Penn State Football: Paul Posluszny’s legacy should be greater
Paul Posluszny became the consumate pro in the NFL. A true member of Penn State football’s linebacker U did his job the right way day in and day out.
Some of the NFL’s best starters never get the credit they deserve. Recently retired Jacksonville Jaguar and former Buffalo Bill Paul Posluszny represents a solid starter without a lot of accolades. The Penn State football linebacker earned just one pro bowl in his 11-year career. He started 140 of 145 career games and recorded 100-plus tackles in eight of those 11 years.
Posluszny produced at a consistent rate. He only fell under the 100-tackle mark in his rookie year where he suffered a season-ending injury and 2014 when he suffered a torn pectoral. In all, he compiled 1,214 tackles 16 sacks and 15 interceptions. Those career numbers should’ve drawn more attention. However, he played in two places that didn’t succeed as a team until his final year in 2017.
As a former second round pick, he overplayed his career. Most players have heavy expectations getting drafted that early, and he more than played to that level.
The majority of those years he toiled with losing teams and smaller markets, so he didn’t get a chance to get into the limelight to often. With that said, he earned the respect of the league becoming an every down player that any franchise would gladly have.
He didn’t overwhelm teams with speed (4.71 40-yard dash) or size, 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, but he could thump when he got to the ballcarrier. Here and there, he could also rush the passer. A lot of the production skills he picked up came from his time with the Nittany Lions. As the previous all-time leading tackler,
During his college career, he created a brilliant legacy helping the Nittany Lions win the Orange Bowl in 2005 and to nine wins in 2006. Although that seems just a short while ago, it’s been some time since Posluszny and fellow linebackers like Tamba Hali have been in school.
One of Penn State football’s best teams is now starting to retire or head toward retirement. Hali was released earlier this month and Posluszny just finished up his career. Linebacker U has a lot of members and Posluszny is just the most recent name to come up.