Paul Posluszny
Encyclopedia
Paul Michael Posluszny commonly known as "Poz", is an American football
linebacker
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills
in the second round (34th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Penn State
.
and linebacker
at Hopewell High School
in Hopewell Township
, Beaver County
, Pennsylvania
.
In 2002, his senior year, he helped lead the Vikings to the WPIAL championship with an 8-1 record, followed by the AAA State Championship.
in the fifth game of his 2003
freshman season, and in the last game of the season made his first career start at Michigan State
. During the season he recorded 36 tackle
s, an interception (which he returned for a touchdown
against Indiana), a fumble
recovery, and was named to the Big Ten
All-Freshman team by The Sporting News
.
In 2004 he was named as a Second Team All-Big Ten
player as well as earning academic All-Big Ten honors. Prior to that season he changed to jersey #31, in honor of former Penn State players who had worn the number including All-Americans
Shane Conlan
and Andre Collins
. He started in all 11 games and led his team with 104 tackles, and his 9.5 tackles per game average put him in a tie for fifth in the Big Ten. He also recorded 12 tackles for loss and three sacks, helping Penn State reach the national top 10 in scoring and total defense. In fact, the defense did not allow an opponent to reach over 21 points in a game all season. He also caught an interception, broke up three passes and forced a fumble on the season. He won the Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Week for his performance against Indiana
, making 13 tackles and playing a key role in Penn State's goal-line stand to ensure the win.
In 2005 Posluszny became the first junior captain for Penn State since Mike Reid and Steve Smear
in 1968. Posting 116 tackles on the season, including 14 for loss and 4 sacks, including a 22 tackle game against Northwestern
http://www.gopsusports.com/docs/football06/stats/plyr0058.htm. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Week a record-breaking three consecutive times. He then joined LaVar Arrington
as the second Penn State player to win both the Chuck Bednarik
and Dick Butkus
Awards as the College Defensive Player and Linebacker of the Year respectively, and was named as a member of the 2005 All-American Team
. He helped lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to a win in the 2006 Orange Bowl against Florida State
but left the game in the 4th quarter after partially tearing two ligaments in his knee; the injury did not require surgery http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls05/news/story?id=2282895. He subsequently announced that he planned to return to Penn State for his senior year of college, rather than declare himself eligible for the 2006 NFL Draft
, a decision which, a year later, was considered "a boon," with Posluszny completing the 2006 season with 116 tackles and a school-high career total 372 tackles.
In 2006, he continued captaincy, along with Levi Brown. Jack Ham, former All-American Linebacker at Penn State, said that Posluszny was the greatest linebacker to ever play at Penn State. On November 4, 2006, he broke Greg Buttle
's school record for tackles. Posluszny had 372 career tackles, with 116 of them coming during that season, including 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. (The Penn State tackle record was surpassed shortly after by fellow LB, Dan Connor.) Posluszny won the 2006 Chuck Bednarik Award
to become only the second person (after Pat Fitzgerald
) to win the award two times. Posluszny was also named a member of the 2006 All-American Team
, the first Penn State linebacker to be a two-time AP All-American.
Posluszny graduated a semester early in December 2006 with a Bachelor of Science
in finance and a 3.57 GPA. He is a two-time ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-American and was named 2006 Academic All-American of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Draddy Trophy
, which is presented to the nations' top student-athlete.
by the Buffalo Bills
, after they swapped picks with the Detroit Lions
to move up to grab Posluszny with the 34th pick overall. Despite wearing the same uniform number as idol Shane Conlan
at Penn State, Posluszny has demonstrated a desire to forge his own legacy by not choosing the number 58 Conlan wore with the Bills, but instead choosing number 51.
Posluszny was named the starting middle linebacker for the start of the 2007 season
by Bills coach Dick Jauron
. This decision paid immediate dividends, as Posluszny had an immediate impact in his debut, registering 10 tackles
, 9 solo, in Buffalo's Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos
. Posluszny suffered a broken left forearm in week 3 against the New England Patriots
. He was put on injured reserve
, ending his rookie season. At the time of his injury, he was third in the league with 26 tackles, which was tied for the most tackles among rookies with Patrick Willis
.
He returned in 2008
to register 129 total tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. He was named the Bills defensive MVP
.
Posluszny was selected as a team captain
prior to the 2009 season
. Posluszny broke his arm again during the first quarter of the Bills week 1 game against the Patriots on Monday Night Football. He returned to action week 6 against the New York Jets, registering 9 tackles, one pass deflection, and an interception. Posluszny created 6 turnovers in 11 games after returning from injury, which placed him tied for first among middle linebackers for turnovers.
on July 29, 2011.
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...
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...
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National 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...
. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round (34th overall) 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 played college football
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...
at Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
Posluszny was a star halfbackRunning back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and 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 Hopewell High School
Hopewell High School (Pennsylvania)
Hopewell High School is a high school in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The township is served by the Aliquippa, Pennsylvania post office, accounting for the mailing address.-Sports:...
in Hopewell Township
Hopewell Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Hopewell Township is a township in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 13,254 at the 2000 census....
, Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
In 2002, his senior year, he helped lead the Vikings to the WPIAL championship with an 8-1 record, followed by the AAA State Championship.
College career
Posluszny debuted at Penn StatePenn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
in the fifth game of his 2003
2003 in sports
2003 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season championship: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season championship: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
freshman season, and in the last game of the season made his first career start at Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
. During the season he recorded 36 tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s, an interception (which he returned for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
against Indiana), a fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recovery, and was named to the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
All-Freshman team by 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"...
.
