ELLIS HOBBS

'Ellis Hobbs III' (born May 16, 1983 in Niagara Falls, New York) is an American football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Iowa State University.

Contents

High school career

Collegiate career

NFL career

Links

High school career

Hobbs attended DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas, where he was a standout in football and track. In track, he participated on the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams and the long jump. On the gridiron, he starred at corner as well as running back; he ran for 1,701 yards on 233 carries with 29 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns.

Collegiate career

Ellis Hobbs III graduated from Iowa State University in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Art and Visual Communication. A three-year starter at right cornerback, he racked up 209 tackles, two sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and 29 pass deflections during his tenure. He also found success as a kick returner, gaining 490 yards on 24 career kick returns. He earned All-Big 12 Conference first-team honors as a senior. Ellis III also received the Academic Athlete of the Year Award and was a finalist for Christian Athlete of the Year at ISU.

NFL career

Despite limited playing time early in the season, Hobbs made a number of contributions to the Patriots in his rookie season. A string of injuries in the Patriots secondary resulted in Hobbs starting at cornerback the final 8 games of the season. Hobbs stepped up to the challenge, snagging three interceptions, and earning 371 yards on 15 kickoff returns (including a crucial 35-yard return in the Patriots' game-winning drive against the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Hobbs struggled somewhat during his second year in the NFL, in part because of a broken wrist suffered early in the season; Hobbs, who wore a black cast for much of the season, missed a couple of games and lost his job as starter during the second half of the season. Nevertheless, he has two interceptions for the season (one in garbage time against the Vikings, which he returned 70 yards). In addition, filling in for an injured Laurence Maroney at kick returner, he returned a kick against Miami for 51 yards, and returned a kick against the Texans for 93 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career, and the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Patriot since Bethel Johnson in 2004.
The 2006 season was a big step in the right direction for Hobbs. He won the starting cornerback job next to Asante Samuel. He played in 15 out of 16 games, however his playing time was limited at periods during the season due to a wrist inury. It is uncertain when he actually injured the wrist, but it was likely in Week 2 or 3. When he returned vs. Miami he has a small cast on his wrist. He recorded 47 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defensed. He also recorded 14 total tackles in their three playoff games.
Hobbs performed well in the 2006 playoffs, breaking up several potential touchdown passes (including two in the Divisional round against the San Diego Chargers, and one in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts that the NFL admitted was incorrectly flagged as pass interference). Hobbs also returned a kickoff 80 yards in the AFC Championship Game.
LaDainian Tomlinson let it slip out that Hobbs was the one who angered him by doing the "Lights Out" dance made famous by Shawne Merriman after the Patriots eliminated the Chargers from the playoffs in San Diego.
On September 9 2007, Hobbs broke the record for the longest kickoff return in NFL history when he ran a kickoff back 108 yards for a touchdown against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium.

Links

★ EllisHobbs27.com - Ellis' Official Website