DMN: 10 things you might not know about LB Anthony Hitchens, including life-changing decision

[jobberone]

10 things you might not know about Cowboys LB Anthony Hitchens, including life-changing decision he made at age 12

Rob Stroope / Editor Email rstroope@***BANNED-URL***
Published: June 13, 2015 10:09 pm
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/files/2015/06/NS_19COWBOYSGIANTS79_40427654.jpg
Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) makes a diving tackle on New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) in the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, October 19, 2014. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)

Here are 10 things to know about Cowboys second-year linebacker Anthony Hitchens (with a big assist from a great story on Hitchens by The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore).

1. He used to avoid tackles, too

Anthony Hitchens was born June 10, 1992 and grew up in Lorain, Ohio. He was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball and track). He is Clearview High School’s all time rushing leader with 3,864 yards and the single-game leader with 354 yards.

2. From two stars to new star at Iowa

Hitchens, labeled a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, played collegiately at Iowa. He had scholarship offers from Kansas, Indiana, the University of Akron and Eastern Michigan. As a junior at Iowa, he led the Big Ten with 124 tackles.

3. Cashing in an insurance policy

http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/files/2015/06/NS_23COWBOYSGIANTSTF71_41049483.jpg
Cowboys outside linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) tackles Giants running back Rashad Jennings. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)

The Cowboys picked Hitchens in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. Hitchens was expected to be insurance policy for starter Sean Lee. But Lee was lost for the season with an injury in OTAs, and Hitchens became the first Cowboys rookie since safety Roy Williams in 2002 to finish the season with at least 100 tackles. He started at all three linebacker spots over the course of the season and finished with 11 starts during the regular season.

4. The Decision (no, not LeBron’s)

http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/files/2015/06/PHOTO_3_37673417.jpg
Left to right, Anthony Hitchens, Chad Anderson, James Washington, Amy Anderson, Brad Anderson and Zach Anderson.

At age 12, Anthony asked his biological mother, Norma Hitchens, if he could leave his home and move in with another family – that of Amy and Brad Anderson. Hitchens wasn’t unhappy. He didn’t need to escape a bad situation. But there was a gnawing sense that he had to make a change to realize his potential. “It just hit me,” Anthony remembers. “It was like, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ I’m just thankful I had a family there, and I chose the right route.” – From a story by The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore on May 17, 2014

5. Extended stay

One day in 2004, Anthony hopped on his bike to go and visit Zach Anderson, Amy Anderson’s oldest son. He overshot Zach’s home by a mile or so. By the time he made it back, it was too late to go home. He stayed the night. And the next night. And the next. After a week, the Andersons knew Norma Hitchens had to be worried sick about her son. Amy took him home, and Anthony asked his mother if he could live with the Andersons. “I think that’s a good choice,” Norma said. “Yeah, that’s all right. It’s not a problem.” — From a story by The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore on May 17, 2014

http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***...ife-changing-decision-he-made-at-age-12.html/

 

[jobberone]

Highly recommended read about a background story of Hitchens. Great American story success story.

 

[xwalker]

Great story.

I didn't even realize that he had over 100 tackles last year as a rookie. Wow! You can't get much better from a rookie 4th round pick.

 

[jobberone]

If his pass coverage picks up he'll be hard to keep off the field.

 

[xwalker]

If his pass coverage picks up he'll be hard to keep off the field.

He already played in the Nickel over Carter as a rookie. They started out in Nickel in weeks 12 though 16 and Hitchens was a starter with Carter on the bench to begin those games.

 

[mitchell2254]

It's getting hard to doubt any move our front office makes anymore. Outside of that 2012 debacle our past few drafts have been fantastic.

 

[jaybird]

He already played in the Nickel over Carter as a rookie. They started out in Nickel in weeks 12 though 16 and Hitchens was a starter with Carter on the bench to begin those games.

Love this kid. The coaching staff push him to the limit, he got through with flying colors. He going to have long great career. Another great draft pick !

 

[Section446]

Glad to have him on the team, he got better every week, and was a big reason why we were able to stay on fire as the season went on.

 

[jobberone]

He already played in the Nickel over Carter as a rookie. They started out in Nickel in weeks 12 though 16 and Hitchens was a starter with Carter on the bench to begin those games.

He still needs to get better. Our LB coverage was not stellar so there is room for improvement. I expect he will get better, there will be a surprise in camp and they will all get better due to increased pressure.

 

[xwalker]

He still needs to get better. Our LB coverage was not stellar so there is room for improvement. I expect he will get better, there will be a surprise in camp and they will all get better due to increased pressure.

Yes, the LB coverage had some issues last season. Much of what got blamed on Wilcox was actually the fault of the LBs.

Playing in the Nickel next to Lee will be really helpful to Hitchens.

 

[Redball Express]

Highly recommended read about a background story of Hitchens. Great American story success story.

Oh my..

And the next time I have to make a life-changing decision..

either for me or somebody else..

I'll try to remember Hitchens.

Inspirational.

Love his passion.

I think he ends up as our starter somewhere before the year is over.

I like McLain but I think he can't last the season like last year.

And I don't see Lee moving back to MLB in that case.

We'll see.

 

[jobberone]

Yes, the LB coverage had some issues last season. Much of what got blamed on Wilcox was actually the fault of the LBs.

