College football fans will recall that when Ohio State played Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, the TV cameras focused, over and over again, on Laura Quinn, the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and girlfriend of Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk. Quinn wore a half-and-half jersey to show her allegiance to both her boyfriend and her brother.
Well, now her name is Laura Hawk, and she’s the wife of Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk and sister of Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn. But unlike that Fiesta Bowl, Laura doesn’t have to worry about her husband sacking her brother, because neither Hawk nor Quinn gets much playing time these days.
Quinn has been warming the bench since he was replaced in the starting lineup by Derek Anderson, and Hawk — though technically a starter — was on the field for only nine plays in the Packers’ last game.
”It’s obviously not my ideal situation of what I’d want to be doing,” Hawk said of how much he’s played since being drafted fifth overall in 2006. ”Regardless of how many reps I’m getting right now, I still want to be here.”
No word on whether his wife has stitched together a half-and-half Packers-Browns jersey for Sunday’s game.
they should give quinn another chance. he’s got upside, but i mean he’s only played in like 7 games
Any word on whether she built up a half-and-half Packers-Browns bench to sit on for Sunday’s game?
Sex sells in Green Bay. AJ Hawk does not bring the sex.
http://cache.deadspin.com/sports/upload/2006/07/ajhawkdoofus.jpg
A.J. Hawk = BUST
Maybe Laura should consult with Mangenius on this one. He seems to have all the answers as of late.
Hubris
I thought it was A.J.Hoch (spit).
Hawk’s not a bust. He certainly hasn’t lived up to the expectations being the #5 overall pick set, but he’s productive enough not to be considered a bust. I’d say he’s about average. Not a standout and not terrible.
Yet another low round bust for Ted Thompson, the most overrated GM in the NFL.
I just think they are both in the wrong system. Both which happen to suck.
Hawk & Poppinga are exactly where they need to be at the moment which is riding the pine. Now if anybody has any good O linemen they would like to trade then they would deserve to be elsewhere..
Oh wait, this is TT we’re talking about — he doesn’t make mistakes
1st Round – Hawk
1st Round – Harrell
2nd Round – Terrence Murphy
2nd Round – Brian Brohm
2nd Round – Brandon Jackson
2nd Round – Pat Lee
I’m probably leaving a few out – that is a LOT of missess in the rounds where a GM expects to draft day-1 starters. That ain’t pretty – and imagine if only ONE of the above slots was used for a quality O-lineman??? Not that Thompson understands productive O-lineman, but he could have gotten lucky, right???
I remember when Notre Dame and Ohio State played and they showed her on camera after every play. At least is seemed like it. She was smokin’.
Hawk pick #5 in the first round by the Pack. Greenway #17 by the Vikings. Greenway twice the player and cheaper, gotta love it !
My memory is that Hawk has played in every game since he was drafted; that he has led the team in tackles 2 of those 3 seasons and finished second the other year; and that he has played hurt and never moaned about how he was used by the team. He has not been a playmaker, that is true, and his tackles are seldom for lost yardage. He was clearly drafted too high, although virtually every “draft expert” had him rated as a top ten talent. But I can’t see how you call a starter who leads your team in tackles “a bust.” We’ve seen Tony Mandarich, Ahmad Carroll, B.J. Sanders and other busts, thank you very much. Hawk is not down at that level. And yeah, he was in for nine plays last Sunday, but how many plays did the Lions have from scrimmage – about 35?
@Steelerz4eva: How does he have upside? Do you know what that means? Have you watched him play? Matt Stafford has played less games and HE shows upside, not BQ.
i should petition with every buckeye fan who angrily rebuffed my comparison of hawk and katzenmoyer.
i thought armani exchange and ed hardy shirts were the cultural equivalent of a brown-packer jersey.
I’ll bet that AJ gets back on the field before Brady. I always thought that Quinn was highly over rated for the Irish and as a pro. I’ll be surprised if he ever has any success in the NFL.
Packers have a ton of good LBs. They’ve also been playing alot of pass defense lately, esp last week, which means Chillar was in more than Hawk, who starts in the base defense.
Hawk’s also looking over his shoulder at Des Bishop, who is a beast.
Quinn is a bust, not AJ.
MDS:
Ask Florio if the fifth overall pick from 2006 is a bigger bust than the second overall pick from 2006.
