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Unsung heroes Remembering the architects and the understudies
Each week during the NFL season, CNNSI.com's Pat Kirwan will recognize the players and coaches who don't see much of the spotlight but get the job done. At the end of the season, Pat will present his Unsung Coach of the Year award in the memory of former NFL player and coach Chip Myers. In January 1999, after having served as an NFL assistant for 15 years, Myers was named Vikings offensive coordinator. Just a month later, Myers suffered a fatal heart attack. When personnel people and coaches leave the teams they helped to build, all the credit for the work they’ve done departs with them as well. Chiefs pro personnel director Bill Kuharich spent 14 years in the Saints organization, holding every job on the personnel side all the way up to executive vice president and general manager.
Tom Modrak is another top flight guy whose contributions will quickly be forgotten because he's no longer with the club he helped put together. Modrak left Philadelphia last spring and is now the Bills’ director of football operations. As I watch the Eagles hold on to first place in the NFC East, I can't help but remind myself that Modrak brought Carlos Emmons, Mike Caldwell, Corey Simon, Duce Staley and many others to the franchise. In this league it's always a case of out of sight, out of mind. A number of players came off the bench for their teams this week and gave great efforts. Journeyman offensive lineman Kip Vickers filled in at right tackle for the Ravens and limited Titans defensive end Kevin Carter to two tackles and no sacks. Seahawks defensive tackle Antonio Cochran had never started a game in the first two years of his career, but stepped in for the injured John Randle against the best team in the AFC, the Raiders, and had three tackles, two assists, and a sack. And how about Falcons quarterback Doug Johnson? All you hear out of Atlanta about the battle for playing time between veteran Chris Chandler and top draft pick Michael Vick . But it was the little-known Johnson who threw a late touchdown and ran the offense for the winning score against the Cowboys. Johnson was an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2000. In limited action as a rookie, he completed 36 of 67 passes and threw two touchdowns but he hadn’t yet been i nvolved in a winning pro effort. Finally, Frank Chamberlain filled in for Randall Godfrey at middle linebacker for the Titans. In his rookie season last year Chamberlain did not record a tackle, sack or pass defended. Against the Ravens he got all three things done. Even though Tennessee lost to Baltimore, it was hard to overlook Chamberlain’s performance: four tackles, a sack and a pass defended. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel adminstrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated. Unsung Heroes appears every week at CNNSI.com.
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