Gabe Carimi
Encyclopedia
Gabe Carimi nicknamed "The Bear Jew", is an American football
offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears
.
Carimi had 49 starts at left tackle in his four-year Wisconsin Badgers
college
career, which culminated at the 2011 Rose Bowl
. He was awarded the 2010 Outland Trophy
, as the nation's top collegiate interior lineman. He was also a unanimous selection 2010 Consensus All-American
, and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Carimi was drafted by the Bears in the first round, 29th overall, of the 2011 NFL Draft
. He began the 2011 season as the Bears' starting right tackle.
in Monona, Wisconsin
. He started there as a clumsy, 6 in 5 in (1.96 m), 220 pounds (99.8 kg) freshman. He grew into his body, however, worked on his flexibility, and developed his athleticism by becoming a karate black belt
. He credits his karate training with laying a foundation for his later discipline, improving his flexibility, and helping him develop the hand coordination and hand placement he uses as a football player.
He was on the high school's track team. Seeded 15th in the state in discus
as a senior, he placed 5th in the 2006 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
track and field Division 1 discus championships, at 157 in 8 in (48.06 m). He earned four letters
in track, and was team captain in his senior year.
Carimi also played football for the high school's Silver Eagles. Playing both offensive and defensive tackle, he lettered for four years. In 2005, the Silver Eagles ran behind him 70% of the time when he was at offensive tackle, while as a defensive end
he had five sacks
.
He was voted a football Parade All-American and PrepStar All-American as a senior, while he captained the team. He was also the Capital Times
and Wisconsin State Journal
Player of the Year, first-team all-state in 2005, a first-team selection by the Associated Press
and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association
(as a two-way player), and was twice first-team all-conference. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com
, Carimi was rated the No. 3 football player in Wisconsin and the No. 30 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2006. His coach Mike Stassi predicted: "He's going to be the new wave of offensive linemen, that can run and move. And this guy's got it all."
, and played football for the Badgers
.
He had played right tackle and defensive end in high school. But in his freshman year in 2006, during which time he was redshirt
ed, he began practicing at left tackle, because it was the next open spot. He was described that season as running very well, and having tenacity, athletic ability, and impressive lateral movement while pass-blocking.
Carimi started all 13 games as a freshman at left tackle for the Badgers in 2007, replacing All-American Joe Thomas, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
at No. 3 in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He was a second-team Freshman All-American selection by Rivals.com and The Sporting News
, and a first-team Freshman All-Big-Ten selection by The Sporting News, as well as an Academic All-Big-Ten.
As a sophomore in 2008, he started all 10 games he played in. That year he was second-team Pre-season All-Big Ten by Lindy's and Athlon Sports, honorable mention Sophomore All-American by College Football News
, and Academic All-Big Ten.
As a junior in 2009, he started all 13 games. He was a first-team Mid-season All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele
, a first-team All-Big Ten selection by media, a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele, and Academic All-Big Ten. Commenting in Sports Illustrated in October 2009, Tony Pauline wrote: "Carimi is the next great offensive lineman to come from the Badger program. He's a terrific pass-protecting left tackle, with the size necessary to grow into a dominant run blocker."
During his senior year in 2010, when he was co-Captain of the Big Ten champion Badgers, Phil Steele made him a mid-season first-team All-American selection. He contributed to an offense that was ranked 5th in the nation in scoring (at 41.5 ppg), and 12th in rushing (at 245.7 yards per game).
As a senior, Carimi won the 2010 Outland Trophy
, awarded to the nation's top collegiate interior lineman since 1946, ahead of Florida State offensive guard Rodney Hudson
and Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder
. He was the second Outland Trophy winner in school history, joining Joe Thomas, and the 14th Big Ten awardee. Seven of the prior ten Outland Trophy winners were top-10 NFL draft picks.
