Some Things....

[Angry Pope]

Here is an article on Mario Williams...

Before they were stars: Mario Williams

By , NFL Draft Staff – Rivals.com

Once upon a time they were just kids.

They weren't yet supersized or faster than speeding bullets. They weren't yet identified as future millionaires.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson's coach remembers the offensive tackle as being only 215 pounds when he moved him to the position his sophomore year at Freeport (N.Y.) High School. Michael Huff's coach said Huff was on the JV team as a sophomore and "we moved him up to varsity because we made the playoffs."

Suffice it to say Ferguson is not 215 pounds anymore, and Huff made himself known in those playoffs with a game-tying touchdown catch. Now both are surefire first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

As part of its NFL Draft coverage, Rivals.com has ventured to find the stories behind the stories in the first round. We've talked to more than 20 high school coaches of potential first-round picks to ask where these players came from and what separates them from the rest of the crop. Don't be surprised if you find some common traits.

Today we look back at where it all began for Maryland defensive end Mario Williams.

Mario Williams

Position: Defensive End
College: NC State
Vitals: 6-foot-7, 290 pounds
High school: Richlands (N.C.)
Coach: Kevin Wilson

When was the first time you remember thinking Mario eventually could play in the NFL?:

I met Mario in the spring of his eighth-grade year. I talked with him and his parents about the importance of coming to our summer workout program.

I was in the second year of a rebuilding process as a new coach in a small town. We had taken a beating in the early and mid 90s in football when I took the program over. I thought one of the ways we could improve was to bring Mario in.

We hadn't had a ninth-grader invited to try out for the varsity team in quite a while. Anytime I talked to a freshman about playing varsity, I also talked with his mother. I talked to them and thought that if he came out and really dedicated himself that summer, he could start for us and really make a difference, and he did.

He had played football and really loved it. … He didn't like basketball. And I knew his mother and father were both pretty tall. He started all four years for us on both sides of the ball, including special teams. He never missed a game.

What's your fondest game memory of him?:

We were playing our big rival Southwest Onslow. Before that game, our star running back got hurt, so Mario had been moved to tailback in the I-formation. I also moved him from defensive end to middle linebacker for that game. It really helped us.

It was a defensive battle. They had one play and decided to run the ball and try to score right before halftime. It was still 0-0.

The guy ran a sweep to the offense's right and to Mario's left. He probably ran about 10-15 yards laterally, jumped over some of our players and their players. And just before the guy broke the plane, he just grabbed him and snatched him back.

When's the last time you spoke to him?:

I spoke with him a couple of weeks ago through his agent. After he worked in the Combine, he went to Raleigh (N.C.) and started working with friends and getting ready for his Pro Day at North Carolina State.

His agent, he and the people around here are very excited because a lot of the teams have been making moves and picking up experienced quarterbacks.

It looks like he's got a really good chance of being the first defensive player off the board.

What's your draft prediction for him?:

Some mock drafts have him going all the way up to second, and some have him going fifth or sixth.

His chances of making more money and going even higher in the draft have really improved in the last month because of the trades with people picking up those experienced quarterbacks.

I think (he will go) to the Packers at No. 5. Their local scout actually lives in the Raleigh area, and he came out to lunch and we had a pretty good meeting.

It was a long, drawn-out meeting discussing his character, work ethic and that type of thing.

 

[Angry Pope]

Ngata....

Before they were stars: Haloti Ngata

By , NFL Draft Staff – Rivals.com


Once upon a time they were just kids.

They weren't yet supersized or faster than speeding bullets. They weren't yet identified as future millionaires.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson's coach remembers the offensive tackle as being only 215 pounds when he moved him to the position his sophomore year at Freeport (N.Y.) High School. Michael Huff's coach said Huff was on the JV team as a sophomore and "we moved him up to varsity because we made the playoffs."

Suffice it to say Ferguson is not 215 pounds anymore, and Huff made himself known in those playoffs with a game-tying touchdown catch. Now both are surefire first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

As part of its NFL Draft coverage, Rivals.com has ventured to find the stories behind the stories in the first round. We've talked to more than 25 high school coaches of potential first-round picks to ask where these players came from and what separates them from the rest of the crop. Don't be surprised if you find some common traits.