In 2004 he was named as a Second Team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
player as well as earning academic All-Big Ten honors. Prior to that season he changed to jersey #31, in honor of former Penn State players who had worn the number including All-Americans
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 usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
Shane Conlan
Shane Conlan
Shane Patrick Conlan is a former professional American football player. He played college football at Penn State University, where he won two national championships...
and Andre Collins
Andre Collins
Andre Pierre Collins is a former American football linebacker who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXVI for the Washington Redskins...
. He started in all 11 games and led his team with 104 tackles, and his 9.5 tackles per game average put him in a tie for fifth in the Big Ten. He also recorded 12 tackles for loss and three sacks, helping Penn State reach the national top 10 in scoring and total defense. In fact, the defense did not allow an opponent to reach over 21 points in a game all season. He also caught an interception, broke up three passes and forced a fumble on the season. He won the Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Week for his performance against Indiana
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, making 13 tackles and playing a key role in Penn State's goal-line stand to ensure the win.
In 2005 Posluszny became the first junior captain for Penn State since Mike Reid and Steve Smear
Steve Smear
Steve Smear is a former defensive end and linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was a CFL All-Star in 1970 and was a part of two Grey Cup victories for the Alouettes....
in 1968. Posting 116 tackles on the season, including 14 for loss and 4 sacks, including a 22 tackle game against Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
http://www.gopsusports.com/docs/football06/stats/plyr0058.htm. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Week a record-breaking three consecutive times. He then joined LaVar Arrington
LaVar Arrington
LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...
as the second Penn State player to win both the Chuck Bednarik
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
and Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football...
Awards as the College Defensive Player and Linebacker of the Year respectively, and was named as a member of the 2005 All-American Team
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 usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
. He helped lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to a win in the 2006 Orange Bowl against Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
but left the game in the 4th quarter after partially tearing two ligaments in his knee; the injury did not require surgery http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls05/news/story?id=2282895. He subsequently announced that he planned to return to Penn State for his senior year of college, rather than declare himself eligible for the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
, a decision which, a year later, was considered "a boon," with Posluszny completing the 2006 season with 116 tackles and a school-high career total 372 tackles.
In 2006, he continued captaincy, along with Levi Brown. Jack Ham, former All-American Linebacker at Penn State, said that Posluszny was the greatest linebacker to ever play at Penn State. On November 4, 2006, he broke Greg Buttle
Greg Buttle
Gregory Ellis Buttle is a retired American football linebacker for the New York Jets. He played college football at Penn State University. He was named a Consensus All-American in 1975. In 2005, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.-High school:Buttle grew up in Linwood, New...
's school record for tackles. Posluszny had 372 career tackles, with 116 of them coming during that season, including 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. (The Penn State tackle record was surpassed shortly after by fellow LB, Dan Connor.) Posluszny won the 2006 Chuck Bednarik Award
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
to become only the second person (after Pat Fitzgerald
Pat Fitzgerald
-External links:*...
) to win the award two times. Posluszny was also named a member of the 2006 All-American Team
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 usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
, the first Penn State linebacker to be a two-time AP All-American.
Posluszny graduated a semester early in December 2006 with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in finance and a 3.57 GPA. He is a two-time ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
Academic All-American and was named 2006 Academic All-American of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Draddy Trophy
Draddy Trophy
The William V. Campbell trophy, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is a trophy awarded by the National Football Foundation that is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance...
, which is presented to the nations' top student-athlete.
Buffalo Bills
Predicted by many to be selected in the mid-1st round, Posluszny was not drafted until the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft2007 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...
by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, after they swapped picks with 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...
to move up to grab Posluszny with the 34th pick overall. Despite wearing the same uniform number as idol Shane Conlan
Shane Conlan
Shane Patrick Conlan is a former professional American football player. He played college football at Penn State University, where he won two national championships...
at Penn State, Posluszny has demonstrated a desire to forge his own legacy by not choosing the number 58 Conlan wore with the Bills, but instead choosing number 51.
Posluszny was named the starting middle linebacker for the start of the 2007 season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
by Bills coach Dick Jauron
Dick Jauron
Richard Manuel Jauron is the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was the head coach for the Buffalo Bills from 2006 until November 2009. Jauron has previously held head coaching positions with the Chicago Bears and, on an interim basis, with the...
. This decision paid immediate dividends, as Posluszny had an immediate impact in his debut, registering 10 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, 9 solo, in Buffalo's Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Posluszny suffered a broken left forearm in week 3 against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He was put on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
, ending his rookie season. At the time of his injury, he was third in the league with 26 tackles, which was tied for the most tackles among rookies with Patrick Willis
Patrick Willis
Patrick L. Willis is an American football player who plays inside linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers 11th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft...
.
He returned in 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
to register 129 total tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. He was named the Bills defensive MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
Posluszny was selected as a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
prior to the 2009 season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
. Posluszny broke his arm again during the first quarter of the Bills week 1 game against the Patriots on Monday Night Football. He returned to action week 6 against the New York Jets, registering 9 tackles, one pass deflection, and an interception. Posluszny created 6 turnovers in 11 games after returning from injury, which placed him tied for first among middle linebackers for turnovers.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Posluszny signed a six-year contract worth $42 million with $15 million guaranteed with the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on July 29, 2011.
External links
- "Paul Posluszny: PSU's best ever?", York Daily RecordYork Daily RecordThe York Daily Record/York Sunday News is a morning newspaper that serves York, Pennsylvania.The paper, printed in a broadsheet format, is published seven days a week...
, December 27, 2006 - Posluszny is far beyond his years, BuffaloFootballReport.com, October 2, 2008
- Posluszny finding some celebrity status in Buffalo, Centre Daily TimesCentre Daily TimesThe Centre Daily Times is a daily newspaper located in State College, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the hometown newspaper for the Pennsylvania State University, one of the most well-known and largest universities in the country with more than 40,000 students attending the main...
July 1, 2009