He also was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, a unanimous Consensus All-American
(Wisconsin's first unanimous All-American since Joe Thomas), an American Football Coaches Association
All-American, and a Walter Camp
first team All-American (the first Badger since tight end Travis Beckum
, in 2007). In addition, he was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, and Academic All-Big Ten, and won the Wayne Souza Coaches Appreciation Award (Offense). He helped Wisconsin to an 11–2 record for the season, and a Rose Bowl
appearance. At the start of his senior year he had been named a pre-season first-team All-American by Lindy's and Consensus Draft Services, a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports, second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, second-team All-American by The Kickoff, first-team All-Big Ten by Blue Ribbon, and named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. He was named a mid-season first-team All-American and first-team mid-season All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, and second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. In March 2011, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame awarded him the Marty Glickman
Award, as the male Jewish Athlete of the Year.
In college, he started 49 of a possible 52 games, all at left tackle. In an April 2011 interview, he indicated that he had still never been to a professional football game in his life.
by the Chicago Bears
, with the 29th pick on April 28, 2011. The Bears had actually sought to "trade up", and pick Carimi even earlier in the draft. They tried to make a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, to use Baltimore's earlier slot to select Carimi at No. 26, but the trade had fallen through at the last moment due to a miscommunication. In the year prior to drafting Carimi, the Bears had allowed a league-high 56 sacks, and ranked 22nd in running the ball.
Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith
said Carimi would come in as a left tackle. General Manager Jerry Angelo
said he is versatile enough to play both left and right tackle, while Smith said the Bears would keep all options open, including potentially that of guard. He was nicknamed "The Bear Jew" after the Bears drafted him, a reference to a character in the movie Inglourious Basterds, by Chicago radio personality Dan Bernstein, of 670 "The Score", and Carimi tweeted that he is considering adopting the nickname.
At the January 2011 Senior Bowl
weigh-in, Carimi was the second-tallest player at 6 feet 7.125 inches (2.01 m), had the second-longest arms (35.25 inches), and had the second-longest wingspan
(83.25 inches; second to Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod
). His hand size was 10.38 inches, and he weighed in at 315 pounds, 10 pounds lighter than his playing weight in college. ESPN analysts rated him the third-best player at the Senior Bowl.
NFL Network
analyst Mike Mayock
observed that Carimi is "a little bit like a Jon Runyan
. He's kind of got a little nasty to him." Maycock also described him as "a thug, which I mean in a positive sense", and commented on his ability as a run blocker. He added: "I think he’s the kind of guy ... you try ... at left tackle, and if he can’t handle the speed out there, you’ve got an all-pro
right tackle."
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post said that Carimi was his favorite prospect in the draft, and was one of the five players who most impressed him at Senior Bowl activities. Bowen thought his pass protection was at NFL standards, noting that he had "good enough feet to get back and attack speed off of the edge because of his reach. There is no doubt Carimi can win up front in the run game," while adding that he "is the type of player you want in the locker room." Wes Bunting of the National Football Post said:
wrote: "Many consider Carimi to be the best offensive-tackle prospect in the class ... Carimi played well against top competition and his feet are quick enough to play left tackle." CBS Sports
lauded "his prototypical size" and "excellent athleticism". As to his pass blocking, it noted that he has "the elite agility and nimble feet to protect the quarterback's blindside. Very difficult to turn the corner against because of his lateral movement and solid footwork. Also protects the inside lane well. Delivers a strong hand punch capable of knocking back an opponent .... Uses his length to block his man with one hand and knock an edge blitzer off his path with the other." With regard to his run blocking, it said he is "known as an athletic pass protector, but is a strong blocker". While he exclusively played left tackle in college, he was projected by some as a left tackle and by others as a right tackle.
At the February 2011 NFL combine
pre-draft workouts, he completed 29 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press
, a "solid number", according to Sports Illustrateds Tony Pauline. He also ran the 40-yard dash in under 5.2, which was faster than expected and considered very good. Pauline reported that "his footwork was smooth in pass protection, and he looked strong in run blocking drills." At the March Wisconsin Pro Day workout, Bucky Brooks
of NFL.com reported that Carimi:
Asked what his agent had advised him, relative to a possible NFL lockout
, Carimi answered: “Don’t spend money.”
, is the son of Sanford Carimi, a physician in the Janesville, Wisconsin
area, and Alayne Gardner-Carimi. He weighed 24 pounds by the time he was four months old. He grew up on the Northeast Side of Madison, and then in the nearby town of Cottage Grove
when he was a freshman in high school. His sister Hannah, who is two years older than he is, was a kick fighter when she was younger and later rowed for the University of Wisconsin, on its women's openweight crew
team. The two of them lived together in college, along with one of his football team teammates.
