Willie McGinest - Articles - Zimbio

False Hope

Sun, 29 Sep 2008 12:14:00 GMT

posted by pgrasso
The Browns beat the Bengals, 20-12, yesterday, and yet I still feel as though we lost.

Say what you will about me being a Brady Quinn fan, but the fact is the Browns barely beat the Bengals yesterday — the Bengals! — and they're celebrating like it was the Super Bowl. What's sad is, by sticking with DA throughout the entire game, even after a typical DA first half, Romeo believes he was justified in his non-decision about the future of the Browns.

No changes were made yesterday, but the Browns were able to squeak out a win. Big deal. It was the 0-4 Bengals, after all. A Bengals team without Carson Palmer! I would hope we could beat them. That we didn't totally dominate that game tells me we're in for another rude-awakening when we return for Monday Night Football against the Giants.

DA didn't show me anything at all yesterday to convince me he's starting QB material. And, apparently his leash was a lot longer than everyone made it out to seem leading into the game. If Romeo had any intention whatsoever of going to Quinn if Anderson struggled, we'd have seen Brady start in the second half.

This just proves that Romeo had no intention of ever going to Quinn, he only said what the media and the fans wanted to hear. He's a stubborn, stubborn man.

What's sad is, now the Browns will go into the Giants game in two weeks with the false sense of hope that we've turned this season around. Unfortunately, they haven't. I for one am not looking forward to seeing the Giants come in to Cleveland Browns Stadium to give us a reality check. I've already seen the Cowboys do that this year.

My Week 4 grades will be forthcoming either this evening or tomorrow. But don't expect high marks just because they won. After all, it was the Bengals.

Romeo Crennel: “Focus on the Game”

Thu, 10 Oct 2008 13:26:34 GMT

posted by rickg15

It’s a copycat league out there, folks. Waiting For Next Year compares the Cleveland Browns to Sarah Palin, and wouldn’t you know - Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas head out to Strongsville to support the McCain/Palin ticket. Their teammate, Willie McGinest, was out with LeBron James at a rally for Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden.

As seen here not more than a few days ago, politics can be a touchy subject for many of folk; even when it does involve sports. And for this reason, Browns head coach Romeo Crennel has seen enough. Though aware that his players were going to be attending the various rallies, Crennel went on record with his thoughts.

”My main concern is that they don’t get on the soap box here in the locker room and get it going back and forth about a particular candidate against another particular candidate,” Crennel said. ”That’s why the ballot is a secret ballot when you go vote. I told them, ‘Your politics is your politics, but don’t let it interfere with this team, with your preparation for the next opponent.’ ” [...]

”I just know politics. If you are stating your case for this guy, the other guy is stating his case for that guy, then there is room for potential confrontation,” he said. ”I let the team know whatever their feelings are about their politics, they have a right to them, but the team is first. So they have to prioritize.”

While I agree that these players have quite a following in Cleveland, and their respective voice means something to a lot of people, I cannot help but to agree with Crennel on this one. Regardless of partisan support, the team comes first. You have a team that has vastly underperformed to this point and has a very big game ahead of them. When your team was in the playoff hunt not more than a year ago, and is now struggling to reach .500, any time that can be put to improving one’s play should be used for just that.

The “confrontation” issue makes me wonder a bit, however. There were rumors a few weeks back stating that there were some disagreements between teammates that may or may not have lead to fisticuffs. There wree grumblings that some players were pointing fingers, and you can sense some of the frustration that is out on the field so who knows how much carries back to the locker room. Perhaps Crennel simply doesn’t want to add any fuel to the fire?

The article mentions that the political views stretch beyond just the three players that were in the media yesterday. Offensive lineman Hank Fraley and defensive lineman Shaun Smith were also quoted in the piece, but both said that their teammates choices to go support their respective candidates did not bother them. Honestly, it isn’t every day that one is invited to be with a presidential candidate; that part, I get. However, as this team continues to underachieve, I’m fully on board with doing what needs to be done to improve one’s self, the team, and this 2008 season of Browns football.

Crennel wants Browns to block political distractions [Ohio.com]

The Final Chapter: Willie McGinest and His Mom

Wed, 28 Aug 2008 14:44:14 GMT

posted by Cartman

You’ve seen the commercial. Willie McGinest, the sagacious outside linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, is speaking winsomely into a cell phone: “I know, I made a mistake.”

Electric strings from Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky whine behind him. The video jumps to McGinest facing the camera, as he explains “I listen to my mom but just not on the football field all the time.”

That mom is Joyce McGinest, the woman who, as the commercial says, signed up the second of her three children––her only boy––for Pop Warner Football when he was seven years old. She viewed football as a means to keeping her Long Beach son busy and productive. Lo and behold, it did just that….for thirty years.

“Willie always said that he wanted to be a professional football player,” says Joyce. “So what is the best time to start? When you’re small, to give you the fundamentals.”

You know the cliff-notes to the rest of the Willie McGinest story: Part of the 55 Club at USC, a pioneer at the now ubiquitous hybrid rush-linebacker position early on with the Patriots, later a staple in New England’s three Super Bowl titles and now, a revered veteran leader for the burgeoning Browns. A cut below Hall of Fame caliber, McGinest nevertheless epitomizes everything that is right about the game. And he’ll long be remembered because of that. Alas, he will go down as a rare rock-solid piece to a dynastic puzzle––much like a Robert Horry or a Jorge Posada.

Click HERE to read the rest of the Story

McGinest Tells Sports Illustrated 2008 Season will Be His Last

Tue, 7 May 2008 21:24:59 GMT

posted by Cartman

2008 will be the final season for longtime linebacker Willie McGinest, a Sports Illustrated report says today that he will retire at the end of the season. “This will be it,” McGinest told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve worked hard, I think I’ve done everything I set out to accomplish. I’ve been blessed to play with some of the best players in the world and play against some of the best in the world.”

McGinest has been with the Browns the past two seasons, and before that played 12 years with the Patriots, where he went to and won three Super Bowl rings. He has played in 198 games, with 85 sacks and 747 tackles. He has been a big locker room influence for the Browns the past two seasons. He has made seven sacks and 75 tackles in his two seasons with Cleveland.

Willie McGinest Cleveland Browns Brown NFL Replica Jersey

Mon, 27 May 2008 00:15:01 GMT

posted by isnaini

Looks like Willie McGinest's real jersey - and at a great price! Reebok - the official onfield brand of the NFL - has made this jersey to look and feel like the real thing, but at a price that'll make you stand up and cheer. Makes a great gift for your favorite fan!
View product details at Amazon