Playing in the Nickel next to Lee will be really helpful to Hitchens.

I wonder if we will see much 5-2-4. I'm sure we'll see 4-2-5. I even expect to see Wilcox or maybe Church play a nickel LB at times

 

[mahoneybill]

He already played in the Nickel over Carter as a rookie. They started out in Nickel in weeks 12 though 16 and Hitchens was a starter with Carter on the bench to begin those games.

Great character and on the field production. Now I can see why Boys let Carter walk....

 

[chris1995]

Great character and on the field production. Now I can see why Boys let Carter walk....

Great value pick, and great team player.

 

[xwalker]

I wonder if we will see much 5-2-4. I'm sure we'll see 4-2-5. I even expect to see Wilcox or maybe Church play a nickel LB at times

The only way I see a 5-2-4 with 5 DL is with Gregory at SLB. I doubt they will do that this year because it would be more for him to learn, but it's possible.

A 4-2-5 is the Nickel defense; although, I've heard someone in the media mention they may have been practicing a big Nickel. Nickel is normally against 3 WR sets but big Nickel could be against either 2 WR or 3 WR sets. The big Nickel against 2 WR sets would be used for better coverage as compared to the base defense. The big Nickel against 3 WR sets would be used for better run defense as compared to the Nickel defense. Teams including the Cowboys are starting to have good success running against Nickel defenses so the big Nickel might be a counter to that trend. Church seems like a candidate to play the LB type role, but normally teams replace a LB with a DB to get more speed on the field and Church is not much faster than the LBs on the team. It generally went unnoticed, but they occasionally removed Church from the field and replaced him with Heath in some obvious passing situations last season.

They were reported to be practicing the Dime defense in OTAs. They have not used much Dime since switching back to the 4-3. A lot of that is probably because they didn't have the players to do it. Now they have CB/Safety hybrid players like Jones and White which would make it more feasible.

It's going to be interesting to see where players end up. Having CB/Safety flex with players like Jones and White gives them a lot of options. I'm still not certain that Carr stays on the team. I just don't see them paying him 8M but I don't know if he will take a pay cut.

 

[Doc50]

The only way I see a 5-2-4 with 5 DL is with Gregory at SLB. I doubt they will do that this year because it would be more for him to learn, but it's possible.

A 4-2-5 is the Nickel defense; although, I've heard someone in the media mention they may have been practicing a big Nickel. Nickel is normally against 3 WR sets but big Nickel could be against either 2 WR or 3 WR sets. The big Nickel against 2 WR sets would be used for better coverage as compared to the base defense. The big Nickel against 3 WR sets would be used for better run defense as compared to the Nickel defense. Teams including the Cowboys are starting to have good success running against Nickel defenses so the big Nickel might be a counter to that trend. Church seems like a candidate to play the LB type role, but normally teams replace a LB with a DB to get more speed on the field and Church is not much faster than the LBs on the team. It generally went unnoticed, but they occasionally removed Church from the field and replaced him with Heath in some obvious passing situations last season.

They were reported to be practicing the Dime defense in OTAs. They have not used much Dime since switching back to the 4-3. A lot of that is probably because they didn't have the players to do it. Now they have CB/Safety hybrid players like Jones and White which would make it more feasible.

It's going to be interesting to see where players end up. Having CB/Safety flex with players like Jones and White gives them a lot of options. I'm still not certain that Carr stays on the team. I just don't see them paying him 8M but I don't know if he will take a pay cut.

Agree that Gregory could flex some next year. Marinelli is adept at using existing personnel to create defensive advantage.

 

[John813]

Well worth the time to read the entire article.

Thanks for sharing

 

[tyke1doe]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't understand why his mom just let him stay with another family?

 

[Carl23]

Best thing about that story is the red sweater worn by Brad Anderson!

IH all the way!

 

[jobberone]

The only way I see a 5-2-4 with 5 DL is with Gregory at SLB. I doubt they will do that this year because it would be more for him to learn, but it's possible.

A 4-2-5 is the Nickel defense; although, I've heard someone in the media mention they may have been practicing a big Nickel. Nickel is normally against 3 WR sets but big Nickel could be against either 2 WR or 3 WR sets. The big Nickel against 2 WR sets would be used for better coverage as compared to the base defense. The big Nickel against 3 WR sets would be used for better run defense as compared to the Nickel defense. Teams including the Cowboys are starting to have good success running against Nickel defenses so the big Nickel might be a counter to that trend. Church seems like a candidate to play the LB type role, but normally teams replace a LB with a DB to get more speed on the field and Church is not much faster than the LBs on the team. It generally went unnoticed, but they occasionally removed Church from the field and replaced him with Heath in some obvious passing situations last season.

They were reported to be practicing the Dime defense in OTAs. They have not used much Dime since switching back to the 4-3. A lot of that is probably because they didn't have the players to do it. Now they have CB/Safety hybrid players like Jones and White which would make it more feasible.

It's going to be interesting to see where players end up. Having CB/Safety flex with players like Jones and White gives them a lot of options. I'm still not certain that Carr stays on the team. I just don't see them paying him 8M but I don't know if he will take a pay cut.

My mentioning the 4-2-5 instead of the Nickel is because there are so many player variations and responsibilities out of it as you mentioned. They're also using different personnel to run 6-2 and 3-1 yada. So saying prevent etc doesn't always mean the same thing anymore.