Zeek
Bigger
Class:
Junior
Position: ILB
Hometown: Gastonia
High School: Ashbrook |
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Zeek Bigger (44)
and fellow linebacker Montese Overton go
airborne after a fourth down stop against
Southern Miss last season. (Bonesville
archive photo by W.A. Myatt) |
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FOOTBALL |
SPC a model
for success |
Football
stadiums will be
buzzing again this weekend
as the second half of the
college football season
begins. But there will be
plenty of empty seats on
game day in many of the
student seating sections
around the country. ...
More from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
2nd half feeds into 2nd half |
The extended break between
games for the 2014 East
Carolina team amounts to
halftime in the regular
season for the Pirates, who
are 5-1 and ranked as high
as No. 16 in the major polls.
Halftime marked a
significant juncture
Saturday night at Raymond
James Stadium ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING |
Future looks bright at RB position |
The pass-centric “Air Raid''
offense that Ruffin McNeill
and Lincoln Riley brought to
East Carolina from Texas
Tech back in January 2010
has from the very start
attracted talented recruits
at the quarterback and wide
receiver positions. ...
More from Sammy Batten... |
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FOOTBALL |
Swamp Monster a dominant force |
Shane
Carden is “The Captain.”
Justin Hardy goes by
“Deuce.” Breon Allen is “Fun
Size.” Those nicknames can’t
compare with the moniker
Terry Williams goes by. The
6-1, 353-pound Williams is
nicknamed “The Swamp
Monster.” ...
More from Brian Bailey... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guest was ECU
director of football
administration Dale
Steele (right):
Replay
show... |
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Pirates End A Competitive Hex |
TAMPA — East Carolina football
coach Ruffin McNeill has
acronyms for a variety of
things. He formulated TBA for
Trust, Belief and Accountability
to describe the foundation for
relationships among members of
the program. OPAT for One Play
At (a) Time evolved later as a
reminder for the mindset needed
to respond to immediate
challenges. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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BULL
FIGHTERS:
ECU
quarterback
Shane Carden
works the
zone read
with fellow
senior Breon
Allen on
Saturday at
Raymond
James
Stadium in
Tampa. The
duo
connected on
a 35-yard
pass for the
Pirates'
first
touchdown
late in the
first
quarter and
both were
instrumental
in ECU's
28-17
comeback
victory over
the USF
Bulls. Photo
by Al Myatt.
©Bonesville.net. |
View more
pictures in
"Inside Game
Day." |
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Audio: Ruff Post-game |
ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the press after the
Pirates defeated South
Florida on Saturday
(recorded by Al Myatt; file
photo):
Select audio clip... |
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By
Ron Cherubini
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
While East Carolina may not be known as Linebacker U,
there should be no mistaking the quality of players that have come
through the program at the position. From greats like Harold Randolph,
Danny Kepley, George Koonce, Vinson Smith, Robert Jones, Morris Foreman,
Jeff Kerr, Mark Libiano, Chris Moore, Pernell Griffin, Quentin Cotton,
Pierre Bell and Nick Johnson all the way through to Jeremy Grove, plenty
of superior linebackers have donned the purple and gold.
Last year, after injuries sent Grove to the sideline,
then-sophomore Zeek Bigger stepped into the lineup. Anyone who had been
following the program knew that Bigger was a player pressing on the
starters, ready to get his playing time. When he stepped into the
line-up, everyone who watched just knew. We all knew the next name going
up on that list.
Watching the Pirates' active Mike linebacker flying
around the field conjures up the awe-inspiring play of another
charismatic No. 44 who dominated the middle of the ECU defense during
the here-to-now pinnacle of Pirate football in 1991.
It is hard not see Bigger in the context of former
consensus All-America, first-round NLF draft pick, NFL Pro Bowler, and
three-time Super Bowl Champion Robert Jones. Like Bigger, Jones burst
onto the Pirate scene as a sophomore, wedging his way into a starting
role which he then turned into memorable junior and senior season
campaigns. He was the consummate inside backer and the country knew it.
Bigger wears that number well, and his style, well, there
are similarities. Jones was a sure, sure tackler who had near
premonition-like abilities in reading a play and feeling the flow to the
ball. And when he got there, the ball carriers knew it. Text book
tackling with a splash of ummphhhh added to each finish. He was the
unquestioned leader and heartbeat for a team that fueled off his
passion.
Bigger, who is among the nation’s top-10 tacklers,
averages double-digit tackles a game. And he makes those tackles in
impressive fashion, quick-reading a guard to blow up the back in the
hole, slicing through a wedge of linemen to cancel out a screen in the
backfield, and even the old-fashioned way of running over the blocker
through the ball carrier to the ground behind him.
“When I watch Zeek play, what I see is that he is one of
those guys who gets better every game,” said Jones. “He has a nose for
the ball and great instincts.