Carimi's Italian surname comes from his paternal grandfather. His parents are Jewish. His mother, converted to Judaism
after marriage and has had an active role in the religious education of her children. Carimi is a practicing Jew
and very committed to his religion, and found time as a youth to both go to his football practices and to attend Madison's Temple Beth-El, a Reform
synagogue
. By the time of his Bar Mitzvah, he was already so tall that while blessing him, and even with Carimi bending down, the synagogue’s education director had to put his hands on Carimi’s shoulders rather than atop his head. For his Bar Mitzvah project, he helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity while he was in seventh grade. Carimi continued his Jewish studies even after his Bar Mitzvah.
In his freshman year of college in 2007, when Yom Kippur
(the holiest day of the year in Judaism; a fast day that is the "Day of Atonement") fell on a Saturday, he fasted until an hour before the Big Ten Conference opener against Iowa started that night. Carimi said, "Religion is a part of me, and I don't want to just say I'm Jewish. I actually do make sacrifices that I know are hard choices.” At the 2011 NFL combine, when asked whether he would play on Yom Kippur in the NFL, he responded: "I already looked out over the next 15 years, and Yom Kippur doesn't fall on a Sunday."
As a college player he took the nickname "The Jewish Hammer" or "The Hammer". He explains that as The Hebrew Hammer
was taken "they had to come up with something else", and that the "hammer" aspect refers to his penchant for throwing opposing players down on the field. A more recent nickname, following his being picked by the Chicago Bears, is "The Bear Jew". One of his favorite Jewish football players was a former Badger, Matt Bernstein
, and he looks to 49ers former offensive linesman Harris Barton
as a role model.
His uncle suffered from leukemia
as a child, underwent chemotherapy
while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, he died. He was mentioned often in family discussions. Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people." He grew his hair out for 20 months, until it was long enough in 2010 to donate to Locks of Love
—a charity that makes wig
s out of donated hair to help financially disadvantaged children suffering from illnesses that cause long-term hair loss.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle for 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...
.
Carimi had 49 starts at left tackle in his four-year Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career, which culminated at the 2011 Rose Bowl
2011 Rose Bowl
The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena...
. He was awarded the 2010 Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
, as the nation's top collegiate interior lineman. He was also a unanimous selection 2010 Consensus All-American
2010 College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original All-America team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and Walter Camp...
, and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Carimi was drafted by the Bears in the first round, 29th overall, of the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. He began the 2011 season as the Bears' starting right tackle.
High school career
Carimi attended Monona Grove High SchoolMonona Grove High School
Monona Grove High School is a school in Monona, Wisconsin, United States. The school was established in 1955 to serve students from the city of Monona, the village of Cottage Grove and the Town of Blooming Grove...
in Monona, Wisconsin
Monona, Wisconsin
Monona is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,046 as of 2007. It is completely surrounded by Madison and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Monona is located at ....
. He started there as a clumsy, 6 in 5 in (1.96 m), 220 pounds (99.8 kg) freshman. He grew into his body, however, worked on his flexibility, and developed his athleticism by becoming a karate black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
. He credits his karate training with laying a foundation for his later discipline, improving his flexibility, and helping him develop the hand coordination and hand placement he uses as a football player.
He was on the high school's track team. Seeded 15th in the state in discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
as a senior, he placed 5th in the 2006 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the first high school athletic organization in the country...
track and field Division 1 discus championships, at 157 in 8 in (48.06 m). He earned four letters
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
in track, and was team captain in his senior year.
Carimi also played football for the high school's Silver Eagles. Playing both offensive and defensive tackle, he lettered for four years. In 2005, the Silver Eagles ran behind him 70% of the time when he was at offensive tackle, while as a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
he had five sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
.
He was voted a football Parade All-American and PrepStar All-American as a senior, while he captained the team. He was also the Capital Times
Capital Times
The Capital Times is a newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by The Capital Times Company. The newspaper is primarily distributed in a 19-county region in south-central Wisconsin. The Capital Times formerly published paper editions Mondays through Saturdays, with a weekday circulation of...
and Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin State Journal is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin...
