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

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Less for A.J. Hawk's nest egg
A.J. Hawk stuffs Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte during a game last season.
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel
March 18, 2013

As cerebral as they come on the football field, linebacker A.J. Hawk of the Green Bay Packers proved equally astute last week at the bargaining table.

Facing possible release if his answer to an enormous pay cut was no, Hawk agreed to what he presumably regarded as a palatable alternative considering the glut of veteran inside linebackers looking for work.

On Saturday, Hawk signed a restructuring of the final three years on his five-year, $33.75 million contract that will cost him $7.25 million.

However, instead of being on the street, Hawk still will collect $10.6 million from 2013-'15 if the 29-year-old remains as durable as he has been.

It's not the $17.85 million that his old contract called for, but it's better than the $840,000 minimum former teammate Nick Barnett could be looking at if he finds an interested team. Besides, Hawk already has been paid $15.9 million in the first two years of the deal.

Hawk's previous average per year of $6.75 million ranked 12th among NFL middle/inside linebackers and fourth on the Packers. His new average of $3.533 ranks 21st at his position and 11th on his team.

Hawk's cap salaries were reduced from $7.05 million to $5.2 million this year, from $7.55 million to $5.1 million in 2014 and from $8.05 million to that same $5.1 million in 2015. The Packers now are about $19.8 million beneath the cap.

This year, Hawk's base salary was whacked from $4.9 million to $840,000. However, Hawk negotiated a new roster bonus of $2.21 million that is to be paid Wednesday.

His base salary was cut from $4.9 million to $2.45 million in 2014, and from $5.4 million to the same $2.45 million in 2015.

Hawk's roster bonuses of $300,000 ($18,750 for each game active) and workout bonuses of $250,000 each year were undisturbed.

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/less-for-hawks-nest-egg-9k979sl-198900081.html

 

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cTLqOTdEu4"]AJ Hawk: #InPursuitOf - YouTube[/ame]

 

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A.J. Hawk makes Masters prediction-NFL Network

 

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A.J. Hawk Interview: Packers Linebacker Discusses Rivalries, Charity, and More
By Evan "Tex" Western on Apr 17 2013

Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE
We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to ask linebacker A.J. Hawk a few questions about the Packers' upcoming season, his football history, and his charity work.

Recently, I had the chance to meet Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk to discuss his charity work in Ohio and Wisconsin. A few weeks ago I touched on that meeting briefly and what it meant to me personally, and afterwards A.J. was kind enough to be willing to do a short Q&A with me for Acme Packing Company to give his perspective on the upcoming season and also to help give anyone interested in helping out with his charity some details on what to do.

APC: Everybody talks about the NFL being a business, but what kinds of feelings do you have seeing some former teammates playing for rival teams?

A.J. Hawk: I have played long enough now that I see a lot of former teammates on rival teams. As players we understand the business side of the game. We all know that at any time you could get cut, traded, or sign as a free agent with another team. That is something that we sign on for the day you get to the league. But it is fun to hit your friends that are on other teams.

cont...

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2013/4/17/4232836/aj-hawk-interview-packers-linebacker-charity

 

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8XBulG-N2Y"]AJ. Hawk - Ankle Band Shuffle with Punch - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ellpMvxrU"]AJ. Hawk - Linebacker Hand Skills - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8hJJ1xszMU"]AJ. Hawk - Kettlebell Strength Circuit - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoQMYkddr6g"]AJ. Hawk - Functional Martial Arts - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ynB1fVb4bA"]AJ. Hawk - PowerMax 360 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysITDJHiRqg"]AJ. Hawk - Legendary Toughness and Training - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0RiB0Wv-1A"]AJ. Hawk - NFL Off-Season Training - YouTube[/ame]

 

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A.J. Hawk to attend ?NFL Broadcast Boot Camp?
Posted by Duke Bobber on June 3, 2013

NFL Broadcast Boot Camp

Packers LB A.J. Hawk is among the 24 current and former NFL players slated to take part in the league?s seventh annual ?NFL Broadcast Boot Camp? at NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, N.J., from June 17-20.

The seminar includes instructors from the NFL?s various broadcast partners and introduces the participants to the different parts of broadcast operations. All the players will serve as live guest host on SiriusXM NFL Radio during the program.

http://blog.packers.com/2013/06/03/a-j-hawk-to-attend-nfl-broadcast-boot-camp/

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFp_62Kv7mk"]A.J. Hawk interview on 107.5 FM Green Bay 05/31/2013 - YouTube[/ame]

 

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Numbers claim Bishop: Hawk, Jones make him expendable
Weston Hodkiewicz, USA TODAY Sports
June 18, 2013

Desmond Bishop wanted to believe there was room for three starting inside linebackers on the Green Bay Packers' defense, but deep down he knew better.

