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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2009 > June > 02 > Entry
My delicious day with NFL Films
BENGALS MORE THAN QUALIFY
AS ONE OF THE LEAGUE’S
‘MOST SNAKEBIT FRANCHISES’
===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.===
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 “Bungles.”
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.
Contact Chick Ludwig at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By psychostats
June 2, 2009 9:45 PM | Link to this
Might The Chickster someday be the next “Voice of God”? I can see it now. A line of people are waiting at the Pearly Gates. For some lucky souls, the words rumble from the clouds in a deep timbre – STEP INSIDE, STUD. YOU’RE A PRINCE IN GYM SHOES! (Or studette-princess, as the case may be.) For others, though, comes the harrowing verdict – SORRY, YOU’LL HAVE TO SEE COUSIN PAT, MY BLOG BOUNCER!By Brian
June 2, 2009 10:46 PM | Link to this
I’m glad to hear that NFL Films is doing ANYTHING after the talk of NFL getting rid of it. How about bringing in Greg Ellis to light a fire under Robert Geathers, whose development/production has plateaued since he got the fat contract extension.By Bubba
June 3, 2009 1:34 AM | Link to this
Stud. Enjoy for 15 minutes before the A-holes who are killing what was a good sports section pull your azz of the that semi-pro franchise and have you covering girls lacrosse and cow milking contestsBy photoman
June 3, 2009 7:26 AM | Link to this
I’m not sure what is meant by the term “snakebit”, but I feel the problem in Bengaldom is the chief Bengal MB and his seemingly clueless idea that all he needed was a good QB and a fast receiver signed long term. So he evidently didn’t pay attention to the OL and “D” falling apart right before his eyes. Apparently PB was unable to teach MB the fulness of running the Bengals organization after his departure.By BRAD
June 3, 2009 7:52 AM | Link to this
NOW BE SURE TO TELL US IN ADVANCE WHEN IT WILL AIRBy VoHo
June 3, 2009 8:25 AM | Link to this
Chick — I’m not sure about the “Voice of God”… but the good Lord blessed you with a set of pipes. Everytime you call my wife says, “Why isn’t that guy in radio or TV instead of print?” Good luck in pursuing your dream!By Shorty
June 3, 2009 9:12 AM | Link to this
It will be a brief interview. NFL: Chick what is your opinion of the Bengals? Chick: They stink.By Rey Maualuga in your face
June 3, 2009 10:16 AM | Link to this
Way to go Chickster! Can’t wait to see it on air.By mike
June 3, 2009 10:33 AM | Link to this
Chickster SHOULD apply for work with NFL Films. Maybe he could upgrade from the Cobalt!By pcb
June 3, 2009 1:06 PM | Link to this
I don’t think the Voice of God would drive a Chevy Cobalt. I figured the Chickster would drive a Caddy.By pcb
June 3, 2009 1:08 PM | Link to this
I don’t think the Voice of God would drive a Chevy Cobalt. I figured the Chickster would drive a Caddy.By WARRIORS FOOTBALL
June 3, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this
Hey Bubba,don’t insult the guys who play semipro football by comparing the Bengals to them. At least semi pro players play with heart and for the love of the game unlike alot of the whiny overpaid”PROS”. Come out and watch your local MIAMI VALLEY WARRIORS at Bellbrook High School on Saturday nights.www.miamivalleywarriors.comBy psychostats
June 4, 2009 12:20 AM | Link to this
For Mike Brown, it’s an excuse floating down from heaven. He’s not a bad owner, folks. He’s not responsible for the team averaging six wins per season over the past 18 years. No, the problem is that the team has been “snakebit”. It’s great that The Chickster gets some national exposure, but I wish it was for a better topic. What’s next, “The 10 Most Misunderstood NFL Owners”?By TouchDown Troy
June 4, 2009 9:19 AM | Link to this
Chick, you are one of the great writers for the Bengals congrats on the interview.By Buzzermaster
June 8, 2009 2:38 PM | Link to this
Snakebit? That perpetuates the belief that what’s wrong with the Bengals is bad luck instead of incompetent management. Paul Brown may have been a football genius, but he was too cheap to spend money to improve Spinney Field, a facility so terrible it scared away free agents who might have helped the team. And Mike Brown? The worst ever. The Bengals aren’t snakebit. They are top-to-bottom terrible.