Linebacker anticipates smell of fear
Browns' Benard eager to stalk QBs, build on his rookie season
By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Sunday, Jun 13, 2010
BEREA: Marcus Benard isn't literally going to grab Ben Roethlisberger with one hand, scale the Empire State Building and swat fighter jets as he roars.
But Benard, a second-year Browns outside linebacker known as King Kong, vows to torment Roethlisberger and any other quarterbacks he encounters during the 2010 season.
''I love fear 'cause you can smell it,'' Benard said Saturday after the final practice of the Browns' mandatory minicamp. ''I can smell it when I line up on the edge.
''It's like a lion just stalking that prey and just waiting for the opportunity to pounce. To get that opportunity and to get that kill, it's a good feeling.''
After spending the first half of his rookie season on the Browns' practice squad, Benard had a breakout performance against Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. His two sacks helped the Browns prevail 13-6, sparking a four-
game winning streak to end the season while transforming Benard into a fan favorite.
An undrafted free-agent acquisition out of Jackson State University, the 6-foot-2, 256-pound Benard finished his first professional season with 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks in six games as a special teams player and a reserve linebacker. This offseason, he's focused on becoming more versatile.
''Now it's instilled in me that I want to be a great football player, not necessarily just a pass rusher,'' Benard said. ''That's what I've been doing all camp — just working on the things that I haven't been so good at.''
The Browns are loaded with linebackers, so coach Eric Mangini isn't exactly sure what role Benard will fill. But with restricted free agent Matt Roth skipping minicamp because of his contract situation, Benard has capitalized on recent opportunities.
''With Matt [Roth] not being here, he's gotten a lot more reps and that's been good for him because he's got some chances out here that he didn't have this time last year,'' Mangini said of Benard. ''I can tell you where he is now versus where he was last year at this time. I mean, it's unbelievable.
''But he's got a long way to go. He flashed some good things last year in the latter part of the season. Can he [be consistent] play in and play out? Can he understand the whole role at outside linebacker, or is he gonna have to be more of a sub guy or a package-type guy?''
Benard said he's willing to do anything he's asked to help the Browns win. For example, he takes his duties on the kickoff, kickoff return and punt return units seriously.
''As smart as I want to be as a linebacker, I want to be just as smart as a special teams player,'' he said. ''They're key. They're probably the biggest plays in football. Believe it or not, that's what changes games.''
Increasing his gridiron intelligence has become a top priority for Benard, who has shown his ability to expand his knowledge in other facets of life. He made the dean's list in college, and he learned how to play five instruments — piano, drums, guitar, saxophone and organ — as a member of Ypsilanti (Mich.) High School's marching band.
Now it's time for Benard to study, evolve as a complete player and, of course, earn another chance to harass the Steelers.
''I'll be happy to put a beating on Roethlisberger whenever he comes back [from his conditional six-game suspension],'' Benard said, revealing that he taunted Roethlisberger last season by chanting, ''Here, chickee, chickee, chickee'' before unleashing his relentless pass rush. . . . ''He's gonna have to come see me regardless. It doesn't matter.''
_____________________________________________________________________
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at @ABJ_Browns.
Hooray
for the Promotion of Youth! Marcus Benard Added to 53-Man
Roster
by Chris Pokorny on Nov 9, 2009 1:11
PM EST
The Cleveland
Browns signed rookie LB Marcus Benard to the 53-man roster
on Monday, according to the OBR. If you recall, Benard was
the linebacker who shined twice during the preseason -- once
against the Green Bay Packers and once against the Chicago
Bears. He actually made the 53-man roster to start the season,
but was released prior to the season opener. He's been on
the Browns' practice squad ever since. The other candidate
to take a roster spot was LB Titus Brown. He will remain on
the team's practice squad for the time being.
After
waiving K Billy Cundiff and DB Anthony Madison last week,
the Browns had two open roster spots. After signing Benard,
one roster spot still remains open. That number could jump
back up to two if the team decides to place veteran LB Eric
Barton on the injured reserve in the coming days.
The
OBR also reports that moving forward, it appears that LB David
Bowens will continue to start at inside linebacker with LB
Jason Trusnik starting at outside linebacker. The combination
doesn't sound very flashy, but Rob Ryan's system worked against
the Chicago Bears in using the tandem to help generate pressure.
