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Old 08-07-2019, 10:27 AM
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Default Darius Leonard on NFL Game Pass

It's only a snippet of the interview but looks pretty good. I bet Leonard is a lot of fun to play with. Genuine enthusiasm for the game. Luck will also appear on the program.

Leonard on Game Pass

Article on it:

Leonard article

Quote:
Darius Leonard Breaks Down His Rookie All-Pro Tape For NFL Films
Take a look at Darius Leonard breaking down some of his own 2018 film and touching on his knack for punching the ball out, his presence in pass coverage and what he thinks of Andrew Luck.
Kevin Bowen
Aug. 07, 2019
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Zach Bolinger | Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS – We already heard from Andrew Luck in the film room this offseason.

Now, it’s time to learn from Darius Leonard

NFL Game Pass has returned with their second season of ‘Film Session’ segments with various Pro Bowlers/All-Pros from around the league.

Leonard was most recently a guest of former NFL players Ron Jaworski and Brian Baldinger.

Below is a 3-minute snippet from Leonard’s film session, which lasted around 19 minutes. To watch the full video, a subscription to NFL Game Pass is required.

Here are some of the highlights from Leonard breaking down film:

Looking Back On His All-Pro Season



Baldy and Jaws first began with congratulating Leonard on one of the greatest defensive rookie seasons the NFL has ever seen.



An NFL-best 163 tackles (12 for loss), along with 7.0 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries resulted in an All-Pro campaign for Leonard.



Not bad for a rookie from South Carolina State, who didn’t have his first NFL practice until last year’s Training Camp.



“When I sit back and think about the season, and see what I accomplished, I still don’t believe it,” Leonard said. “I think I shocked myself from where I thought I would be to where I’m at. I try to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”



Playing At Less Than 225 Pounds



To just about anyone, it’s pretty shocking when they find out the exact weight Leonard played at last season.



It’s something Baldinger wanted to hear more about.



“Playing at between 216 and 225 (pounds), it allows me to be very fast and I’ve got long arms so I’m not a (defensive) guy that’s going to come down to offensive linemen,” Leonard said. “I’m not going to give you my body. I’m going to give you my hands so I can at least maneuver around you to make a play. I know I’m not big. I’m not the strongest, so I’m not going to go blow for blow.”



With various highlights from Leonard’s 2018 season playing in the background, you couldn’t help but notice what he said to Frank Gore after pushing the future Hall of Famer out of bounds in a November win over the Dolphins.



“I ain’t no little boy,” Leonard yelled to Gore.



“The Maniac” In College



It was fun seeing some collegiate tape of Leonard flying around.



Jaws and Baldy wanted to hear about how Leonard got to South Carolina State and how “The Maniac” nickname stuck.



“It was a little slap in my face, when they came to ask me to be a preferred walk-on,” Leonard said of in-state Clemson not offering him a scholarship. “I didn’t want to that. I didn’t want to pay for school. I didn’t want to be in debt.



“South Carolina State kept their offer on the table. Right from then, I knew when I signed that paper, I was out to prove everybody wrong who overlooked me and said I couldn’t play linebacker, said I wasn’t going to be decent on the next level.”



In Leonard’s junior season, SCSU played at Clemson and the nickname was created.



“After the Clemson game, when I got 18 tackles and a blocked field goal, I got back on the campus and someone said, ‘Hey man, you play like a straight Maniac,’” Leonard said, re-telling the story.



“Once they said it, it kind of stuck.”



Leonard’s Patented Punch



My favorite segment was Leonard detailing his Tomahawk chop punches that led to some game-changing turnovers last season.



The guys watched film of Leonard forcing fumbles on Sammy Watkins (Chiefs), Quincy Enunwa (Jets), Doug Martin (Raiders) and Jordan Reed (Redskins)



“It’s something we take pride in every day, take a punch at the ball,” Leonard said. “Me, I’d rather get run over, if I can get the ball out.”



Leonard detailed how he tries to find the exposed air pocket from the ball carrier, when seeking out the turnover.



“They are taught to have the elbow close to the body when you are carrying the rock,” Leonard said of ball carriers. “Usually, when a lot of guys are falling, their elbow comes out to try and brace themselves. I watch film all the time and I see guys all the time who never tuck the ball, who run with it careless. And I want that ball. So if you notice, every single tackle I make, I go for that ball.”



The favorite forced fumble from Leonard last season?



The massive 4th quarter strip of Martin in Oakland, which had Chris Ballard texting ballhawk Charles Tillman.



“That’s my favorite one,” Leonard said. “Once I saw the stiff arm, I saw the air pocket and that’s when I went for the ball.”



“That’s a Mike Tyson type punch out there,” Baldy said of the Leonard punch on Martin. “That’s a knockout punch.”



“That’s on a lot of highlight tapes right there,” Jaws said of the play. “These are the ones coaches are clipping around the league. Not only in Indy, around the league, ‘This is how you execute.’”



Excelling In Pass Coverage



Near the end of the film session, the focus was on some of the plays Leonard made in pass coverage last season, out of the slot.



Plays where Leonard forced incompletions when guarding Zach Ertz (Eagles), DeAndre Hopkins (Texans) and Cole Beasley (Cowboys) were shown.



“It’s remarkable Darius, that you can walk out on these big slot receivers and play the ball like this,” Baldy said.



Leonard pointed to his 6-10 wingspan that helps him in this area.



The All-Pro linebacker shared some great insight into learning from a completion he allowed to DeAndre Hopkins in late September, and then forced a big incompletion in the December meeting in Houston.



“The first game in overtime, I was in the same position and he beat me inside to seal the game,” Leonard said of a slot matchup against one of the best wide receivers in the game. “I knew I didn’t want to feel that feeling again, so I knew whenever he’s in the slot and he tries to make a move, I knew he was going back inside. I missed with my stab hand, but I knew where he was going so it’s easy for me to re-direct and knock the ball down.”



Learning From Andrew Luck



The film session concluded with some great audio from Leonard being mic’d up against the Dolphins.



After Andrew Luck dodged multiple defenders to convert a huge third down pass to Chester Rogers, with two minutes to go, Leonard was going nuts on the sidelines.



“That No. 12 is something serious! That boy is different, man!” Leonard yelled.



Playing so much zone coverage last year was something Leonard grew in, thanks to some help from Luck.


“Being in a zone, they always talk about having zone eyes,” Leonard said. “With the quarterback, they bait you with their eyes. A lot of times early I was getting pulled because he was looking one way and he would throw exactly where I just left from. Having Andrew there, I could go talk to him, ‘Hey, what’s your read here?’ He’s letting me know what he’s seeing from quarterback’s perspective and that allows me to use that against other quarterbacks.”
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Old 08-07-2019, 10:49 AM
Oldcolt Oldcolt is offline
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I watched it. The thing that impressed me the most is how freaking smart this guy is. He makes plays because he sees thing before other guys and is an athletic/mental freak. Listening to him I got the impression he is only going to get better (that is extremely hard to believe but I do). If he doesn't get injured he has the chance of being the face of this team (I'm beginning to let myself believe we are developing a dominant defense)
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Old 08-10-2019, 07:35 AM
Pez Pez is offline
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Agree completely, pardon the oxymoron, but he seems to have a delightful mix of humility and arrogance. Humility to help him learn and arrogance to help him play like he does. We were 11th on defense last year. It will be disappointing if they are not top 10 this year.

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