Brady Paul Poppinga (born September 21, 1979) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, and Dallas Cowboys. With the Packers, he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars.
Early years
Poppinga attended Evanston High School in Evanston, Wyoming. He lettered three years in football and basketball, and four years in track. In football, he was an All-State selection at both linebacker and tight end. He was named both 4-A lineman and Wyoming Athlete of the Year as a senior while leading the team to a 9–1 record and a 4-A state title. In 1995, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He also finished second in a 1997 high school discus competition.
College career
After graduating from high school, Poppinga served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Uruguay and enrolled at BYU in 2001. Poppinga quickly earned a place on the Cougar roster. He played in all 12 games of the 2001 season at defensive end, recording 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and one pass defended on the season. Poppinga also made a significant contribution on special teams.
Poppinga's performance as a freshman gave him even more playing time in the 2002 season, including two starts and playing time in all 12 contests. He responded with a conference-leading eight sacks, and was named to the first-team All-MWC and as an MWC All-Academic selection. Poppinga also forced three fumbles and had three quarterback pressures on the season. He was also given an award as BYU's top defensive lineman.
He started all 12 contests at defensive end in the 2003 season. He led the team and finished seventh in the conference in sacks with six and was among the top players in the conference in tackles with 55 (34 solo) and once again earned All-MWC honors. One of his most notable games of the season was a September 6 contest against the Trojans of USC, in which he earned co-defensive player of the game honors for a six-tackle performance that included five solo tackles and a sack of star USC quarterback Matt Leinart.
In 2004, Poppinga started every game of his senior season, shifting near the end of the season from defensive end to outside linebacker. He finished third on the team in tackles with 79 (35 solo), also accumulating six sacks and one forced fumble, and for the third time in his career was selected for first-team All-MWC honors. Poppinga was also a candidate among 58 others for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the nation's top defensive player. He was named defensive player of the game for a September 4 contest against Notre Dame in which he posted 12 tackles (seven solo), a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Pre-draft measurables
Professional career
Green Bay Packers
Poppinga entered the NFL on April 24, 2005, when he was selected in the fourth round (125th overall selection) of the 2005 draft by the Green Bay Packers. On July 26, 2005 Poppinga signed a four-year $2.4 million contract with the Packers.
The Packers were excited about Poppinga's speed and skills as a pass rushing linebacker. However, Poppinga suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, forcing him to miss three preseason games. Because of the injury, he was unable to compete for a starting position at outside linebacker in the 2005 season, and took a backup role, occasionally playing as part of a deep linebacker corps also featuring Na'il Diggs, Roy Manning, Robert Thomas, and Paris Lenon.
Poppinga contributed most significantly to the 2005 season with his high-energy play as a coverage man on special teams plays, posting a team-high 22 special teams tackles through the Packers' first 13 contests. Though Poppinga never started at linebacker in 2005, he saw more and more playing time through the season due both to injuries suffered by the starting players and because of his ability as a pass-rusher. This special pass-rushing role played to Poppinga's strengths and allowed him to post two sacks during the 2005 season. His best single-game performance was an October 23 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, in which he accumulated five tackles (3 solo) and one sack of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper.