LB Marcus Freeman (HC Notre Dame, Constant Backtracker)

[Viking]

5th round and Freeman is still on the board.

Damn. When they said six Buckeyes had been selected I assumed he was one of them (I haven't been watching religiously), but I guess not. Jenkins, Washington, Hartline, Robiskie, Wells, Laurinaitis. Really surprised.

 

[3074326]

When Beanie was taken at 31, I thought he'd be the steal of the draft. Marcus is making a strong push for that.

 

[BUCKYLE]

How about you assholes quit posting until he gets drafted?

 

[OHSportsFan]

Chicago Bears

5th Round, Pick 18, 154 overall.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Da Bears.

 

[dragurd]

Nice now just to see if Boone or Boeckman get drafted.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Congrats Marcus!

 

[generaladm]

It's cool that Marcus (CHI) and James (STL) will be close enough to maintain their friendship in the pros. Congrats to both!

 

[3074326]

Good place for Marcus to go. He'll get to learn under two of the best LBs at their positions (Urlacher at MLB and Briggs at OLB). I know Urlacher isn't an OLB, but he's one smart dude.

Congrats Marcus. :osu:

 

[Buckskin86]

April 26, 2009
Bears pick Ohio State linebacker Freeman in fifth round
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 4/26/2009

LAKE FOREST, Ill. ? The Bears on Sunday selected Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

The 6-1, 239-pounder possesses speed and athletic ability. He started all 13 games at weakside linebacker in 2007, registering 109 tackles, 9? tackles for loss and 1? sacks. Freeman started all 13 games again in 2008, compiling 84 tackles, 9? tackles for loss and 3? sacks.

The Ohio native was named Academic All-Big Ten and second-team All-Big Ten as a senior.

"He's a [weakside] linebacker for us, but I think because of his smarts, size and his strength he can play all three positions," said Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel. ?He?s a value pick for us. He has a lot of talent. This is a guy that was quite high on our board. He was too good of a player to pass up.?

After lining up next to James Laurinaitis at Ohio State, Freeman is thrilled to join a Bears linebacking corps that includes Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

?I have the chance to learn from the greatest linebackers to play the game,? Freeman said. ?I?m excited to be a Chicago Bear.?

While some experts had predicted that Freeman would be selected earlier than the fifth round, he insisted that he wasn?t upset about where he was drafted.

?There were a couple people who thought I was going to go higher, but when you really look at the situation, you fall where you fall,? Freeman said. ?I couldn?t pick a better situation to be in, to be a part of this organization.

?Any competitor wants to go as high as he can. I?m no different. But to be in the situation I?m in now, to be a part of this organization, is a great accomplishment. I?m really excited and thankful to be here.?

Freeman was a versatile linebacker at Ohio State who started on the strong side in 2006 before spending the final two seasons of his college career at the weakside position.

Asked about his preference with the Bears, Freeman said: ?Wherever they feel that I will fit the situation best and fit their scheme best, I?m excited to do it. The ?Will? or the ?Sam? or whatever they would like, I?ll just try to go in there and learn and see what the best fit is for me.?

Bears pick Ohio State linebacker Freeman in fifth round - Chicago Bears

 

[PlanetFrnd]

Damn. The Bears have some fast LBs!

Congrats, Marcus!

 

[souL]

Woot... I think he'll probably compete with Roach and Hillenmeyer for playing time.

 

[Viking]

Woot... I think he'll probably compete with Roach and Hillenmeyer for playing time.

We could see Freeman at WLB or MLB in a year or two pending on what happens with Urlacher
(with Briggs possibly moving inside). Jamar Williams will probably have the first crack at it but I could see Freeman winning it if he stays healthy.

 

[Buckskin86]

Fast friends: Bears fifth-round pick Marcus Freeman and Rams second-round selection James Laurinaitis started next to each other as Ohio State linebackers and also roomed together.

?We were very close,? Freeman said. ?We clicked from Day 1. We had a lot of things in common. We were guys that both pushed each other to be the best. We competed every day. Although we were great friends, we were competitors. We wanted to beat each other, wanted to be the best, and that?s what made our friendship so strong.?

Freeman credits his friend with helping to improve his game. Laurinaitis won the Nagurski Award as the nation?s best defensive player and the Butkus Award as the top linebacker while at Ohio State.