Player of the Year, first-team all-state in 2005, a first-team selection by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association
Wisconsin Football Coaches Association
The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association is an association of American football coaches on all levels within the state of Wisconsin. An annual clinic of members is held in Madison, Wisconsin to promote the sport, primarily at the high school level...
(as a two-way player), and was twice first-team all-conference. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, Carimi was rated the No. 3 football player in Wisconsin and the No. 30 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2006. His coach Mike Stassi predicted: "He's going to be the new wave of offensive linemen, that can run and move. And this guy's got it all."
College career; All-American and Outland Trophy
Carimi elected to attend his hometown University of Wisconsin-Madison. He chose it because of its academic and football reputations, a scholarship that he was offered, and its proximity to his home. He majored in civil engineeringCivil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, and played football for the Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
.
He had played right tackle and defensive end in high school. But in his freshman year in 2006, during which time he was redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
ed, he began practicing at left tackle, because it was the next open spot. He was described that season as running very well, and having tenacity, athletic ability, and impressive lateral movement while pass-blocking.
Carimi started all 13 games as a freshman at left tackle for the Badgers in 2007, replacing All-American Joe Thomas, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at No. 3 in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He was a second-team Freshman All-American selection by Rivals.com and The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, and a first-team Freshman All-Big-Ten selection by The Sporting News, as well as an Academic All-Big-Ten.
As a sophomore in 2008, he started all 10 games he played in. That year he was second-team Pre-season All-Big Ten by Lindy's and Athlon Sports, honorable mention Sophomore All-American by College Football News
College Football News
College Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
, and Academic All-Big Ten.
As a junior in 2009, he started all 13 games. He was a first-team Mid-season All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele
Phil Steele
Phil Steele is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He currently writes a column for the Orlando Sentinel, and is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media...
, a first-team All-Big Ten selection by media, a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele, and Academic All-Big Ten. Commenting in Sports Illustrated in October 2009, Tony Pauline wrote: "Carimi is the next great offensive lineman to come from the Badger program. He's a terrific pass-protecting left tackle, with the size necessary to grow into a dominant run blocker."
During his senior year in 2010, when he was co-Captain of the Big Ten champion Badgers, Phil Steele made him a mid-season first-team All-American selection. He contributed to an offense that was ranked 5th in the nation in scoring (at 41.5 ppg), and 12th in rushing (at 245.7 yards per game).
As a senior, Carimi won the 2010 Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
, awarded to the nation's top collegiate interior lineman since 1946, ahead of Florida State offensive guard Rodney Hudson
Rodney Hudson
Rodney Hudson is an American Football Center for the Kansas City Chiefs.-Early years:Hudson attended B. C. Rain High School in Mobile, Alabama, where he was a two-way lineman...
and Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder
Nate Solder
Nate Solder is an American football offensive tackle with the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After a college career with Colorado, he was picked 17th overall in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Patriots.-Personal:Hobbies include kayaking, rafting, fishing,...
. He was the second Outland Trophy winner in school history, joining Joe Thomas, and the 14th Big Ten awardee. Seven of the prior ten Outland Trophy winners were top-10 NFL draft picks.
He also was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, a unanimous Consensus All-American
2010 College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original All-America team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and Walter Camp...
(Wisconsin's first unanimous All-American since Joe Thomas), an American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
All-American, and a Walter Camp
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also presents various awards.-Awards:*Walter Camp Player of the Year*CT Player of the Year...
first team All-American (the first Badger since tight end Travis Beckum
Travis Beckum
Travis Beckum is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.-Early years:Travis Beckum played football for Oak Creek High School. He...
, in 2007). In addition, he was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, and Academic All-Big Ten, and won the Wayne Souza Coaches Appreciation Award (Offense). He helped Wisconsin to an 11–2 record for the season, and a Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
appearance. At the start of his senior year he had been named a pre-season first-team All-American by Lindy's and Consensus Draft Services, a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports, second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, second-team All-American by The Kickoff, first-team All-Big Ten by Blue Ribbon, and named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. He was named a mid-season first-team All-American and first-team mid-season All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, and second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. In March 2011, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame awarded him the Marty Glickman
Marty Glickman
Martin "Marty" Glickman was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania....
