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Spinner could make team winner
The Steubenville native served in the Air Force, but is now grounded in football.
NILES — If Carlos Spinner talks down to people, it’s not that he’s condescending.
To make it fair, a shorter person should be standing while talking to the 6-foot-11 Mahoning Valley Thunder noseman as he sits during a conversation.
That equalizer is good off the field, but the Thunder wants Spinner standing, yelling and smacking as he pushes his way through offensive linemen during af2 games this season.
The 26-year-old Steubenville native who played in high school for Big Red before graduating in 2000, went to the Air Force, then worked, then tried college. But Spinner only stayed at Toledo a semester.
“Financial difficulties sent me back home, so that’s when I got started in football,” the 315-pounder said of playing in the CIFL back home for the Stampede.
Spinner believes that his return to town may have helped launch the Stampede’s formation.
He played during their two years of existence, then found out about the Thunder and tried out last year.
“The coaches liked me, or said they liked me, so they invited me back. So, I’ve been working hard, trying to not let Coach [Mike Hold] down.”
During 8-on-8 drills in preseason camp, Spinner worked against centers Shawn Donaldson and Jerrick Jeffreys.
“Coach wants me to work on staying low, and underneath their pads,” the defensive lineman said of his technique. “It’s a good look for both of the centers to work against someone who’s coming in that low. For my size, it’s a real good test for these guys to go through.”
Spinner explained that a defensive lineman and a blitzing linebacker (the Mack) can’t attack the same hole on the offensive line.
“We can’t send two guys in the same gap. If I go left and the Mack goes left, then it’s an illegal defense. If I go left and the Mack is blitzing, he has to go right.”
There is a way to attack and try to confuse the offensive linemen while minimizing the chance of an illegal defense.
“Normally, they’ll have me and the Mack bull rush to a side. Bull rush means straight on against the man you’re over, then I’ll kind of slow-play it. If I’m bull rushing and slow-play off to the right, it’s not a like regular slant which would automatically to the right.”
Spinner’s only previous experience in af2 was during the Thunder’s last game of the 2008 season.
He said there is a difference in caliber from the CIFL.
“They treated us well, but this is af2. It’s like saying how does af2 compare to the NFL?”
Spinner was in the Air Force from 2000 to 2002, serving at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.
“I was an information manager, which is pretty much an important name for secretary. I dealt with information, processed airmen coming in, worked at the post office. I tried to specialize in the computer area.”
Spinner said he regrets not getting his finances straight for Toledo.
“College has always been a big thing for my family,” said Spinner, who said he was trying to go to Jefferson Community College to get a business management degree.
“I want to start my own business. I want to be in extreme entertainment and give people somewhere where they can play paintball and do motorcross.”
He’d like to incorporate Steubenville in his business plans because its terrain includes woods and city in proximity.
“There’s a lot of hills and farmland, so that’s good,” said Spinner, an easy-going single man with no kids, whose family is actually in Mingo Junction.
Spinner said that his father’s side has the height, while his mother’s side had the athletic side.
“My mom was in martial arts and my uncles were in football, wrestling, basketball and baseball,” he said.
During his first year with the Stampede, Spinner said he got to do something most people never do — play with his idol.
“My uncle Chuck Hython came in and tried out and then I made the team and got to play with him which is a dream come true.”
A friend of his uncle was Spinner’s link with Thunder coach Mike Hold.