Packers lineman Raji a king-size 'Freezer'
ARLINGTON, Texas - Twenty-five years after a major appliance from a city in the Midwest captured the imagination of the Super Bowl-watching world, another is poised for delivery and installation.
Move over, William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Here comes B.J. Raji, aka "The Freezer."
The 337-pound nose tackle from Washington Township, N.J., has become one of the most dominant interior linemen in the league in only his second season. But it's what he does when he's not stuffing runs and making tackles that has made him one of this Super Bowl's mini-celebrities.
Several times this season Raji has lined up as a fullback for the Packers, pushing ahead on short-yardage situations. He has yet to receive a handoff. But in the NFC Championship Game he did get his hands on the football. He dropped back into coverage - yes, the nose tackle dropped back into coverage! - and intercepted a pass by Bears third-stringer Caleb Hanie, returning it 18 yards for a touchdown and celebrating with a dance that was on YouTube almost before he finished it.
"Hip movement, hip fluidity," Raji cited as the keys to his dance moves, which he said were spontaneous. "Just having fun with it, pretty much."
It even caught the eyes of the Steelers. "We were all making fun of the big, fat guy trying to dance," Pittsburgh linebacker Larry Foote said.
It's not the seismic shimmies that have the Steelers concerned this week, though. They'll need to find a way to control Raji or they won't be able to run the ball or set up play-action. And they'll likely be doing it without their talented rookie center. Maurkice Pouncey has a high ankle sprain, so Doug Legursky probably will make the first start of his career at center in the Super Bowl.
Of course, nose tackles don't become household names even if they dominate the line of scrimmage in front of a Super Bowl-sized audience. They need gimmicks or nicknames. And now Raji has those. Just like the Fridge, a player we remember a quarter of a century later not for his defensive ability but for his Super Bowl touchdown on a 1-yard run.
"I was probably about one year old when he was playing, so to sit here and say I've seen a lot of him, I would be lying," Raji said. "That is a name that is going to go down in NFL history forever, so even bringing his name up with my name is an honor."