Award, as the male Jewish Athlete of the Year.
In college, he started 49 of a possible 52 games, all at left tackle. In an April 2011 interview, he indicated that he had still never been to a professional football game in his life.
2011 NFL Draft
Carimi was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
by 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...
, with the 29th pick on April 28, 2011. The Bears had actually sought to "trade up", and pick Carimi even earlier in the draft. They tried to make a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, to use Baltimore's earlier slot to select Carimi at No. 26, but the trade had fallen through at the last moment due to a miscommunication. In the year prior to drafting Carimi, the Bears had allowed a league-high 56 sacks, and ranked 22nd in running the ball.
Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
said Carimi would come in as a left tackle. General Manager Jerry Angelo
Jerry Angelo
Jerry Angelo is the General Manager for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He has held the role since 2001. Prior to joining the Chicago Bears, Angelo spent 14 years overseeing Tampa Bay Buccaneers' scouting department as their Director of Player Personnel...
said he is versatile enough to play both left and right tackle, while Smith said the Bears would keep all options open, including potentially that of guard. He was nicknamed "The Bear Jew" after the Bears drafted him, a reference to a character in the movie Inglourious Basterds, by Chicago radio personality Dan Bernstein, of 670 "The Score", and Carimi tweeted that he is considering adopting the nickname.
At the January 2011 Senior Bowl
2011 Senior Bowl
The 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2010 college football season, and prospects for the 2011 Draft of the professional National Football League . Final score was South Team 24 to North Team 10.The game was played on January...
weigh-in, Carimi was the second-tallest player at 6 feet 7.125 inches (2.01 m), had the second-longest arms (35.25 inches), and had the second-longest wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
(83.25 inches; second to Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod
Derek Sherrod
Derek Lee Sherrod is an American football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
). His hand size was 10.38 inches, and he weighed in at 315 pounds, 10 pounds lighter than his playing weight in college. ESPN analysts rated him the third-best player at the Senior Bowl.
NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
analyst Mike Mayock
Mike Mayock
Michael Francis Mayock is a former professional football player, a safety with the New York Giants of the National Football League...
observed that Carimi is "a little bit like a Jon Runyan
Jon Runyan
Jon Daniel Runyan is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League, where he played for fourteen seasons. He was a participant in the 2003 Pro Bowl following the 2002 NFL season...
. He's kind of got a little nasty to him." Maycock also described him as "a thug, which I mean in a positive sense", and commented on his ability as a run blocker. He added: "I think he’s the kind of guy ... you try ... at left tackle, and if he can’t handle the speed out there, you’ve got an all-pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
right tackle."
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post said that Carimi was his favorite prospect in the draft, and was one of the five players who most impressed him at Senior Bowl activities. Bowen thought his pass protection was at NFL standards, noting that he had "good enough feet to get back and attack speed off of the edge because of his reach. There is no doubt Carimi can win up front in the run game," while adding that he "is the type of player you want in the locker room." Wes Bunting of the National Football Post said:
he understands angles, and he's a real velcro player. I mean, once he gets those big paws on you and he has these long arms, it's really tough to disengage from... No one gets after the run game as well as Carimi.Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
wrote: "Many consider Carimi to be the best offensive-tackle prospect in the class ... Carimi played well against top competition and his feet are quick enough to play left tackle." CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
lauded "his prototypical size" and "excellent athleticism". As to his pass blocking, it noted that he has "the elite agility and nimble feet to protect the quarterback's blindside. Very difficult to turn the corner against because of his lateral movement and solid footwork. Also protects the inside lane well. Delivers a strong hand punch capable of knocking back an opponent .... Uses his length to block his man with one hand and knock an edge blitzer off his path with the other." With regard to his run blocking, it said he is "known as an athletic pass protector, but is a strong blocker". While he exclusively played left tackle in college, he was projected by some as a left tackle and by others as a right tackle.
