Red Bryant
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Red" Anthony Bryant (born April 18, 1984 in Jasper, Texas
) is an American football
defensive end
for the Seattle Seahawks
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
and is probably the best player on the entire team, blocking 2 kicks on Sunday, November 27th in a Herculean effort. He played college football
at Texas A&M
.
in Jasper, Texas, where he played both basketball
and football
. As a sophomore, he was named the District Defensive
Player of the Year as well as the Southeast Texas
Defensive Player of the Year by The Beaumont Enterprise. As a junior, he made 94 tackles
and forced 10 sacks
. In his senior year, he earned District and Golden Triangle
Defensive MVP honors. He was also selected to the first-team Division 3A All-state team by the Texas Sports Writers Association, and was a finalist for the Willie Ray Smith Award, which is presented to the top offensive and defensive players in Southeast Texas. When it came to college recruiting, Rivals.com
gave him a 3-star rating and ranked him No. 83 out of all the Texas players in his 2003 recruiting class. He was recruited for college play by Texas A&M
, Arkansas
, Colorado
, Nebraska, Notre Dame
, Oklahoma
, and Texas. He chose to sign with Texas A&M to play for head coach
Dennis Franchione
.
, he was named a team captain
. In his freshman season, he became a defensive tackle and started in all games. He earned All-American and All-Big 12
honors from The Gridiron Report after making 34 tackles (3.5 of which led to a loss of nine yards), two deflected passes, and a blocked kick. In 33 defensive plays against the option
, he was able to hold the opposing team down to 1.85 yards per carry.
In his sophomore season, he started in 10 games, but saw action in all 11. He produced 28 tackles, 7.5 of which led to a loss of yardage, forced two fumbles and three sacks. In 31 plays against the option, he held opposing teams to a minus-27 yards, or minus-0.87-yard average. The Texas A&M defense, however, finished the 2004 season ranked 107th out of 119 Division I teams, after allowing 443.82 offensive yards per game.
In his junior season, he was voted a permanent team captain. He started in 8 games and played in nine before agreeing to end his season by having surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament
that he tore. He produced a total of 19 tackles, 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, and 5 pass blocks. When he was benched in the final five games of the season, the Aggie defense gave up 229.2 rushing yards. However, at the end of the season, the defense improved to a national ranking of 46, after allowing 322.62 offensive yards per game.
In his senior season, Bryant recorded 41 tackles, 1 sack that led to a safety, 1 field goal
block that led to a touchdown drive, and six stops for losses of 19 yards. In the team's first ten games, he allowed only 43 rushing yards on 42 plays directed at him. The Aggie defense had allowed 160.9 yards per game overall. Along with 8 other Aggie players, Bryant received an all-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
After completing his senior season play, Bryant participated in the 2008 Senior Bowl
, playing for the South team. At one of the practices prior to the game, he got into a fight with teammate Chris Williams
, causing the coaches to break it up. In the game, he recovered one fumble made by quarterback John David Booty
. The South team won the game 17–16.
. His dash time was the second best of all the defensive tackles who participated.
. Tim Ruskell
, the president of the Seahawks, commented: "We're real happy to get Red Bryant. He fills a need for us. This is a big man that can stuff the middle. Coach (Mike) Holmgren
has always looked for that guy, and I think we found him with Red." On July 18, he agreed to a contract with the team.
In late July 2008, Bryant injured cartilage in his left knee during one the Seahawks' training camp practices. He underwent surgery and was able to play in Week 1.
He sprained his ankle in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 2, 2008.
In his rookie season, he recorded 8 total tackles, and was inactive for 12 games. In the 2009 season, he compiled 8 more tackles and was inactive for 10 games. During the 2010 offseason, he was moved to defensive end by head coach Pete Carroll
.
In 2010 Red Bryant was injured during a week 8 contest against the Oakland Raiders in the 1st half of the game. After the game Red Bryant was place in Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season.
In the 2011 season, he blocked four kicks, breaking the franchise single-season record.
in agricultural leadership and development. He believes that this was his greatest and most fulfilling achievement. He is also the first college graduate in his immediate family. He also overcame dyslexia
.
On February 29, 2009, Bryant married Jannelle Green, who is the daughter of former Texas A&M and Seattle Seahawks player Jacob Green
. Janelle played for the Texas A&M soccer team from 2002–05.
According to Bryant, he got the nickname "Red" because "his mom said that (he) was a red baby."
Jasper, Texas
Jasper is the county seat of Jasper County, Texas, in the United States. The population was 8,247 at the 2000 census. Jasper is situated in the Deep East Texas subregion, about northeast of Houston. The city is best known for the 1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr., an event which gained national...
) is an American football
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...
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...
for 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...
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 Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
and is probably the best player on the entire team, blocking 2 kicks on Sunday, November 27th in a Herculean effort. 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 Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
.
Early years
Bryant attended Jasper High SchoolJasper High School (Jasper, Texas)
Jasper High School is a high school located in Jasper, Texas. The school is part of the Jasper Independent School District. It serves grades 9-12 and the principal is Victor Williams. The assistant principal is Brenda Payne.-Mission:"Jasper I. S. D...
in Jasper, Texas, where he played both basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. As a sophomore, he was named the District Defensive
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
Player of the Year as well as the Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
Defensive Player of the Year by The Beaumont Enterprise. As a junior, he made 94 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....
and forced 10 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...
