LB A.J. Hawk (2x All-American, Lombardi Trophy, National Champion, Super Bowl Champion)

[Buckskin86]

Consistent Hawk Focuses On Present
By Jason Wilde
Channel3000.com/ESPNMadison.com Staff Writer
December 31, 2010

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? Leaning against a wall outside of the Green Bay Packers? locker room Friday afternoon, A.J. Hawk was a man very much at peace ? with how his five-year career has been viewed by fans, with his uncertain future with the team, and with the ambiguous word that is most often used to describe him.

Consistent.

Hawk chuckled at the word, knowing full well its double meaning. It can be taken as a compliment, speaking to how reliable he has been (never having missed a game during his 82-game NFL career, registering more than 120 tackles in four of his five seasons). Or it can be seen as a euphemism, referring to his lack of big plays (8.5 sacks, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries in his career) and, according to most, his failure to live up to his lofty draft status (No. 5 overall in 2006 NFL Draft).

?It depends who you talk to,? Hawk said. ?I think you can take it either way. Someone could say ?consistent? is a great thing; someone could say it?s not a good thing.

?Consistency in life and in football, I would definitely look at it as a good thing.?

Cont...

http://www.channel3000.com/sports/26335238/detail.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Hawk as team captain; Ship guys on the field; halftime meetings
By Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 15, 2011

Green Bay -- There are different game captains throughout the year. But for playoffs, the team votes for postseason captains for offense, defense and special teams. This year the Packers chose WR Greg Jennings, QB Aaron Rodgers, LB A.J. Hawk and CB Charles Woodson, and CB/S Jarrett Bush and K Mason Crosby.

It might seem that Clay Matthews or Nick Collins, Pro Bowl players, would be chosen. Or Ryan Pickett, Tramon Williams. Why Hawk?

?He?s one of the leaders on our defense,? said linebacker Desmond Bishop. ?He?s not really your typical, vocal, emotional leader but he runs the defense in his own way. And that?s the A.J. way. He?s a quiet guy when he?s out on the field. He directs, he gets the call, he lines everybody up, and I think there?s a quality that he has that everybody looks up to: he never panics. He?s never flustered. He?s always calm, cool and collected. And when you?re out there and the game gets so hectic you need somebody like that to get the play called and get everybody lined up.?

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/113710334.html

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Congrats to AJ for advancing to the NFC Championship, even though it was against my Falcons.

 

[Buckskin86]

Middle of the action is where Hawk flies
JIM POLZIN
Posted: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 6:04 am

GREEN BAY ? Linebacker A.J. Hawk was one of the four players chosen to represent the Green Bay Packers during a series of news conferences Monday at Lambeau Field.

Not bad for a guy that some didn?t think would finish the season with the Packers.

Back in September, after Hawk didn?t play a single snap on defense in the season opener at Philadelphia, message boards and talk radio buzzed with speculation that the former first-round pick would be sent packing in a trade.

Hawk?s agent, Mike McCartney, even told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that his client, who obviously wasn?t pleased that he was forced to stand and watch against the Eagles, would be open to a trade.

Well, Hawk stayed put and played a key role on a defense that allowed the second-fewest points during the regular season. He?ll take his place in the middle of Green Bay?s defense when the Packers (12-6) play the Chicago Bears (12-5) in Sunday?s NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field.

Hawk said Monday that he never considered the possibility that he might not end the season with the team that selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 draft.

?No, I never did, just because if that happened for some reason, if they wanted to get me out of here, they would. I couldn?t change it,? Hawk said. ?All I can do is when I go out on the field try to make things happen. ?

?I don?t like to sit back and think about what could happen. They can decide in two minutes that they don?t want me here anymore and I?m out. So I can?t sit back and worry about things like that. But I?m having a good time right now, though.?

