ASANTE SAMUEL

'Asante Samuel' (born January 6, 1981 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is an American football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Samuel was drafted from the University of Central Florida by the Patriots in 2003.

Contents

High school career

College career

NFL career

Trivia

Notes and references

External links

High school career

Samuel attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. As a junior quarterback, he threw for 1,800 yards, and rushed for 500 yards. As a senior, Samuel concentrated on defense, and earned All-State honors, and finished his senior year with 4 interceptions and 75 tackles. Samuel also handled kicking and punting duties^[1].

College career

Samuel attended the University of Central Florida, and finished his career with 127 tackles (102 solo, 25 assisted), 8 interceptions, and a school-record 38 passes deflected (the previous record was 34 deflections). Samuel also returned 63 punts for 673 yards, for an average of 10.7 yards per return^[2].

NFL career

In the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft, with the 120th overall pick, Samuel was drafted by the Patriots along with Ty Warren, Eugene Wilson, and Dan Koppen.
At the start of the 2004 season, the Patriots' starting corners were Tyrone Poole and Ty Law. After both were sidelined by injuries, Samuel became a starter, and actually started for the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Since December 2004, Samuel has started every game in which he has played.
In 2006, the Patriots began the season with Samuel and Ellis Hobbs at cornerback. By the end of the regular season, Samuel had intercepted a career-high 10 passes, which put him in a tie for first in the NFL this season (with Champ Bailey of the Broncos); the mark is the second-best ever for a Patriot (in 1964 Ron Hall had 11). Samuel tied the Patriots' mark for most interceptions in a game when he picked off three passes in a week 12 game against the Chicago Bears.
He intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown twice in the 2007 NFL Playoffs once against the New York Jets to clinch their 1st round victory and then in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts to extend the lead to 21-3.
On February 16, 2007, the Patriots placed the franchise tag on him. After holding out for most of the preseason, Samuel signed the one-year $7.79 million tender on August 27, 2007 to fulfill his obligation under the franchise tag. He will be eligible for free agency again at the end of the 2007 season; it is unknown whether the Patriots agreed not to tag him again.
On April 4, 2007, Samuel told Adam Schefter of the NFL Network "I'm not happy anymore and things are not going well." Schefter also reported Samuel will request a trade or holdout if he does not receive a long-term deal^[3]. This came less than a month after Samuel told Butch Stearns of WFXT in Boston on March 11 that the prospect of a long-term contract was "looking good"^[4]. After the July 15 deadline for a long-term contract passed, Samuel signed a 1-year, $7.79 million contract and reported to the Patriots on August 28[1].

Trivia

★ Samuel decreased his 40 yard dash time from 5.4 seconds during his sophomore year of high school to 4.3 seconds entering the NFL^[5].

★ Samuel's top receiver in high school, Todd Devoe, later played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos^[5].

★ In high school, Samuel was a friend and teammate of future NFL defensive back Benny Sapp^[5].

★ 10 minutes before Samuel's final high school game, he replaced his team's injured starting quarterback. Samuel threw two touchdown passes, intercepted two more, and rushed for 80 yards. He also returned punts and kickoffs^[5].

★ Asante Samuel is tied with former Oakland Raider Willie Brown for the record for most interception returns for touchdowns in the playoffs with 3.

Notes and references

1. Payment Due Boston.com.
2. "College" Asante Samuel, Official New England Patriots Biography
3. Patriots' Samuel makes a statement NFL Network.
4. Here we go Again MyFoxBoston.com.
5. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/07/payment_due/?page=full
6. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/07/payment_due/?page=full
7. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/07/payment_due/?page=full
8. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/07/payment_due/?page=full

External links

★ ESPN.com's Asante Samuel profile