Today we look back at where it all began for Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Haloti Ngata

Position: Defensive Tackle
College: Oregon
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 345 pounds
High school: Highland HS in Salt Lake City, UT
Coach: Larry Wilson

When was the first time you remember thinking Haloti eventually could play in the NFL?:

Probably between his ninth-grade and 10th-grader year.
He actually was struggling a little bit in school with grades and was just trying to make that transition to high school and getting serious about schoolwork.

We called a meeting with his parents. I already knew his parents because his uncle had played for me when I was coaching at the University of Utah.

I basically told him he had a bright future ahead of him, that he had some God-given talent that potentially could lead him to the next level in college and even beyond that to the NFL. But it wouldn't make any difference if he didn't do his schoolwork and didn't take care of business toward going to college. That was the first time we talked about it and actually discussed the possibility of going to the highest level.

Going into his sophomore year, he had incredible athleticism for someone his size. He was probably at that time 6-foot-2½ and 250 to 255 pounds. He had natural strength, tremendous body control and a lot of skills you see in kids who played a more athletic position. He reminded you more of a linebacker than a lineman.

What's your fondest game memory of him?:

That's really hard to say. I'm not sure there's any one game that stands out.

He had so many games where he dominated, especially on the defensive side. He played both ways (offensive guard and nose guard). He was a good offensive player who could have been a great offensive player, but his passion was on defense.

I don't think there's any one game, but possibly it's our game against Timpview in the state playoffs. We played that game down at BYU and he had a dominant performance.

Because of the magnitude of the game, that might be one that sticks out more than a regular-season game, but he had so many standout performances.

People literally ran away from him. Not too many people tried to run at the interior of our line. He was also an excellent pass rusher. He was so physical, so big, so quick that against high school kids, a lot of times it was a mismatch.

When's the last time you spoke to him?:

About a half hour ago. He's helping us coach rugby and is here training. He's been training with us ever since the Combine.

What's your draft prediction for him?:

I have no idea. I don't think anyone really knows.

A lot of guys who have been around this a lot longer than I have and who are smarter have him going at No. 8 to Buffalo, but you never know what's going to happen or what people's true needs are.

There's a lot of speculation by people outside the NFL who are trying to evaluate NFL teams and what their needs are.

I'm just going to say between eight and 15 is where I think he probably has a realistic chance of going.

 

[Angry Pope]

Hawk...

Before they were stars: A.J. Hawk

By – Rivals.com

Once upon a time they were just kids.

They weren't yet supersized or faster than speeding bullets. They weren't yet identified as future millionaires.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson's coach remembers the offensive tackle as being only 215 pounds when he moved him to the position his sophomore year at Freeport (N.Y.) High School. Michael Huff's coach said Huff was on the JV team as a sophomore and "we moved him up to varsity because we made the playoffs."

Suffice it to say Ferguson is not 215 pounds anymore, and Huff made himself known in those playoffs with a game-tying touchdown catch. Now both are surefire first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

As part of its NFL Draft coverage, Rivals.com has ventured to find the stories behind the stories in the first round. We've talked to more than 20 high school coaches of potential first-round picks to ask where these players came from and what separates them from the rest of the crop. Don't be surprised if you find some common traits.

Today we look back at where it all began for Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk.

A.J. Hawk

Position: Linebacker
College: Ohio State
Vitals: 6-foot-1, 240 pounds
High school: Centerville (OH)
Coach: Ron Ullery

When was the first time you remember thinking A.J. eventually could play in the NFL?:

I don't know, probably the first time was his freshman year at Ohio State when they would come in to recruit. They would say to me, 'You might have a kid in the NFL in a few years.'
He surprised them. I think they thought he was good, but didn't realize how good till he got there.

What's your fondest game memory of him?:

He had 31 tackles in two different games in two different years. The guy who counts them is pretty tough on tackles, too.

There's also another story. His brother, Ryan, was a quarterback for us and A.J. played some halfback. It was the 10th game of the year, and Ryan ran the ball and a defensive tackle tackled him from behind and wouldn't let him up. He was trying to hurt Ryan. A.J. was the first one there to jerk the kid off his brother. A fight never broke out, and Ryan ran 25 yards for a touchdown on the next play. The first person to greet him in the end zone was A.J.

A.J. is quiet and doesn't show a lot of emotion, so that was a great show of emotion from him. He was saying, 'Don't mess with my brother.'

Anything you've read about the kid, magnify it and it's probably true.

When's the last time you spoke to him?:

In the last couple of weeks. He has been training in Columbus. He loves to work.