Coming off surgery for a torn hamstring tendon that sidelined him for the entire 2012 season, the 28-year-old Bishop understood his vulnerability in the wake of Brad Jones' emergence in his absence.

On Monday, that notion was solidified when Packers general manager Ted Thompson broke the news to Bishop about the organization's intention to release him after five seasons and only two years removed from signing a four-year, $19 million extension.

A sixth-round draft pick in 2007, Bishop conceded that part of the decision likely boiled down to the torn tendon he sustained in last season's preseason opener Aug. 9 in San Diego.

However, the 6-foot-2, 238-pound linebacker also likened it to a numbers game after the team restructured A.J. Hawk's contract earlier this offseason and re-signed Jones in March to a three-year, $11.75 million deal.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, but at the same time, I knew it was a definite possibility," said Bishop, who was scheduled to make $3.464 million this season. "I'm fully healthy right now, but I think my injury was part of the reason. If I didn't get hurt, maybe we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. You have to add the injury into the equation, but I don't think that was the main deciding factor."

League sources recently indicated to Press-Gazette Media that the plan was to move forward with Jones and Hawk as the team's primary inside backers, leaving a recovering Bishop as the odd man out.

cont...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...hop-released-packers-pick-hawk-jones/2434177/

 

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A.J. Hawk tackles ?Broadcast Boot Camp?
Mike Spofford packers.com staff writer

Veteran Packers linebacker explores the media biz at NFL Films

GREEN BAY?Attending the NFL?s ?Broadcast Boot Camp? this past week was an eye-opener for A.J. Hawk.

It also has sparked an interest in a possible post-football career for the eighth-year linebacker.

Along with two dozen current and former players, Hawk spent 3 ? days at NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, N.J., getting an introductory crash course in the broadcast business and trying his hand at various duties.

He wrote a script, loaded it into the teleprompter and delivered it. He tried studio analysis, giving opinions and debating topics in a talk-show setting. He also conducted interviews.

?That was really different for us,? Hawk said. ?I?ve never been the one asking questions. It?s not easy, I know that much.?

Hawk said he talked in advance with former Packers teammate Brady Poppinga, who has attended the camp in the past, so he had some idea what to expect. He was impressed with the number of big-name network personalities and producers who served as the ?faculty,? led by CBS studio host James Brown.

?They tell you that giving interviews does not help you,? Hawk said. ?Just because we?ve given hundreds of interviews over our careers, that?s nothing. That doesn?t compare to when you?re on the other side and you?re the one asking the questions and trying to give intelligent opinions on things. You have to really prepare, and they made sure to let us know how much they prepare.?

cont...

http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...ot-Camp”/bc618075-428c-47eb-8753-2f728a49584f

 

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Exclusive video: Packers LB Hawk further fuels rivalry with Jennings and Vikings

 

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College Football's Top 50 Linebackers of the BCS Era
By Braden Gall, 7/26/13

15. A.J. Hawk, Ohio State
Yet another Buckeyes great, Hawk started 38 of his 51 career college games for Ohio State. He contributed to the 2002 BCS National Championship squad as a freshman before earning two-time consensus All-American honors in 2004-05. As a senior, Hawk earned the Lombardi and Lambert Trophies for his play and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with 394 tackles, 41.0 for loss, 15.5 sacks and seven interceptions. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Packers.

- See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-foo...p-50-linebackers-bcs-era#sthash.52n3DnWX.dpuf

 

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Packers' A.J. Hawk is just fine with lower pay
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 3, 2013

Green Bay ? Pay cuts are a sensitive subject. Every off-season, proud veterans are asked to take less money or, promptly, shown the door.

Such a conversation is so often perceived as a slap in the face, insulting.

Yet A.J. Hawk never felt that way when the Green Bay Packers approached him.

"I think it's more of an ego thing than anything that guys can't get over," the inside linebacker said at his locker Friday. "They don't want to take a pay cut. They don't want to say they're taking a pay cut. It hurts their ego.

"I let that go a long time ago. I wasn't worried about that. I don't care what the outside perception is. If my grandma reads that I'm taking a pay cut and not making as much money, I can put a phone call in to her and let her know that 'It's going to be OK. We'll be fine.'"

He can kid because, as the linebacker said, being bullheaded "usually doesn't go too well" for many players.

