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Miami Hurricanes' Allen Bailey back, ready to attack
.Hurricanes defensive lineman Allen Bailey passed up the NFL Draft to help his teammates improve on last season.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/26/1746610/bailey-back-ready-to-attack.html
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University of Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey (57) puts pressure on Virginia quarterback Marc Verica (6) in the second quarter of their game on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens.
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
[email protected]
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Christian Ponder no doubt did a double-take Sunday when he saw the monster who would be coming after him like a runaway freight train in October at Sun Life Stadium.
``Yeah, I saw him,'' Ponder, the Florida State quarterback, said of University of Miami defensive end Allen Bailey, who sacked him once in the 2009 opener. ``I didn't realize how big he was. He's like the friggin' Jolly Green Giant.''
Bailey said his nicknames include Big Bailey, Big Dog, The Hulk and The Green Mile. This green-and-orange giant is one that his teammates are glad didn't get away. The soft-spoken Bailey, a senior, told reporters that the NFL College Advisory Committee, made up of various NFL personnel directors, had projected that he would be taken late in the first round or early in the second of this year's NFL Draft.
Bailey said he gave it two days' thought -- at most. His decision already was made.
``I had made up my mind to come back,'' said Bailey, a 2009 first-team All-ACC defensive lineman who led UM with seven sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss. ``I just felt the bond with this team. I didn't finish last year like I wanted to. With this team, hopefully we can win it all.''
However the Hurricanes finish, Bailey is bound to be instrumental. The UM Strength Training Athlete of the Year, Bailey is 6-4 and 285 pounds, with 9 percent body fat. He was timed in the 40-yard dash at the end of May in a defensive-line best of 4.65 seconds, a bit faster than fellow end Andrew Smith, said strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey. Two weeks ago, Swasey recorded Bailey's squat at 585 pounds, bench press at 415 and power clean at 405.
``He's got freakish genetics,'' Swasey said. ``He's such a hard-working, blue-collar guy. He earns everything he gets with character and work ethic. Regardless of how he feels, he never complains. This extra year of college will be a plus for us and for him.''
Although Bailey has played tackle and end, and came to UM as a linebacker from McIntosh County Academy in Georgia, he is expected to play left end this season. He is on the 2010 Nagurski Trophy Watch List but realizes that all that watching will be futile if his numbers decline like they did last season. After sacks against FSU, Oklahoma, Florida A&M, Clemson and Wake Forest, Bailey failed to get another in the final five games against Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, USF and Wisconsin.
``It frustrated me a little bit,'' he said. ``I was getting double-teamed more often.''
This season, Miami's line is clearly the strength and depth of its defense. Bailey said there are at least 16 linemen. Adewale Ojomo is back after a year of recuperating from a broken jaw and is slated for right end. Behind Ojomo, Bailey said, are sophomore Olivier Vernon and redshirt freshman Dyron Dye. Behind Bailey are senior Steven Wesley, junior Marcus Robinson and Dye (he plays both sides).
``We have the talent, the athleticism and the numbers,'' Bailey said. ``I feel like our pass-rushing and our hands as a whole have improved.''
UM kicker Matt Bosher, who accompanied Bailey on Sunday, was asked to describe him.
``Look at him,'' Bosher said. ``He's huge. The scary thing is he's so big and he's faster than I am -- ridiculously athletic. Great teammate. Great leader. Always does the right thing and always works hard. He's a good [role model] for young guys. He doesn't talk back.''
Perhaps Bailey is best known for where he was raised: Sapelo Island, a state-protected area reachable only by boat. The island is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Bailey's community of Hog Hammock, with a population under 100, is inhabited mostly by black people who are descendants of slaves.
``Not that many people,'' he said. ``I'm pretty much kin to all of them.''
Bailey grew up hunting for his food -- alligators, raccoons, wild hogs and the like. He said he is still waiting to take home his roommate, cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke.
``He might be scared the whole time, knowing him,'' Bailey said.
Just like those quarterbacks.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/26/1746610/bailey-back-ready-to-attack.html#ixzz0uqVa2Pc9
.Hurricanes defensive lineman Allen Bailey passed up the NFL Draft to help his teammates improve on last season.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/26/1746610/bailey-back-ready-to-attack.html
Buy Photo
University of Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey (57) puts pressure on Virginia quarterback Marc Verica (6) in the second quarter of their game on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens.
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
[email protected]
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Christian Ponder no doubt did a double-take Sunday when he saw the monster who would be coming after him like a runaway freight train in October at Sun Life Stadium.
``Yeah, I saw him,'' Ponder, the Florida State quarterback, said of University of Miami defensive end Allen Bailey, who sacked him once in the 2009 opener. ``I didn't realize how big he was. He's like the friggin' Jolly Green Giant.''
Bailey said his nicknames include Big Bailey, Big Dog, The Hulk and The Green Mile. This green-and-orange giant is one that his teammates are glad didn't get away. The soft-spoken Bailey, a senior, told reporters that the NFL College Advisory Committee, made up of various NFL personnel directors, had projected that he would be taken late in the first round or early in the second of this year's NFL Draft.
Bailey said he gave it two days' thought -- at most. His decision already was made.
``I had made up my mind to come back,'' said Bailey, a 2009 first-team All-ACC defensive lineman who led UM with seven sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss. ``I just felt the bond with this team. I didn't finish last year like I wanted to. With this team, hopefully we can win it all.''
However the Hurricanes finish, Bailey is bound to be instrumental. The UM Strength Training Athlete of the Year, Bailey is 6-4 and 285 pounds, with 9 percent body fat. He was timed in the 40-yard dash at the end of May in a defensive-line best of 4.65 seconds, a bit faster than fellow end Andrew Smith, said strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey. Two weeks ago, Swasey recorded Bailey's squat at 585 pounds, bench press at 415 and power clean at 405.
``He's got freakish genetics,'' Swasey said. ``He's such a hard-working, blue-collar guy. He earns everything he gets with character and work ethic. Regardless of how he feels, he never complains. This extra year of college will be a plus for us and for him.''
Although Bailey has played tackle and end, and came to UM as a linebacker from McIntosh County Academy in Georgia, he is expected to play left end this season. He is on the 2010 Nagurski Trophy Watch List but realizes that all that watching will be futile if his numbers decline like they did last season. After sacks against FSU, Oklahoma, Florida A&M, Clemson and Wake Forest, Bailey failed to get another in the final five games against Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, USF and Wisconsin.
``It frustrated me a little bit,'' he said. ``I was getting double-teamed more often.''
This season, Miami's line is clearly the strength and depth of its defense. Bailey said there are at least 16 linemen. Adewale Ojomo is back after a year of recuperating from a broken jaw and is slated for right end. Behind Ojomo, Bailey said, are sophomore Olivier Vernon and redshirt freshman Dyron Dye. Behind Bailey are senior Steven Wesley, junior Marcus Robinson and Dye (he plays both sides).
``We have the talent, the athleticism and the numbers,'' Bailey said. ``I feel like our pass-rushing and our hands as a whole have improved.''
UM kicker Matt Bosher, who accompanied Bailey on Sunday, was asked to describe him.
``Look at him,'' Bosher said. ``He's huge. The scary thing is he's so big and he's faster than I am -- ridiculously athletic. Great teammate. Great leader. Always does the right thing and always works hard. He's a good [role model] for young guys. He doesn't talk back.''
Perhaps Bailey is best known for where he was raised: Sapelo Island, a state-protected area reachable only by boat. The island is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Bailey's community of Hog Hammock, with a population under 100, is inhabited mostly by black people who are descendants of slaves.
``Not that many people,'' he said. ``I'm pretty much kin to all of them.''
Bailey grew up hunting for his food -- alligators, raccoons, wild hogs and the like. He said he is still waiting to take home his roommate, cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke.
``He might be scared the whole time, knowing him,'' Bailey said.
Just like those quarterbacks.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/26/1746610/bailey-back-ready-to-attack.html#ixzz0uqVa2Pc9