Cont...

http://host.madison.com/sports/colu...cle_e27bbcc6-373f-5e5f-a6eb-00507a9a4c75.html

A.J. Hawk Press Conf. Transcript - Jan. 17

(What did you learn from the 2007 NFC title game last time you were in this position?)
I definitely learned it was a tough game to lose. That was for sure. I don't know. It's hard to play with a loss like that, season comes to an abrupt end so quick. But I think just any kind of playoff experience helps, especially just a big‑game atmosphere, big type ‑‑ great electricity in the air. It's going to be a little different. Obviously we're not at home this time, but same type of atmosphere surrounding the game, I'm sure. With the whole Packers/Bears rivalry, it gives you a little more game experience in big type of situations like that.

(On the road, how do you approach that?)
We feel comfortable on the road. We feel comfortable wherever we are. We love playing at Lambeau. But we knew getting into the playoffs that wasn't going to happen. We knew that last home game against Chicago was the last one of the year here. But we feel really confident going on the road. We feel like you always talk about, you only have the guys that are with you on the sideline, but what's great about Packers fans, they travel everywhere. We had a ton of them in Atlanta. I'm sure a lot of them will be trying to get to Chicago. We're confident out on the road. We know that you have to ‑‑ you've got to control the momentum of the game. You have to try to take the crowd out of it, and that will be a huge factor out of this coming Sunday.

Cont....

http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...--Jan-17/a0f937f1-2683-4321-9921-68ab17c6820f

 

[Buckskin86]

Packers LB A.J. Hawk happier to go flying under the radar
By Jon Saraceno, USA TODAY

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? A.J. Hawk, the Green Bay Packers' less-celebrated linebacker with shoulder-length hair, is a realist who believes in soaring away from a celebrity-driven culture and those fame-seeking posers who play professional football.

Flights of fancy? Hardly. Hawk is grounded ? except when enjoying his love of piloting aircraft to the understandable dismay of his employer. He and his wife, the former Laura Quinn, brother of NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, put their flying lessons on hold after the recent birth of their daughter, Lennon (named after the dead Beatle).

"It is kind of frowned upon around here," Hawk says, "but I don't care. I used to care, but if I get in a crash, guess what? I am not going to be here for them to get mad at me. I won't stop it; I love it.

"You know how people talk about meditation? When you fly, you don't think of anything else. It is awesome. I think it makes me a better football player, a better person. It teaches you to be 'on.' I know that if I mess up, I am dead. I like that fine line."

Hawk, who bears a strange but distinct resemblance to his surname, smiles. As one of the NFL's more underappreciated defensive assets, he knows everything is temporary anyway. One day he was the premier lineman-linebacker in college football and a star NFL rookie ? and the next everyone wanted to know about his apparent imminent demise as a Packer ? or about this Clay Matthews kid.

"I'd rather fly under radar," says the quiet leader who calls plays. "I have seen it more now in the league: If you want attention, you can get it ? good or bad. I don't crave what comes with it because I know it's not real. I would rather win. Right now, we're going to the Super Bowl, so everyone is back on (the bandwagon). We were the 'Worst Team in America,' after Detroit beat us. It's not real, man."

Reality: Super Bowl XLV may be his last game as a Packer. Owed $10 million in base salary in '11, Hawk doesn't know what awaits him next season.

"They're not going to pay me that big chunk ? they're either going to cut me or re-up me (to a lesser deal)," Hawk says. "It's not really up to me."

Cont...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/packers/2011-01-27-aj-hawk_N.htm

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Kt6s4tOZU"]YouTube - How AJ Hawk Improves Agility[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUWduOBDZM"]YouTube - Improve Your Explosive Reaction Time With AJ Hawk[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Hawk has become a leader of the Pack
Former Buckeye re-emerged in 2010
Sunday, January 30, 2011
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

He had been A.J. Hawk's father for nearly 27 years, and yet, last fall Keith Hawk learned something new about his son - by watching television, no less.

A.J. - a former Ohio State linebacker now with the Green Bay Packers - had been miked up during Green Bay's Oct. 17 loss against Miami for an episode of an NFL Films series entitled Sound FX.

At home in Centerville, Ohio, Keith was amazed.

"I always knew he could play," Keith said, "but one thing I wondered is if he could be a leader, because he's quiet by nature. That was my impression until I watched this show, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, he does talk - in fact, he talks a lot.'

