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[SIZE=+2]Penn State's Shaw has talent, will travel
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]He played running back, linebacker, defensive end for Nittany Lions[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:33 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 27, 2007
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***[/SIZE] Tim Shaw has one regret from his five years at Penn State.
"What bothers me is that I did not score a single touchdown in college," Shaw said.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/03-07/0328shaw.jpg AP
Tim Shaw had seven sacks for Penn State last season.
Defensive ends shouldn't expect to score touchdowns. That's where Shaw played as a senior in 2006. Linebackers shouldn't expect to score touchdowns, either. That's where he played in 2004 and '05. But Tim Shaw wasn't your everyday college defender.
NFL draft 2007 NFL draft: April 28-29
Draft order | Cowboys blog
Online-only coverage
March 27: Penn State's Tim Shaw
March 29: Hampton University
March 30: Position rankings (top 5)
Shaw was recruited by the Nittany Lions as a running back – and few runners in the history of high school football fashioned careers that could match his. He is the all-time leading rusher and scorer in Michigan high school history.
Shaw rushed for 7,813 yards and scored 131 touchdowns in his four years at Livonia Clarenceville in suburban Detroit. Only 20 high schoolers in U.S. history rushed for more yards and only seven scored more touchdowns.
When Shaw signed his letter of intent with Penn State, he expected to be the next John Cappelletti or Franco Harris. But that dream lasted just a year.
Shaw spent his true freshman season in 2002 taking spare handoffs (14 carries for 56 yards) but mostly covering kicks on special teams. His coaches approached him the following spring and said they wanted to move him to linebacker – and would give him a redshirt season to learn the position.
Shaw made the move, and when he returned to the field in 2004, he found himself as the starting middle linebacker at Linebacker U. He split time over the next two seasons between the inside and outside, starting wherever the Nittany Lions needed him. He made 76 tackles in 2005 for a Penn State team that finished 11-1 and 12th in the NCAA in defense.
But the coaches approached Shaw again last spring, this time asking him to move to defensive end so they could get promising young linebacker Sean Lee on the field.
"The switch from running back to linebacker was tough because I still thought I was a running back," Shaw said. "I thought I was the best guy there. That was something I needed to deal with and grow up on. So I did that.
"Going from linebacker to defensive end was tough, too, because I had to put my personal goals aside – things that I had set for my senior year – for the betterment of the team. That was a tough year because I was still learning the whole season. If I had stayed at linebacker, I'd have known everything and been very comfortable. I would have just been able to play."
Despite the newness of lining up in a three-point stance, Shaw finished second on the Nittany Lions in sacks with seven and Penn State capped a 9-4 season with another New Year's Day victory. Shaw earned the respect of his coaches and teammates for his career-long unselfishness.
"To do that to one person is mind-boggling," said tackle Jay Alford, who led Penn State with eight sacks. "It takes a lot to go through those different progressions. But I thought Tim handled everything terrific."
Shaw also was a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection who earned a degree in management last May. The NFL likes smart, unselfish players. The NFL will like Tim Shaw.
"I'm hoping they see the sacrifices I've made," Shaw said. "The big thing I want them to see is that because of the circumstances – the switching of positions – I haven't played my best football yet."
One thing is certain: Shaw will play wherever the NFL asks him to play. And, as Penn State learned, Shaw will play well in whatever position that is.
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]He played running back, linebacker, defensive end for Nittany Lions[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:33 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 27, 2007
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***[/SIZE] Tim Shaw has one regret from his five years at Penn State.
"What bothers me is that I did not score a single touchdown in college," Shaw said.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/03-07/0328shaw.jpg AP
Tim Shaw had seven sacks for Penn State last season.
Defensive ends shouldn't expect to score touchdowns. That's where Shaw played as a senior in 2006. Linebackers shouldn't expect to score touchdowns, either. That's where he played in 2004 and '05. But Tim Shaw wasn't your everyday college defender.
NFL draft 2007 NFL draft: April 28-29
Draft order | Cowboys blog
Online-only coverage
March 27: Penn State's Tim Shaw
March 29: Hampton University
March 30: Position rankings (top 5)
Shaw was recruited by the Nittany Lions as a running back – and few runners in the history of high school football fashioned careers that could match his. He is the all-time leading rusher and scorer in Michigan high school history.
Shaw rushed for 7,813 yards and scored 131 touchdowns in his four years at Livonia Clarenceville in suburban Detroit. Only 20 high schoolers in U.S. history rushed for more yards and only seven scored more touchdowns.
When Shaw signed his letter of intent with Penn State, he expected to be the next John Cappelletti or Franco Harris. But that dream lasted just a year.
Shaw spent his true freshman season in 2002 taking spare handoffs (14 carries for 56 yards) but mostly covering kicks on special teams. His coaches approached him the following spring and said they wanted to move him to linebacker – and would give him a redshirt season to learn the position.
Shaw made the move, and when he returned to the field in 2004, he found himself as the starting middle linebacker at Linebacker U. He split time over the next two seasons between the inside and outside, starting wherever the Nittany Lions needed him. He made 76 tackles in 2005 for a Penn State team that finished 11-1 and 12th in the NCAA in defense.
But the coaches approached Shaw again last spring, this time asking him to move to defensive end so they could get promising young linebacker Sean Lee on the field.
"The switch from running back to linebacker was tough because I still thought I was a running back," Shaw said. "I thought I was the best guy there. That was something I needed to deal with and grow up on. So I did that.
"Going from linebacker to defensive end was tough, too, because I had to put my personal goals aside – things that I had set for my senior year – for the betterment of the team. That was a tough year because I was still learning the whole season. If I had stayed at linebacker, I'd have known everything and been very comfortable. I would have just been able to play."
Despite the newness of lining up in a three-point stance, Shaw finished second on the Nittany Lions in sacks with seven and Penn State capped a 9-4 season with another New Year's Day victory. Shaw earned the respect of his coaches and teammates for his career-long unselfishness.
"To do that to one person is mind-boggling," said tackle Jay Alford, who led Penn State with eight sacks. "It takes a lot to go through those different progressions. But I thought Tim handled everything terrific."
Shaw also was a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection who earned a degree in management last May. The NFL likes smart, unselfish players. The NFL will like Tim Shaw.
"I'm hoping they see the sacrifices I've made," Shaw said. "The big thing I want them to see is that because of the circumstances – the switching of positions – I haven't played my best football yet."
One thing is certain: Shaw will play wherever the NFL asks him to play. And, as Penn State learned, Shaw will play well in whatever position that is.