What's your draft prediction for him?:

I just listen to what everybody else says, Green Bay, San Fran or Oakland.

He hits me as a Green Bay or Oakland type of player, a blue-collar guy. I'll be a fan wherever he goes, even if it's the Browns (Ullery said he's a diehard Bengals fan).

He'll never stop getting better. He'll have the same work ethic in 10 years that he has now. He doesn't understand any other way.

 

[Angry Pope]

Brick....

Before they were stars: D'Brickashaw Ferguson

By , NFL Draft Staff – Rivals.com

Once upon a time they were just kids.

They weren't yet supersized or faster than speeding bullets. They weren't yet identified as future millionaires.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson's coach remembers the offensive tackle as being only 215 pounds when he moved him to the position his sophomore year at Freeport (N.Y.) High School. Michael Huff's coach said Huff was on the JV team as a sophomore and "we moved him up to varsity because we made the playoffs."

Suffice it to say Ferguson is not 215 pounds anymore, and Huff made himself known in those playoffs with a game-tying touchdown catch. Now both are surefire first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

As part of its NFL Draft coverage, Rivals.com has ventured to find the stories behind the stories in the first round. We've talked to more than 20 high school coaches of potential first-round picks to ask where these players came from and what separates them from the rest of the crop. Don't be surprised if you find some common traits.

Today we look back at where it all began for Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson

Position: Offensive Tackle
College: Virginia
Vitals: 6-foot-5, 289 pounds
High school: Freeport (NY)
Coach: Russ Cellan

When was the first time you remember thinking D'Brickashaw eventually could play in the NFL?:

Probably when he was a junior. He really started to dominate people.
We put him at offensive tackle in the 10th grade. He was only about 215 pounds, but he was 6-3, 6-4 with unbelievably long arms. But once he filled out he just dominated people so regularly it was ridiculous.

His father is a martial artist and very into it, and 'Brick' has done it ever since he was a kid.

I think that's where he gets such explosive power. He doesn't need a lot of room. And I think (the martial arts) help with his punch in pass protection.

What's your fondest game memory of him?:

We were playing against Farmingdale, another good team in our area.

Randy Earl, who later played defensive end at Maryland, was right across from Brick. We ran a stretch play, and Brick flatbacked him. He pushed him 5 yards and put him on his back.

It was the county championship game and we won pretty handily. We ran behind Brick the whole game.

When's the last time you spoke to him?:

Not too long ago. When he was in town before the Senior Bowl (in late January), we took him to lunch. I picked up the tab. He's got it next time.

What's your draft prediction for him?: He's gonna be rich, that's all I know.

It's always a crapshoot. Any team that gets him gets a great player and a great person.

 

[Angry Pope]

Leinart....

Before they were stars: Matt Leinart

By , NFL Draft Staff – Rivals.com

Once upon a time they were just kids.

They weren't yet supersized or faster than speeding bullets. They weren't yet identified as future millionaires.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson's coach remembers the offensive tackle as being only 215 pounds when he moved him to the position his sophomore year at Freeport (N.Y.) High School. Michael Huff's coach said Huff was on the JV team as a sophomore and "we moved him up to varsity because we made the playoffs."

Suffice it to say Ferguson is not 215 pounds anymore, and Huff made himself known in those playoffs with a game-tying touchdown catch. Now both are surefire first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

As part of its NFL Draft coverage, Rivals.com has ventured to find the stories behind the stories in the first round. We've talked to more than 20 high school coaches of potential first-round picks to ask where these players came from and what separates them from the rest of the crop. Don't be surprised if you find some common traits.

Today we look back at where it all began for Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart.

Matt Leinart

Position: Quarterback
College: Southern Cal
Vitals: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
High school: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Coach: Bruce Rollinson

When was the first time you remember thinking Matt eventually could play in the NFL?:

I don't know if you really know you have an NFL player. As he developed I knew we had a top-of-the-line, highly recruitable Division I QB.
Sure, I thought maybe with the right set of circumstances the young man would have a chance at the pro level. He did things at the high-school level that you can't coach. He had great touch on the ball.

When he came in as a freshman he was almost 6-3, 210, and he had a tremendous pocket presence and great leadership ability. In freshman football you don't get a whole lot of pass protection and we noticed he stayed in the pocket and stood in there and it was always a well-placed football, and then he'd take a hit. And then encourage his teammates.

