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Photo Courtesy of Luke Inman |
Football is more than a game, it’s life for Vikings linebacker Gerald Hodges. Find out how one quote inspired Hodges and transformed him into the NFL player he is today.
Updated: September 18th, 2015 12:35pm
By: Daniel House
“You’re not going to be perfect, but try your best to be a
perfectionist.”
When Vikings linebacker Gerald Hodges reaches the stadium,
he molds into a different player. His comedic personality remains in the locker
room and the long walk through the tunnel transforms him into a disciplined,
focused, and tenacious athlete. That didn’t just happen overnight.
In fact, football has always been an integral part of Gerald
Hodges’ life.
Back in Paulsboro, New Jersey, Gerald Hodges learned the art
of football. It didn’t matter whether it was practice or a full-fledged game, he
put everything on the field for his teammates. In a town of 6,023, the Paulsboro
High School community inspired Gerald Hodges to pursue a blossoming dream.
“I learned the nitty gritty parts of football in that high
school,” Hodges explained. “Two of the main sports back home were wrestling and
football. If you lived in Paulsboro, then you were going to play those sports.”
Hodges played quarterback and safety in high school and was recruited
heavily to play at the collegiate level. His family played a pivotal role in
his decision to join Penn State.
“I want to definitely thank my parents for keeping me busy
with sports growing up and allowing me to go out and play sports and things
like that,” Hodges said. “I had a lot of offers coming out, but I always wanted
to give my parents and my family a chance to see me play football in college.
Penn State was only about 3 ½ hours from my hometown and it was a big-time
college.”
When Hodges arrived at Penn State, he had no previous
experience at the linebacker position. That alone was a daunting proposition
for a young athlete who was transitioning to a power football conference.
However, one man took Hodges under his wing and taught him how to play
linebacker. Former Penn State linebacker coach Ron Vanderlinden worked with
Hodges every step of the way as he made a transition to the new position.
“I didn’t know anything about linebacker going into my
freshman year and they moved me there and [Vanderlinden] worked with me every
step of the way. I was hard headed and didn’t really know too much about it,
but knew I was athletic and could get to the ball. He really taught me the
ins-and-outs of how to play the linebacker position and how to be disciplined,”
Hodges recalled.
It wasn’t easy for Hodges to handle this transition as he
tackled some personal issues, but he had so much support from not only
Vanderlinden, but everyone in the Penn State community who rallied around him.
However, he was greatly impacted by former Penn State Graduate Assistant
Elijiah Robinson.
“As far as being someone to be able to talk to and when I
was going through some things personally, I had a big brother on campus who was
our graduate assistant -- Elijah Robinson. He was another guy I leaned on when
I needed someone to talk to, especially since I was so far away from home,” he
stated.
Not only did he have an excellent support system at Penn
State, but he was coached by current Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien implemented an NFL schedule to Penn State’s practice plan that prepared
his players for the next level. Hodges says O’Brien’s coaching style had a
major impact on the player he has become.
“I definitely have to give a lot of credit to Bill O’ Brien
for getting me started,” Hodges said.
As a senior in 2012, Hodges notched 109 tackles, a sack, and
two interceptions. He was one of the main pieces of the Penn State defense and
earned second-team All-Big Ten selections during his final two collegiate
seasons.
Hodges is represented by Priority Sports and he is extremely
pleased with how they treated him as he prepared to enter the next chapter of
his career. His agents Deryk Gilmore and Mike McCartney are always accessible
and willing to help Hodges in any way.
“[Priority Sports] takes their time with you. You’re dealing
with them and they’re on the phone and they’re taking their time with you. You
feel like you’re the only one in that agency. I like the way they take their
time with each player to make sure they are alright not just on the football
field, but off-the-field and things like that. Just being able to trust those
guys is the biggest part,” Hodges reiterated.
