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Introducing Nose Tackle Terrence Cody

With the 57th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Nose Tackle Terrence Cody out of the University of Alabama. Cody, a 350+ pound monster Defensive Lineman was considered to be one of the top prospects in the draft this year. Coming from Alabama, Cody was the primary run stuffer for the Crimson Tide, where him and his other fellow defenders did not allow a single 100 yard rusher during Cody's two years at Alabama. As a Nose Tackle, Cody had first round talent written all over him. However, so many teams and fans were skeptic of Cody's weight after he weighed in at 370 pounds during the Senior Bowl. When it came to the Ravens 2nd selection in the 2nd round of the draft, Ozzie Newsome did not hesitate one bit in choosing a fellow Alabama player. I introduce to you the newest Baltimore Raven, Terrence "The Baby Eater" Cody.

Alabama vs LSU by terry.lamb.http://www.techsideline.com/football/2009/pics/alabama_cody2009_01.jpg

Defense Stats
YEAR TEAM TACK SOLO AST PD SACK FF REC INT YDS TD
2008 ALA 23 7 16 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2009 ALA 28 12 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 354 lbs

College: Alabama - SEC

More on Cody, including an in-depth contribution from a blogger of SB Nation's Alabama blog after the jump.

College awards and honors

  • 2007 Junior College First Team All-American
  • 2008 AP All-SEC First Team
  • 2008 AP All-American
  • 2008 AFCA All-American
  • 2008 CBS All-American
  • 2008 FWAA All-American
  • 2008 Rivals.com All-American
  • 2008 Sporting News All-American
  • 2008 Sports Illustrated All-American
  • 2008 Walter Camp All-American Second Team
  • 2009 Preseason 1st team All-American
  • 2009 Sporting News Midseason All-American
  • 2009 CBS Sports Midseason All-American
  • 2009 Bednarik Award finalist
  • 2009 Lombardi Award finalist
  • 2009 Nagurski Trophy finalist
  • 2009 AP All-SEC First Team (unanimous selection)
  • 2009 CBS Sports All-American
  • 2009 Walter Camp All-American
  • 2009 FWAA All-American
  • 2009 Scout.com All-American 1st team
  • 2009 AP All-American 1st team

Paul Holley of Roll Bama Roll was very kind enough to put together a very detailed write-up on Cody for me. Here is what he had to say about Cody being the newest edition to the Ravens. Thanks Paul for the great contribution.

With Cody, what you're going to get with Cody is a physical kid who loves contact. He's a legitimate 350 pounds, and frankly he loves to mash people at the line of scrimmage. He has good hand work and a great initial burst, and that mixed with his raw size basically made him an immovable object anchoring the nose. He was not a guy who was able to get deep into the opposing backfield for obvious reasons, but at worst he almost always neutralized his opponent at the line of scrimmage and held his position at the point of attack, and more often that not generally powered the opposing center and guard into the backfield. I could easily count on one hand the number of times in two years at Alabama that an opposing center and guard combo were able to plow through the defensive interior with Cody in the game.

The biggest thing with Cody, though, is the athleticism. He's a big, strong guy, but honestly you can always find a lot of big, strong guys roaming the football landscape. We've had several at Alabama over the years, but the athleticism is really what makes Cody stand out. He's not just some generic lugging big guy, he's a very athletic player in his own right, and someone who can dunk a basketball any way you want. It's that athleticism that really separates him from other big men. It's that quickness and burst that allows him to be a legitimate two-gap player and to dominate at the point of attack.

As an aside, I'll point out that as a fan of Cody, I don't think there could have been a better situation for him than getting picked by the Ravens. The defense there is the perfect fit for him, and with the Ravens already having a good interior player on the roster, those two guys ought to be able to form a dominant tandem on the inside. Any team legitimately looking to wear down that front seven in the running game better bring with them one hellacious rushing attack. I imagine Cody will play very well in Baltimore and make an impact immediately.

Final Thoughts on Cody: I do not think there could have been a more perfect player for the Ravens at the moment. With the departure of Justin Bannan to Denver and Dwan Edwards to Buffalo, the Ravens were seriously lacking at the Defensive Line. What is great about Cody is that he can fill in immediately for one of the all time great Ravens, Kelly Gregg. At 34 years old, Gregg is still serviceable and will most likely be the start in 2010 baring injury, but Cody will bring in fresh talent to give other guys a break.The weight issue with Cody is something that has been blown way out of proportion. When arriving at Alabama, Cody weighed nearly 420 pounds, and dropped down to 350 in a very short time. The fact that he has been able to keep off 70+ pounds during his time in college should tell you the dedication Cody has to keeping his weight in check. 350 pounds is the prototypical NT weight in the league. Look at guys like Kevin Williams, Vince Worforlk and Casey Hampton. All these guys are easily 350+ and pro bowl players, so what is the big deal with Cody? Pairing Haloti Ngata with Cody is going to create one of the most dominant fronts in the league. These two together will most likely take 3-4 blockers each time to contain, allowing for so many more 1-on-1 match-ups for edge rushers such as Suggs, Johnson and the newest addition Sergio Kindle. Cody is going to be eating babies all the way to the pro bowl and Dallas next year.

The opinions posted here are those of the writer of this article. They are in no way official comments from the team, the editors of this site or SB Nation as a whole, and should not be misconstrued as such.

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