We took our offense to a pure passing attack with his passing ability. He made plays. He was never rattled.

What's your fondest game memory of him?:

The De La Salle game. They were the No. 1 team in the nation, and we go down 21-0 in front of about 32,000 at Angels Stadium.

I went to Matt and said there's only one way we get out of this thing. He ended up with 457 yards passing and on the final drive he takes us down and unfortunately we missed a field goal to tie things up. It was an historic performance.

When's the last time you spoke to him?:

A couple of weeks ago.

What's your draft prediction for him?:

Basically what he said was, 'Coach, I'm gonna try to do what you told me, control what I can control.' He has been training very hard. It is what it is in the draft. Some guys worry about it, I choose not to worry about it.

 

[Crossbones]

Great stuff.

AP, where do you find these wonderful toys (articles)?

 

[Angry Pope]

Great stuff.

AP, where do you find these wonderful toys (articles)?

LOL.......

 

[Angry Pope]

Something on Sapp....

—Defensive tackle Warren Sapp was present at the team's mini-camp but was mostly a spectator other then rehabbing a torn rotator cuff.

Sapp, who had played 15 or 16 games every season of his NFL career, missed the last six games of the 2005 season after being injured against the Washington Redskins.

The Raiders were 0-6 in the games Sapp missed. He was enjoying a strong second season with the Raiders after being miscast as an end in a 3-4 defense in 2004.

"I'm right on schedule," Sapp told the NFL Network. "Nothing's going to stop me from getting ready to go. I haven't done anything since before Thanksgiving, so I'm ready to get back on the field and bounce around a little bit."

 

[Angry Pope]

Sapp on something else....

Teammate Randy Moss may take exception, but Sapp told the NFL Network he considers Terrell Owens the best receiver in football even if he can't figure out T.O's behavior.

"There's no receiver that comes close to him," Sapp said. "But you try to figure out in all that he does, what's the overall big picture? What are you trying to get done? Let's go play the game."

 

[Angry Pope]

Another Sapp quote...

"Tony Dungy taught me a long time ago about the difference between perception and reality. The perception is I could play five more years. The reality is I have about two. That's how I'm looking at it — two more years." — Raiders DT Warren Sapp.

 

[Angry Pope]

It appears that the Saints don't want to move below the number five spot in the draft. They are really interested in Vernon Davis and don't want to go lower than the five spot in order to draft him or AJ Hawk.

 

[Angry Pope]

Odds on where McNair will play....take it for what it is worth...

Mac back?

Oddsmakers are weighing in on Steve McNair's ongoing saga with the Titans.

SportsInteraction.com has listed the veteran quarterback with 3/1 odds to return to Tennessee this fall.

The company believes the best bet is McNair will play for the Ravens. He's listed at 2/1 to play for Baltimore.

Oakland (4/1), Minnesota (8/1), Dallas (10-1) and the Jets (15-1) are also on the board.

The Titans asked McNair not to work out at Baptist Sports Park until his contract situation is sorted out. The NFL Players Association filed a grievance against the Titans on McNair's behalf, and the Titans are expected to respond soon.

 

[Angry Pope]

Some Mario Williams....

Sack specialist salutes Williams

Sean Jones, who piled up 113 sacks in 13 NFL seasons, says N.C. State's Mario Williams is the cream of the draft crop at his old position.

"He's worthy of being the second pick in this draft," said Jones, who reports directly to Al Davis as a member of the Oakland Raiders' pro personnel department. "But let's not get it twisted. Look at it this way: [Carolina's] Julius Peppers goes [No. 2] a few years back, and Mario Williams is not Julius Peppers."

 

[Angry Pope]

I forgot to mention that Denzel Washington's son is in the draft also. His name is John David Washington and he is a RB.

 

[Angel]

It appears that the Saints don't want to move below the number five spot in the draft. They are really interested in Vernon Davis and don't want to go lower than the five spot in order to draft him or AJ Hawk.

Yeah....the Niners are expected to take Davis if he makes it to #6, from what I hear

I forgot to mention that Denzel Washington's son is in the draft also. His name is John David Washington and he is a RB.

How cool is that?

 

[Angry Pope]

Matt Leinart coming in for a visit on Thursday April 20th.....

QB looking forward to helping loved ones

By Matt Leinart
Special to ESPN.com


It's very important for me to take care of my family.

