With the loss of McKenzie, who I was really excited about, Antonio Appleby has a much greater chance of making this team. Having a guy that already has some experience in the system means we can plug him in that much earlier, and he seems like a guy that might be able to play a run-stuffing role on this team. Here is some interesting info and some quotes I found on Applyby.
If we don't expect too much from him, maybe he can be a nice contributor to this team, especially as a run stuffing MLB.
(on graduating)
"You come in here as an 18-year-old and you just grow so much as a person,” Appleby said. “[Being able to] just going out there in practice every day with your teammates practicing, giving it all out on the field. You come in a boy and you leave as man, that’s what I’ll remember.”
(on having had three different defensive coordinators in four years at Virginia.)
“I definitely think it’s an advantage [having three coordinators],” Appleby said. “All of them obviously had their own strengths and weaknesses. They all had different personalities but I just did my best to learn what I could from each of them.”
(on football)
"I learned when I was first year here you have to leave all out there on the field,” Appleby said. “That fun and that adrenaline just going through that experience is what it’s all about.”
(A teammate on his 11 tackle effort vs East Carolina)
“He goes out there everyday working as hard as he can and today was his day,” Dolce said. “I remember throughout the week watching Antonio practice and he was just flying all over the field.”
(Al Groh on consistency)
“Last week, [he had] a little revival there in terms of playmaking ... and it continued today,” Groh said. “Antonio is another part of the theme of … being the same guy. And he was much the same guy today.“
(From Draft Guys)
"Antonio Appleby(LB-Virginia) - Like Joseph, Appleby played well enough to make you wonder why he wasn’t at the Shrine Game or Senior Bowl. Appleby flowed to the ballcarrier very well against wide runs and shed blockers to make the tackle like a stout middle linebacker."
Antonio Appleby(ILB-Virginia) - Appleby, like Joseph, seems to relish the chance to hit offensive players. He flows well to the ballcarrier on running plays, and flies to the ball when he has a lane. Appleby has great size, but he doesn’t defeat blockers as well as Joseph.
(Mile High Report draft profile on Appleby)
He is stout at the point of attack,an excellent wrap-up tackler, though he can sometimes try too hard for the big hit. Against the run he is every bit as effective as Maualuga in the 1st round, but he lacks Rey's explosive first step and pent up power.
(from Phinsider) "To give you an idea of his athleticism, he was the 25th ranked LB coming out of HS, but the 9th ranked TE. It could be lucky for us that he stuck to defense. He definitely earns his bread stopping the run; he has excellent football instincts, and usually knows where the ball is. He can find the proper tackling lanes, beat or shed the block, and brings his man down. He is schematically sound, knows where his gap is, and hits it hard. If he gets to the ball carrier, he usually is not getting any yards after contact. "
Virginia's Antonio Appleby Hopes Hard Work Pays Off in the NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
ILB, Antonio Appleby,Virginia - Mile High Report
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