NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Bengals WR Chris Henry is on life support following an incident earlier today. Fox Sports reports on the situation, which appears to be dire for the troubled wide receiver:

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is on life support after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in North Carolina, a source has told FOXSports.com’s Alex Marvez. The source described the situation as “dire.”

Henry was found in the road in south Charlotte “apparently suffering life-threatening injuries,” according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Henry was transported to Carolinas Medical Center, the local trauma unit, but spokesman Scott White said Henry was not listed in hospital records and had no other information.

Police said a dispute began at a Home just before noon and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his unidentified fiancee was driving away from the residence.

“The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry,” the police said in a statement. “At some point while she was driving, Mr. Henry came out of the back of the vehicle.”

A police spokesman later said no charges would be filed Wednesday.

Henry was found on a residential street about a half mile away from the home when police were called to the scene after a medic report that a man was down.

A woman who identified herself as the fiancee’s mother but declined to give her name told the Charlotte Observer that Henry and his fiancee had been staying at her house while he was on injured reserve and they were making plans for their wedding.

She said she wasn’t home at the time of the dispute and wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but she said her daughter is at Henry’s bedside at the hospital.

Henry’s agent, Kenneth Rush, did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages left by The Associated Press.

Henry broke his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8, had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Charlotte is home to his fiancee’s parents, the Bengals said.

Team spokesman Jack Brennan said he had little information other than Henry was badly hurt.

“We are aware he was in an accident and that his injuries are very serious,” Brennan said. “We are obviously staying in touch with the situation and are ready to offer whatever assistance we can.”

Henry is in the final year of his contract with the Bengals, who let him go after his fifth arrest following the 2007 season. Owner Mike Brown then brought him back a few months later, signing him to a two-year deal, and Henry had stayed out of trouble since his return.

A deep threat, he was fourth among Bengals receivers this season with 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns at the time of his injury.

The Bengals’ third-round pick from West Virginia in 2005, the speedy Henry was a key part of Cincinnati’s playoff team as a rookie. He’s caught 119 passes for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns in five seasons, but has also been plagued by off-field woes.

He was suspended for two games by the league in 2006 and the first eight games of 2007. The Bengals released him following his fifth arrest that offseason, but Brown decided to bring him back during training camp over the objections of coach Marvin Lewis.

Henry had to miss the first four games of 2008, his punishment for the offseason arrest on an assault charge. The charge was dropped after his trial ended in a hung jury.

Ted Ginn. AFC Special Teams Player Of The Week back in the month of November. Part of the reason Ginn received this award was his blazing speed.

Chris Johnson. Self-proclaimed fastest man in the NFL. He made the Pro-Bowl last year in part because he is so fast.

You look at these two names, and wonder how they are even in the same conversation. Johnson is brash and cocky, while Ginn is more soft-spoken, and quiet. Johnson embraces the attention, Ginn shys away from it.

So again, we pose the question. How in the world are these two players linked besides their teams playing each other this week?

It seems that Ginn and Johnson were both at a pool party in the offseason. In fact, this party was one of those VIP parties that we all wish we would be a part of.

Chad OchoCinco was there. Joey Porter, and Vince Young were there. Can you imagine who else was present at this party?

Johnson and Ginn were about to be the main event at this party too, you know, provide some entertainment.

We all know Johnson and Ginn are both blazing fast. So have any of you ever thought of who would win in a race? Well neither Ginn nor Johnson thought of this first, but in fact some of Ginn’s teammates thought that Ginn would be the faster of the two.

We discussed Johnson’s cockiness above, so who is he to turn down a challenge. The race was set in stone. Johnson’s 4.24 40 yard dash time, and Ginn’s 4.37 time coming off of a ankle injury.

“It was real,” Johnson said Wednesday during a conference call with South Florida reporters. “We were at a pool party and [Ginn] was talking. I said, ‘Let’s go.’ We were going to race down Ocean Drive there in Miami.”

So if the race was just about ready to happen what came up to prevent it?

“[Ginn] never showed up,” Johnson said.

That is the Ted Ginn we all know and love, afraid of confrontation. I’m not saying he is a coward, you have to be somewhat tough to even practice with the NFL players. The bottomline is that this is what needs to change about Ginn. Someone or something needs to light a fire under this kid to give him some sort of excitement to want to carry himself with a sort of swagger.

Look at all of the playmakers in the league. They all have some type of confidence about them that makes them the player that they truly are.

DeSean Jackson is the player he is because of his speed and mostly because of his cockiness. That is something that Ginn lacks, and even though he has the speed, lienbacker Channing Crowder once said on his radio show that Ginn is afraid of contact.

So how can we the fans expect Ginn to go over the middle and make a key catch in the game?

Sure, he can make a catch near the sidelines, heck, we all know Ginn knows how to work a sideline better than anyone else in the league, but the fans want Ginn to show us something, and show us the courage to make a clutch catch over the middle.We all know the potential that Ginn has, but the bottomline is that he does not have the mental toughness nor the confidence to go over the middle, and go for the ball.

Ginn has the talent, he just needs to get some confidence in himself as a football player.