"And I saw this kid who I was afraid was too shy, actually emerging as a guy pushing and prodding people verbally. It was really something to see."

It has been a renaissance year for both the Packers, who are headed to Super Bowl XLV next Sunday, and Hawk, who in his fifth NFL season has emphatically brushed aside talk that he may not live up to his lofty draft status (fifth overall in 2006).

For the fifth straight year, Hawk played in every game. He topped 100 tackles for the third time and added a career-high three interceptions.

But more important, Hawk took over defensive signal-calling duties this season. He did his job so well that his teammates voted him a captain late in the year - and he will wear the "C" on his chest next week in Dallas.

"I've never been a huge talker, but this year I stepped into that role," Hawk said. "Wearing the speaker helmet, sometimes the speaker cuts out and I have to make my own call - trying to get 11 guys on the same page - and I've really enjoyed it.

"I'm still not a big rah-rah guy, but I guess anyone who watched me when I was miked up might be surprised."

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...-has-become-a-leader-of-the-pack.html?sid=101

Hawk keeps cool in unusual season
Green Bay LB from Centerville goes from sidelines to making calls on field.
By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer
Sunday, January 30, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? A.J. Hawk took a swig from his bottled water and adjusted the Green Bay Packers stocking cap (including a stitched ?50,? his number with the team) that covered his famously long blond hair.

He stood in a quiet hallway inside the sprawling Lambeau Field complex made busier Saturday afternoon by giant inflatable play areas for kids, a regular rotation of stadium tours and dozens flowing through the franchise?s merchandise shop.

The Packers were eight days away from appearing in Super Bowl XLV, and the defense?s leading tackler who played a major role in getting them to the matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers was talking about the voice in his head.

?There?s no volume control,? Hawk, the 6-foot-1, 247-pound Centerville High School and Ohio State linebacking product, said of the in-helmet earphone through which coaches communicate the defensive calls to him.

?During practice it?s really loud, but it?s set that way so in a game crowd you can still hear it. Sometimes you have to take your helmet off because it?s so loud, but I?ve gotten used to it.?

Cont...

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/s...awk-keeps-cool-in-unusual-season-1068094.html

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQjdUgjwTM"]YouTube - AJ Hawk Off-Season Power Training[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

XLV: A.J. Hawk is the Packers' glue
January, 31, 2011
By Kevin Seifert

Tom Pennington/Getty Images
A.J. Hawk never worried about his role in Green Bay's defense.

IRVING, Texas -- On Monday, one of the Green Bay Packers' long-haired linebackers was a finalist the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award. The other? He sat quietly in a far corner of an interview room Monday evening, relishing his anonymity and at peace with the direction his career has taken.

Five years ago, the Packers made A.J. Hawk the fifth overall pick of the NFL draft, envisioning him as a top pass rusher who would develop into an annual candidate for the DPOY award. As it turns out, Clay Matthews fulfilled that role a few years later.

To be clear, every Super Bowl team needs the kind of high-octane pass rushing that Matthews provides, just as it needs elite quarterback play and smart personnel decisions. No less important, however, is the glue that Hawk supplied the Packers throughout the 2010 season.

When Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers couldn't find a role for him in Week 1, Hawk managed the uncomfortable moment with class.

When injuries began to mount among the Packers' linebackers, Hawk emerged as both their primary signal caller and leading tackler.

Cont...

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/36768/page/espntexas/xlv-a-j-hawk-is-the-packers-glue

 

[Buckskin86]

Former Ohio State star A.J. Hawk shines with Packers
By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Feb 02, 2011

AP / Mike Roemer
Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk (left) and defensive coordinator Dom Capers look on during practice Friday in Green Bay, Wis.

DALLAS ?

A.J. Hawk still has the flowing rock-star hair.

In the ?80s he could have passed for a member of the band Kansas.

Compared to his glitzy run at Ohio State, though, his career has been a bit on the backstage side.

Maybe it?s time to strike up an old Kansas tune in honor of Hawk: ?Carry On Wayward Son.?

