question mark.

The alleged pay-for-play recruitment scandal has dragged Auburn’s signal caller through the mud. Did he or people associated with him take money? Did he or people associated with him even ask for money? How will this situation affect his maturity and decision making on and off the field at the next level of the sport?

With the final seconds waning quicker than they should, you call together the team’s decision makers for one last go-over of opinions and the final decision is made.

Now all that is left is to turn in the card to the commissioner and welcome in the next generation of Seahawks football.

Can’t get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

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