“One thing from when I played, I remember, was that once
the ball was snapped, I didn’t care who was in the way, they were not
going to stop me from getting to the ball. I see a lot of that in Zeek.
He is on play after play. He hustles. When a guy with talent like he has
works that hard every play, he is a guy that makes a defense better."
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Robert Jones, a 1991
consensus All-America linebacker at East Carolina and
subsequently a three-time Super Bowl champion with the
Dallas Cowboys, sees big possibilities for ECU junior
linebacker Zeek Bigger and the 2014 Pirates. (Photo:
Robert Jones' Twitter account) |
Right now, the big difference between Jones and Bigger is
that wall between accomplishment and potential, where, right now, Jones
sits well beyond the line where potential meets history. Bigger is
currently scratching on history’s door.
Jones, in all honesty, would love nothing better than to
see Bigger’s name rewrite the conversation for the Pirates faithful.
“I hope someday that Zeek is remembered more than me, and
I think you understand what I mean when I say that,” said Jones. “In
1991, we made a name for ourselves and kind of opened the door for the
program to get the recognition it deserved then, and I have told this to
(Jones' son, ECU receiver) Isaiah as well — that I want him to make his
own name and for people to forget about me and remember him.
“For Zeek, it is about going out there and being the best
he can become. This team has a chance… they can be the team that
everyone remembers rather than the Peach Bowl team. I gave a talk to the
team when Skip (Holtz) was there along the same lines. I remember
telling them the same thing. I told them, ‘If you are tired of hearing
about the Peach Bowl team, then go out there and change the highlight
for the program. Make new history.”
Jones sees some of that in not only this ECU team, but
specifically in Bigger in a position that calls for leadership by
example.
“Zeek is a great player and will get better with this
coaching staff,” said Jones. “I would say to Zeek, ‘Keep working like
you are and please, erase my name with your name.’ It won’t change the
history, but it will bring the focus on this team and its spot in ECU’s
history.”
While the comparisons to Jones are nice to make, ECU
Coach Ruffin McNeill cautioned that Bigger is not yet ready to be placed
in that conversation. But McNeill will acknowledge there is a lot to say
about his star backer.
“I think of Zeek… when I see (him), I think of (him) as
(him),” said McNeill. “Every linebacker is different. Linebacker is a
position that they have instinct and you can tell them anything and they
still make plays. Each plays the position differently. Zeek is different
in his style and how he plays and so is Brandon (Williams) and Ray
Tillman, Joe Carter, Jeremy Grove and Kyle Tudor.
“The ability to make plays separates the really good ones
that have played.”
Jones agrees wholeheartedly with Coach McNeill on that
point and went a little further.
“To me, the ingredients necessary to make plays, to be
such a good tackler, are determination and persistence with
consistency,” said Jones. “It seems like either it is in you or it is
not. When Zeek runs to the football, there is no doubt in his mind that
he is going to make the tackle. You can see that. In his mind, he has
already won the battle.
"You hear coaches talk
about the game being mostly mental and it sounds like coach talk, but it
really is such a mental game. I always tell Isaiah to envision yourself
doing what you are supposed to do before every play. Zeek has that
vision of what he needs to do and if a player has that, he can be very
good (at tackling). There is nothing distracting him, no minor injuries,
the crowd, nothing. And that has nothing to do with your vertical, or
your bench press, or your squat, or your 40 time. It is all about
determination and persistence, the will to make plays. I see that in
Zeek.”
McNeill is steadfast in
his assessment that what it takes to be a big-time linebacker in today’s
era is significantly different that even 15 years ago in many ways.
“Then you look at
outside and inside (positions),” said McNeill. “So those guys really
feed off each other very well. They have their own distinct style. These
guys now really have to be able to play on space and on air. These guys
years ago not as much. But now with three receivers, Zeek has to play in
space just like a DB does, but then he has to come back in the box. As
far as being versatile, being able to play in the box and play in space
and he can do both.”
To continue the
comparison, Jones was a bit larger then Bigger and perhaps Bigger’s
speed is a little better, but what they share is that they are both
classic finishers. These men know how to tackle guys where they meet
them. And they share another trait that all the greats do.
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East Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill, pictured addressing a question at a
preseason press gathering, sizes up ECU linebacker Zeek
Bigger as versatile enough to "play in the box and play
in space." (Bonesville archive photo by W.A. Myatt) |
“Robert and Zeek in
leadership,” said McNeill, referencing an area where he sees the
strongest comparison. “Robert also went to the next level with his play,
but now Robert is an even better man and husband than you can imagine.
He is a great dad, one of the best parents. He and Maneesha are two of
the best parents that I have ever had to deal with. Coming from a hall
of famer, Super Bowl champion multiple times, coming from the greatest
team to ever play at East Carolina, he and Maneesha have blessed us with
great kids.
