Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard exceeded all expectations in his rookie year, leading the league with 163 tackles and earning First-team All-Pro honors in 2018. But the 23-year-old doesn’t intend to stop there. Leonard already set high goals for 2019, aiming to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I want 200 tackles. I want 10 sacks. I want to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” – said Leonard during his appearance on NFL Network on Tuesday. “I want to be All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP. Just everything with my name at the top of the charts.”

Leonard, who was the 36th overall choice in 2018, had many doubters when he entered the league. This motivated him to have an outstanding rookie year in which he also added 7.0 sacks, four fumbles, and two interceptions.

But even when he proved everyone wrong, the initial doubt about his place in the NFL continues to fuel his determination.

“I still have that chip on my shoulder.” – he explained. “I wasn’t MVP. I wasn’t at the top of the charts. I wasn’t a Pro Bowler. I wasn’t a Super Bowl champion. So, that’s still goals that I want to achieve. And until I achieve them goals, I’m gonna still have that chip on my shoulder to outplay everybody and be the top competitor that I can be.”

The post Colts’ LB Darius Leonard: “I Want to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Despite the fact that Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker Darius Leonard is having an impressive 2018 season, and currently finds himself as the NFL’s leader in tackles, he didn’t earn a Pro Bowl selection this year.

This was particularly a surprise since Leonard has 146 tackles in 13 games, which is most by a rookie in the history of the league in the same period.  If this wasn’t impressive enough, he also managed 7.0 sacks, one interception, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

It turns out that the 23-year-old former South Carolina State Bulldogs football standout was shocked by the decision as anyone else, saying that he was “heartbroken” when he found out the news.

“When I first found out, I was definitely heartbroken, but then I just used that as fuel just to keep fighting and keep competing,” – said Leonard during his appearance on Good Morning Football.” “I was just happy for [Eric] Ebron and [Quenton Nelson], so I just wanted to go out and keep competing and try to put on another show that I need to be in there or I should have been there.”

Even though Darius Leonard definitely deserved the invite to Pro Bowl, he shouldn’t be lingering too much over the snub. He is a lock for All-Rookie Team of the year and firm favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Also, if he ties couple more impressive performances before the season wraps up, he could be in consideration for All-Pro honors as well.

The post Colts’ LB Darius Leonard on Pro Bowl Snub: “I Was Definitely Heartbroken” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard exceeded all expectations in his rookie year, leading the league with 163 tackles and earning First-team All-Pro honors in 2018. But the 23-year-old doesn’t intend to stop there. Leonard already set high goals for 2019, aiming to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I want 200 tackles. I want 10 sacks. I want to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” – said Leonard during his appearance on NFL Network on Tuesday. “I want to be All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP. Just everything with my name at the top of the charts.”

Leonard, who was the 36th overall choice in 2018, had many doubters when he entered the league. This motivated him to have an outstanding rookie year in which he also added 7.0 sacks, four fumbles, and two interceptions.

But even when he proved everyone wrong, the initial doubt about his place in the NFL continues to fuel his determination.

“I still have that chip on my shoulder.” – he explained. “I wasn’t MVP. I wasn’t at the top of the charts. I wasn’t a Pro Bowler. I wasn’t a Super Bowl champion. So, that’s still goals that I want to achieve. And until I achieve them goals, I’m gonna still have that chip on my shoulder to outplay everybody and be the top competitor that I can be.”

The post Colts’ LB Darius Leonard: “I Want to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Despite the fact that Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker Darius Leonard is having an impressive 2018 season, and currently finds himself as the NFL’s leader in tackles, he didn’t earn a Pro Bowl selection this year.

This was particularly a surprise since Leonard has 146 tackles in 13 games, which is most by a rookie in the history of the league in the same period.  If this wasn’t impressive enough, he also managed 7.0 sacks, one interception, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

It turns out that the 23-year-old former South Carolina State Bulldogs football standout was shocked by the decision as anyone else, saying that he was “heartbroken” when he found out the news.

“When I first found out, I was definitely heartbroken, but then I just used that as fuel just to keep fighting and keep competing,” – said Leonard during his appearance on Good Morning Football.” “I was just happy for [Eric] Ebron and [Quenton Nelson], so I just wanted to go out and keep competing and try to put on another show that I need to be in there or I should have been there.”

Even though Darius Leonard definitely deserved the invite to Pro Bowl, he shouldn’t be lingering too much over the snub. He is a lock for All-Rookie Team of the year and firm favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Also, if he ties couple more impressive performances before the season wraps up, he could be in consideration for All-Pro honors as well.

The post Colts’ LB Darius Leonard on Pro Bowl Snub: “I Was Definitely Heartbroken” appeared first on SportzBonanza.