With the pedigree Hodges established in college, NFL teams
started to take note. All of the hard work Hodges put into transitioning to
linebacker was about to pay off. He was selected in the fourth round by the
Minnesota Vikings in 2013.
Entering the Vikings defensive system, Hodges was a very raw
talent and primarily contributed on special teams. However, his second year
opened the door to a new opportunity.
As that door swung open, Mike Zimmer answered.
The Vikings hired Zimmer to re-tool their defense and
Hodges’ playing style directly translated to the system. After gaining more
experience in the scheme, Hodges’ ended up starting seven games at linebacker.
He left an impression with the coaches as he corralled 51 total tackles and an
interception as an outside linebacker in 2014. Hodges felt a season in Mike
Zimmer’s defensive scheme not only enhanced his game, but made an impact on
every player.
“Coach Zimmer has a diverse type of way he calls this thing.
He can sit back in zone, he can blitz you, and there are so many things Coach
Zimmer can do out of his defense that complements not just myself, but guys on
the entire team,” Hodges explained.
This off-season, Hodges continued to improve his game and it
showed on the practice fields at training camp. He was flying all over the
field and was a vocal leader on the defense. About two weeks into training
camp, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer decided to move Hodges to middle
linebacker. Zimmer at least wanted to experiment with his talent at a different
positon.
“I moved there a couple weeks ago and I’ve been loving it
ever since. Coach Zimmer and them know the type of game I like to play. They
know I like to come downhill and play football,” Hodges said. “They know I like
to hit people. They know I pay attention, they know I’m going to go out there
and do my job when I step on the field. I definitely earned their trust these
past two years.”
At first it seemed like this was going to be a short-lived
switch for Hodges, but that definitely wasn’t the case. He continued to perform
well and the coaches simply had to find a way to keep his talent on the field
in a deep linebacker group. The only way to do this was by starting him at
middle linebacker.
Hodges was named the starter and made his debut at middle
linebacker on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
Not much went right for the Vikings, who dropped the contest 20-3, but Hodges
said it still was a surreal moment for him.
“It was a blessing that I can’t even describe. It was just
exciting to be out there and I had a blast being out there with the team. I
know things didn’t go exactly how we wanted it, but just the experience of
getting out there and getting all of those first game jitters out of the way.
Now we can finally settle in as a Vikings team and get started,” proclaimed
Hodges.
Hodges didn’t feel the team played their best football
against San Francisco, but is confident this experience will be humbling for
everyone involved with the team.
“[The team] didn’t hit on any cylinders. As a defense,
offense, and special teams, you have to play complementary football and you
have to build off of each other. You have to help each other as far as field
position and things like that,” stated Hodges. “It definitely was a humbling
experience not just for myself, but for the entire team, to let everyone know
all that great talk about the Vikings, we still have to go out there, and play
to prove we are a good team. We can’t just let the paper talk for us.”
As Hodges shook hands with the 49ers on Monday night, he was
greeted by a former Penn State teammate. San Francisco linebacker NaVorro Bowman
had a special message for him. Bowman embraced Hodges and told him that if he keeps
doing things the right way, he is going to be successful in this league.
Before Bowman walked away, he reminded Hodges to remember
what Coach Vanderlinden always said. Hodges eyes instantly lit up as he recited
the line that might have made the greatest impact on his football career.
“You’re not going to be perfect, but try your best to be a
perfectionist,’ Hodges said to Bowman.
They embraced one last time and Hodges walked off the field
after his first start. That quote continually raced through his head as he made
his way to the locker room.
This wasn’t the first challenge Hodges had endured and it
certainly wouldn’t be his last.
However, whether it was transitioning from quarterback to
safety or from outside to middle linebacker, Hodges never forgot the single
most important phrase of his football career.
That night was a reminder that not only had he made it, but
he hadn’t forgotten those who impacted him along the way.
For Gerald Hodges, that's more important than any outcome or score – it's life.
Great article.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Tom!
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