So at a reduced rate, Hawk is back in Green Bay. Over the final three years of his contract, Hawk will make $10.6 million. The Packers decided to forge ahead with Hawk and Brad Jones at inside linebacker, and Hawk never took issue with the pay cut. Instead, he'll continue to serve as a durable, reliable, if not overly dynamic cog in Dom Capers' 3-4 defense.

In seven seasons, Hawk has missed only two games. He's logged 120 total games, with the only hiccup being a calf injury in 2011. This is one reason the Packers decided to keep Hawk.

The reason for such durability, Hawk notes, is the "90%" of work the public, his wife, his parents don't see, he said.

Through the years, he started getting acupuncture. He learned to embrace massages, something extra he shunned in the past. And long hours of tossing plates around in the weight room were replaced with more up-tempo workouts to simulate an actual game.

Add it all up and Hawk believes he's peaking in Year No.8.

"I think now, at 29, I feel better than I did at 20 in college ? physically and mentally," Hawk said. "People may think I'm getting old. I think I'm starting to peak a little bit.

"I used to sit in the weight room and just do stupid stuff for three, four hours at a time just killing myself and killing my body. It was good. I think it built up a great foundation, but now I'm just in and out."

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...fine-with-lower-pay-b9967540z1-218191512.html

 

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E51bjFTKOS8"]A.J. Hawk interview on Jay Mohr Sports 08/21/2013 - YouTube[/ame]

 

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Listen to former OSU star A.J. Hawk on #BTNLive

• 
  Written by Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor
• posted on 8/27/13

Have you ever wondered how often NFL players get to watch their alma mater play on football Saturdays? Former Ohio State standout A.J. Hawk makes it a point to watch his Buckeyes whenever he has the chance to do so.

Hawk joined Mike Hall, Chuck Long and Glen Mason as a guest tonight on #BTNLive. Entering his eighth season with the Green Bay Packers, Hawk spoke about his relationship with Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes’ current linebacking corps, and playing at the Horseshoe, among other topics.

Listen to Hawk’s entire interview on #BTNLive here:

http://btn.com/2013/08/27/listen-to-former-osu-star-a-j-hawk-on-btnlive/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2OmJw1keTs

 

[Buckskin86]

Eight years, A.J. Hawk still here

Mark Hoffman
Despite his lack of splash plays, Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk has contributed to the team’s success in ways that most fans don’t notice.
Packers, linebacker together for many reasons
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Sept. 1, 2013

Green Bay — A rare, up-close look confirms that the schnoz is broken in. Twenty-plus years of collisions have carved a permanent red groove over the upper crown of A.J. Hawk's nose.

When the Green Bay Packers inside linebacker smashes into running backs now — losing his helmet as he did on a tackle against Seattle two weeks ago — the blows don't sting anymore.

"I wear my helmet real loose, and it just 'Puhh!' every time I hit someone," said Hawk, pointing to the mark. "It hits me right there."

He doesn't flinch. Hawk never flinches. He practically has a mental indent from all the criticism over the years, too. And none of that hurts, either. He doesn't hear what you say nor care what you say. Scroll through the comment section below an article about his pay cut in March, a series of such "Puhh!" blows.

Can't believe anyone would even defend him being on the team.

damn u Hawk!

Soft as a pillow ILB that plays at an average level.

Yet, Hawk remains lodged in the middle of the Packers' defense. Only one player — Aaron Rodgers — has been in Green Bay longer. This marks Hawk's eighth season.

To fans, to media members, to those on the periphery, Hawk is branded a walking disappointment, a glacial linebacker who's two decades too late. Yet, he's here. Again. Eight years in, Hawk must be doing something right. ...Right?

Talk to Hawk, to coaches, to teammates, to scouts and you quickly realize that the image often cast in the newspaper and TV, and reinforced by fans trolling with pitchforks online, is totally different from the one the Packers claim to see. Where many see a paper lion allergic to the football, the Packers see a symbol of durability. Where many see a bust, the Packers see the brains of their defense.

Hawk is in Green Bay for a reason, even if that reason doesn't jump off the TV screen.

So, please, fire away. Inside this locker room, many players create Google alerts of their own name, Hawk says. They hunt for every article, every tweet, every scathing comment posted about themselves and then use it all as a daily multivitamin. Not Hawk. He says it'd be "Sunday in Hell before I do that."

There's a reason he's lasted this long. What is it exactly?

Leaning against a wall, arms crossed, Hawk only grins.

"You'd have to ask someone else about that," Hawk said. "I just keep my head down and try to keep going."

cont...

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/eight-years-aj-hawk-still-here-b9986572z1-222025131.html

 

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Time and Change: AJ Hawk- Rivals Free