“Zeek has the potential
to be that and I am anxious to see where he ends up when it’s all said
and done.”
Bigger, whose love for
the game shines through the haze of physical bashing on the field, feels
that leadership is a natural trait that can become more pronounced if
worked on. And for Bigger – who like Jones was not heavily recruited –
inner drive has created the player on the field.
“When the coaches were
recruiting me, I told them if they would just give me a chance, I would
prove to them that it was the right choice, to take a chance one me,”
said Bigger. “I have always played and practiced, like it is the last
time I will ever get to play this game, because, you never know — it
could be. So, I push and I push and I think it has always been part of
my personality. I think my teammates see it and appreciate it.”
On the field, Bigger is
animated. You can hear his excitement, his love for this game comes
through. It is contagious and it is full-on his personality.
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Zeek Bigger puts a
hit on a North Carolina Central ball carrier earlier
this season. (Bonesville Photo by W.A. Myatt) |
“This is game is so much
fun. I try to be a happy guy out there, and when I am with my
(teammates) on the field, it’s like being out with your friends at a
club having a great time,” said Bigger. “This is a game that is fun to
play and I think the guys see that I just love playing football and it
gives them energy, gets them excited too. If I am a leader, then that is
how I lead.”
Where Bigger has emerged
as the larger-than-life face of the 'D,' he joked about the amount of
attention he has garnered this year. ”There are actually people waiting
to interview me sometimes," he said. He is serious about working to make
sure that the defense is considered more than a sideshow for the marquee
offense that tears through opponents.
This is where he
deflects the credit but takes on the role of pushing work ethic and
doing things the right way the first time and every time. He makes so
many tackles because it is his assignment made easier by a ton of other
guys.
“Each of us has a job
and we each have to do our job exactly as it is supposed to be done,”
said Bigger. “You know, Coach (John) Wiley has us practice tackling,
reading, reacting, hitting, every day. We have to execute it each time
out. We are all well-prepared. It is not just me, it is all of us on
every play.”
That ability to take
coaching and apply lessons learned from other moments to new and
evolving situations and to do so in a leading fashion could be what
makes Bigger “special.”
“Belief in himself. Also
ability to be coached,” said McNeill. “John Wiley is one of the best
coaches around, not just a linebacker coach, but overall. Zeek can
receive coaching and then take the coaching onto the field during the
game, and if there is an adjustment needed, he has the ability to
abstractly make that adjustment without physically having to go through
the adjustment.
“For example, we can say
‘Hey Zeek, we came into the game wanting to do A this way but because of
what they are doing, we have to go to B. Now we haven’t done B but can
you do it?’ Zeek is able to do that and the great ones can.”
Right now, without a
doubt, the Pirates No. 44 legacy belongs to Robert Jones. But Bigger is
making a case.
“Robert is one of the
best of all-time,” said McNeill. “I hope when Zeek finishes playing he
will be considered as that.”
Jones thinks that
physically, Bigger has the tools to play at the next level, but spelled
out the reality for NFL hopefuls.
“Things have changed a
lot in the way the NFL assesses players,” said Jones. “It used to be
that if you could play, nothing else really mattered and they would find
you. But today, being at East Carolina can make it difficult for a
player and what I mean is that ECU still does not get the respect it
deserves as a program.
“When I was senior, we
lost our opener to Illinois and then went on and beat Syracuse in the
Dome, and then Pitt came to us and we beat them and South Carolina came
in and we beat them and a very good Southern Miss team, we beat them.
"We beat them all and,
yes, it was great that we were ranked No. 9 but that was too low. Even
then, during that year, we were fighting for respect. I feel like this
team is ranked too low right now. We are better than No. 18 right now.
Today, in the NFL, part of it is the respect that a school gets that has
more to do with draft positioning than what the player can do.
“So, for Zeek, if he can
keep doing what he is doing and the team can keep winning, then there is
a very strong shot for him. If the team is not noteworthy, because of
the respect factor, then it comes down to 40 times and bench presses. It
is weird how the evaluation process works now.
"You have a lot of
people out there saying that Eli Manning is a better quarterback than
Peyton because Eli has two Super Bowls. But everyone should know, that
Eli is nowhere near the quarterback Peyton is. Zeek has the ability to
play at the next level because of his heart and his work ethic and his
belief that he will succeed.”
Right now, as a junior,
Bigger is grinding on, having fun and hoping his hard work keeps taking
him to new heights.
“I hope (Pirate fans
will remember me). It would really be a great honor,” said Bigger. “I am
happy to be here on this football team at East Carolina. I am having fun
and keep working at my job and, hopefully, someday I will be one of
those guys (held in such high regard).”