Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83706
"He definitely is a great coach, great guy, funny, knows how to keep your attention," Connor said. "His system is complex. He really puts you in a po- sition to make plays. That's a huge thing for a defensive coordinator to do. I got to meet him at the Senior Bowl when he was my coach coming out of college for the first time. I met back up with him in March when I signed here, and it's been great." Lee added, "It's been unbelievable. [Ryan] is one of the most passionate coaches I've ever played for. He's one of the smartest coaches I've ever played for and he makes it so much fun. He motivates you. You're able to learn from him." However, Ryan isn't the first coach to greatly impact the two of them. That's because, like many who hit the gridiron for the Lions, they were impacted greatly by Paterno. Both credit Paterno's tough love for providing them with the foun- dation needed for future success. "He was always hard on me," Connor said. "I needed that when I was younger. You go to college and you're 18 years old, so you need a kick in the butt. You think you're on top of the world. Joe did that with me, and it helped a ton. It matured me at a pretty young age and allowed me to be the type of leader I am today." Lee also saw Paterno's off-the-field impact. "He demanded a lot from his players, not only on the field but off the field. He figured if you worked hard off the field, if you went to class, went to breakfast, that was going to transfer onto the field," he said. "So not only was he trying to shape you as a football player, he was trying to shape you as a person. I think that's what I really took from him." The football careers of Connor and Lee have truly returned to their roots. After being teammates at Penn State, they are now reunited with the Cow- boys. They're both also starters, with Connor at left inside linebacker and Lee, considered one of the top young linebackers in the league, at right inside linebacker. Texas might be a long way from Happy Valley, but this talented duo is furthering the reputa- tion of Linebacker U in the Lone Star State. Penn State well-represented on opening day rosters Twenty-nine former Penn State players were on the rosters of 20 Na- tional Football League teams during NFL Kickoff Week. Penn State tra- ditionally is among the top 15 schools nationally in producing NFL play- ers. The Oakland Raiders feature a league-high three former Nittany Lions on their roster, including second-year starting center Stefen Wisniewski and rookies Jack Crawford and Nate Stupar. Stupar is on the practice squad. Seven NFL teams had two former Nittany Lions on their opening day rosters: Arizona, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Miami and the New York Jets. Bryan Scott is the veteran among former Nittany Lions in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills safety/outside line- backer is entering his 10th profes- sional season. Originally a second- round draft choice of the Atlanta Fal- cons, Scott has spent the past five years with Buffalo. Chicago Bears All-Pro place-kicker Robbie Gould is next among Penn Staters in NFL longevity, entering his eighth season. Three former Nittany Lion All- America offensive linemen made NFL rosters with new teams: Dennis Lan- dolt (Jets), Rich Ohrnberger (Ari- zona) and A.Q. Shipley (Indianapolis). The 2008 Rimington Trophy winner, Shipley was on the Colts' active ros- ter on opening day before being placed on the team's practice squad. A total of 329 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, including 36 in the first round. In the 2012 NFL Draft, Penn State had at least four players selected for the 39th time in NFL Draft history. Penn State has had at least one FORMER LIONS IN THE NFL TEAM PLAYERS Arizona.............. Levi Brown (6 seasons-injured reserve), Rich Ohrnberger (4) Buffalo.............. Bryan Scott (10) Chicago............. Robbie Gould (8) Cincinnati..........Devon Still (1) Cleveland.......... Jordan Norwood (4), Scott Paxson (5-injured reserve) Dallas............... Dan Connor (5), Sean Lee (3) Detroit...............Stephfon Green (1-p.s.) Green Bay......... Andrew Quarless (3) Indianapolis...... Justin King (5), A.Q. Shipley (4-p.s.) Jacksonville.......Paul Posluszny (6), Brett Brackett (1-injured reserve) Kansas City........Tamba Hali (7) Miami................Cameron Wake (4), Jared Odrick (3) New York Jets.... Dennis Landolt (3), Aaron Maybin (4) Oakland............ Jack Crawford (1), Stefen Wisniewski (2), Nate Stupar (1-p.s.), San Diego..........Johnnie Troutman (1-noninjury reserve) San Francisco....Navorro Bowman (3) Seattle.............. Michael Robinson (7) St. Louis............ Josh Hull (3) Tennessee..........Tim Shaw (6) Washington....... Evan Royster (2) (p.s. - practice squad) alumnus on a Super Bowl team for 41 of 46 title games. Thirty-four former Nittany Lions have earned a to- tal of 51 Super Bowl rings as players, including tackle Kareem McKen- zie and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy with the New York Giants for Super Bowl XLVI. Penn State's Andrew Quarless helped the Green Bay Packers win Su- per Bowl XLV, and former Nittany Lions Sean McHugh and Scott Paxson helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII.