My delicious day with NFL Films

[oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b][url="http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/chickludwig/entries/2009/06/02/my_delicious_day_with_nfl_film.html"][color="#000000"]My delicious day with NFL Films[/color][/url][/b][/size]
By [url="http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/chickludwig/entries/2009/06/02/my_delicious_day_with_nfl_film.html#postcomment"][color="#0d5e96"]Chick Ludwig [/color][/url]| Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 04:46 PM

[b]BENGALS MORE THAN QUALIFY

AS ONE OF THE LEAGUE’S

‘MOST SNAKEBIT FRANCHISES’[/b]

[u][i][b]===LUDWIG AT LARGE alert: The NFL Films’ project, “Most Snakebit Franchises: The NFL Top 10 on NFL Network” — featuring interviews with Chick Ludwig, Paul Daugherty and Bob Trumpy — will air July 31, 2009.===[/b][/i][/u]

As I plopped in a chair in the middle of room 221 at the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast in Mason, Ohio, at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2, with a cup of bulldog-black coffee by my side, one thought kept streaking through the gray matter in my brain. A question, really.

“Is this heaven?”

No, it wasn’t. But it was awfully close.

When NFL Films calls and wants to interview you, you never-never-never say, “No.”

You say only, “When? Where?”

I’d do anything for Stephen Douglas “Steve” Sabol, the 66-year-old American filmmaker and president of NFL Films.

So when James A. McCormick IV — the player & talent coordinator for the Mount Laurel, N.J.-based company devoted to all things NFL — dialed me up a couple weeks ago, I cleared my schedule with the blessing of my bosses, put on a coat and tie, and navigated my sandust Chevy Cobalt to the appointed destination at 9664 Mason-Montgomery Road.

Thirteen years of covering the Cincinnati Bengals for the Dayton Daily News qualified me for this NFL Films’ project — “Most Snakebit Franchises: The NFL Top 10 on NFL Network.”

With Howard Neef working the camera and sound engineer Mark Ricci controlling the sound, NFL Films senior producer David Swain fired away. He asked some 60 thought-provoking questions and I tried, to the best of my ability, to answer every one.

From Paul Brown passing the coaching torch to Bill “Tiger” Johnson instead of Bill Walsh in 1976 all the way up to the Marvin Lewis-Carson Palmer era, virtually no stone was left unturned discussing the Bengals, who are joined on the snakebit list by the Cleveland Browns.

I probed the Super Bowl losses to the San Francisco 49ers (SB XVI and SB XXIII) in the 1981 and 1988 seasons, attempted to describe and define the “Ickey Shuffle,” and spoke about the images that are conjured up when fans refer to the Bengals as the “Bengals.”

I was even asked to rate the “Ben-Gals” cheerleaders.

Names such as Stanley Wilson, David Klingler, Ki-Jana Carter, Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson and Akili Smith came up. The same goes for Sam Wyche, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau.

And no dissection of the Bengals is complete without discussing their franchise-long nemesis — The Pittsburgh Steelers — and the “Curse of the Terrible Towel.”

Former Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh once shined his football shoes with the Terrible Towel — a move that backfired, of course.

The Steelers’ Hines Ward answered with the daily double — he performed the “Ickey Shuffle” after scoring a TD, then last season fractured Keith Rivers’ jaw with a vicious block — but has yet to face any retaliation.

Plenty of other subjects were poked and prodded such as mascots, TD celebrations, tailgating and AFC meltdowns in the Super Bowl. But the central theme was “Snakebit” franchises.

And the Bengals — who have endured prolong failure, misfortune and misery; one playoff berth in 18 seasons — are certainly entitled to the list.

When the one-hour, 22-minute session ended, Swain thanked me profusely for my time. He even telephoned me later to express his appreciation once again before heading back to Jersey.

“Great interview,” he told me. “You hit it out of the park. It’s all spun gold.”

I wouldn’t go that far. I figured my performance was at least a line-drive single to center or maybe a double into the gap.

I know this: It sure is nice to be appreciated by the good folks who employed “The Voice of God” — the immortal John Facenda — all those years.

For my effort, I was given a black NFL cap and gray NFL Films T-shirt.

In exchange, I gave Swain a memento to take back home to Mount Laurel, N.J. — a Chick Ludwig Voice-Over Test recently recorded at WONE studios in Dayton.

Ivan Lendl once said he would win Wimbledon or die trying.

With these pipes, “The Chickster” will work for NFL Films one day or die trying.[/quote]



[url="http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/chickludwig/entries/2009/06/02/my_delicious_day_with_nfl_film.html"]http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/conte...h_nfl_film.html[/url]

[Jason]

Discussing how "snakebit" our franchise is without mentioning Greg Cook would be incomplete.

[Bengals1181]

What in the hell was "Delicious" about any of that? Man he's pervy.

[Phatcat]

[quote name='Jason' post='780099' date='Jun 3 2009, 10:09 AM']Discussing how "snakebit" our franchise is without mentioning Greg Cook would be incomplete.[/quote]

X2 and I would add Krumrie's broken leg in SBXXIII.

Also in terms of recent history they should do a short segment just dedicated to the Cleveland Brown's home game in '06. If I recall correctly we lost Pollack, Braham, and Tab Perry for the season/career ending. I think there were more injuries that game that impacted us the rest of the season, but certainly coming off a very strong '05 season that early '06 season game against the Browns was absolutely devestating...... :cry:

[TheBeaverHunter]

A couple things about this article.

1. I agree using "My delicious day with NFL Films" as the title is pretty creepy, I thought it was going to be about catered food.

2. He drives a Chevy Cobalt, which is funny imagining "The Chickster" cruising around town in a Cobalt.

3. His Heart being broke when he watches the show and realized that most of his answers and interview time was edited out and he has only about 1 minute of face time.

[BengalBrandon]

[quote name='Bengals1181' post='780103' date='Jun 3 2009, 10:17 AM']What in the hell was "Delicious" about any of that? Man he's pervy.[/quote]



Maybe?

[Rumble In the Jungle]

could anyone imagine if the Chickster got the job doing NFL film Voice

[Homer_Rice]

[quote name='Rumble In the Jungle' post='780152' date='Jun 3 2009, 01:01 PM']could anyone imagine if the Chickster got the job doing NFL film Voice [/quote]
His first narration: "The Top Ten 'Studs' in NFL History."

[ChicagoBengal]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='780156' date='Jun 3 2009, 12:12 PM']His first narration: "The Top Ten 'Studs' in NFL History."[/quote]
Which would be "voiced-over" in a private viewing room requested by the Chickster himself...

[Rumble In the Jungle]

the truth be said, chick does have a deep voice though.

[T-Dub]

So glad Chick was able to enjoy his opportunity to wax poetic over the failures of the franchise for the great NFL Films.

[oldschooler]

From Paul Daugherty's blog . . .


[quote]The NFL Films people tossed me a few curves in our sitdown yesterday, for a show that will air July 31 on NFL Network. They wanted to know how "devastated'' the city was after the loss in the '89 Bowl. I said not so much, because we thought that team's core was young enough to make another run. Plus, getting Montana-ed in a big game was not unusual. They also asked me which No. 1 pick of the 90s was the biggest bust. I said hands down it was Akili Smith. But it could have been Klingler, Carter or Wilkinson. Your thoughts.[/quote]



[url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=c77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ac77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3Post%3acd1510cc-650f-46a1-a16f-9e749fdb0e6d&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com"]http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/s....cincinnati.com[/url]

[Jason]

[quote name='oldschooler' post='780712' date='Jun 5 2009, 09:54 AM']From Paul Daugherty's blog . . .






[url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=c77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ac77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3Post%3acd1510cc-650f-46a1-a16f-9e749fdb0e6d&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com"]http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/s....cincinnati.com[/url][/quote]

I don't know about Doc, but I was pretty devastated after that game. Was he even here in 1988/1989?

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='Jason' post='780714' date='Jun 5 2009, 10:57 AM']I don't know about Doc, but I was pretty devastated after that game. Was he even here in 1988/1989?[/quote]


if he was, he was just getting here so he didn't give a damn about the Bengals or the city (not that he does now either).

[Jamie_B]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='780156' date='Jun 3 2009, 01:12 PM']His first narration: "The Top Ten 'Studs' in NFL History."[/quote]

[sparky151]

[quote name='Homer_Rice' post='780156' date='Jun 3 2009, 01:12 PM']His first narration: "The Top Ten 'Studs' in NFL History."[/quote]

Chick's chance for a jailhouse interview with Travis Henry

[Bengals1181]

lol so I just spoke with a friend of mine, who it turns out knows Chick personally (through a mutual friend at DDN). Said he's even creepier in person than he is in his writings. referenced the "stud and studette" comments (yes he really says it), etc...