Ever since I was little, I always told my mom I would buy her a house when I was older. Now that I have a chance to actually do it, it means a lot to my parents and me. They got me to this point. My parents had to work their butts off to take care of my brother and I. It's not like I got here on my own.

My job has always been a sport. I've been successful at that. Now for me to be able to take care of my family is awesome.

As the draft gets closer, reporters will periodically ask me if I wonder what would have happened if I entered the draft last year. I'm so much better prepared this year. I feel I'm ready mentally.

Two years ago, I didn't feel that way. I just wanted to be in college and enjoy the experience one more year. It was mainly for the enjoyment of college, being a kid, and not having to worry about the business side of it.

This is a tough business and it's a tough process to go through. You have to be ready when you decide to head to the NFL, whether it's your junior or senior year.

After I get drafted, my brother Ryan is going to move with me. He is going to live with me for the first year. It will be a big relief for me to have someone around I know. Whether I decide to get a condo, apartment, or house, Ryan will have a room there for as long as he wants to stay. It will be fun.

I'm not a material guy. I like knowing I can spend money and I no longer have to worry about how much I spend, but there is nothing I really want. I don't need to spend big on myself.

Watches and shoes are my two fetishes. They are my two favorite things. I had a pretty nice watch for a while and I just had a chance to get two more. They're called Icelink watches. I'll be wearing one at the draft. They're great watches. Look for them.

I've also always had a big sweet tooth. I have a lot of cavities. I had to go to the dentist again this week because of it.

I bought this gumball machine at Toys R Us last year. It's my favorite thing in my apartment. It's always filled. It's just bad because it rots my teeth. I felt like I had four or five cavities, but I actually had zero cavities this time. The dentist did fix part of a bottom tooth. My mouth was numb. It hurt a little bit, but it was OK. I got the laughing gas so it made me feel good.

I haven't been doing anything except working out and traveling, but when I have time I want to work on my golf game because it is terrible. I guess the first step is getting clubs and measurements. I finally did that last week. I'm getting a set of golf clubs.

I like golf, but I get frustrated because I'm not very good. I'm one of those guys who competes in everything and hates to loose. I've been known to throw a club every once in awhile. I've got to tone it down a little bit. Everyone I've talked says I've got to get good in golf. It's good for business opportunities. It's also a good leisure activity to play with your buddies and just have a good time.

I'm going to practice. I want to play so I can get good at it. We'll see. I definitely won't have time in the near future.

I am working out on Saturday and Easter Sunday this weekend. I'm taking Monday off because I'll be with the Jets and will be working out for them on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning I leave for New Orleans. Thursday morning I go from New Orleans to Oakland. The Raiders want to meet with me now. They called on Friday to schedule the workout. I leave Oakland on Friday morning to come back to L.A, then have three days before I go to New York for the draft.

Since I haven't been getting a lot of sleep because of my schedule, I'm still fighting whatever head cold I have. My sinuses are all messed up right now. It's kind of a drag, but I'm just trying to fight through it.

It's going to be a whirlwind next week, but it's going to be fun. This is just going to be a really long last week.

 

[Angry Pope]

Good luck Jon Ritchie....

Ex-Eagle Ritchie in the booth

The road to Europe leads through Mount Laurel, at least for former Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie.

After being released last season by the Eagles and then failing to hook up with the Cincinnati Bengals, the 31-year-old Ritchie decided to retire from the NFL and pursue other endeavors.

One of them is television work, and Ritchie has served as an analyst on two NFL Europe games for the NFL Network - while sitting in the Mount Laurel studios of NFL films.

The NFL Network is producing and televising 31 NFL Europe games, three per week plus the championship game. As a way to trim costs, one game each week has announcers in person while the other two has the announcers working off a monitor in the studios of NFL Films.

"It definitely makes things a little bit more of a challenge," Ritchie said of doing the games from a studio. "You don't have a chance to see the whole field as you would normally. You are basically seeing what cameras are showing instead of getting to see the entire situation."

Still, Ritchie is happy to be getting a chance to break into television. He was originally guaranteed just two games but recently has been assigned a third - when Amsterdam meets Rhein next Saturday in a game that will be shown on tape delay at 8 p.m.

"We want to keep seeing Jon at this point, and that is why he's doing the third game," said Bill Graff, the coordinating producer for NFL Europe telecasts. "We think there is definitely something there from a knowledge standpoint, and he truly seems to be enjoying it."