At 27, the former Lombardi Award winner is playing for the Lombardi Trophy. He is a starting inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers.

Hawk, the No. 5 overall pick of the 2006 draft, hasn?t been to a Pro Bowl and at times has struggled to excel in his NFL coordinators? schemes. He says he can live without big accolades.

?I?m having a great time,? the 27-year-old Kettering, Ohio native said. ?This is the goal, obviously, to get here and win the Super Bowl.

?This is my fifth year. I wish we?d have gotten there a little sooner.?

Cont...

http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x1531798/Former-Ohio-State-star-A-J-Hawk-shines-with-Packers

Feb 1, 2011
Hawk talks, plays good game
By JASON WILDE
[email protected]

ARLINGTON, Texas ? Amid all the criticism A.J. Hawk has endured over his largely unappreciated five-year NFL career, the Green Bay Packers inside linebacker has proven this season to be a difference-maker with his communication on defense.

And, it turns out, he?s been more of a playmaker than people give him credit for.

But first, let?s talk about the way Hawk ? talks. Not in the Super Bowl XLV Media Day sense, although Hawk did draw a respectable crowd to his podium Tuesday at Cowboys Stadium. We?re talking about the way Hawk communicates on defense, having taken over the primary on-field play-calling duties after Nick Barnett was lost for the season to a broken wrist Oct. 3.

?My comfort level is very high with that,? Hawk said as the Packers prepared for Sunday?s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. ?That?s something I?ve done on and off in the past, but now it?s more of a full-time thing. I feel really comfortable. I enjoy it. I don?t feel like I have too many issues with it. I seem like I can handle the ups and downs of the game.?

While it isn?t as exciting as a sack, fumble or interception, Hawk?s ability to communicate the defensive calls has been vital to the Packers? success on that side of the ball. Hawk even went through the process for reporters Tuesday, taking them from the end of a play to the snap of the ball on the next by tracing the defensive call from coordinator Dom Capers, through inside linebackers coach Winston Moss and into Hawk?s helmet headset.

?There?s a bunch of different people that have to communicate just to get me the call,? Hawk explained. ?As soon as one play?s over, our guys up in the box are watching (opposing team?s) the offensive personnel, what they?re putting on the field. Once they figure out what the personnel is, they relay that to coach Capers and he?ll get on the headset and radio down to Moss, and then Moss will radio it in to me.

?Then when I get it, I have to give the defense to give the call to our defense in the huddle. And then when we come to the line there?s different checks ? you have to set where blitzers are coming and where the strength is, stuff like that.?

Cont..

http://www.espnmilwaukee.com/includes/news_items/40/news_items_more.php?id=5528&section_id=40

 

[Buckskin86]

Hawk stays cool about contract issue
By Lori Nickel and Gary D?Amato of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 3, 2011

Mark Hoffman
A.J. Hawk is finishing up what is probably his best season. Along with three interceptions, he led the Packers in tackles.
Linebacker's focus is on making right calls Sunday

Dallas ? The way things look now, there will probably be some changes at middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers at some point after this season.

But that's the last thing on A.J. Hawk's mind.

When Desmond Bishop signed a new contract a month ago, the Packers became heavily invested in linebackers. Veteran Nick Barnett has two years left on his deal at salaries of $6.05 million in 2011 and $6.55 million in '12. Brandon Chillar has three years left at $2.6 million in '11, $3.3 million in '12 and $3.6 million in '13. A.J. Hawk has one year left at $10 million in '11.

Hawk's deal featured a high base salary so the two parties would have to negotiate an extension before the '11 season began. If they can't reach a compromise, it has been speculated that the Packers would let him go because if they didn't, they would be obligated to pay the $10 million.

The Packers may have to make a decision on whether to trade or release one of the linebackers.

Hawk has been criticized for a career that has not lived up to his being chosen fifth overall in the 2006 draft, so that along with his high paycheck makes him the subject of such speculation.

Yet this year might have been his best. He had three interceptions (tied for the best among NFL linebackers), nine passes defensed and led the Packers with 134 tackles this year. He hasn't missed a game in his career, playing in all 80, with 77 starts.

