Saturday, January 17, 2009

Jimmy Leonhard and friends

Last week when Will picked me up at LaGuardia, we weren't a minute into our conversation when he said something along the lines of "How about Jimmy Leonhard?"

How about him indeed? Here's a guy who I figured would be lucky to get an NFL tryout as a punt returner and maybe a dime back. But here he is starting for the best defense in the league alongside guys like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, more than holding his own. One step from the Super Bowl.

It's not like he's just out there filling a spot, he's making big plays. Against Tennessee, he had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and he returned a punt 29 yards. Jimmy's also wearing the radio and calling the plays for the Ravens' D, quite a testament to his leadership ability.

Raise your hands: who thought Jim Leonhard would be this good this far into his pro career? Be honest ...

Nick Greisen and Matt Katula are Leonhard's teammates for Baltimore. Wouldn't it be great if a team with three Badgers made the Super Bowl? Probably not going to happen, but who knows.

3 comments:

Corby said...

Tappa, who would you say are the most successful Badgers currently in the NFL? I don't claim to know them all, but my top 3 would be 1. Joe Thomas, 2. Chris Chambers, and 3. Jim Leonhard. 4. Owen Daniels. Thoughts?

Coach Scott Tappa said...

Good question Corby. Here's my ranking:

1. Joe Thomas
2. Jim Leonhard
3. Owen Daniels - did you realize he had the third-most receiving yards of any tight end this year?
4. Lee Evans
5. Chris Chambers
6. Mark Tauscher
7. Casey Rabach
8. Aaron Stecker
9. Jim Sorgi
10. Alex Lewis
11. Nick Hayden

Good link here: http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/fb/stat_poll/nfl_334.html

Corby said...

Wow, how could I forget about Evans. In retrospect I would put him at #2 on my list ahead of Chambers for sure, who I agree with your list, I put too high. Jim Sorgi has it made doesn't he? What a life and he can hang on long enough, digest a ton of football knowledge, and use that for a coaching career down the road, much like Jason Garrett who sat behind Aikman all those years.

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