LeBron Brings Talents Back to Cleveland, and With Them, a Chance at Closure
December 1, 2010Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Predators (Game #23) – Frustration Ventilation
December 1, 2010
Most sports fans, baseball fans in particular, know that the nickname “The Core Four” is synonymous with The New York Yankees longtime veterans Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Derek Jeter. Not me. There is only one “Core Four” group as far as I’m concerned.
Jason Trusnik, Nick Sorensen, Ray Ventrone, and Blake Costanzo.
That’s right. They are the true “Core Four” of the Browns special teams, generally regarded as one of the finer groups in the NFL. Seriously, the next time you watch any punt or kickoff by the Browns, make sure you see who is in the tackling pile. Its ALWAYS one of the Core Four (you won’t see Costanzo though, he is now out for the year).
They are four gritty guys who make up for what they lack in talent with heart and guts. Three of the four played for Mangini in either New England or New York, the only one who didn’t was Sorensen. But he came to Cleveland after four years in Jacksonville where he was Special Teams captain. The respect for the special teams maven comes from all angles within the Browns organization.
“He’s the inspiration to all of us out there. He’s our leader. I know a lot of guys look up to him,” Costanzo said.
Added Ventrone: “He’s a great, great player. Tough kid. Smart player. Obviously, he’s a great special teams player.”
All four are Mangini kind of players, thus the reason they have all stuck.
Sure, I know you all, like me, cringe when you see Ventrone in the dime package trying to guard any Wide Receiver or Tight End, but you can’t deny his work on special teams. Who was there pouncing on a first quarter fumble during the Patriots game? Good ole’ #41.
Trusnik is a local product out of Nordonia, has been blessed to come home and play for the team he grew up rooting for. He defied the odds and now is loving life playing in Cleveland. “Coach Mangini likes hard-working players,” he said. “I don’t take this for granted. It’s every kid’s dream who plays Pop Warner or plays in high school to be where I am now.”
Costanzo, who SI’s Peter King voted his All-NFL-Special Teams player is a beast on the coverage units. Like the others, he is a grinder who just loves playing the game. ”I just want to keep doing my job and keep making my plays,” Costanzo said. ”I just want to keep making plays and help this team win. If I do that, all the other things will fall into place.”
No doubt the Browns will miss him the rest of the way.
You can take Rivera, Jeter, Pettitte, and Posada. I’ll take Trusnik, Ventrone, Costanzo, and Sorensen.
Long live The Core Four!
13 Comments
Man, I sure do wish that cool graphic that DP created could go on a t-shirt.
Wait, what??
BAM. CORE FOUR SHIRTS.
Buy one now.
speaking of special teams, did anyone notice that Stephen Colbert had Josh Cribbs on his fantasy team along with God?
/I bet he picked Cribbs first
Sweet article, I love those guys.
Little known fact… Nick Sorensen was the 3rd string QB at Virginia Tech and won the only game he started against Boston College. He converted to safety the next season to get more playing time (and to be a total beast all over the field).
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/stats/showstats.html?5933
Vengeful Pat:
When will I be seeing the royalty checks for your icon? 🙂
@3 Win or not, the stats show why he really moved to safety….
6-10 for 72 yards and 2 INT
16 rushes for -15 yards
There for a second I thought I was looking at a Brady Quinn box score from last year…zing!
Wow, Jeter’s so important to the Yankees, he 50% of the Core Four…
Good catch enginerd. That’s pretty funny.
@ ReepJP…How in the world did VT win that game with that stat line.
It must have looked like the Browns win over the Bills last year.
Sorry, but I’m gonna have to hold off on praising any of these four guys. 4 average NFL kick coverage guys do not get me too ecstatic. I just can’t think of anything that stands out that would separate these guys from any others besides they make a few tackles on special teams. If Cribbs were still covering kicks I don’t think any of these four would make any tackles.
“4 average NFL kick coverage guys”
you think they are AVERAGE kick coverage guys? really?
there’s a reason the Browns are among the best ST units in the league. these guys are a big reason.
if you want to see how important STs are, then please take a look at the SD Chargers. they have been #1 in total yardage offense and #1 in total yardage defense most of the season. Yet they were under .500 before last Sunday. Why? possibly the worst ST unit in the NFL.
@6 – Your avatar would be proud of your sarcastic observation.
@9 – Agree completely. I have no proof to back this up, but I’m a believer that special teams are an indication of the future potential of a team.
Special teams speak to how well a front office evaluates young talent, how disciplined the players are, how well they understand the fundamentals of the game, and how determined the individuals are to succeed. All of which pays dividends in the future as these young players mature.
@#9 Don’t get me wrong about not thinking special teams are very important and I think the Browns have been good thus far on special teams, but I just can’t think of anything that makes these guys stand out much on special teams. One guy recovered a kick that nobody caught. I can’t recall any other great plays really, other than making tackles on special teams. But to put these guys on a pedestal, no thanks.
Also, they are a good special teams unit because of the whole unit and in my opinion it all starts with the kickers.
At least these grinders listened to Wedge, the king of all grinders.
Ryan Pointbriand is the most important ST player we have. Go talk to the Chargers about the scarcity of good long snappers.