And one of the things that goes unnoticed to the outside world, but not to teammates, is his ability to call the defensive plays in the huddle. Hawk was elected by his teammates as one of the playoff captains in part for this skill. His peers said it was his calm demeanor in the huddle that made him a good leader.

"He gets the call, he lines everybody up, and I think there's a quality that he has that everybody looks up to: he never panics," said Bishop. "He's never flustered. He's always calm, cool and collected. And when you're out there and the game gets so hectic you need somebody like that to get the play called and get everybody lined up."

From the press box, defensive coordinator Dom Capers gives Hawk the defensive call and it is up to Hawk to make sure everyone takes their proper assignment.

"I feel like I need to be an extension of him out in the huddle," said Hawk.

Sometimes Hawk even has to make the calls on his own when his helmet speaker cuts off with 15 seconds to go on the play clock and Capers' direction hasn't come down yet. Hawk has to either go with the default defense up or make his best decision and go with it.

Hawk did not want to think about whether this would be his last game as a Packer.

"Someone asked me before in the regular season, do you think this will be your last regular season game in Lambeau," said Hawk. "I was like no, not until right now when you asked.

"Do I take the time to soak it all in? Well, I have been trying to make a point to do that for the last five years now. Playing at Lambeau especially. I've tried to enjoy every second of it.

"But right now, I can't let myself get to the point of thinking, 'what if.' People on the outside don't understand, and I have friends who don't even know this - our contracts aren't real contracts. They don't have to honor that. You can be cut today. Nothing is guaranteed. I learned that early. You can be traded on the spot. You can be cut. Once you let go of any expectations you have of being here, roots down, it feels good. I'm just going to go out there and have fun and play. That's how this whole year has been for me personally."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/115244309.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Centerville's Hawk reaches football pinnacle with Packers
By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer
Updated Sunday, February 6, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? Through their 4 ? years of marriage, Laura Hawk hasn?t critiqued her husband on the football field.

The golf course? That?s a different story.

Playing in the previous two American Century Championship celebrity golf events in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., A.J. Hawk has mixed booming drives (including a win in the event?s long-drive contest at 322 yards in 2009) with frustrating moments. The Green Bay Packers linebacker hears about it from the gallery.

?I expect him to be good at everything,? Laura said. ?If he has a bad day on the golf course, I?m hard on him. 'What happened there? Where did that drive go?? ?

Seemingly gifted at every athletic endeavor growing up in Centerville, Hawk has reached the pinnacle of professional football. He?ll take the field with the Packers tonight in Super Bowl XLV as one of the team?s defensive captains and its leading tackler.

The 27-year-old Hawk, who also starred with the Elks and Ohio State, has built his athletic gifts into a 6-foot-1, 247-pound frame that has produced an average of 102 tackles in his five professional seasons.

Hawk?s hardworking and charitable personality also has made him a favorite with teammates and even other celebrities. Charles Barkley rushed right up to say hello in Lake Tahoe. Carson Palmer said he?s a big fan.

And in golf ? like in working toward his pilot?s license ? Hawk has found another challenge to keep him sharp. Even if the course pays the price in divots.

?I have to keep him calm,? said older brother Ryan, a former Centerville star quarterback who serves as A.J.?s caddy.

?I have to be there with, 'Don?t worry about it, who cares. C?mon, look at Michael Bolton. You?re killin? him!? ?

Cont...

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayt...s-football-pinnacle-with-packers-1074041.html

 

[Gothmog8]

Grats on the Superbowl Win!

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

 

[bucknut11]

It was great to see AJ out there for the coin toss with his helmet on, as always. He definitely doesn't forget where he came from.

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-_MuL7BzAU"]YouTube - A.J. Hawk.mov[/ame]

 

[BrutuStrength]

Man, I was really hoping the Steelers would win number 7, but I'm not terribly upset that they lost to the Packers, they played a great game. It's nice to know that Hawk, Wilhelm, and Picket are getting some nice rings.