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

[NJ-Buckeye]

I think Deety is just too distracting for AJ.. she has to stop going to all the practices... and then correcting him when he comes to the sidelines.. too much pressure

 

[osugrad21]

Link

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+2] Rookie Hawk takes 'a step forward'

[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Pete Dougherty
[email protected] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Leading up to this year's NFL draft, several respected NFL scouts described A.J. Hawk as the prospect other than playmaking halfback Reggie Bush who had the fewest holes and was most ready to play well as a rookie. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hawk's quiet performance as the starting weak-side linebacker through the first two weeks of training camp left that lofty evaluation open to question, but the Green Bay Packers saw good signs in Hawk's play against Atlanta last week and in two days of practice since. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Against the Falcons, Hawk was in on four tackles, including dropping halfback Justin Griffith for a 2-yard loss, and broke up two passes. As he has this week in practice, he looked more sure of his assignments and more like a player who's projected to catch on quickly after being selected No. 5 overall in this year's draft. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Just talking to (linebackers coach) Winston (Moss) coming down the hall, he felt like (Hawk) really made a step forward," coach Mike McCarthy said shortly after Saturday night's game. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"So, we're excited about that. I'm not really concerned about him. I think he's one of those guys that just needs to keep playing. I compare him to (backup quarterback) Aaron Rodgers; when he hits his comfort level, you're going to see what it's all about." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Packers need the immediate help as much as any team in the NFL. Their linebacker play was an Achilles' heel last season and a major factor in their rushing defense's No. 23 ranking in the league. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hawk almost was a consensus top-six prospect, even though linebacker isn't a premium position in the NFL anymore. There even was the chance he could have gone higher than No. 5 overall. NFL sources said the New Orleans Saints coveted Hawk, and if Bush hadn't been available for them at No. 2, they might have selected Hawk at No. 2 or at least traded down a spot or two to take him. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Though Hawk probably was the least physically gifted of the top six draft picks, teams, and especially the Packers, wanted him as much for intangibles as for his impressive though not startling ability. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Maryland tight end Vernon Davis, for instance, probably had the most impressive and freakish combination of size and athletic talent in the draft and was available when the Packers selected at No. 5 overall. He ended up going to San Francisco at No. 6. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But General Manager Ted Thompson considered Hawk the kind of core player he wants to build the team around because of his commitment to football. Hawk is what scouts call "a real football guy," which means he's a self-starter who understands all that goes into and with being a top-notch player. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Scouts saw that, not only in his consistent play on the field, but in his devotion to an early morning training regimen that dates to his middle school years in Centerville, Ohio. He had two brothers on the high school football team and got up with them at 5 a.m. every day to work out. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]He continued that throughout his high school career as well as at Ohio State, where he worked out at 6 a.m., even during the season and regardless of how late he stayed up, or what he did, the night before. He says it's now a lifestyle habit that won't change. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Different people are really different, some people need their full 8 hours (of sleep); I don't feel like I need that," Hawk said. "If I get 5 hours sleep, I feel fine. I'd like to get a little more, but to get 8 hours, I'd have to go to bed really early. And once you get in that groove, you want that (morning workout)." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So, if Hawk becomes one of the Packers' best players, that helps promote a mind-set throughout the locker room. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"That goes without saying," said Reggie McKenzie, the Packers' director of pro personnel. "The way people work (is important) — even when we got (middle linebacker) Nick Barnett, the way he approached practice, the way he played the game, same with Hawk. I think those two guys are two peas in a pod as far as that goes." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The unknowns, though, are whether Hawk will become good enough to be that strong a locker-room example, and if so, will it happen as quickly as those aforementioned scouts projected? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hawk is locked in as the starter at weak-side linebacker, though he might not be an every-down player, at least early in the season. He and Barnett are the two linebackers in the nickel defense, but Barnett is the lone linebacker in the standard dime package. Hawk has been working as the backup in the dime. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This week in practice, Hawk has appeared to be making reads a little more quickly and decisively. The difference is far from staggering, but his rookie season will be defined by whether he continues that growth throughout the year. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"I just know he's doing real well for us right now," Moss said. "He's all about working on getting better, it's real important to him. He's a very prideful guy. He has that quiet kind of pride. He's not going to go out there and yell and scream, and be outspoken. He just goes about his business very quietly." [/FONT][/FONT]

 

[OregonBuckeye]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Though Hawk probably was the least physically gifted of the top six draft picks, teams, and especially the Packers, wanted him as much for intangibles as for his impressive though not startling ability. [/FONT][/FONT]

Hmm, that's possible but when you run a 4.5 40, have a 40 inch vertical leap, and run the 2nd fastest shuttle time for all positions at the combine, all at 250 lbs., then they're must be some out of this world athletes picked ahead of you.

