Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
R on Vanderlinden knows he must be doing something right as a lineback- ers coach. At least four of the young men he coached at Penn State for 13 years are among the best linebackers in the Na- tional Football League. Vanderlinden isn't really surprised by the success of his dozen or so Nittany Lion linebackers who have played in the NFL, not just the All-Pros like Paul Posluszny, Sean Lee and NaVorro Bow- man, but also journeymen pros such as Tim Shaw, Glenn Carson and Nate Stu- par. "Having not coached in the NFL, I'm still not sure what it takes to play there," Vanderlinden said over the telephone from his office at the Air Force Academy, where he has coached inside linebackers since leaving Penn State after the 2013 season. "It's gratifying when someone like Sean Lee says to me, 'Coach, I was fundamen- tally equipped to play in the NFL. I was so well prepared to get off blocks and make plays.' Paul said the same thing. And when I saw NaVorro when he came back for Coach Paterno's funeral [in 2012], I asked him what he is doing [in the NFL] that could help us. He said, 'Coach, let me tell you, one of the reasons I make so many tackles is that I don't miss tackles, and it's because of all the points you em- phasized here. I'm a good tackler there because of what I learned at Penn State.' And as I watch NFL games on TV, I think there are a lot of sloppy tackles. So those P R E V I E W | COWBOY UP A six- year veteran, Lee has become one of the top outside lineback- ers in the league. Photo courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys