T.J. Ward

 My blog this week is on one of my favorite safeties in the NFL, T.J Ward.  Ward is a very aggressive and versatile player which makes up for his small size.
 Ward played high school football at  De La Salle, during their 151 game winning streak an injury early in his senior year pushed many scouts away, Ward decided to walk-on with the Oregon Ducks. After redshirting in 2005, Ward earned not only a scholarship, but the starting cornerback position.
 Unfortunately, another knee injury robbed him of most of the 2006 season and depth in the Oregon secondary kept him mostly on special teams in 2007. In an attempt to get their four best athletes on the field, Ward was moved to free safety, resulting in a breakout 2008 season. He lead the Ducks with 101 tackles, chipping in 5.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups to earn honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors.
  In the 2009 season Ward had another ankle injury, which took him out of five games. Even though he missed a chunk of the season, Ward was drafted 38th overall by the Cleveland Browns. He started all 16 games of his rookie season, recording 123 combined tackles and 2 interceptions. Ward is currently still on the Browns, and is tearing it up on the field. The thing I like most about Ward is that he never backs down from a challenge just because of his small size. This is why I choose T.J. Ward as this weeks top NFL safety.