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By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 23, 2006
Green Bay - Whether it's in practice, in games or the race to the chow line, Green Bay Packers players know to stay out of the way of the human high-speed train known as Brady Poppinga.
The second-year linebacker is so wired he'd make an electrician nervous.
"I'll bet he sleeps with his eyes open," linebackers coach Winston Moss said.
On Wednesday, Poppinga continued to work with the second team behind veteran free agent Ben Taylor, but behind the scenes everyone knows the station Poppinga is headed for is starting strong-side linebacker, and arrival is expected on Sept. 10 when the Packers take on the Chicago Bears.
"That's a question you might want to ask (the coaches)," Poppinga said of where he'll be come the opener. "I don't know who makes the decision. We'll find out. Who knows? I just know that I'm competing every day. All that stuff will work itself out."
It seems a foregone conclusion that if Poppinga's surgically repaired left knee holds up Monday night against Cincinnati and he shows himself to be assignment-sure, he'll be moved ahead of Taylor soon. The 6-2, 238-pound Taylor has had a solid training camp and understands the defense, but he carries far less explosiveness and potential than the 6-3, 245-pound Poppinga.
Last year, Poppinga, a fourth-round pick, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his first start as a professional. After mid-season he had been used as a pass-rush specialist and notched two sacks in limited action before earning a start against Detroit.
Poppinga was raw and not completely comfortable and made mistakes when he played in the base defense. But he played with such fury that the coaches knew they had something well before his season ended on a fourth-quarter kickoff return.
"He's big, he's quick, he's fast and he makes an impact at the point of attack," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He is a very aggressive player. That's what you love about him."
Now almost eight months removed from the surgery, Poppinga is set to return to live action and turn the aggression he has displayed in practice with both the second team and the scout team upon the Bengals. Poppinga wanted to be on the field much sooner, but the medical staff took it slow with him and didn't even let him take part in team drills until Aug. 7.
He is scheduled for 20 to 30 plays on Monday night and probably will spend a good part of that shaking off the rust. His biggest hurdle, he thinks, isn't getting back in the groove physically but rather keeping his emotions in check.
"That's my challenge," Poppinga said. "That's why before every game I try to relax. That's the hardest thing for me. A lot of people, it's hard to get hyped. For me it's hard to get down."
As a result of having spells where "your mind is mush" and "you're seeing things in a blurred fashion," Poppinga has taken to meditation to calm himself down. He said the Mormon religion promotes the use of meditation as a spiritual tool and he has found it to be the right medicine.
"I realize it's a weakness of mine and it's something that when I do handle it correctly I perform well," Poppinga said of being hyperactive. "It's not that I have big issues with it. I don't have anxiety attacks or anything like that. It's just going out (and making sure) that I'm in the right place and not wasting energy.
"I'm a religious guy and my religion talks a lot about meditation. I try to do it every day, when I'm in my car or whenever I'm by myself. I talk to myself and think about things in my life. I try to relax and try to visualize things I'd like to happen."
Poppinga was a defensive end for three years at Brigham Young University before being moved to linebacker and entered the NFL late because he spent two years on a Mormon mission in Uruguay. Set to turn 27 in September, he is not your average second-year player and doesn't intend to take much time getting himself re-established on defense.
He said last year he didn't have a feel for the scheme and it caused him to think too much rather than react and use his natural instincts. A year later, his comfort level is much better and he feels he can turn it loose without worry.
"I was doing stuff robotically," he said. "It wasn't instinctive, it wasn't as if I knew why I was doing it. I don't think I took myself out of plays, but now I can just play, where last year I was thinking all the time. It limits you to playing to your full capacity."
Though Poppinga sometimes appears to be a runaway train, the coaches don't want to harness any of his energy.
"I'll never say slow down on defense," Sanders said. "We have to heat up, we have to speed up, we have to get tempo, we have to get physical, we have to get to the ball. The only way to do that is quick and fast and hard with aggression."
It would seem Poppinga is the right man for that job.