. In his senior year, he earned District and Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle (Texas)
The Golden Triangle is an area of Southeast Texas between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike in Beaumont in 1901...
Defensive MVP honors. He was also selected to the first-team Division 3A All-state team by the Texas Sports Writers Association, and was a finalist for the Willie Ray Smith Award, which is presented to the top offensive and defensive players in Southeast Texas. When it came to college recruiting, 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...
gave him a 3-star rating and ranked him No. 83 out of all the Texas players in his 2003 recruiting class. He was recruited for college play by Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Nebraska, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and Texas. He chose to sign with Texas A&M to play for head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
.
College career
In his first 2003 season at Texas A&M, though Bryant was redshirtedRedshirt (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...
, he was named 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...
. In his freshman season, he became a defensive tackle and started in all games. He earned All-American and All-Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
honors from The Gridiron Report after making 34 tackles (3.5 of which led to a loss of nine yards), two deflected passes, and a blocked kick. In 33 defensive plays against the option
Option offense
The option offense is a generic term that is used to describe a wide variety of offensive systems in American football. Option offenses are characterized as such due to the predominance of option running plays employed in these schemes. Option offenses have traditionally relied heavily upon running...
, he was able to hold the opposing team down to 1.85 yards per carry.
In his sophomore season, he started in 10 games, but saw action in all 11. He produced 28 tackles, 7.5 of which led to a loss of yardage, forced two fumbles and three sacks. In 31 plays against the option, he held opposing teams to a minus-27 yards, or minus-0.87-yard average. The Texas A&M defense, however, finished the 2004 season ranked 107th out of 119 Division I teams, after allowing 443.82 offensive yards per game.
In his junior season, he was voted a permanent team captain. He started in 8 games and played in nine before agreeing to end his season by having surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament
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...
that he tore. He produced a total of 19 tackles, 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, and 5 pass blocks. When he was benched in the final five games of the season, the Aggie defense gave up 229.2 rushing yards. However, at the end of the season, the defense improved to a national ranking of 46, after allowing 322.62 offensive yards per game.
In his senior season, Bryant recorded 41 tackles, 1 sack that led to a safety, 1 field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
block that led to a touchdown drive, and six stops for losses of 19 yards. In the team's first ten games, he allowed only 43 rushing yards on 42 plays directed at him. The Aggie defense had allowed 160.9 yards per game overall. Along with 8 other Aggie players, Bryant received an all-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
After completing his senior season play, Bryant participated in the 2008 Senior Bowl
2008 Senior Bowl
The 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl was a college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2007 college football season and prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft. It was played on January 26, 2008 at 3 p.m. EST at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama...
, playing for the South team. At one of the practices prior to the game, he got into a fight with teammate Chris Williams
Chris Williams (American football)
Christopher Joseph Williams is an American football offensive guard for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bears 14th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
, causing the coaches to break it up. In the game, he recovered one fumble made by quarterback John David Booty
John David Booty
John David Booty is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He last played for the Houston Texans until being cut on September 4, 2010. He played college football at USC.Booty has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans...
. The South team won the game 17–16.
Pre-draft
At the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine, Bryant weighed 318 pounds. He lifted 225 pounds 20 times, and ran 4.98 seconds in the 40 yard dash40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...
. His dash time was the second best of all the defensive tackles who participated.
Seattle Seahawks
He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. Tim Ruskell
Tim Ruskell
Tim Ruskell is a current assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League.Ruskell was born in Sagamiono, Japan where his father was stationed in the United States Army but spent his high school and college years in the Tampa Bay, Florida area and graduated with a...
, the president of the Seahawks, commented: "We're real happy to get Red Bryant. He fills a need for us. This is a big man that can stuff the middle. Coach (Mike) Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
has always looked for that guy, and I think we found him with Red." On July 18, he agreed to a contract with the team.
In late July 2008, Bryant injured cartilage in his left knee during one the Seahawks' training camp practices. He underwent surgery and was able to play in Week 1.
He sprained his ankle in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 2, 2008.
In his rookie season, he recorded 8 total tackles, and was inactive for 12 games. In the 2009 season, he compiled 8 more tackles and was inactive for 10 games. During the 2010 offseason, he was moved to defensive end by head coach Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
.
In 2010 Red Bryant was injured during a week 8 contest against the Oakland Raiders in the 1st half of the game. After the game Red Bryant was place in Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season.
In the 2011 season, he blocked four kicks, breaking the franchise single-season record.
Personal
In December 2007, Bryant graduated from Texas A&M, receiving a degreeAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in agricultural leadership and development. He believes that this was his greatest and most fulfilling achievement. He is also the first college graduate in his immediate family. He also overcame dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
.
On February 29, 2009, Bryant married Jannelle Green, who is the daughter of former Texas A&M and Seattle Seahawks player Jacob Green
Jacob Green
Jacob Carl Green is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for Texas A&M....
. Janelle played for the Texas A&M soccer team from 2002–05.
According to Bryant, he got the nickname "Red" because "his mom said that (he) was a red baby."