A. J. Hawk
Encyclopedia
Green Bay Packers
On April 29, 2006 Hawk was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He was the 5th overall pick of the draft. He signed a 6-year contract with the Packers, worth $37.5 million, on July 28, 2006. He recorded his first NFL sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
on September 24, 2006, when he sacked Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
Quarterback Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
in the fourth quarter.
Hawk was selected the NFL Rookie Of The Week on October 23, 2006, in a win against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He led Green Bay with 12 total tackles in the game and recorded one sack in the Packers’ 34–24 victory.
For his effort in the November 12, 2006, 23–17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, Hawk was selected the NFL Rookie of the Week for the second time. Hawk recorded 13 total tackles and 1.5 sacks, and forced one fumble. Early in the third quarter, Hawk sacked the Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson (American football)
James Bradley Johnson is a former National Football League Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-Early years:Brad went to Charles D...
for a 10-yard loss. He later combined with teammate Nick Barnett
Nick Barnett
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American Football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. A graduate of Fontana A.B...
for another 10-yard sack.
On December 10, 2006, Hawk recorded his first NFL interception when he picked off Alex Smith
Alex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah...
during a 30–19 win over the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. On December 31, during the Packers' final game of the 2006 season, Hawk recorded his second interception of the season during a 26–7 win over the Chicago Bears.
In his rookie season, Hawk led the Packers' defense with 119 total tackles, 82 of them solo. He also recorded 2 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 6 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. He was third place in voting for the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In his second season he was second on the team with 105 total tackles, 78 of them solo. He also had one interception, one sack, four passes defended and one forced fumble. During the 2007 postseason he recorded eight tackles and one sack in two games.
After spending nine games as the Packers' weakside linebacker and Nick Barnett
Nick Barnett
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American Football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. A graduate of Fontana A.B...
's torn ACL, Hawk was moved to Middle Linebacker in 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. Hawk had 86 tackles and 3 sacks in the full 16 game season he started for Green Bay.
With Dom Capers
Dom Capers
Ernest Dominic "Dom" Capers is an American football coach, the current defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, and the only man to serve two different National Football League expansion teams as their inaugural head coach....
' hiring and the preceding switch to the 3-4 defense
3-4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers.The 3–4 defense declined in popularity over the years, but has found renewed use by modern professional and college football teams. The 3–4 defense is so named because it involves 3...
, Hawk moved to inside linebacker for the 2009 season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
.
Hawk was released by the Packers on March 2, 2011. On March 3, 2011, he signed a new five year deal.
In 2011, Hawk was fined $10, 000 by the NFL after flipping the bird
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
during a game against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
Career statistics
As of 10/31/2010 (Week 8 of the 2010-11 season), Hawk has recorded 466 total tackles, 334 solo tackles and 132 assist tackles. In 72 games, he has averaged 6.7 total tackles, 4.8 solo tackles and 1.9 assist tackles per game. He also has 8.5 sacks, 7 interceptions and 116 yards after interception. Hawk's 466 total tackles rank 14th amongst linebackers since he entered the league in the 2006-07 season.Personal
Hawk is married to Laura Quinn, sister of Brady QuinnBrady Quinn
Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
, quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Interestingly enough, Hawk's final game with the Buckeyes was the 2006 Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
against Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where Quinn was playing at the time. During the game Laura wore a custom made jersey which was half Ohio State and Half Notre Dame, combining Brady's number 10 and AJ's Number 47, making the number 17. Hawk managed to sack his future brother-in-law twice during the game and become co-MVP of the bowl which ended with an Ohio State victory. Laura gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Lennon Noel, on December 4, 2010.