Panther Spotlight: DT Louis Leonard - Update

Height: 6-4 Weight: 325 Age: 25
College: Fresno State
Experience: 3rd season

http://www.nfl.com/players/louisleonard/profile?id=LEO693447

He got into a row in TC with a coach. No wonder they got rid of him which means we might not have given up too much.

…this this also means we’ll need to trim our roster by two players before the end of today to make room for the new DT.

From the wiki (which already has him listed as a Panther):

Leonard was originally signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 4 2007 and was a member of their practice squad. He was then signed by the St.Louis Rams to their active roster on September 12 but was later waived. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns via waivers on October 8. He played in four games during his rookie season.

Am I hoping too much that maybe he just wasn’t suited to a 3-4 and that maybe he’ll be an effective fun stopper in a 4-3?

You never know!

If nothing else the ‘4 lap’ story shows he has conditioning, something we sorely need on a D-line looking to get leaner and faster.

Realistically I think we’ll see this trade was for nothing more than a 6th or 7th rounder. Leonard might have been secord or third cut material as it is.

If this guy was a 3rd teamer for Cleveland why on earth did they trade for him? Why not wait until After final cuts and do something? This front office trades away draft picks as if they grow on trees. Not sure I would take him if he can’t even start for Cleveland.

Per a Tweet I just got….

If you would’ve told me that the Browns acquired a seventh-rounder for Louis Leonard, I would’ve said, “Really? Strange.”

Leonard isn’t a complete waste of a player. He has some starting experience under his belt, but he’s had several years to be an impact player and he hasn’t amounted to much. I think you’d have a hard time finding a Browns fan that even cared whether he made the team or not (more people would’ve said “bye bye” to him).

I’d have to imagine this is a conditional draft pick. I wish I could give some more analysis on Leonard for you guys, but in summary, he was given some opportunities to play and he never really stood out. He did have the incident with Bryan Cox a week or so ago, but he hasn’t had a history of character issues really.

That’s something at the very least. 6’4 325lbs is not too bad. Only 1 inch and 25lbs less than Kemo AND he’s got experience, which is something that we can’t really say for our current DT’s in the middle (with the exception of Lewis). A DT/DE for a 3-4 will definitely serve well as a DT in our 4-3. In the ‘run-stop package’ of our defense, he’ll definitely do as the nose-guard since he’s bigger than Lewis – and hopefully Leonard will command a double team to further help our LBs stay free to make plays.

The 4 consecutive laps he had to run showed that at the very least, he can hold up to a little bit of running.

What it boils down to – (agreeing with bengoodfella here) is that we needed help and we found help. What we had (Hayden & Favorite) was just not going to get the job done. We weren’t going to get a superstar anyways. Our BEST bet was to find someone on waivers who didn’t make the cut. But instead, we maybe traded a conditional 6th or 7th round pick.

He’s certainly not a replacement for Kemo – obviously, but when the boat you’re in is sinking, you plug that hole with what you’ve got. I think everyone could agree that if we didn’t find a serviceable run-stuffer, the defense was going to have a long season ahead of them.

This guy is going to be so happy to be out of Cleveland that he is going to play his ass off for the Panthers. He has an opportunity here to establish a milestone in his career, and would be wise to give 150% effort. It could mean the difference between millions of dollars and flippin burgers.

Both are UDFA’s.

Kemo got a lot of playing time in his first two years, Leonard did not. In their first two years, Kemo had 25 tackles and two sacks. Leonard did not play, or did not accumulate stats.

In year three, Kemo played in 14 games, starting 3, and made 27 tackles. In year three, Leonard played in 16 games, starting 4, and made 25 tackles.

Kemo played the NT exclusively in Baltimore, Leonard played both NT and DE in Cleveland.

Kemo has 25 pounds on Leonard, but 20 of those are in his abnormally large head.

Leonard can run 20 yards without snapping his achilles tendon. As a matter of fact, he can run four laps without getting injured.

Kemo is probably better at playing the two-gap NT position, while Leonard is probably more versatile and will line up in both the two-gap and one-gap positions for Meeks.

If Leonard can keep blockers off Beason, this is worth a high draft pick. I bet that the Panthers gave up a conditional that will turn into a 5th round based on playing time.

You’re out of a situation where you were looking at being 3rd string and moving to a situation where you have a legitimate opportunity to be the starter (because right this second, everyone with a ‘DT’ next to their position name has a chance to fill that hole).

If this doesn’t motivate him to work his ass off and really show everything he’s been working for since he’s been in the league, then nothing will. I really hope he comes in here hyped up, and takes command of the starting job.

If he doesn’t… we keep looking.

September 2, 20007 - Leonard was unable to challenge Brandon McKinney but has equally impressive size (6-foot-4, 330 lbs.) and impressed coaches by staying late after practices to refine his techniques.

August 25, 2008 - Leonard had been having a decent camp until being forced to miss the last two preseason games.

October 16, 2008 - Louis Leonard will get his second straight start at right defensive end. “Leonard came in and he tried hard,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “Louis has some strength; he will flash for you. With more reps he’ll get better as he goes down the line.”

July 30, 2009 - …don’t forget Louis Leonard, a midseason ’07 pickup who played both nose and end in his second year last fall and started four games.

August 20, 2009 - The incident occurred a little more than halfway through practice when Leonard and Cox exchanged heated words during team drills. “Don’t you curse at me,” yelled Cox. Cox then ordered the 325-pound Leonard to start running and not stop until he told him to. Leonard started his lap by walking slowly without his helmet on, and Cox shouted, “I said run, don’t walk!”

Leonard shook his head, put the helmet on and began jogging around the perimeter of the field. After a few laps, one of Leonard’s teammates reminded Cox that Leonard was still running, and the coach snapped, “Good! Let him keep running. I ain’t going to stop him.”

After Leonard’s third time around, Robaire Smith tried to throw him a bottle of water, but Leonard abstained. As he was about to start his fifth, he was called back over by one of the linemen, who must’ve been given the green light by Cox.

But afterward, Leonard was contrite and cooperative with reporters. He laughed when asked if he set the camp record for laps. “Yeah, I probably did, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I’m sure you all were probably counting. I lost count at probably three.” He attributed it to a heated practice, and said the laps helped give him energy to attack the tackling dummies with fervor immediately thereafter.

“Yeah, those laps kind of woke me up,” he said. “I was feeling a little woozy at first, but after those laps I forgot all about it. It’s been a nice camp and I feel really conditioned, so it wasn’t a problem getting through those bags.”

He said he worked on his d-line moves, such as club-rip and cross-face, the whole time. “If I’m going to run a lap, I might as well get better on something,” he said. He also showed the proper respect for Cox.

“He just wants you to work hard, he wants to bring the best out of you,” he said. “That’s all it is. It might get rough sometimes. But he’s a good coach and if you pay attention to him, you’ll learn a lot. I’ve been learning a lot since I’ve been coached by him. I’m glad to have him and I’m glad to be one of his players.”

September 1, 2009 - While this is not a ground-breaking development for the Browns or Panthers in terms of roster shakeup, it clarifies something about the Eric Mangini era in Cleveland. All malcontents will be jetisoned. Late in training camp, Leonard got into a verbal argument with defensive line coach Bryan Cox, and refused to apologize to the team for his actions. Weeks before, the team cut mouthy defensive lineman Shaun Smith, who also refused to man-up and apologize to teammates for his poor behavior. Neither of these guys were dominant. Neither made a tremendous impact with the Browns. While it’s easy to make examples of low-impact players, the Browns also parted ways with tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr. before the season for similar reasons.

these are great things to have in a player…