Benard
makes strong first impression
Zac
Jackson, Staff Writer
08.18.2009
Some rookies get their first NFL game action and leave the
stadium wondering what just hit them -- or more accurately,
who just ran right by them. But after an impressive debut
last Saturday night in Lambeau Field, undrafted linebacker
Marcus Benard is wondering who he gets to hit next.
"It
was wonderful," Benard said. "It was fast. I definitely
have to adjust to that. Everybody's fast, but I feel like
with all the work I've put in out here it wasn't going to
be long before I caught up." The Kid seems to be catching
up just fine. Unofficially, Benard finished the game with
6 tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss and made a hit on a
Brian Brohm throw that led to a David Veikune interception.
"I was so excited to play a game in the NFL; it was so
special to me personally," he said. "All the work
I put in, I can't even describe what it was like to walk in
the stadium and see Green Bay come out...it was overwhelming.
"It's
been a real big jump for me. There's so much I have to learn
and so much I have learned since I've been here. I'm just
so excited to be here." And to show he belongs. Back
in Berea for Monday's practice, Benard jumped into the flats
to pick off a Brady Quinn pass intended for Jordan Norwood
and return it for a touchdown. Another day, another play,
another opportunity to show the coaches he can play in the
NFL.
The
Michigan native had 21 sacks in two years at Grand Rapids
Community College before finishing his college career at Jackson
State, where he had 9 sacks in 2007 and 16 sacks last fall.
Obviously those 16 came at a different level - in a different
galaxy, really - than the one he's playing on now, but the
Browns only had 17 sacks as a team last fall. So, at very
least, there's an opportunity for Benard to keep improving,
keep flashing, keep contributing. He's learning, and his confidence
is growing.
"I feel like if I continue
to work hard, the plays will come as long as I continue to
do everything I'm asked and more," he said. "If
I know my assignments and get in the right place, I'm going
to make plays." Benard said he played defensive end in
college and though he did spend some time standing up, he
did so solely in pass-rush situations. His coverage responsibilities
and just about everything about being a linebacker remain
new, but getting to Brohm the way he did made Benard feel
at home. "Pass rush is my passion," he said. "That's
been my love since I got to college and got my first sack
in junior college. I can still remember how I felt after I
got that one.
"I have a knack for that.
The other responsibilities are new, just something every day
I've got to get better at. Coach Mangini asks us before every
practice to write down two or three things we need to work
on, and I'm working on those things every day. "But I
definitely keep thinking about chasing this dream as a pass
rusher. You can't go wrong with a pass rush. A good pass rush
changes the game, and I want to be a game changer."
Mangini
press conference
11.09.2009
Transcript:
Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini press conference 11-9-09
(Opening statement)- "Good morning everybody. How are
we doing? [My bye week] was good actually. I spent a lot of
time with the boys yesterday and the day before. That's always
rejuvenating. I think the players, it's nice for them to get
some time with their families or get away. That's the nice
thing about the week.
"In terms of what we're doing here today, it's really
an extension of the bye week for us. What I've traditionally
done, what I decided to do this week as well, is we had the
two days last week where we covered each phase, first and
second down, third down. Today, our focus will still be on
us and the concentration will be in the red area and goal
line and the areas that you'd normally cover on a Friday during
a typical week. Following that process leading up to it from
a preparation perspective, you go through it, you analyze
it, you look at the thing you're going to carry through, you
install if you're going to add some things or correct some
things, review the tape and then go out and practice the things
that you want to get corrected. That's what the emphasis is
here today.
"One thing that we did housekeeping
wise, which is always positive to be able to do, is we elevated
Marcus Benard from the practice squad to
the active roster. Marcus, to me, is a good example of what
we're always trying to do. He was an undrafted free agent.
He was a hand in the dirt guy, who always had his hand in
the dirt in college, nickname was King Kong. He had a lot
of production in college at a smaller school and then, to
come here, to stand up, to have to learn how to play linebacker
and all the other things that go with transitioning from college
to pro football as an undrafted guy. I think he's done an
outstanding job. He was our [practice] player of the week
against Buffalo. The thing that's been consistent with him
is his work ethic. You'd like to be able to always elevate
off your practice squad and we were able to do that here today
and I'm happy for him. Now, in talking to him, I said, ‘That's
the first step. The next step is to get to the 45-man roster.'
That will be dependent on his play on special teams, or his
role on special teams and then, what other roles he can play
for us defensively. It's good to have the players back in.
It's good to be able to get out there together. The weather's
been pretty amazing over of the course of the weekend and
it looks like we have another day like that today, so that's
what we'll be doing."
