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

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3/11

Hawk shows speed to NFL coaches at OSU's Pro Day

Highly touted linebacker improves time in 40-yard dash

By Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Four NFL head coaches and more than 100 assistants and scouts gathered for Pro Day at Ohio State on Thursday, and catching the eye of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was a trio of highly regarded linebackers.


After watching A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel run the 40-yard dash and do position drills, LeBeau said, "You could take all three of those guys and have a pretty good set of young professional linebackers."
While Schlegel is considered a middle-round selection, Carpenter is believed to be in the Steelers' crosshairs in the first round, although the team also is debating whether to burn the 32nd overall pick on OSU center Nick Mangold.
But one thing is clear: Hawk will be long gone when Pittsburgh is put on the clock.
The Centerville native has been projected to go to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 6 or Oakland Raiders at No. 7.
But the Green Bay Packers might be tempted to jump on the Brian Urlacher-type prospect with the fifth pick after his sensational workout.
Unlike the NFL Combine, which has electronic timing, the players were clocked manually. And Hawk's 40 times reportedly ranged from 4.38 to 4.44 — a vast improvement over his disappointing 4.59 at the Combine.
The indoor field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is known for its swift surface. But LeBeau, an ex-Buckeye, said with a grin, "I would say he's fast enough — without any problem."
Noting that the 6-foot-1, 248-pound Hawk also has an NBA-like 40-inch vertical leap, Schlegel said, "He's a freak."
Carpenter, who ran the 40 in about 4.6, staged his first workout for NFL personnel since breaking his ankle in the Michigan game. He's still not quite 100 percent.
"I didn't run the 40 as well as I wanted to," he said. "A lot of that was probably nerves, just having to break the ice. You don't get a second chance at (being timed). It's not like a game where you get to settle in."
Despite his injury, Carpenter is still one of six Buckeyes being mentioned as possible first-round selections, joining Hawk, Mangold, receiver Santonio Holmes, cornerback Ashton Youboty and safety Donte Whitner.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Carpenter is viewed as a hybrid linebacker-defensive end, and the Chicago Bears, who pick 26th, like his versatility.
"Yeah, he's injured right now, but we have a lot of tape," said Bears coach Lovie Smith, a former OSU assistant. "He'll get knocked back a little bit (in the draft), but he'll have a long NFL career."
Receiver stands out
Holmes, who chose not to run at the Combine, helped himself with a 40 clocked as low as 4.29. He is considered perhaps the top receiver in the draft. Whitner also may have moved up with a timing in the low-4.3s.
Buckeyes get support
Will Smith, Kenny Peterson and Mike Doss were among the ex-Buckeyes who watched the action. Smith, a second-year New Orleans Saints defensive end who maintains a home in Columbus, said, "A lot of (ex-players) came out when we were here, and we came back to support the guys."
Other head coaches at the event included Cleveland's Romeo Crennel, Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher and the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin.Contact Doug Harris at 225-2125.
 
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Sorry about this, but somebody had to do it. I found it on an ND site, who had grabbed it from a TSUN site. :!

quinn_bridal.2.jpg
 
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Great article:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...g=thepackerscantgowrongrig&prov=tsn&type=lgns

The Packers can't go wrong, right?
By Dan Pompei - SportingNews

Dan Pompei
SportingNews.com

I am Ted Thompson.

I am tortured.

I have the fifth pick in the draft.

I need a defensive end.

I need a linebacker.

Mario Williams or A.J. Hawk?

A.J. Hawk or Mario Williams?

I can't go wrong.

But how can I go most right?

I dim the lights and turn on the N.C. State tape of Williams for the 200th time.I am awed. I see a beast who swats away 320-pound blockers as if they were flies. He can pass rush through offensive tackles or go around them. I see a huge, explosive end who will pose matchup problems for many offensive tackles. I see a powerful tackler-a player who can shed a blocker and make a play against the run. I see rare athleticism for a guy who is 6-7, 295. I see a bigger Julius Peppers.

But I don't like everything I see. I don't see the kind of instincts I look for. I see a lineman who doesn't always read the play correctly. I see a player who needs to develop an inside rush and learn to split double-teams. I see a player who doesn't go the same speed on every down. I see a player who performed unevenly last year and subsequently was pulled from the starting lineup for a game.

I see the physique of an alien and 14 1/2 sacks last season, but I also see a player who, according to a vote by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association, was the fourth-best defender in the ACC. Williams received four votes for defensive player of the year, compared with 31 for Maryland linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, 17 for Boston College end Mathias Kiwanuka and 14 for Virginia Tech end Darryl Tapp.

I see quite a contrast in Hawk. He led Ohio State three seasons in tackles, was named an All-American and the team MVP twice and, as a senior, won the Big Ten defensive player of the year award and the Lombardi Trophy.

But back to Williams for a moment. Ultimately, I see a player so gifted that no flaws should dissuade me. I see a freak who plays a critical position. Super Mario is what I see.

I should write his name on the card now.

But I owe it to myself to look at Hawk again, so I pop in the Ohio State tape. I see a player who is all over the field. I see someone athletic enough, fast enough and stout enough to play any linebacker position. I see a linebacker who has an uncanny feel for the game, who almost always reads plays as if he had designed them for the offense. I see a defender who can take on offensive linemen and disengage about as well as anyone I can remember-and then make tackles surely and violently.

I see a blitzer who is so skilled, he had only five fewer sacks than Williams put up last season. I see a linebacker who can make plays from hot dog vendor to beer stand. I see an intimidator, a leader. I see a player who is as safe a pick as any in the draft-and a finished product.

I see greatness. I don't think there is any doubt Hawk is the better player. It's the values of the positions that hang me up.

I know I should adhere to the old tried-and-true philosophies: You win games with your lines; the player who is closest to the ball is most valuable; you can't find special pass rushers; a great end creates opportunities for everyone else on defense. I know 90 percent of the teams probably would draft Williams.

I ask myself this question: Is it easier to neutralize a great end or a great middle linebacker? You can double-team a great end and control him most of the time if you are determined to do so. It's more difficult to account for a linebacker in the middle of the field.

I figure you can create a pass rush. The Steelers and Seahawks are proof of that. You can't create a physical force in the middle of the field who gives your defense identity.

I think about the great inside linebackers. Dick Butkus. Jack Lambert. Ray Nitschke. Ray Lewis. Mike Singletary. Bill George. Joe Schmidt. Sam Huff. Nick Buoniconti. Harry Carson. What do they have in common? Well, with the exception of Butkus, they've all won championships. It seems like great middle linebackers have that effect on teams.

I make up my mind. Hawk is my guy.

With the fifth pick in the draft, the Green Bay Packers select A.J. Hawk, linebacker, Ohio State.

I wake up.

I have been dreaming.

I am no longer Ted Thompson.

Never was.

Of course. Taking A.J. Hawk, it's a dream.

Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at [email protected].
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