Leonhard: Small frame, big heart and mind
Photo credit: Freelance/Joe Rogate | NY Jets' Jim Leonhard gains extra yards on a punt return as Titans punter Reggie Hodges tries to stop him. (September 28, 2009)
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The first time Bart Scott laid eyes on Jim Leonhard walking around the Ravens' training facility in the Baltimore suburbs, he was certain the guy with the boyish looks and diminutive frame wasn't one of his teammates.
"I thought he was the accountant," the linebacker said. "I didn't think he was a football player. I had no idea. I thought maybe he was an intern or something. I was like, 'Who is this guy? He plays?'
"He is one of those unassuming guys. He's 5-6, 5-7, 5-8 - I don't know, one of those fives - and he doesn't look the part, especially if he has clothes on.
"So I thought he was an intern."
Scott's initial perception is nothing new for Leonhard, who comprises half of the Jets' starting safety tandem. As someone who wasn't sought by any Division I school and walked on at Wisconsin - where he had to pay his own way and became an All-American defensive back before he was even offered a scholarship - Leonhard, 27, has been fighting that kind of stigma for as long as he can remember.
That dates to when he followed his older brother Brian around and played against people who were at least two years older and much larger than he was.
It's always been the same thing. Not fast enough. Too small. Doesn't have the prototypical size. Can get by only on smarts, not athletic ability.
Quietly, though, without pounding the chest on his 5-8, 185-pound frame, the undrafted free agent has silenced the skeptics, giving them a healthy dose of crow to nibble on while they watch the fifth-year pro effectively serve as Rex Ryan's defensive quarterback on one of the NFL's most aggressive schemes.
"It has fueled me," said Leonhard, who also is the Jets' punt returner. "It's one of those things where everybody gets caught up in the measurables. The speed, the size. You can't judge heart, you can't judge intelligence, which is what I play with. It is funny to me, always getting doubted over and over and over. But to some people, you're just a football player.
"You have the instincts, just, 'Oh, wow. This kid always seems to be where the ball is, always seems to be where the action is.' How do you measure that? And too many times, coaches overlook that.
"Rex has a great eye for that type of player, and that's why I got an opportunity. I've made the most of it, but Rex has been the only one since high school to give me that opportunity and just take it for what it is and say, 'This guy is just a hell of a football player. He can play for me.' "
That's why Leonhard followed Ryan here from Baltimore, inking a three-year, $6- million deal and leaving a more lucrative offer from the Broncos on the table. Leonhard's familiarity with Ryan's complex system made him a natural fit, and his teammates continually lean on him for guidance, particularly during the first practice of each week.''
Leonhard's play goes way beyond his 32 tackles and one interception. He's responsible for making the calls and having the defense lined up properly, something that used to fall squarely on the prideful shoulders of fellow safety Kerry Rhodes.
"I've always been a guy doing that, so I have to try to let down my ego a little bit, which isn't a bad thing," Rhodes said. "I'm not saying that in a bad way, but just I've been the guy who's usually done that. So to have to let my ego down some to ask him . . . I'm a very strong-willed guy. So it's been here and there some, if I think I really need it."
Rhodes said he was like all the other doubters at first. Upon first impression, most assume Leonhard has the athleticism of a paper clip, couldn't cover his mouth while sneezing and wonder how many cleat marks a 220-plus-pound running back will leave on his jersey when he runs over him.
"It's kind of funny," Leonhard said, "just the perception that's out there that I'm not athletic, that I'm just this smart player who just based on that can make myself get in position to make plays.
"You can't hide at this level. There's nowhere you can hide. If you are lacking physicality with your play, they will find it and attack it week in, week out. I've always taken a lot of pride that that's not going to happen to me."
