Sunday, April 26, 2009
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Michael Norris/The Amarillo Globe News
Evander Hood becomes emotional after being selected by the Steelers. Hood was at a draft party in Amarillo, Texas, when called by the defending Super Bowl champions.
Josh Young has known Evander "Ziggy" Hood for a long time, since the two were in middle school in Amarillo, Texas. They played on the same side of the ball at Palo Duro High School and remained friends when Hood went to Missouri and he went to West Texas A&M as an outside linebacker.
Young said he doesn't know a lot about the Steelers, but he said he has seen enough to know they play hard and play together. And he can't think of a better fit for their team -- and their locker room -- than his best friend.
"People are just kind of drawn to him because of his presence," Young said. "You will want to be his friend. When you get around someone who works as hard as he does, you want to work that hard, too.
"He works as hard as he possibly can every play. He woke up this morning and ran before the draft because he never takes a day off. He'll give everything he has."
That is one of the overriding reasons the Steelers selected Hood, a defensive tackle who will play defensive end in their 3-4 defense, with the 32nd overall pick in the NFL draft.
He has a dominating presence on the field, testament to the double-team attention he received at Missouri, where he registered 10 sacks, 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 16 quarterback pressures the past two seasons. But he has equally daunting presence off the field, a player who has a positive effect on his teammates and an almost instant camaraderie with nearly everyone he meets.
"I tell people, "You're a better football team when he's walking around your locker room,' " Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said.
"That was evident the first time we met him," said Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "He was somebody we felt good about from the first time we scouted him and talked to him at the combine. This is a high quality player and person."
"He's a Steeler-type of player," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "There are no holes in this guy."
Precisely why Young said he has been his friend for so long.
"He's a great guy," said Young, who is scheduled to graduate from West Texas A&M in August. "He's always there for you. I knew if I would call him, if I had any trouble, he'd be there for me. That's why we're still friends."
Hood's stock began to rise after the scouting combine in February, where his workout was solid, but not spectacular. Not satisfied with his performance, Hood went back to the weight room, improved his strength and developed more quickness.
The extra work is the reason his stock began to rise. At Missouri's two pro days, he bettered his performance in nearly every category from the combine -- running a 4.83 in the 40-yard dash and ranked first among the draft's defensive tackles in 10-yard burst (1.62 seconds), 20-yard burst (2.81 seconds) and shuttle run (4.55 seconds).
"I think when they actually got to talk with him and see what he's like personality-wise, they found out this guy is pretty special," Pinkel said. "I think [they decided], 'Hey, we've got to rethink this guy a little bit.' "
And the Steelers did, none of which surprised Sara Nengesha, Hood's girlfriend for nearly four years.
"You will not believe his work ethic," said Nengesha, 22, who lived in the same campus dormitory as Hood and met him on a blind date when the two were freshmen at Missouri. "And the time spent is not only making himself better, but everyone else better. That's just the way he is in everyday life. He is someone you can always, always count on. If he makes a promise and says he's going to do it, you better believe it's going to get done."
Nengesha said she was reluctant to date Hood because he was an athlete and "all the things you hear about athletes." Nearly four years later, she refers to him as "the man of my dreams," a declaration that draws a warm-heated chuckle from Hood.
"He's not your typical athlete and he's not your normal everyday guy," Nengesha said. "Football is something he does. It's not who he is."
Tomlin said much the same thing after he was hired as Steelers coach, saying of himself, "Football is what I do; it's not who I am."
Told about Tomlin's belief, Nengesha said, "Football is a huge part of our lives. But it doesn't take over our lives."
Hood seems like a natural fit for the Steelers. He certainly will be given every opportunity to do so on the field, where he is the first defensive lineman to be selected in the first round since Casey Hampton in 2001.
"I think he's a perfect fit," Young said. "He's not going to get there and cause any trouble. I can't think of anyone who would fit in any better."
No comments:
Post a Comment