Anyone else excited about Rashaad Coward starting?
Oct 16, 2019 8:18:04 GMT -6
AlexM, riczaj01, and 2 more like this
Post by JABF on Oct 16, 2019 8:18:04 GMT -6
I am. I think this guy could be special. He's young and a big mean dude (6'5" and 328) and an athletic guy with a mean streak. Fascinating that the Bears decided to convert him from a DL to an OL. I think this could pay off bigtime for the Bears for many seasons to come. At least I'm hoping so.
LINK
It’s an intriguing gambit — Coward was a defensive lineman as a rookie in 2017, but switched to offensive line last season. He did not appear in a game. But the Bears like his moxie — and his potential to grow into the position quickly.
“He’s a tough guy,” Hiestand said. “He plays very, very hard. It’s super important to him and he’s very prideful. He’s very determined to keep his guy from making a play and that’s a big part of this.”
Coward, signed as an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion in 2017, is inexperienced, but bring’s a defensive mindset to the position, which can’t be discounted. Guard Mark Bortz and tackle James “Big Cat” Williams previously had stellar careers on the offensive line after playing defense in college. Bortz was an eighth-round draft pick from Iowa in 1983. Big Cat was an undrafted free agent from Cheyney (Pa.) State in 1991.
And Coward grew up in Brooklyn — that can’t be discounted as a factor, either. Those guys don’t flinch.
“I just want to play with a dog mentality,” Coward said. “It’s the NFL. Guys come out here and try to kill you every week. So you can’t go out there playing soft — you’re going to get pushed around. And I don’t like that.”
It’s an intriguing gambit — Coward was a defensive lineman as a rookie in 2017, but switched to offensive line last season. He did not appear in a game. But the Bears like his moxie — and his potential to grow into the position quickly.
“He’s a tough guy,” Hiestand said. “He plays very, very hard. It’s super important to him and he’s very prideful. He’s very determined to keep his guy from making a play and that’s a big part of this.”
Coward, signed as an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion in 2017, is inexperienced, but bring’s a defensive mindset to the position, which can’t be discounted. Guard Mark Bortz and tackle James “Big Cat” Williams previously had stellar careers on the offensive line after playing defense in college. Bortz was an eighth-round draft pick from Iowa in 1983. Big Cat was an undrafted free agent from Cheyney (Pa.) State in 1991.
And Coward grew up in Brooklyn — that can’t be discounted as a factor, either. Those guys don’t flinch.
“I just want to play with a dog mentality,” Coward said. “It’s the NFL. Guys come out here and try to kill you every week. So you can’t go out there playing soft — you’re going to get pushed around. And I don’t like that.”
At least he has a proper OL first name, unlike e.g. Pat, Josh or Brian.