Athletes - Brady Poppinga

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	Athletes - Brady Poppinga

Brady Paul Poppinga (born September 21, 1979 in Evanston, Wyoming) is a professional American football player for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.

High school

Poppinga attended Evanston High School in Evanston, Wyoming. He lettered three years in football and basketball and four years in track, and was an all-state selection at both linebacker and tight end. He was named both 4-A lineman and Wyoming Athlete of the Year as a senior while leading the team to a 9-1 record and a 4-A state title.

Poppinga also finished second in a 1997 high school discus competition.

College career

After graduating from high school, Poppinga took a two-year hiatus from school to join a Mormon mission in Uruguay, South America.

Upon his return, he attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Poppinga quickly earned a special place on the Cougar roster. He played in all 12 games of the 2001 season at defensive end, recording 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and one pass defensed on the season. Poppinga also made a significant contribution on special teams.

Poppinga's performance as a freshman gave him even more playing time in the 2000 season, including two starts and playing time in all 12 contests. He responded with a conference-leading eight sacks, and was named to the first-team All-MWC and as an MWC All-Academic selection. Poppinga also forced three fumbles and had three quarterback pressures on the season. He was also given an award for the top defensive lineman on the BYU Cougars.

Poppinga started all 12 contests at defensive end in the 2003 season. He led the team and finished seventh in the conference in sacks with six, and was among the top players in the conference in tackles with 55 (34 solo) and once again earned All-MWC honors. One of his most notable games of the season was a September 6 contest against the Trojans of USC, in which he earned co-defensive player of the game honors for a six tackle performance that included five solo tackles and a sack of star USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

In 2004 Poppinga started every game of his senior season, shifting near the end of the season from defensive end to outside linebacker. He finished third on the team in tackles with 79 (35 solo), also accumulating six sacks and one forced fumble, and for the third time in his career was selected for first-team All-MWC honors. Poppinga was also a candidate among 58 others for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the nation's top defensive player. He was named defensive player of the game for a September 4 contest against Notre Dame in which he posted 12 tackles (seven solo), a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Professional career

Poppinga entered the National Football League on April 24, 2005, when he was selected in the fifth round (125th overall selection) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers were excited about Poppinga's speed and skills as a pass rushing linebacker. However, Poppinga suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, forcing him to miss three preseason games. Because of the injury, he was unable to compete for a starting position at outside linebacker for the 2005 NFL season, and took a backup role, occasionally playing as part of a deep linebacker corps also featuring Na'il Diggs, Roy Manning, Robert Thomas and Paris Lenon.

Poppinga contributed most significantly to the 2005 season with his high-energy play as a coverage man on special teams plays, posting a team-high 22 special teams tackles through the Packers' first 13 contests. Though Poppinga never started at linebacker in 2005, he saw more and more playing time through the season due both to injuries suffered by the starting players and because of his ability as a pass-rusher. This special pass-rushing role played to Poppinga's strengths and allowed him to post two sacks during the 2005 season. His best single-game performance was an October 23 contest against Minnesota, in which he accumulated five tackles (3 solo) and one sack of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Green Bay's coaching staff was impressed by Poppinga's high motor and relentlessness on every play. He displayed both in one of the few Packer victories of the season, a 33-25 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. Though the play resulted in an Atlanta touchdown, Poppinga displayed his range and quickness by nearly running down superstar quarterback Michael Vick on a one-yard scramble into the end-zone. Poppinga's pursuit forced Vick to stretch the play all the way to the right sideline, and only Vick's unmatched athleticism allowed him to dive past Poppinga and over the end zone pylon. The fact that Poppinga had begun the play at the left side of the formation displayed his unrelenting attitude and sharp instincts.

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