Brady Poppinga
Encyclopedia
Green Bay Packers
Poppinga entered the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
on April 24, 2005, when he was selected in the fourth round (125th overall selection) of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. On July 26, 2005 Poppinga signed a four-year $2.4 million contract with the Packers.
The Packers were excited about Poppinga's speed and skills as a pass rushing linebacker. However, Poppinga suffered a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury during training camp, forcing him to miss three preseason games. Because of the injury, he was unable to compete for a starting position at outside linebacker for the 2005 NFL season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, and took a backup role, occasionally playing as part of a deep linebacker corps also featuring Na'il Diggs
Na'il Diggs
Na'il Diggs is an American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Diggs has also played for the Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams...
, Roy Manning
Roy Manning
Lee Roy Manning, Jr. is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He played linebacker in the National Football League. Manning was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He also played for the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills,...
, Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas (linebacker)
Robert Wayne Thomas is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams 31st overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA....
and Paris Lenon
Paris Lenon
Paris Michael Lenon is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
.
Poppinga contributed most significantly to the 2005 season with his high-energy play as a coverage man on special teams plays, posting a team-high 22 special teams tackles through the Packers' first 13 contests. Though Poppinga never started at linebacker in 2005, he saw more and more playing time through the season due both to injuries suffered by the starting players and because of his ability as a pass-rusher. This special pass-rushing role played to Poppinga's strengths and allowed him to post two sacks during the 2005 season. His best single-game performance was an October 23 contest against Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, in which he accumulated five tackles (3 solo) and one sack of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
.
Green Bay's coaching staff was impressed by Poppinga's high motor and relentlessness on every play. He displayed both in one of the few Packer victories of the season, a 33-25 contest against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Though the play resulted in an Atlanta touchdown, Poppinga displayed his range and quickness by nearly running down superstar quarterback Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
on a one-yard scramble into the end-zone. Poppinga's pursuit forced Vick to stretch the play all the way to the right sideline, and only Vick's speed allowed him to dive past Poppinga and over the end zone pylon. The fact that Poppinga had begun the play at the left side of the formation displayed his unrelenting attitude and sharp instincts. In August, 2006 packers' linebackers coach Winston Moss said "I'll bet he sleeps with his eyes open,", referring to Poppinga's endless energy.
Poppinga's season was cut short by an ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
tear on December 11 in a game against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. He received surgery for the injury on December 26, and participated in the August 2006 training camp. Though some athletes who suffer this particular injury never regain their former speed or mobility, doctors who performed surgery on Poppinga and those working on his rehabilitation were optimistic about his chances for a full recovery.
Poppinga won a starting job despite limited action in training camp due to his continuing rehabilitation from injury in 2006. He played at strong side linebacker in the 2006 season opener, alongside fellow linebackers Nick Barnett
Nick Barnett
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American Football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. A graduate of Fontana A.B...
and A.J. Hawk.
In his fifth start of the 2007 season, during a 27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 7, 2007 Poppinga intercepted a Brian Griese
Brian Griese
Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....
pass in the fourth quarter, extending the streak of at least one Packer interception per game for the 11th consecutive game. This matched the longest streak in team history, which occurred during an 11 game stretch in 1984-1985.
On July 24, 2008, the Packers signed Poppinga to a five-year $17 million extension that runs through the 2012 season. Poppinga was scheduled to make $927,000 in 2008 under the terms of the four-year deal he signed in 2005. According to his agent four years were added beyond this year.
In 2008 Poppinga played all 16 games with 12 starts and recorded 68 tackles.
Poppinga was released on July 28, 2011.
Statistics
| Year | Team | G | TTkl | Ast | Sacks | Int | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Pass Def | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Green Bay Packers | 12 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 60 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007 | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 50 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 69 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | Green Bay Packers | 15 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | Green Bay Packers | 6 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 81 | 244 | 84 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Personal
Poppinga comes from a very athletic family. His father, Dennis, played as a tight endTight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
at BYU from 1968 to 1971; his brother Casey played the same position at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
and appeared on the practice squads of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
during the 2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
; his brother Kelly
Kelly Poppinga
Kelly Scott Poppinga is an American football linebackers coach for the Brigham Young University. Poppinga was an American football linebacker. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Brigham Young.Poppinga has also been a member of the...
played linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
at BYU, signed with the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, and now is the linebackers coach at BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
; and his older sister Tara played volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
at Utah State.
Poppinga received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in business management at BYU. While in college he did some work as a motivational speaker at a school for troubled teenagers, and taught Sunday school in his church organization in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. He is bilingual (English and Spanish) as a result of his missionary experience in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
He married Brooke Hubbard in 2002; the couple has a daughter, Jasmine, 4, and a son, Julius Maximus, 2
On February 15, 2008, Poppinga appeared with Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in support of his presidential campaign in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
.
Charity
Poppinga was the Packers' 2007 nominee, and one of 32 finalists, for the Walter Payton Man of the Year AwardWalter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given annually by the National Football League honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award...
, honoring contributions for both humanitarianism and performance on the field. Poppinga was selected as the 2007 NFL winner in December 2007.
Poppinga is extremely involved with his church
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
. He postponed his college football career for two seasons while serving as a missionary in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He currently acts as a youth leader, giving hour-long motivational and moral lessons weekly as well as supporting other youth activities. He has given a fireside on faith, family and football, an event that was open to the entire community.
Poppinga has supported the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
by way of a public service announcement, for which he recorded both an English and Spanish version. In the same way, he has lent his support to the American Family Insurance Military Cap Campaign by shooting various promos. Poppinga also recorded an intro for one of the units included in the Green Bay Packers Fit Kids program. He was a participant in the All-Pro Dad event, encouraging fathers to become more involved in their children's lives.
Poppinga has hosted a football camp, "The Poppinga Football Experience," in Utah, as well as a charity fundraiser football camp in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
for a Children's Hospital. He has served as an instructor in several other football camps. In addition, he has supported his coach's and fellow teammates' fundraising efforts through participation in Mark Tauscher
Mark Tauscher
Mark Tauscher is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
's Trifecta Foundation Annual Golf Outing, the Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
Fourward Foundation Annual Celebrity Softball Game, the Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
Foundation Dinner, and the Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin Green and Gold Gala, an annual event hosted by Coach Mike McCarthy
Poppinga has made various monetary donations to the community and beyond. He donated hundreds of dollars worth of new toys to a local nursery, as well as autographed items to an event that benefited the memorial of a fallen Green Bay Fire Fighter. He donated items to the Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
, where his brother-in-law is a fire fighter, as a contribution to a fundraiser that benefited victims of 9/11. Through the Fistula Foundation, he paid for surgeries of two women in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and through the Invisible Children Foundation, he purchased school supplies for students in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. He also supported Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
to assist in the case of someone who was unfairly imprisoned.