At the February 2011 NFL combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
pre-draft workouts, he completed 29 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
, a "solid number", according to Sports Illustrateds Tony Pauline. He also ran the 40-yard dash in under 5.2, which was faster than expected and considered very good. Pauline reported that "his footwork was smooth in pass protection, and he looked strong in run blocking drills." At the March Wisconsin Pro Day workout, Bucky Brooks
Bucky Brooks
William Eldridge Brooks, Jr. is a sportswriter covering the National Football League for Sports Illustrated and a former professional football player. He played for 5 NFL teams in a 5 year career, primarily as a kick returner.Brooks is in his second season as an analyst for NFL Network and NFL.com...
of NFL.com reported that Carimi:
showed good footwork and lateral quickness in drills, and his body control is surprising given his frame. Although he might experience some problems against speed rushers, teams will certainly start him out as a left tackle and move him to the right if he falters.
Asked what his agent had advised him, relative to a possible NFL lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
, Carimi answered: “Don’t spend money.”
Chicago Bears (2011–present)
On July 29, 2011, the Bears signed Carimi to a four-year contract. He began his rookie 2011 season as the Bears' starting right tackle.In Week 2 against the Saints, Carimi suffered a knee injury. He was eventually placed on injured reserve, which will keep him out for the season.Personal life
Carimi, born in Lake Forest, IllinoisLake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
, is the son of Sanford Carimi, a physician in the Janesville, Wisconsin
Janesville, Wisconsin
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
area, and Alayne Gardner-Carimi. He weighed 24 pounds by the time he was four months old. He grew up on the Northeast Side of Madison, and then in the nearby town of Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Cottage Grove is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,248 at the 2010 census. It is a fast growing suburb of Madison and shares a school district with Monona...
when he was a freshman in high school. His sister Hannah, who is two years older than he is, was a kick fighter when she was younger and later rowed for the University of Wisconsin, on its women's openweight crew
Crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...
team. The two of them lived together in college, along with one of his football team teammates.
Carimi's Italian surname comes from his paternal grandfather. His parents are Jewish. His mother, converted to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
after marriage and has had an active role in the religious education of her children. Carimi is a practicing Jew
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and very committed to his religion, and found time as a youth to both go to his football practices and to attend Madison's Temple Beth-El, a Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
. By the time of his Bar Mitzvah, he was already so tall that while blessing him, and even with Carimi bending down, the synagogue’s education director had to put his hands on Carimi’s shoulders rather than atop his head. For his Bar Mitzvah project, he helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity while he was in seventh grade. Carimi continued his Jewish studies even after his Bar Mitzvah.
In his freshman year of college in 2007, when Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
(the holiest day of the year in Judaism; a fast day that is the "Day of Atonement") fell on a Saturday, he fasted until an hour before the Big Ten Conference opener against Iowa started that night. Carimi said, "Religion is a part of me, and I don't want to just say I'm Jewish. I actually do make sacrifices that I know are hard choices.” At the 2011 NFL combine, when asked whether he would play on Yom Kippur in the NFL, he responded: "I already looked out over the next 15 years, and Yom Kippur doesn't fall on a Sunday."
As a college player he took the nickname "The Jewish Hammer" or "The Hammer". He explains that as The Hebrew Hammer
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
was taken "they had to come up with something else", and that the "hammer" aspect refers to his penchant for throwing opposing players down on the field. A more recent nickname, following his being picked by the Chicago Bears, is "The Bear Jew". One of his favorite Jewish football players was a former Badger, Matt Bernstein
Matt Bernstein
Matt Bernstein is a former American football standout at University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League after a stint in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions. Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006...
, and he looks to 49ers former offensive linesman Harris Barton
Harris Barton
Harris Scott Barton is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers.-Early life:...
as a role model.
His uncle suffered from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
as a child, underwent chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, he died. He was mentioned often in family discussions. Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people." He grew his hair out for 20 months, until it was long enough in 2010 to donate to Locks of Love
Locks of Love
Locks of Love is a non-profit charity based in the United States. The organization accepts donations of human hair and money, with the stated intention of making wigs for needy children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition in Canada and the USA....
—a charity that makes wig
Wig
A wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
s out of donated hair to help financially disadvantaged children suffering from illnesses that cause long-term hair loss.