“The best man may win,” Ginn said. ” That’s all up to the man upstairs. I know he’s pretty fast. And just as well I’m fast. And it’s just [up to] us to go out and run one day. But until that day happens, I don’t think this week is the week to g into details about it.”

So it sounds to me like Ginn does have some confidence in himself somewhere, but it just does not transfer over to football.

Ginn mentions that this week is not the time for a race. Well what if Ginn would win. That would be the type of swagger that Ginn needs to finally light the fire under his feet again. We all saw what good ol’ Teddy can do when he gets that confidence in him. After all, it only took one kickoff return for a touchdown for Ginn to inspire himself for the rest of the game.

Now if only we could get Ginn to think like this all of the time!

So how about that race Chris?

Reports of talks between the Cleveland Browns and Mike Holmgren have excited many fans. Most news outlets in their reports are saying that if Holmgren agrees to oversee the continuing reclamation project going on in Cleveland, Eric Mangini’s days would be numbered. Is this the right move?

After their big win over the Steelers, it is very possible for the momentum to push the Browns past their final three opponents. Kansas City, Oakland and Jacksonville are all playing well as of late, but like the Cleveland Browns, are mired in mediocrity. Jacksonville however, does have a chance to make the playoffs this year, and a Browns victory at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the roll of spoiler could be one of those victories fans don’t soon forget.

If that happens, could Eric Mangini save his job and the jobs of those on his staff? I think it’s a distinct possibility. Although it wouldn’t be business as usual. But, it seems winning out in 2009 provides a certain amount of consideration for remaining in 2010.

Mike Holmgren could make it work if three things are done:

1) Holmgren has to make it very clear that Mangini needs to change his ways. His dictatorship may have worked to weed out players that were cancers to the team, but the excessive fines, his handling of practice and his placement of young players in situations where injury was a probable outcome have to change. His work ethic can stay, but the rest of the Mangini circus has to go.

2) Holmgren has to make drafting defense his highest priority. Rob Ryan has worked miracles with a defensive unit in flux. Provide him some real talent and I think the Browns can quickly become a team to be feared. Keeping Rob Ryan in town allows for continuity and can provide the proper training ground for a coach who might well be a great head coach. This may go against Holmgren’s itch to bring in his “own guys” but keeping Ryan and Mangini can be the right thing to do.

3) Holmgren should make a change by bringing in a new Offensive Coordinator. Brian Daboll has shown us nothing that would constitute reason for keeping him around. Although the change will once again put the offense on pins and needles as they again are forced to learn a new system, it is the right move. Bringing in a guy who can simplify his system, teach young guys and put them in situations where they can succeed would be the best move for this organization. Making sure the pieces we have can be used optimally is priority one.

These three things would set Holmgren up for a successful first season at the helm. With a solid draft and a commitment to return this team to competitiveness, Holmgren can turn this all around in one year. Hard work, leadership, training and preparation in the context of a stable working environment can make the Browns a legitimate contender for the division title. There is hope, but it has to start with Mike Holmgren coming here and following these simple suggestions.

It’s time to face facts, the 2009 Steelers are going to become the second straight Steelers squad to follow up a Super Bowl season with missing the playoffs. The 2006 team though had a different vibe, as they started slow, going 2-6 and then following it up by wrapping up the year 6-2. Then of course the team went through a huge change at the top with Bill Cowher stepping down as coach.

No matter how 09 wraps up, Mike Tomlin is going nowhere, and while we’ve already addressed the changes that could be made with assistants, the bottom line is the players have not played as well as last season. Sure you can blame some injuries as the reason for the letdown, but at the end of the day, the team has had a stunning letdown on both sides of the ball.

So with that said, here are a couple of players in my opinion that failed to live up to the hype this year, and some of these guys may not be back in 2010.

1. William Gay - When Bryant McFadden left the team this offseason to go to Arizona, the club felt that Gay would be able to step in and be that 2nd CB and they wouldn’t lose much. They were wrong. Week after week Gay has allowed opposing wide outs to get too open, and then has whiffed on tackles way too many times. It’s no wonder many think that the club will address the CB spot this offseason.

2. James Farrior – A player who never seemed to have a bad game, has had moments this season that show that he’s getting older. Two prime moments come to mind: the first Bengals game when he failed to cover Andre Caldwell on the game-winning TD, and the 4th down play vs Baltimore when everyone knew Ray Rice was getting the ball, and Farrior allowed Joe Flacco to find him for a huge gain that led to a game-tying field goal. You gotta love Farrior’s heart, but he’s not the player he was last year.

3. Limas Sweed – Many felt that after a slow rookie year, Sweed would step up and be the teams #3 wide out. Instead, Sweed is buried on the bench after dropping a for sure TD vs the Bengals that could have put the game away, and then when he finally did get back on the field he dropped an early pass vs the Lions. I would like to see what Sweed could do given the chance again, but now behind rookie Mike Wallace, Sweed may never live up to the #2 pick the team spent on him.

4. Willie Parker - Once again in 2009 Parker was given the starting job based on the past, and once again, he failed to come in and make an impact. Blame the game-planning on not using him enough, but he’s only putting up 3.3 yards per carry, and has just 259 yards and no touchdowns. He’s gone after this season, and the team will need to go out and get another running back to back up Rashard Mendenhall.