Man I love the depth we have at line backer. Knock on wood
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 23, 2006
Green Bay - Whether it's in practice, in games or the race to the chow line, Green Bay Packers players know to stay out of the way of the human high-speed train known as Brady Poppinga.
The second-year linebacker is so wired he'd make an electrician nervous.
"I'll bet he sleeps with his eyes open," linebackers coach Winston Moss said.
On Wednesday, Poppinga continued to work with the second team behind veteran free agent Ben Taylor, but behind the scenes everyone knows the station Poppinga is headed for is starting strong-side linebacker, and arrival is expected on Sept. 10 when the Packers take on the Chicago Bears.
"That's a question you might want to ask (the coaches)," Poppinga said of where he'll be come the opener. "I don't know who makes the decision. We'll find out. Who knows? I just know that I'm competing every day. All that stuff will work itself out."
It seems a foregone conclusion that if Poppinga's surgically repaired left knee holds up Monday night against Cincinnati and he shows himself to be assignment-sure, he'll be moved ahead of Taylor soon. The 6-2, 238-pound Taylor has had a solid training camp and understands the defense, but he carries far less explosiveness and potential than the 6-3, 245-pound Poppinga.
Last year, Poppinga, a fourth-round pick, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his first start as a professional. After mid-season he had been used as a pass-rush specialist and notched two sacks in limited action before earning a start against Detroit.
Poppinga was raw and not completely comfortable and made mistakes when he played in the base defense. But he played with such fury that the coaches knew they had something well before his season ended on a fourth-quarter kickoff return.
"He's big, he's quick, he's fast and he makes an impact at the point of attack," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He is a very aggressive player. That's what you love about him."
Now almost eight months removed from the surgery, Poppinga is set to return to live action and turn the aggression he has displayed in practice with both the second team and the scout team upon the Bengals. Poppinga wanted to be on the field much sooner, but the medical staff took it slow with him and didn't even let him take part in team drills until Aug. 7.
He is scheduled for 20 to 30 plays on Monday night and probably will spend a good part of that shaking off the rust. His biggest hurdle, he thinks, isn't getting back in the groove physically but rather keeping his emotions in check.
"That's my challenge," Poppinga said. "That's why before every game I try to relax. That's the hardest thing for me. A lot of people, it's hard to get hyped. For me it's hard to get down."
As a result of having spells where "your mind is mush" and "you're seeing things in a blurred fashion," Poppinga has taken to meditation to calm himself down. He said the Mormon religion promotes the use of meditation as a spiritual tool and he has found it to be the right medicine.
"I realize it's a weakness of mine and it's something that when I do handle it correctly I perform well," Poppinga said of being hyperactive. "It's not that I have big issues with it. I don't have anxiety attacks or anything like that. It's just going out (and making sure) that I'm in the right place and not wasting energy.
"I'm a religious guy and my religion talks a lot about meditation. I try to do it every day, when I'm in my car or whenever I'm by myself. I talk to myself and think about things in my life. I try to relax and try to visualize things I'd like to happen."
Poppinga was a defensive end for three years at Brigham Young University before being moved to linebacker and entered the NFL late because he spent two years on a Mormon mission in Uruguay. Set to turn 27 in September, he is not your average second-year player and doesn't intend to take much time getting himself re-established on defense.
He said last year he didn't have a feel for the scheme and it caused him to think too much rather than react and use his natural instincts. A year later, his comfort level is much better and he feels he can turn it loose without worry.
"I was doing stuff robotically," he said. "It wasn't instinctive, it wasn't as if I knew why I was doing it. I don't think I took myself out of plays, but now I can just play, where last year I was thinking all the time. It limits you to playing to your full capacity."
Though Poppinga sometimes appears to be a runaway train, the coaches don't want to harness any of his energy.
"I'll never say slow down on defense," Sanders said. "We have to heat up, we have to speed up, we have to get tempo, we have to get physical, we have to get to the ball. The only way to do that is quick and fast and hard with aggression."
It would seem Poppinga is the right man for that job.
Man I love the depth we have at line backer. Knock on wood
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