‘Brickhouse’ gets an early initiation

September 26, 2008

‘Brickhouse’ gets an early initiation- NOLA.com

Nicks has little time to prepare, as he takes over for Nesbit
Friday, September 26, 2008
By Mike Triplett

Offensive tackle Jammal Brown took one look at rookie guard Carl Nicks when he joined the Saints this offseason and anointed him with the nickname, “Brickhouse.”

Obviously, Nicks’ massive size makes an immediate impression. Listed at 6-foot-5, 343 pounds, he’s the heaviest player on the Saints roster by 15 pounds.

“It’s rare to find a guy that big who can still
move and do some of the things that smaller linemen can do,
so he’s definitely a special talent,” Saints
center Jonathan Goodwin said. “He’s probably what,
340 pounds? And he’s not fat, so that’s amazing in
itself. Hopefully he can play to his full potential.”

Nicks will have to be ready a little sooner than expected
Sunday against San Francisco, when he replaces veteran Jamar
Nesbit at left guard. Nesbit will be out for the next four
games, serving a suspension for violating the league’s
policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

The fifth-round draft pick out of Nebraska said it is
unfortunate that he got this opportunity at Nesbit’s
expense, but he said he plans to take advantage as best he
can.

“My first start in the NFL, I’ve been dreaming
of this my whole life,” Nicks said. “I want to
show everybody why they should’ve gotten me.”

He was once pegged as a second- or third-round draft
pick, but he was downgraded on draft boards because of
character concerns.

The most significant incident occurred in March, when he
was arrested during a party at a friend’s house, at
which he was staying. Nicks was cited for being an inmate of
a disorderly house, then he was thrown into jail after
adding a citation for failure to disperse. Charges, though,
later were dropped.

Even more damaging was new Nebraska Coach Bo
Pelini’s decision to ban Nicks from the school’s
pre-draft pro day as punishment. Nicks also had been benched
for the first quarter of a game as a senior for undisclosed
disciplinary reasons, and he had some academic issues that
forced him to bounce from New Mexico State to Hartnell
Junior College to Nebraska.

But Saints Coach Sean Payton, who has a good relationship
with former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, decided to take a
chance on Nicks after talking on the phone with him for
nearly 30 minutes before the Saints made their pick.

That gamble appears to be paying off.

Goodwin said he doesn’t know where any character
concerns would have come from, because he’s “only
seen good things” from Nicks, who has meshed well with
the rest of the guys on the line.

“When he got here, it’s just like everybody
else,” said Saints offensive coordinator/line coach
Doug Marrone, who described Nicks as more quiet than vocal,
but very attentive and willing to learn from coaches and
teammates. “It doesn’t matter where you’re
drafted, what round. It’s kind of this new clean start
for you. ‘Let’s see what you have.’

“I’ve seen him developing those types of
characteristics to become a good pro, so I’m probably
as excited as Carl is about his opportunity to get in there
and play. I’m excited to see where he’s at.
I’m excited to see what we may have or may not have.
This is a critical time for him as a player. He can
establish himself right now as a guy who can play in this
league, or he can establish himself as someone that needs to
keep working, and we need to see more growth from.”

Nicks said from the time he got to New Orleans, veteran
teammates like Jon Stinchcomb and Nesbit encouraged him to
put those draft issues behind him and to look forward to his
fresh start.

He said Nesbit, in particular, has been a great mentor to
him, always answering questions, staying late to work with
him or just giving him an example to follow.

“He helped me a lot even when he didn’t know he
was helping me,” said Nicks, who had to adjust to the
guard position after playing tackle in college.

Nicks started games at left and right tackle for the
Cornhuskers, but the Saints pegged him as a better fit at
guard when they targeted him in the draft. He has the size
to be a run-blocker, as well as the athleticism to pass
protect.

And despite what it says in his bio, Nicks is just 23
years old, like most rookies. The Saints list him at
25-years-old — a two-year bonus that has followed him
since he transferred to Nebraska.

“I got there when I was 20, and everybody thought I
was 23 already; I don’t know where it came from,”
Nicks said. “But I’m 23. May 14, 1985.”

The Saints would like to see the young guard emerge as
quickly as Jahri Evans did as a fourth-round pick out of
Bloomsburg in 2006. Evans, who also made the switch from
tackle to guard, developed into one of the best young
linemen in the league.

“I just told him to play fast, play physical and
just get his hands on guys,” Evans said.
“He’s a big guy, so if he gets his hands on guys,
he’ll do well. My first year, I just played fast and
listened to the line. We’ll make sure he doesn’t
get messed up, but he played at Nebraska, so he’s used
to good competition. He probably played against some of
these guys.”

Nicks also got a taste of what he’ll be facing over
the past two weeks, lining up as a “tight end” in
the Saints’ jumbo package on the goal line. He figures
he got about eight snaps in that role at Washington and at
Denver, in addition to some special teams experience.

“You get to feel the actual game speed; you get to
hit somebody,” Nicks said. “You get to realize,
‘Hey, I can play with these guys.’ ”

But it was Nicks’ quickness and agility that made an even bigger impression on his new teammates once they saw him on the practice field.

Written by admin · Filed Under New Orleans Saints News

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