Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina

News & Features from ECU, the AAC and Beyond

  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Recruiting
  • Photos
  • Audio
  • Roundup
  • Comments
  • Legacy Archives
  • • ECU 2021 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
  • • ECU 2021 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
  • • ECU 2021 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

The Bradsher Beat
Packers’ Hawkins proving his mettle

November 23, 2017 By Bethany Bradsher 2 Comments

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Josh Hawkins has been playing football for so many years – way back to Pop Warner when he was swallowed by the shoulder pads – that sometimes he keeps his head down, working to excel at each stage, and forgets to savor the big moments.

But on October 8, in AT&T Stadium, Hawkins stopped and tried to soak it all in.

The Green Bay Packers cornerback was standing on the sideline opposite the Dallas Cowboys, listening to the national anthem play, and he suddenly found himself fighting back tears.

The former walk-on at East Carolina who had worked his way up to scholarship player, the undrafted free agent in the NFL who had made the roster and scaled the depth chart, looked back at that path with a bit of amazement.

“I was at the Cowboys stadium, with my eyes closed, and I’m just tearing up because I thought, ‘Man, it is finally sinking in. I actually made it to the NFL. There’s only a certain number of kids who make it here, and I’m actually one of them.”

Josh Hawkins (Packers.com by Evan Siegle)

When his Packers took the field, Hawkins lined up at cornerback against Dez Bryant, and he marveled briefly at his proximity to a childhood hero – and then proceeded to nearly intercept a pass intended for that hero. It’s that determination, and a work ethic forged in his Winston-Salem home, that has allowed him to shatter expectations again and again.

“I’m a very ambitious person,” he said Wednesday from the Packers facility. “With anything in life, if I want it, I don’t stop until I get it. My mother and my father, they were waking up around 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. every morning, and I would watch them do that while me and my brother would play a game all night long. And it just made me realize, if they’re waking up at 4, I have to work just as hard.”

After battling to make the Packers roster as a rookie last season, the former Pirate played in 11 games, mostly on special teams, but he was hindered by an injury and knew he had more to prove.

The football world understood that inner drive this August, when Hawkins lined up against Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Washington first-string offense in a preseason game and graded out higher than any other Packer cornerback, making several key stops for Green Bay.

Since then, he has logged 15 tackles, including six against the Vikings and five against the Bears, and continued to prove his worth in the Packers secondary and special teams units. He knows that few people would have expected him to be an NFL success, but the doubters only push him to work harder in the weight room and on the practice field.

Hawkins keeps close tabs on ECU football, not only because it’s his alma mater but because his brother Dedrick Hawkins is a sophomore defensive back for the Pirates. He understands well the struggles his brother and former teammates have walked through this season, especially because Green Bay has gone 1-4 since losing starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone on October 15.

The Hawkins family is close – his parents have traveled to all of his games this season and last year they came to Wisconsin to celebrate Christmas with him – and he has been on the giving end of a few brotherly pep talks with Dedrick this fall.

“I just tell him to stay true to who you are, don’t think about all the negative energy and keep working hard.”

Practicing what he preaches, Hawkins has been pleased by the positive energy inside the Packers locker room despite the loss of Rodgers. The players believe in backup quarterback Brett Hundley, they believe in each other, and they intend to stay the course and complete their assignments through the second half of the season.

“We’re not changing anything, we’re not fussing at each other, we’re not pointing fingers, we just know what we have to get done, and it’s to win the next football game,” he said.

For his part, Hawkins is excited about the very next challenge ahead – a meeting with Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown on Sunday night.

“I want 84, I want AB,” he said. “People think I’m scared, just because I’m a second-year player, but I’m trying to get my stripes up out here.”

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: News & Features

Comments

  1. Dean says

    November 23, 2017 at 10:17 am

    Great article about Josh, a small suggestion…I think the word is mettle vs meddle.
    Just a thought.
    Thanks for writing this…Go Josh!

    Reply
  2. Danny Whitford says

    November 23, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    It’s the editor’s fault! Thank you for the heads up. — Danny Whitford, Editor

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News & Features

Baseball News
Pirates take series

Baseball News
ECU dealt first defeat

Baseball News
ECU prevails over Eagles in first road game

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates prep for challenging start in 2021

Baseball News
Pirates use long ball to down Duke

Football Recruiting Report
Banner recruits keep American on the rise

Basketball News
Postponements continue to mount in AAC hoops

Baseball News
Pirates complete sweep

Baseball News
Norby paces Pirates to series win

Baseball News
Pirates edge Rams, 3-2, in 10 innings

More News & Features

ECU Schedules

  • ECU 2021 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2021 Baseball Schedule

ECU Recruiting

  • Football Recruiting Class of 2021
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2020
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2019
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2018
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2017
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2021-22
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2020-21
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2019-20
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2018-19
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2017-18
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2016-17
Tweets by bonesville

Past Football Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2014 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2013 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2012 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2011 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2010 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2009 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2008 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2007 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2006 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2005 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2004 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2003 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2002 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2001 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2000 Football Schedule
  • Historical Schedules

Past Basketball Schedules

  • ECU 2019-20 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2018-19 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2016-17 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2000-2015 Basketball Archives

Past Baseball Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2001-2014 Baseball Archives

Recruiting Class Profiles

Football Recruiting Report
Banner recruits keep American on the rise

ECU Recruiting Evaluation, Part 2
Defensive report card: Pirates lure experience

ECU Recruiting Evaluation, Part 1
Offensive report card: Skill positions reinforced

ECU Football Recruiting - Early Evaluation
Pirates fortify secondary

Football Recruiting
Pirates land lineman with ‘nasty attitude’

Football Recruiting
Former TCU linebacker sets new path at ECU

Football Recruiting
Florida produces another quarterback gem for ECU

Football Recruiting
Legacy of ECU’s receivers helped sell Keigley

Football Recruiting
Pirates reaping dividends from Tri-City focus

Football Recruiting
Close relationship with ECU staff swayed Temple

Football Recruiting
Timely recruiting helped Pirates land Wright

Football Recruiting
COVID-19 opens door to FBS for Jason Shuford

Football Recruiting
ECU secondary secures Bama grad transfer Knott

Football Recruiting
ECU wins battle for coveted safety Clyatt

Football Recruiting
Grad transfer Chase rekindles ties with ECU

Recruiting Evaluation: Class of 2020 Defense
Defensive class caps off sterling recruiting effort

Recruiting Evaluation: Class of 2020 Offense
Gifted QBs, RBs headline offensive signees

Football Recruiting
Garrison’s route to ECU anything but typical

Early signing class evaluation
Pirates on the rise in recruiting wars

Football Recruiting
Healing prep star Hudson on track to sign early

Football Recruiting
Coveted QB recruit Garcia headed to Shrine Bowl

Football Recruiting
Help is on the way for ECU running game

Football Recruiting
Tackle took trek from ballboy to superstar

Football Recruiting
Crump brings ‘shut-down corner’ skills to ECU

Football Recruiting
ECU emerged from the pack to land McIver

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 25, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, February 18, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, February 13, 2021

Writer Archives

  • Bonesville Staff
  • Brian Bailey
  • Sammy Batten
  • Bethany Bradsher
  • Brett Friedlander
  • Al Myatt
  • NFF
  • Greg Vacek
  • Danny Whitford

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 25, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, February 18, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, February 13, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, February 12, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 11, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Tuesday, February 9, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, February 8, 2021

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2021 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy