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Matt
Bernstein, FB ―
Wisconsin, 6’2”/266 lbs.
While the
fans at Camp Randall Stadium cheered deliriously for the
wonderful 43 carry 258 yard performance turned in by
Brian Calhoun of the Badgers against Bowling Green,
hopefully some of them noticed and applauded the
dominating performance of the man who led Calhoun
through most of those holes.
With the
score tied at 35, Wisconsin had driven down to the
Falcons’ one yard line on an seven play drive that
consisted of seven running plays. It almost didn’t seem
fair. From the one yard line, the Badgers lined up in
the “I” formation and ran a dive inside to the left. As
he had all night, Bernstein came through the hole first
to clear a path for Calhoun, and this time he caught a
defensive back. It must have been like dessert for
Bernstein after having tangled with linemen and
linebackers all day, and he drilled the man with his
shoulder pad in the chest with all 266 pounds of his
massive frame, snapping the man’s head back and knocking
him off his feet. It was at the moment the man was
falling backward with Bernstein falling on top of him
that Bernstein showed his style. Is nasty a style? As
the two men fell, Bernstein punctuated the block with a
delicious forearming to the man’s facemask, almost as if
he just wanted to see if he could make him cry. It was
the type of statement that brings a scowl of delight to
hard nose football fans and, though they publicly deny
it, brings a smile to the face of NFL general managers.
Anyone who
saw Bernstein float through and over the Penn State
defense in 2004 for 123 yards on 27 carries when he was
the Badgers’ only walking running back knows that
Bernstein is far from a lumbering lineman in the
backfield. He is nimble and agile; and, while he’ll
never be a feature back in the NFL, his athleticism
makes him a strange combination of size and agility.
Playing fullback, a position that has almost become an
after-thought on draft day, that combination alone isn’t
enough to attract the attention of NFL scouts, but add
to his physical attributes, the mentality that is sure
to some day make him a part of the offensive line in the
same way that Doc Walker became a part of the Hogs for
the Redskins of the eighties with his nasty attitude.
When
blocking, Bernstein dips his shoulders nicely and gets
lower than one might think a 6’2” fullback could get. He
finds defenders in open space quickly and uses good foot
speed to close on them. He will certainly be capable of
lugging the ball on short yardage situations, using the
266 pounds he carries to batter the opponent, and has
adequate enough hands that he won’t embarrass himself on
the swing pass. The running back that sees his team
draft Bernstein will surely smile on draft day.
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© 2004-2007 DBI Media, LLC (Photos courtesy of AP)
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