Look at the 2 players andtheir respective organizations and you can see a little bit of a difference.
Hawk is a borderline bust not just to where he was drafted, but the talent at the position that was behind him.
Sims, Wimbley, Greenway, Carpenter, Lawson, and even DeMeco Ryans in the 2nd round, all drafted behind him.
Its no suprise ‘ol Double T is one of, if not THE worst GM in pro football (I’ll have to rank him a slight bit over Matt Millen), but the teams track record speaks for itself. Thompson destroyed a decent franchise.
The Browns and Quinn is a whole different ballgame. The team was going to take Quinn with their 1st round pick, but waited, got a stud O lineman instead, then grabbbed Quinn later. Very smart.
The only knock I can honestly give the Browns is how they have handled Quinn’s development. You either plug him in as the starter, take your lumps and have him learn, or let him learn on the sideline. They have spun him around to both so many times he is dizzy.
I personally think he has the tools to be a good QB if he gets with the right staff to teach it to him, and Cleveland hasnt (and isnt) that place.
While Hawk hasn’t lived up to expectations, I don’t understand why people are blaming Ted Thompson for drafting. Yeah, Harrell was a stupid draft. The dude is not the drafting genius he thinks he is. But don’t forget that every draft pundit had AJ at top 5, and if I’m not mistaken, New Orleans was planning to take him at #2 when Reggie Bush fell into his lap.
Ted Thompson sucks and has made more bad picks than I can count, but this is one of those times where he took who seemed right at the time. Hawk just ended up not being a superstar. That happens to all GMs, not just TT.
Hawk needs a new system. don’t be surprised if he thrives after his release. Quinn needs a paper hat in his next career.
Hawk can be an average NFL linebacker. Quinn on the other hand? Don’t think he will amount to anything.
You gotta love it how the writer essentially changes Hawk’s playing status to a back-up so that his headline works.
This site gets worse by the day.
A 5th overall pick in his third year playing only 9 plays against the Lions is a bust. Maybe if he was drafted in the second round the word bust would be inapplicable, but not a top 10 pick.
That being said, he’ll probably have a perfectly long average NFL career. He better continue playing football, since he sure as hell won’t make any money in front of a camera with that mug. He might be the only guy capable of beating EJ Henderson in an ugly contest.
Both being top 5 picks and having the dough that comes with it I’m sure they really don’t care.
Too much cheese will not allow the brown to come out. Conflict of interest I say.
him and his buddy carpenter were truly overrated – another reason to hate THE Ohio State University…
PervyHarvin says:
October 24, 2009 4:21 PM
Hawk pick #5 in the first round by the Pack. Greenway #17 by the Vikings. Greenway twice the player and cheaper, gotta love it !
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Not that I’m really trying to make a case for AJ Hawk, because I’d like to see him getting comfortable on the bench, but… A comment like this just screams to be responded to.
Player 1: 194 tackles, 59 assists, 4 INTs, 5.5 sacks, 12 passes defensed
Player 2: 245 tackles, 88 assists, 3 INTs, 7.5 sacks, 12 passes defensed
You’re saying one of those two is twice the player? Again, I’m not propping up Hawk. But you might want to take a closer look at Greenway before jizzing all over him.
There is a reason Hawk is the first linebacker out of the game in the nickel. He’s the worst of the bunch in pass coverage. He is not a playmaker. he was drafted to be the face of the defense. That said he may have had the best game in three years yesterday. As it sits now he takes a 3 million dollar pay cut or his underachieving ass is sent elsewhere.
Supersuckers says:
October 26, 2009 12:10 PM
There is a reason Hawk is the first linebacker out of the game in the nickel. He’s the worst of the bunch in pass coverage. He is not a playmaker. he was drafted to be the face of the defense. That said he may have had the best game in three years yesterday. As it sits now he takes a 3 million dollar pay cut or his underachieving ass is sent elsewhere.
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Agreed on all counts. He’s a throwback to the time when LBs didn’t have to cover the field as they do now. Needs to put down the weights and put on the running shoes, IMO.
Agree Adam. But he needs to get stronger too. I really think this is AJ’s last chance. He has 10 games and playoff games hopefully to prove he is a difference maker. If not. Go to Minnesota like the rest of em.