Link: Leonhard Ready for the Season
Jet Safety Jim Leonhard was home in Wisconsin in late June for a football camp for kids and took time to speak with reporters from his hometown paper the Leader-Telegram. When the reporter asked Leonhard about how it felt going into the season at the pinnacle of his game, Leonhard’s answer was telling. The article chronicles his rise from anonymity to NFL starter, and only makes you want to cheer for the guy more.
“It’s really the first time at that level that I’ve kind of had that seal of approval from a head coach going into the season,” Leonhard said. “That gives you a lot of confidence. It also ups your responsibility and just your leadership on the team. I’m taking that as a challenge going into the year.”
It’s good to see that Leonhard doesn’t view the situation as ‘I have arrived’ but more as ‘how can I continue to progress?’
I am real excited to see Leonhard on a regular basis. I saw glimpses of him last year and I was very impressed. He is a multi-talented player who can influence a game. The Jets have a number of players who can take over a game. That is why we had so many All-Pro’s last season. With Ryan pumping these guys up, and all of the talent that we have amassed, I am expecting our defense to be special.