?When you have a three-time All-American beside you, you see what makes him so good,? Freeman said. ?Every day you see him practice and it helps you out because you?re trying to put that into your game.?

An avid professional wrestling fan, Freeman was excited to learn that Laurinaitis? father, Joe, was a popular pro wrestler known as ?The Animal? who was part of the ?Road Warriors? tag team.

?I?ve been a fan since I was a young kid and to know the son of the Animal was a huge deal when [James] first came in,? Freeman said. ?We?ve been to three Wrestlemania?s together. It?s just something that we both have in common. It?s something fun to do.?

Kinder vows to prove he's fully recovered from knee injury - Chicago Bears

 

[Buckskin86]

Bears see a familiar player in new linebacker Marcus Freeman
By Brad Biggson
May 2, 2009

Marcus Freeman hasn't gotten to know Lance Briggs yet but they already have something in common besides both being listed at weak side linebacker.

Freeman is a guy who most thought would go much higher in the draft than he did, falling to fifth round and 154th overall where the Bears deemed him a "value pick'' as finding a backup for their perennial Pro Bowl performer wasn't a priority. Briggs used his draft snub--he went in the third round and felt he should have been a first-round pick--as motivation to prove to those who passed on him they were wrong all en route to the riches of a second NFL contract.

"My first interview was with the Bears at the Senior Bowl,'' Freeman said after practice Saturday afternoon. "The scout Jeff [Shiver] told me I reminded him of Briggs. That's just a huge compliment to me putting me in the same mold as an All-Pro like him.''

Had Freeman come out last year after his junior season, he might have been a second-round selection. Ankle injuries marred his senior season but the Bears focused on the player he was as a healthy underclassman.

"I enjoyed my time last season and I am enjoying my time in the NFL now,'' he said. "The money comes, the money goes. As long as you're happy, everything is good.''

Asked if he was overshadowed by Buckeyes teammate James Laurinaitis, Freeman turns it around the other way.

"He's a heck of a football player,'' Freeman said. "I'm not taking anything away from him. If teams put a double team on him, that left me free. I used that to my advantage. You don't get the recognition he did, but when people watch on film they're going to have their own judgments.''

The Bears are working Freeman at weak side this weekend in the rookie minicamp but he expects to learn all of the positions at some point. He was a personal protector on the punt team at Ohio State and will be expected to make his mark initially on special teams.

"That is the No. 1 priority to play special teams and make this team,'' he said. "I'm not going to go in there and be a Lance Briggs or Brian Urlacher or a Hunter Hillenmeyer, I'm just going to try to make it on special teams and be the best player I can be.''

And as far as carrying a chip on his shoulder because of his draft status, that's not going to be an issue.

"If you concentrate too much on, `I have to prove I am better than what people think,' you mess up,'' he said. "I just want to go out there and play the football I know how to play. I'm just excited to be here. I'll use whatever motivation I need to get me going. I think being in this Bears' uniform is enough."

Bears see a familiar player in new linebacker Marcus Freeman - Inside the Bears

BEARS BITS BY VAUGHN McCLURE
Chicago Bear Marcus Freeman will learn behind Lance Briggs
May 3, 2009

His infectious smile and articulate tone make rookie Marcus Freeman a logical comparison to another Bears linebacker.

"I remember my first meeting I had with them at the Senior Bowl, the Bears said I reminded them of Lance Briggs," Freeman said. "That's a huge compliment. Hopefully on the field, I can be half the player he is."

The Bears expect big things from Freeman, who they never anticipated would be available in the fifth round. Minor injuries (ankle, knee) probably knocked the former Ohio State player down a few rounds. Freeman is likely to have an immediate impact on special teams. He is capable of playing all three linebacker spots, although the strong-side position might be the only one up for competition.

"Marcus enjoys life, and he has talent," coach Lovie Smith said. "Good speed and good athletic ability. If you do a little research on him off the field, you like everything you hear from people. Seems like he may be a good addition to our team."

Freeman is sure to learn some valuable lessons behind Briggs at weak-side linebacker. He spent some time Friday dissecting film of the Pro Bowl player

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-03-bears-chicago-may03,0,6653905.story