Mountaineer Magazine
October 08, 2004 08:56 AM | General
October 8, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A human slingshot five inches shorter and nearly 60 pounds lighter than its colossal target catapulted through the air. Virginia Tech tight end Jared Mazzetta just crumbled to the ground on impact. And there stood the Mountaineers’ Jahmile Addae, just 6-feet tall and barely 200 pounds. But when the referee penalized the lick Addae put on the streaking tight end, the play reiterated the junior free safety’s job description.
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| Junior Jahmile Addae says he usues his head instead of his helmet while delivering big blows in the secondary.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
“Just thinking on the fly and being able to react to things,” Addae shrugged.
At times that means literally thinking on the fly.
The alleged helmet-to-helmet hit during West Virginia’s loss at Virginia Tech was scrutinized several times on national television in slow motion. But it also proved just how cerebral Addae’s duties are in the secondary.
“There’s a lot that comes with being a free safety,” Addae said. “There’s a lot of checking in and out of defenses and recognizing tendencies that teams have and calling them out. It’s something that’s hard and not something you learn overnight.”
Addae didn’t learn the position overnight but he certainly wasn’t weaned into it as a true freshman. At the tender age of 17, Addae was the starting safety against No. 1-ranked Miami in a road game on national television. Though the Mountaineers were handed a 45-3 loss, Addae posted five tackles in place of the injured Rick Sherrod.
“It really didn’t bother me,” Addae said. “It’s probably helped me more than anything. I know how it is to be thrown into the fire.”
Even as a 20-year-old with junior eligibility, Addae is ahead of the learning curve, which is something that has followed him throughout his life. While attending elementary school in the Bronx, N.Y., Addae skipped a grade for academic reasons, moved to Valrico, Fla., following the seventh grade and graduated from Riverview High School as a 16-year-old.
“Everyone makes a big deal out of it,” Addae said. “My whole life I’ve been with people who were way older than me. So I kind of fit in and felt older than I really was.”
Following his freshman year Addae still felt younger because he could not use his redshirt after playing in five games. He went on to start all 13 games in the 2002 season, a year which he had 99 tackles, four interceptions and 16 break-ups. But by not using his redshirt as a freshman that gave Addae the opportunity to use a medical redshirt after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery early in the 2003 season.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Addae said. “If I didn’t lose my redshirt then I probably wouldn’t have got my medical redshirt.”
Addae regained his starting position this year and is healthy once again.
“I haven’t had any problems with the injury so far,” Addae said. “When you first come back a lot of it is psychological and you don’t really want to test it too much. But eventually you got to stick it in there. I’ve put my shoulder into many plays and I haven’t had any troubles.”
His coaching staff and many television viewers partial to West Virginia would agree that his hit in the Virginia Tech game was an example of the many times Addae put his shoulder into a play instead of using his helmet.
The hit not only proved his shoulder is healthy, but it also showed the type of player he is.
“I’m probably more of an aggressive player rather than a passive guy,” Addae said. “I’m more prone to laying a big hit than getting an interception. I just try to keep my play level and if the opportunity is there I’m going to take it.”
The balance between playing the run and the pass is what makes Addae’s position so difficult. That’s something defensive backs coach Tony Gibson emphasizes.
“You are a pass defender first,” Gibson said. “He wants to get nosey because he’s an aggressive player on the run game.”
Addae knows he still has a ways to go before posting the type of numbers he did his sophomore year.
But according to Gibson he is improving every week. He said the Maryland game, an overtime win when the secondary had three interceptions and surrendered a season-low 108 passing yards, was Addae’s best game by far all season.
“I just got to keep getting better,” Addae said. “It’s hard to say you’re doing well because people don’t point out what you are doing well as much as what you’re doing wrong.”
But what about the hit in the Virginia Tech game?
Addae is in good graces there.
“I expect him to do the same thing to someone that’s trying to catch a ball over the middle,” Gibson said.
“That’s my job,” Addae added, “to make the receiver think about not coming across the middle play after play.”
Not really a bad job when you think about it.
