LB Na'il Diggs (Official Thread)

[Buckskin86]

Injured ribs might keep Diggs out Sunday
By David Scott
dscott@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

Carolina Panthers' Na'il Diggs (53) is driven off the sideline after being injured in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won, 28-20.
DAVID T. FOSTER III - dtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

This has not been a good month to be a Carolina Panthers linebacker.

Season-ending injuries to Thomas Davis and backup Landon Johnson have put a strain on the depth - and now strongside starter Na'il Diggs might miss Sunday's game against the Jets with injured ribs.

"That's the story of our life this year," middle linebacker Jon Beason said of the injuries that continue to plague the team.

The linebacker injuries have come during the past three weeks - Davis was hurt against New Orleans on Nov.8 and Johnson and Diggs went down last Thursday against Miami.

Injured ribs might keep Diggs out Sunday - CharlotteObserver.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Diggs hopes to give Panthers a lift on run defense

CHARLOTTE The Carolina Panthers got a welcome bit of news Friday as linebacker Na'il Diggs returned to the practice field for the first time this week.
Diggs is still listed as questionable for Sunday's game at the New York Jets after suffering a rib injury last Thursday against Miami when Dolphins tight end Joey Haynos fell across the middle of his chest.

Getting Diggs back on the field would be quite a boost from a run defense which has struggled lately. It was a mess the first three weeks, but when a few players got back from injuries and the team added nose tackle Hollis Thomas, it became solid.

American Chronicle | Diggs hopes to give Panthers a lift on run defense

 

[Buckskin86]

LINEBACKER NA'IL DIGGS isn't a Charlotte native, but he has traditions to uphold and a duty to perform -- that of dessert sampler.

"Well, it's either sweet potato pie, apple pie or there's a red velvet cake. It's usually a piece of each," he said. "I've got to taste everything; I've got to make sure it's done right. I'm the taste-tester.

"I get a little crazy ... I don't eat much dinner; I just get stupid with the dessert, just flat-out bad."

Minutes: Home for the holidays

 

[Buckskin86]

Carolina Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs leaves mark on Giants Stadium
BY Matt Gagne and Ralph Vacchiano
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Monday, December 28th 2009

The final insult was a lasting one, scribbled with a permanent marker high on a wall in the visitors' locker room.

Shortly after the Panthers shredded the Giants for 416 yards of total offense and crushed Big Blue's playoff chances with a 41-9 victory at the Meadowlands, linebacker Na'il Diggs put down his luggage, balanced himself on a chair and inscribed his John Hancock before leaving Giants Stadium for the final time.

"I've had some memorable moments here and just wanted to leave my mark," said Diggs, who didn't need a Sharpie to accomplish the goal. "I wanted to leave my mark before they blow this place up."

Just over a year ago, the Panthers fell to Big Blue in overtime at the Meadowlands, 34-28, losing out on the NFC's No. 1 seed.

For Diggs, who smiled as he recalled watching nearly all of the 78,809 fans leave before the final horn, it was sweet revenge.

"After they were throwing ice and all of that stuff at us last year, it was nice to send them home early," said Diggs. "To have their team not play as well as they did in the final game of the stadium, I'm sure it was probably a little embarrassing from every angle."

Carolina Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs leaves mark on Giants Stadium

 

[Buckskin86]

Thursday, Jan. 07, 2010
After restructuring contract, Panthers set to keep Diggs in fold
By Darin Gantt - daringantt.carolina.rr.com

Getty Images - Na'il Diggs

CHARLOTTE -- The Panthers apparently have decided to hang onto linebacker Na'il Diggs and have adjusted his contract accordingly.

The linebacker was scheduled to make $2 million in 2010, and that was to be the final year of his deal. He's now slated to make $855,000 in 2010, and another four years have been tacked onto the back side.

There's not a great chance the 31-year-old Diggs will hang around that long, however.

The Panthers have ?extended? other players under such apparent terms. For instance, defensive tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu are technically under contract through 2014.

However, that's contingent on $9.3 million option payments this spring. When they don't make those payments, the deals will revert to their original length, carrying them through 2010.

Panthers officials didn't return calls seeking comment Wednesday, but it's likely that Diggs received part of the difference in base salaries as a bonus in the deal.

Diggs has proven himself trustworthy against the run and remains a solid special teams contributor as well. That's the kind of ballast the Panthers need on the roster at the moment.

While 2008 third-round pick Dan Connor is viewed as a potential replacement, he hasn't proven himself as reliable as Diggs. With Landon Johnson failing to meet expectations, and Thomas Davis and James Anderson restricted free agents, having such a solid contributor as Diggs around is needed.

After restructuring contract, Panthers set to keep Diggs in fold | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

 

[osucollegebuck]

Na'il Diggs-LB- Panthers Mar. 5 - 10:37 am et

Panthers released LB Na'il Diggs.
Diggs just restructured his contract in January and lowered his base salary to just $855,000 in 2010. Even that was obviously too much. Dan Connor is poised to step in on the strong side now and at age 31, Diggs will find the open market unkind.
Source: Adam Caplan on Twitter
Related: Dan Connor

 

[Buckskin86]

Comings and goings

One week of the league year has passed, and in the first wave of free agency the Rams? priority has been adding veteran depth with players that are capable of starting.

