User account number (aid): 19
Posted by MadRussky on 2008-08-04 07:36:23
Keasey delivering big hits out of 49ersâ€TM backfield
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
Aug 2, 6:54 pm EDT
Buzz Up PrintSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)â€"Not too long ago, Zak Keasey was just another unemployed linebacker who hadnâ€TMt quite finished his college degree. Only his dirty-blond dreadlocks distinguished him from thousands of frustrated NFL hopefuls just like him.
After the first week of his latest training camp with the San Francisco 49ers, Keasey appears to be heading toward an unlikely gig in the sport he still calls his â€oepart-time job,” even if he still hasnâ€TMt completed that sociology degree from Princeton.
Keaseyâ€TMs surprising transformation from a linebacker into a fullback is proceeding well, if itâ€TMs safe to draw any conclusions from the San Francisco practices where Keasey stands out just as much for his hard hits as for those dreadlocks protruding from his helmet. Heâ€TMs working extensively with the first-team offense so far in camp, and he seems to be giving serious competition to starter Moran Norris.
ADVERTISEMENT
â€oeIt definitely took longer than I thought, (but) having the chance to get more reps now definitely helps out,” Keasey said. â€oeIâ€TMm feeling a lot more comfortable with the position. … Weâ€TMve got another great fullback whoâ€TMs been here and been the starter for a while, so weâ€TMre just working together to push each other and compete.”
Keasey is from Auburn Hills, Mich., the suburban Detroit home of the NBAâ€TMs Pistons. Two of his sisters went to Michigan, but a coach from Princeton spotted him in high school and encouraged him to join the Ivy League.
After making 127 tackles and eight sacks as a senior with the Tigers, he made the Washington Redskinsâ€TM roster as an undrafted free agent, even playing in one game before getting dropped.
The 49ers had their eye on him even before the draftâ€"but general manager Scot McCloughan thought his skills would work better on the other side of the ball. When the McCloughan called in late 2005 with an offer to sign Keasey to the 49ersâ€TM practice squad as a fullback, he was genuinely surprised.
â€oeIt was a little strange,” he said. â€oeI hadnâ€TMt played fullback at all that year or at all in college, (but) it was something intriguing. I knew it would be a good challenge, and thatâ€TMs something Iâ€TMm always looking forward to. … Maybe playing linebacker has helped out a little bit. It helps me to have a little better understanding of what the defense is trying to do.”
Keasey spent the next two years putting on weight and learning the intricacies of offensive football, bouncing from the 49ersâ€TM practice squad to the active roster. He broke into the lineup last season as an effective member of the clubâ€TMs standout special teams, making 12 tackles.
He even carried the ball twice, though the 49ers wonâ€TMt expect him to do much of that this season. Instead, Keasey is most valuable for his advanced blocking acumen, according to offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who often uses fullbacks and tight ends for much the same jobs in his sophisticated schemes.
â€oeZak has got a real good feel for getting through traffic and getting on linebackers and DBs as a blocker,” Martz said. â€oeHeâ€TMs unusual about it. Itâ€TMs kind of a lost art, if you will. He sees things and reacts to things very quickly and has such good body control that he can avoid (blockers) and get into little tiny holes, and jump through and get to a linebacker. Itâ€TMs hard to find guys that can do that, and he does that very well.”
Norris is a respected veteran, and the 49ers wonâ€TMt determine how many fullbacks to keep until they figure out how many tight ends are sticking around. Keaseyâ€TMs versatility on special teams should earn him a roster spotâ€"and maybe much more.
â€oeI definitely stay humble and donâ€TMt take anything for granted,” Keasey said. â€oeI just go try to take advantage of every opportunity I get out there to get better and work on my skills, and try to do every play exactly how coach wants it to be done.”
BY, you signed up for another year? You think I should come back?
AOR
"If the Bucaneers are the Bucs and the Jaguars are the Jags, what are the Titans?"
- MadRussky 2008-08-04 07:36:23 (96 views)