The Quiet Leader – Paul Posluszny Leads The Jaguars' Defense
By Danny Cox
Name: Paul Posluszny – LB – #51
Height: 6'2″
Weight: 242 lbs.
Age: 28
Hometown:Butler, PA
College:Penn State
Experience: 7 years
In the NFL, there are the lives of players which they portray to the media. There are players who will create every attempt to produce hype and excitement for upcoming rivalry games. There are players who cross the fine line between celebrations and spiteful taunting.
Then there are the players who won't say a negative comment to reporters, won't let his antics on the field get the best of him, and won't even think about creating the spotlight for themselves.
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Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny is one of those peaceful players. However, his talent is anything but peaceful.
During his high school playing days in the town of Butler, Pennsylvania. Posluszny played not only linebacker, but was also a star at halfback. As if he wasn't as forceful and strong as a defender, imagine trying to tackle him as a running back. In his senior year, he was a huge part of a team that had an 8-1 record and went straight to the state championship.
From there, Posluszny wanted to learn from one of the best, and that was why he attended Penn State University to play for coach Joe Paterno. In that system though, Posluszny would have to work even harder and earn his spot, and that's just what he did.
His freshman season in 2003 didn't start off quite the way that any player would want it to start. Posluszny didn't even get a single bit of playing time until the fifth game of the season. Once he started playing though, he showed what he could bring to the home town team and earned his first career start in the final game of the season.
As a freshman, Posluszny ended up with 36 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown. This was just the beginning of a prolific career.
Posluszny immediately made an impact in his sophomore season as he started the opening game and never lost his spot on the depth chart. He led the Nittany Lions with 104 tackles––12 of those tackles for loss of yards, and three sacks. He was part of a great Penn State defense that didn't allow one opponent to score over 21 points throughout the whole season.
He became the first junior captain for Penn State since 1968 and continued his dominance throughout his senior season. After his final year wearing the Penn State uniform, Posluszny ended up as the first ever Penn State linebacker to be named a two-time AP All American, and it showed to everyone that he was ready for the next level.
The Buffalo Bills selected Paul Posluszny in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft with the 34th overall pick. Let it be known that the Bills got an absolute steal and were blessed that he fell that far.
He started from the get-go and stepped right in as the middle linebacker and defensive leader for the Bills. In his NFL debut, Posluszny racked up 10 tackles, nine of which were solo. Sadly, his rookie season ended after week three due to a broken forearm landing him on injured reserve.
In 2008, Posluszny returned with a vengeance and registered 129 total tackles, a forced fumble, and one interception. This led to him being voted team captain before the 2009 season, but it brought bad luck. Posluszny broke his arm again, but was only on the shelf for five weeks.
After the 2010 season, the Bills weren't able to re-sign their defensive leader, and Posluszny signed a six-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, he has stayed incredibly quiet and just done his job week in and week out. But it isn't just that he does his own job, Posluszny makes sure that every other defensive player does their job, too.
He kept his mouth shut while growing up and has simply wanted to excel at football since he was younger. That's exactly what he has done. Fans won't find him trash talking rivals or opposing players. They won't even find him bad mouthing referees! In a league that seems to be filled with players who create distractions and drama, you can be sure that whichever team Paul Posluszny is on won't have that issue.
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Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