Following the signings of quarterback A.J. Feeley and defensive tackle Fred Robbins, the Rams had visits from safety Brodney Pool, center Hank Fraley and linebacker Na?il Diggs.

Pool subsequently signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets worth $1.3 million.

Fraley and Diggs have not signed, but remain on the Rams? radar. Fraley, who will be 33 in September, has started 123 NFL games, mostly at center, and was with the Eagles from 2001-2005. He was released by the Browns March 3, and started three games at right guard for the Browns last season. The Rams did not have a true backup for center Jason Brown last season, and if signed, Fraley could compete for the starting job at right guard.

Diggs was released by the Carolina Panthers March 5 and started 11 games on the strong side last season. Diggs, 31 in July, has played on both the strong and weak side during his career. Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole was Carolina?s linebackers coach before being hired by head coach Steve Spagnuolo last year.

Linebacker Paris Lenon, who started nine games for the Rams last season after being signed Sept. 16, is an unrestricted free agent and visited Arizona Friday.

Sale of Rams is not on agenda for upcoming NFL meetings | St. Louis Globe-Democrat

 

[Buckskin86]

DIGGS IN MIX?

Free agent Na'il Diggs, who visited Rams Park on Friday, could be one candidate to replace Lenon at weakside linebacker, Diggs, 31, has good size at 6-4, 240 and plenty of NFL experience. The 10-year veteran out of Ohio State has started 127 career NFL regular-season games, including 11 last season for the Carolina Panthers.

For three seasons, from 2006 through '08, Diggs' linebackers coach in Carolina was Ken Flajole, who is now the Rams' defensive coordinator. Diggs came to Carolina as a weakside linebacker from Green Bay in '06, only to switch to the strongside spot a couple of years ago to make room for Thomas Davis on the weak side. Diggs is considered a solid veteran who's good against the run.

Bulger at Rams Park for workouts - STLtoday.com

 

[Buckskin86]

DIGGS 'CLOSER'

The Post-Dispatch reported 2? weeks ago that the Rams were close to signing free agent linebacker Na'il Diggs. Finally, the parties are inching closer to a deal. A league source said Friday that a contract should be signed early next week.

Cut by Carolina on March 5, Diggs brings good size (6-4, 240) to the outside linebacker position as well as a reputation as a solid run defender. It's likely Diggs would step into the starting spot vacated by Paris Lenon, who signed with Arizona earlier this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

Rams receiver Laurent Robinson 'can't wait' - STLtoday.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Rams land Na'il Diggs
Posted by Mike Florio on April 6, 2010

A day after bidding farewell to a veteran quarterback, the St. Louis Rams have agreed to terms with a veteran linebacker.

According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams have struck a deal with Na'il Diggs. A contract is expected to be signed on Wednesday.

Diggs, who like former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger entered the league in 2000, spent four years with the Panthers and six seasons before that with the Packers. In 2009, he appeared in 14 games, starting 11.

Rams land Na'il Diggs | ProFootballTalk.com

 

[DontHateOState]

The Rams love Ohio State linebackers.

 

[Buckskin86]

Rams agree to contract with free agent linebacker Na'il Diggs
By Howard Balzer
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

It took longer than expected, but linebacker Na?il Diggs finally agreed to terms with the Rams late Tuesday on what is believed to be either a two- or three-year contract. Diggs visited the Rams in the week after being released by the Carolina Panthers on March 5.

The question now is whether Diggs will play on the strong or weak side. He has played both during his 10-year career, but since signing with the Panthers as a free agent in 2006, he has played mostly on the strong side.

Diggs played 31 games and started 27 in Carolina over the last two seasons. In his career, which started as a fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2009, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Diggs started 127 of the 146 regular-season games he played.

Last season, David Vobora was the primary starter for the Rams on the strong side, although he missed five starts, four while on suspension. Paris Lenon, who left this offseason as an unrestricted free agent and signed with Arizona, started one game on the strong side and the final nine games on the weak side. Before being traded to Philadelphia, Will Witherspoon was the weak-side starter for six games.

In five games, the Rams started just two linebackers, employing five defensive backs in four games and six in the game against Indianapolis.

Diggs becomes the third Ohio State linebacker on the Rams? roster, joining middle linebacker James Laurinaitis and Larry Grant. Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole coached Diggs in Carolina.

Diggs is the fourth free agent signed by the Rams this offseason that will be least 32 years old when the season starts. Diggs turns 32 in July

Rams agree to contract with free agent linebacker Na'il Diggs | St. Louis Globe-Democrat

 

[Buckskin86]

Thursday, Apr. 08, 2010
Rams bring in Diggs to add boost at linebacker
Veteran will probably start on strong side
BY STEVE KORTE - News-Democrat

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams added a veteran presence to their linebacking corps by signing Na'il Diggs on Wednesday.