(On if he has made a decision at quarterback)- "What
I'll do is I'll let you guys know about that on Wednesday.
We'll talk about that more and our preparation for the Ravens.
I know where I'm headed, I'd just rather talk about it on
Wednesday. We'll talk about that in conjunction with our work
on the Ravens."
(On Eric Barton)- "I think we'll know more, we'll at
least have some real clarity either later today or tomorrow.
Once we do, even if I'm not talking [at a press conference],
I'll let Neal (Gulkis) let you know."
(On if he has told the quarterbacks his decision yet)- "I
haven't sat down with the quarterbacks, so that's part of
it, Mary Kay (Cabot)."
(On what linebacker position Benard plays)- "He's outside.
I'm going to keep him outside. I think, similar to keeping
David Veikune inside, really letting him concentrate on one
spot. I think he has the ability to where he could play inside
from his athleticism, his strength, things like that. I think
his best chance to contribute is outside."
(On if there is still one roster spot open)- "Yes, we
do."
(On if he knows what position will be filled with the roster
spot)- "We'll have some more guys in for workouts tomorrow.
I have an idea where we're heading, but want to go through
the workouts and see where those are."
(On if they will need another inside linebacker if Barton
can't play)- "(Jason) Trusnik has played in there, so
he could be a potential candidate from a MIKE perspective,
similar to David Bowens and David Veikune, so you have those
three there. You have Kaluka (Maiava), who's worked as a WILL,
(Blake) Costanzo who's worked as a WILL. Ideally in a 3-4,
those positions are mirrored. We have a little variation in
body types, but you can have combinations based on the package,
based on what you're seeing. It doesn't have to be filled
by one guy all the time in all the different packages."
(On if Jamal Lewis is okay)- "Yes, he'll practice here
today. That's the other nice thing with the bye week, it's
easy to lose track of how long these guys have been working
and hitting and things like that. It does give you an opportunity
to get some guys some extra rest. He'll be back here today."
(On if all of the players made it back)- "Yes, everybody
else made it back. Everybody else was on time in making it
back. You're always looking forward to that attendance sheet
coming through."
(On his message to the team coming out of the bye week)- "When
you look at it, and I think the players have an appreciation
for it, when you look at where we've fallen short in different
areas, again it comes down to things that are correctable,
like ball security, our consistency in catching the ball,
placing the ball, depths of routes, depths in coverage, rush
lanes defensively. There are a lot of things from a fundamental
perspective that if we improve on, then the outcome will be
different. I experienced this in New York all three years,
to take a step back to look at it, to look at it, to look
at it objectively, be able to spend some time on it, show
the players it and have the realization that, if we correct
these things and do these things better, then the outcome
will be different. Often times, a long play versus an intermediate
play versus a no gain comes down to a small technique thing.
There was a play against Green Bay late in the game, where
Robaire (Smith), who's really been outstanding, especially
over the last couple weeks, just got caught inside a little
bit. The softness in the c-gap, the back was able to get through
and that ended up being a significant play from amount of
yards gained, but that's correctable. He's played that a lot
of times, he just kind of bit a little early. It wasn't him
alone, it was also the outside linebacker getting a little
bit of width. To be able to see those plays and understand
how that small amount of softness can translate in to a big
gain, it's positive from the perspective of it is correctable."
(On how many players met with him during the bye week)- "There
were different guys at different points. The other thing is,
that is really open today as well too. I'll get together with
some more of those guys here today. The exact number, I'm
not sure what the total number was, but it's good. It's positive.
I also had the opportunity to spend some time with coaches,
where you don't usually get a chance to sit down with a lot
of guys and say, ‘Here are some things I really like.
Here are some things I think you can improve.' Get their feedback
on things, on a one-on-one basis, that they think we can improve,
they think they can improve. It was a coach in New York who
actually brought that to my attention. He had done a lot in
college and it really was nothing that I had ever been exposed
to. In pro football, I had never sat down with a head coach
for a one-on-one to talk about things I could do better, usually
those came in a very loud fashion and publicly. I thought
it was positive and I thought it was a good idea and incorporated
it."
(On meeting with the coordinators)- "Interestingly, with
the coordinators, you do spend more time with those guys.
I'll spend, probably, the most of my time with Rob Ryan and
Brad (Seely), just because each week you're going through
the game plan, you're going through the corrections on a daily
basis. That's a little different, I guess, than the meetings
I was talking about, with more the assistants."