 

[scooter1369]

Wow. Did this thread get hacked or what?

 

[daddyphatsacs]

Wow. Did this thread get hacked or what?

Yeah, no doubt.....

 

[scarletngrey11]

Hmm, that's possible but when you run a 4.5 40, have a 40 inch vertical leap, and run the 2nd fastest shuttle time for all positions at the combine, all at 250 lbs., then they're must be some out of this world athletes picked ahead of you.

He actually weighed in at 248 lbs.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

He actually weighed in at 248 lbs.

Maybe he had a burrito after he weighed in.

 

[DEBuckeye]

So today I was out at the store, and I saw a car with AJHAWK on the license plate. Being in Delaware, where you don't see much Buckeye stuff, I got excited and thought I'd found a Buckeye/AJ Hawk fan. Then I got close enough to the car to see a University of Kansas sticker on it and realized that it actually meant A Jayhawk. Oh well....

I thought that was kinda funny.

 

[pakman]

So today I was out at the store, and I saw a car with AJHAWK on the license plate. Being in Delaware, where you don't see much Buckeye stuff, I got excited and thought I'd found a Buckeye/A.J. Hawk fan. Then I got close enough to the car to see a University of Kansas sticker on it and realized that it actually meant A Jayhawk. Oh well....

I thought that was kinda funny.

LOL that made me laugh

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

8/27/06

Hawk ready for big test, homecoming

Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers' trip to Cincinnati for a exhibition game Monday night is stirring up fond memories for A.J. Hawk.
The rookie linebacker said after practice Friday that a prolific performance in the Punt, Pass & Kick competition at old Riverfront Stadium propelled him to the national finals.
"The first (pro) game I went to was a Bengals game when I was probably 12, and I got to compete at halftime of the game. I don't even remember who they were playing," Hawk said.
Hawk grew up in Centerville, Ohio, about 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
The former Ohio State standout will return to his home state for the first time since he earned his undergraduate degree in criminology in early June and relocated to Green Bay to prepare for the season.
He's putting more significance on the game itself, even if it is exhibition, than his return to Ohio.
"It's going to be a huge test. That's the way I'm looking at it," Hawk said. "I think once I get there, it will be a great atmosphere. It should be something special."
Hawk said he's expecting about 20 family members and friends to attend Monday. The No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft wasn't bombarded with ticket requests, however.
"Some people back in Ohio have been good to my parents and got them some extra tickets. So I've been lucky," Hawk said. "And a lot of the people that are coming to the game, once I got drafted, they started working on tickets right away. So they've had them for a while now."

 

[osugrad21]

Link

var s_pageURL='http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200608270500/PKR0205/608270601' [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Posted August 27, 2006

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+2] Notebook: Monday will be big night for Hawk [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] By Rob Demovsky
[email protected] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As homecomings go, this one should be pretty easy for rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Green Bay Packers' first-round draft choice grew up in Centerville, Ohio, less than an hour from Cincinnati, where the Packers will play the Bengals in a preseason game on Monday night. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hawk is expected to have dozens of family members and friends in the stands, but he didn't have to work hard to get tickets. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"A lot of them are Bengals fans," Hawk said, "so they already had tickets." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hawk's relatives and friends are used to seeing him play because he played his college football at nearby Ohio State. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One person expected to be at Paul Brown Stadium is Hawk's longtime friend, Mark MacDonald, who has used a wheelchair all his life. Hawk and MacDonald became friends in high school, and MacDonald never missed one of Hawk's games. This will be MacDonald's first chance to see Hawk in an NFL game. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"He's been e-mailing me, and he's very excited about going," Hawk said. [/FONT][/FONT]

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5899636

2. Reggie Bush should have been the first player taken.
I don't mean that the Houston Texans should have drafted Bush, but they definitely should have entertained serious trade offers for the first overall pick and technically the rights to Bush. The Texans have too many personnel needs to have squandered such a lucrative, once-in-a-lifetime situation. When owner Bob McNair decided he didn't want Bush, the franchise should have spent the week prior to the draft eliciting potential trade offers for the pick. We know the Saints, who ended up with Bush, would have drafted Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk with the second pick. Tennessee most likely still would have picked Vince Young.

 

[Thump]

Hawk's seemed to be in on a lot of plays tonight with some nice tackles.

Seems like he's progessing.

 

[sandgk]

Hawk's seemed to be in on a lot of plays tonight with some nice tackles.

Seems like he's progessing.

In on plays - very true - he was especially solid against the run. Still needs to see more of the pass protection schemes to key on when to blitz, when to drop and cover. That will surely come with time.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I thought Hawk had trouble with huge linemen... He lets them lock on and isn't strong enuf to toss them aside like he could collegians... His D-line is ineffective keeping the big fellows off him... He has to avoid these monsters until he develops the moves and strength to shed them...