Ritchie does get to talk to players and coaches during a weekly teleconference. The rest of the time, Ritchie hones up by studying tapes of the teams. And he has also gotten to evaluate his two performances.

"One thing I'm trying to do is keep more energy," said Ritchie, who is living outside Harrisburg. "My voice tends to go in a slow monotone, and I am trying to pick it up a little."

That is one of the biggest adjustments for any new analyst, attempting to sound excited without making it appear fake.

"Jon has a great personality, and we have been able to kind of draw it out of him," Graff said. "He was a little nervous the first game out of the gate, but who wouldn't be?"

Graff said he was encouraged by the progress Ritchie showed in his second game.

"We gave him things to work on, and he did," Graff said. "He is fairly low key, and we drew that out of him."

Ritchie is concentrating most of his energies on breaking into television. He says he is enjoying being a stay-at-home father to his 14-month-old son while his wife, Marielle, prepares for a career in nursing. Ritchie says he will continue to work hard at his newest craft, the same way he did as an NFL player.

"This is more or less a proving ground, and I will have to wait and see what happens," Ritchie said. "Right now, I am just a guy who has done two games, and there are a lot of folks out there with a lot more experience and more knowledge and better wardrobes than I have.

"I don't know how it will work out. All I know is that I'm enjoying it and I want to give it my best effort."

 

[Angry Pope]

Remember him?....

....FB Rob Konrad retired from football last season to devote time to his Boca Raton, Fla., investment firm. But Konrad said he has received a couple of offers to return to the NFL. ''It would have to be a perfect situation, something that really jazzed me up to come back," he said. ''For a while, I was excited about Norv Turner possibly coming down here to be the offensive coordinator. Norv and I have always gotten along so well and we're on the same page on things. That would have caught my attention, but he went to San Francisco, and with a daughter and one on the way, I didn't feel it would be worth my while to uproot my family. So I'm retired, playing golf with clients, and doing some color analysis for the Dolphins radio network. I'm pretty happy."

 

[Angry Pope]

Here is what Randy is up to....

10,000 fans expected at Green-White Game

By Anthony Hanshew
The Herald-Dispatch


HUNTINGTON -- Next week's Green-White Game is developing into the gold standard of Marshall football scrimmages.

The 1996 Thundering Herd national championship team has scheduled a reunion around the weekend. Former team members, including NFL veterans Randy Moss and Chad Pennington, will serve as Green-White coaches.

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Film crews from the "We Are Marshall" movie also will be in attendance for crowd shots. Producers had hoped to film during a regular season game, but scheduling wouldn't allow, leaving the annual spring practice finale as the best opportunity for large, loud fan reactions.

Then there's the matter of the actual spring game. Marshall's first full set of spring drills under second-year coach Mark Snyder figures to be competitive, with numerous positions unsettled.

Considering the above, a crowd projection of at least 10,000 appears realistic. Admission is $5 and all proceeds benefit Marshall's Quarterback Club.

 

[Angry Pope]

Here is another description of Rashad Moore...


Positives: Good athlete with that natural burst and snap anticipation skills to dominate coming out of his stance … Charges with explosive quickness and power … Can neutralize and control combo blocks, uses his hands with force to disengage … Has good lateral agility, finishing well on stunts … Collides with force and shows proper wrapup tackling technique … Maintains balance and uses his hands effectively to defeat low blocks … Has the ability to plant and drive on the ball, displaying above-average quickness in long pursuit … Disruptive chasing the quarterback … Stays low and works his hips well shooting the gaps.

Negatives: Has very poor workout habits … Tends to put on considerable weight and shy away from the weight room when not monitored … Needs to drop 20 pounds in order to retain his explosion … Additional weight has robbed him of his lateral flexibility, but he does have an explosive straight-ahead burst … Gets too narrow-based due to his soft midsection, resulting in blockers getting underneath his pads to drive him off the ball … Needs to show better leverage in his anchor … His tenacity only comes in spurts … Needs to break down and wrap better as ball carriers can elude him in space … Disrupts the action in the backfield, but just can't seem to get to the quarterback … Runs out of gas too much due to poor conditioning … Has a tendency to get too high in his stance when moving laterally and lacks change-of-direction agility which leaves him exposed too much … Attitude needs to be improved, as his coaches constantly got on him about his conditioning.