A familiar face

Nate Griffin: Former Oiler Dishman to coach in the NFLPA collegiate bowl

Nate Griffin: Former Oiler Dishman to coach in the NFLPA collegiate bowl
Former Oiler Cris Dishman is working on a coaching career. NYdailynews.com

He was a heck of a player and now he wants to prove he can be a heck of a coach with a heart for people. Former two-time Pro-Bowl defensive back Cris Dishman -- “Dish” as he is affectionately called -- will get his chance to work as Defensive Coordinator for the American Team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Dishman played with four teams while in the NFL, including eight seasons with the Houston Oilers. The other three teams he played for were the Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Yes, Dishman was part of the 1993 Houston Oilers team that suffered the greatest comeback in the history of the NFL by the Buffalo Bills.

The game is Saturday at 3 p.m. central at the Los Angeles Coliseum. NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green makes his debut as the head coach of the American Team while former St. Louis Rams Head Coach Mike Martz will lead the National Team for a fourth straight year. Dishman understands this is a huge opportunity.

“I was called. They called and asked me did I want to do it,” he said. “I said yes I’d do it because I didn’t have (anything) really going on. I could never turn down (anything) football related. So, I decided to come out here and do it.”   

This game will feature a load of talented draft-eligible and now former collegiate players, including TCU quarterback Kenny Hill, Texas wide receiver Armanti Foreman, East Carolina wide receiver Davon Grayson and Arizona State linebacker D.J. Calhoun.

Dishman worked as a coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2006. That same season, he became the defensive backs coach for Menlo College and eventually was named their defensive coordinator. January, 2009, Dishman was hired by the San Diego Chargers as an assistant defensive backs coach. He joined the staff of the Baylor Bears in 2015 as defensive backs coach. He sees himself in some of these players and says he’s ready to embrace this experience.

“It’s basically getting the scripts together, setting up practice plans, put in the whole defense, talk about the whole defense, knowing where the defensive line, the linebackers, secondary and everybody have to fit...not only in the run game but also in the pass game; and just be able to discuss it with the guys and get them all playing on the same level one play at a time.

“As a position coach, you have to worry about your position and your position only. As a coordinator, I have to worry about everybody’s position. I have to do what’s best for the team. I have to make the tough decisions and do what’s best for the team, not only for the d-line, but the linebackers and the defensive backs. So, I’ve got to take everybody’s point into consideration, decipher through it, and do what’s best for the team and not just for the group.”

The players know little about each other and have only had a week of practice together. It’s up to the coaches to turn these players into a single force by game day.

“Now we’ve got to get those guys who’ve always been arch rivals against each other to be a team,” he said. “We’ve got to remind them that their college days are over. This is your teammate now. No matter what your helmet says, you’re going to be (a member of) the American team.”

Dishman admits that with just a week of practice that started last Sunday, getting these players ready for Saturday has been a chore. So, he’s had to make a few adjustments.

“I have changed some of my terminology all because some of the kids have come up to me and said ‘Coach…we say it this way in college.’ So, I changed to adapt to them because we only have a week,” he said. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel in a week…not trying to reinvent football.

“The only thing I’m trying to be is the most efficient person within this week. I want those guys to play on Saturday and show their natural God-given talent and possibly get on an NFL and have a long illustrious career.”

Dishman says he would like to continue coaching after Saturday’s game. He says he knows that he can get the best out of his players.

“You have to be able to come early and stay late and you have to be a student of the game.”

We will see what the players learned on Saturday.    

 

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The offense faces a tough challenge against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place clubs riding identical hot streaks meet again Wednesday night as the Houston Astros host the Philadelphia Phillies in a marquee midseason showdown.

The Astros, winners of six straight at home, enter with a 46-33 record and a firm grip on the AL West. They've surged behind strong pitching and timely hitting, outscoring opponents by 10 runs over their last 10 games while posting a 3.40 team ERA. Mauricio Dubón has been a spark during that stretch, slugging four homers in his last 10 games, while Isaac Paredes continues to anchor the lineup with a team-high 16 home runs.

They’ll hand the ball to rookie left-hander Colton Gordon, who brings a 2-1 record and 4.54 ERA into his eighth start of the season. Gordon has shown flashes of potential but will face perhaps his toughest test yet against a Phillies lineup loaded with talent and plate discipline.

Philadelphia, 47-32 and sitting atop the NL East, has the third-best on-base percentage in baseball (.331) and no signs of slowing. They've gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, outscoring opponents by 15 runs and batting .267 during that stretch. Trea Turner has begun to heat up, going 12-for-42 in his last 10 contests, while Nick Castellanos remains a consistent threat with 21 doubles and 41 RBIs on the year.

The Phillies will counter with ace Zack Wheeler, who enters with dominant numbers: a 7-2 record, 2.61 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 118 strikeouts. Wheeler’s command and swing-and-miss stuff have been a constant all season, and the Astros will have to work for every base runner.

This is the second meeting between the two clubs this season, with the Astros winning the first contest, 1-0. With both teams trending upward, it has all the makings of another tight, low-scoring battle. The betting line favors Philadelphia (-160), with the over/under set at 7.5 runs — a reflection of the elite pitching expected on both sides.

First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.

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