When he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft, Tyjuan Hagler
was placed on the depth chart at the middle linebacker position. But a sports
hernia derailed his rookie season, so he learned the position in meetings, by
watching film and by talking with Gary Brackett and Rob Morris. Last year,
Hagler became an active presence on the Colts special teams while learning the
weakside linebacker role behind Cato June.
He put a memorable stamp on a strong first-year performance with a huge hit in
the open field against dangerous returns specialist Dante Hall during
Indianapolis' playoff game against Kansas City, and then with a fumble recovery
during the Super Bowl that helped the Colts win their first Lombardi Trophy in
36 years. |
| Hagler mauls the Chiefs' Dante Hall (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) |
"When I recovered the fumble, you know, that was a big thing for
me," he said during a recent Scout Radio interview. "It was something
that made me very happy that I got a chance to help my team out."
With Cato June leaving Indianapolis and heading to Tampa Bay during the
offseason through free agency, a huge question loomed for the Colts in terms of
who would step in for the former Pro Bowler--in more ways than one.
"He was basically the mouth of the team," Hagler said. "He was
always a loud person, always getting you excited, getting you ready to go."
The 6-foot tall, 236-pound linebacker out of the University of Cincinnati may
not have that same boisterous leadership style, but he has definitely set some
serious goals for himself this season.
"I really want to start ... I really want to maximize my potential,"
he said. "And I don't feel like I've done that yet, so I'm definitely
excited and ready to go."
Scout.com subscribers can find out where Tyjuan's going to be competing for a
starter's role amongst the Colts linebackers this year. And they can listen in
as he talks about his Super Bowl experience, his aspirations for 2007, his
thoughts on the Colts losing three starters on defense and much more. Just click
the link below to listen to a 5-minute Scout Radio feature to get the inside
scoop directly from Tyjuan Hagler:
Listen to Audio
| A member of the Professional Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's NFL and college football player interviews and features have been published across the Scout.com network and syndicated through FoxSports.com's NFL team pages. |
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