Diggs, 31, has played 10 seasons in the NFL, six for the Green Bay Packers and the last four for the Carolina Panthers.

Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole is familiar with Diggs. Flajole was Diggs' linebackers coach for three seasons with the Panthers.

"We have a great relationship," Diggs said of Flajole. "We got together there in Carolina. He was my linebackers coach for three years, and he really kind of emphasized a lot of football, just learning the game itself. He knew the skills were there. As with any other professional player, the skills are usually there; it's a lot of the football sense that with different teams and different schemes that kind of change."

Diggs is known for his run defense.

"I'm 6-4, 240 pounds and I guess handling the big linemen, (and) these big backs have just become part of my forte because of my size," Diggs said. "I've been able to stay in there and hold off blocks and hold on the blocks more than maybe a smaller linebacker would or should even do."

Diggs said he's comfortable playing either strong-side linebacker or weak-side linebacker. He expects to start out at strong-side linebacker with the Rams.

The addition of Diggs gives the Rams three linebackers who played for played for Ohio State. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis and weak-side linebacker Larry Grant also are former Buckeyes.

"It'll be a linebacker core full of Buckeyes, which is always great," Diggs said. "I haven't met those guys yet but I've heard a lot about them. I've heard they're great guys and good players too."

Read more: Rams bring in Diggs to add boost at linebacker - St. Louis Rams - bnd.com

Diggs expects to play at strong side linebacker spot with Rams
Free agent pickup from Carolina excited about joining Rams
By Howard Balzer
Thursday, April 8, 2010

There will likely be some experimenting going on when the Rams begin their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on May 18.

With the Rams negotiating a contract with linebacker Na?il Diggs for the last several weeks, most of the speculation had him playing on the weak side (WILL) if he ended up joining the Rams.

However, after officially signing with the Rams Wednesday, Diggs said the plan at the beginning will have him on the strong side (SAM), where he has mostly played during his seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

?I?m comfortable at either one,? Diggs said. ?I think starting out, the SAM is probably where I?ll be. Where we go from there, we?re not really sure. I?ve played both. I?m really comfortable at both, so either way really works for me. I think right now SAM is kind of where we talked about on the visit. We?ll see once we get rolling.?

Diggs expects to play at strong side linebacker spot with Rams | St. Louis Globe-Democrat

Rams sign free agent Na'il Diggs
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/08/2010

Na'il Diggs' unusual first name comes from his father.

"It means 'A Successful One,'" Diggs said. "It's Arabic."

By most standards, Diggs' career fits his name. A fourth-round draft pick out of Ohio State by Green Bay in 2000, Diggs has played in 145 NFL regular-season games, including 127 starts.

Diggs, 31, hopes to continue that success in St. Louis after signing a free-agent contract Wednesday with the Rams.

"I'm at a point where I kind of want to look to help a team more than myself," Diggs said in a conference call. "I know there are a lot of expectations for the St. Louis Rams and the city, and I want to help them achieve those."

Rams sign free agent Na'il Diggs - STLtoday.com

 

[Buckskin86]

New LB Diggs figures to start somewhere for Rams
Posted April 08, 2010
By Dan Arkush

As had been expected for a few weeks now, the Rams finally signed former Packers and Panthers OLB Na'il Diggs, who worked under Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole for three years in Carolina when Flajole was the Panthers' LB coach. While it remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old Diggs, who will be entering his 11th NFL season, will play on the weak side or strong side, we hear the odds are strong that he will be starting at one of those positions for the Rams and filling a valuable veteran leadership role, which is something he said he is really looking forward to.

"I definitely embrace it," Diggs said in a conference call. "I've seen a lot of leaders. When I first got in the league with Green Bay, I had great leaders. I think they set the stage up for me the rest of my career ? Just by me observing these guys, I learned skills and behavioral traits that carried me throughout the league. It's something that's kind of like parenting a little bit. We're all kind of products of our parents' behavior."

Diggs indicated that he thought the Rams might want to start him out filling the strong-side "Sam" role, but we hear it's quite possible that he will end up filling the "Will" role on the other side in a LB corps that could also include former Ohio State alums James Laurinaitis in the middle and possibly Larry Grant on the strong side. "It'll be a LB corps full of Buckeyes, which is always a good, successful chemistry to have," Diggs said. "I haven't met those guys yet, but I've heard a lot about them. I've heard they're great guys and good players, too."

ProFootballWeekly.com - New LB Diggs figures to start somewhere for Rams

 

[Buckskin86]

Na'il Diggs: Diggs' contract has no guaranteed money

Na'il Diggs' new two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Rams includes no guaranteed money.

Diggs will receive a $100,000 workout bonus this spring, which could be all he gets if he's beaten out for a starting job this summer. He shouldn't be concerned just yet, but the Rams could pick up a superior option in the draft next week. Apr. 15

Fantasy Football Breaking News - Rotoworld.com