(On what he talked about with Brian Daboll during the bye
week)- "I guess what I'm getting at is that wasn't that
type of meeting, because we meet quite often. It's more time
spent day-to-day then say, the other position coaches."
(On what they can do to get the offense going)- "I really
believe there are a lot of things that we can do to make the
offense more effective. I think the starting point for us
is protecting the football. The amount of opportunities is
always going to be limited by the times we have the football.
We're giving it away too often. It's not purely in the form
of interceptions, it's ball security. We need to do a better
job as a show team constantly pressuring the ball, almost
to the point where it's overkill, because that's the amount
of emphasis that you have to put on it. Whenever the running
back is finishing the run, you want to have two, three guys
tearing it away to keep giving that awareness to the running
back, to the receiver. Every play getting those guys pressuring
the football, because the better we protect it, the more chance
we'll have to score, the more chance we'll have to sustain
drives and that, to me, is the starting point. Then, it's
being able to take advantage of the opportunities that are
there, whether it's throws or catches, being able to execute
those. That's the second thing. I think from a scheme perspective,
there's a range of things in the different areas, first and
second down, third down, red zone, that we have looked at
that we'll incorporate moving into the second half."
(On if they will do more fumble drills now than in the first
half of the season)- "It's been a point of emphasis,
but obviously we're not doing it effectively enough. We do
track all those things during the course of practice. I thought
the show team guys, last week, did a really nice job. They
were all over the football every play, regardless of where
the guy was. They were knocking it out on his way back to
the huddle. Sometimes that's what you have to do, is over
emphasize it, to get what we need to get done, done."
(On if the GM rumors are a distraction)- "It's not going
to be a distraction for me, or any of the coaches or any of
the players. There are so many things that come up during
the course of a season, whether it's this or any of the other
elements that come up, or have come up, that really, like
any other part of what you're teaching, it's very important
that you can focus on what's important. What's important for
us is what we're doing on a daily basis and our preparation
for the next opponent. Being part of different programs and
seeing the way distractions can affect, or aren't allowed
to affect things, has given me good insight into how important
that skill is. The emphasis is always going to be on the things
that we need to do on that day and not the things that are
happening externally."
(On the rumor about Mike Holmgren)- "With any of the
names that come up, I'm sure there's been a range of names
that have come up. I talk to Randy (Lerner) all the time about
different things. Again, my emphasis, my focus, is going to
be on what we're doing here day-to-day getting the team ready."
(On if there is a sense of urgency to bring in a GM-type person
before the end of the season)- "What I believe in is
that anybody that can help us be successful, anybody that
can help us move forward, I'm always open to, whether it's
in that role or any other role. Whether it's a player, coach,
whatever it is, I'm open to anybody that can help us improve.
We're always looking to do that individually and organizationally."
(On if he talked to any GM candidates last week)- "What
I've been focused on is the team and the things that we can
do to improve the team. That's what I'll continue to focus
on."
(On if there is anything he wants to change about his approach
for the next eight weeks)- "You're always going through
that self-reflection and looking at the way I approach squad
meetings, the way I approach staff meetings, preparation for
the next opponent, practice schedules, the outline of practice,
distribution of personnel, all those things are things that
I'm looking at. I like to think that we change those as we
go and there are some things that we'll continue to change
as we go."
(On if he is going to make any changes in his approach)- "Yes,
and there have been throughout the course of the season. It
won't stop this week. It will keep going each week. Looking
at it, what did we do well? What did we do poorly? What were
preparation errors? What are things that we want to emphasize?
What's the best distribution of time? All those things are
things that you look at."
(On if the use of the Wildcat was looked at during the bye
week)- "That was a component of it. We've been running
elements of the Wildcat since the first week. We ran it in
the Minnesota game. We've run it at different points throughout
the season, some with greater frequency, some with greater
success. It's a good package. It's something that I like,
that Brian likes. Obviously, Josh (Cribbs) really likes it.
It's going to be different based on how the team plays it,
how they adjust to it, but it is a good package that we'll
continue to carryover and continue to have available each
week."
(On how the practice schedule will change with a Monday night
game)- "It's different coming off the bye as well, because
today is really a Browns-centered day, not a Ravens' day.
There have been elements of Ravens prep throughout all three
days, but it's really Browns-centered. In terms of the daily
schedule, that will be pretty consistent, with the extra day
(Saturday) being more of a review type day than anything else."
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