Marcus Spears (defensive end)

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For the offensive lineman, see Marcus Spears (offensive tackle).

Marcus Spears
refer to caption
Spears in 2018
No. 96, 98
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1983-03-08) March 8, 1983 (age 41)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Southern University Laboratory School
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
College:LSU (2001–2004)
NFL draft:2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:236
Sacks:10.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Marcus Rayshon Spears (born March 8, 1983), nicknamed "Swagu", is an American former professional

2005 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens
.

Early years

Spears was born in

U.S. Army All-American Bowl
game on December 30, 2000.

College career

Spears attended

fullback and defensive end as a freshman in 2001, recording two catches for 20 yards on offense and eight tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss on defense. His play earned him freshman All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) honors as a tight end.

The 2002 season marked his first as a full-time defensive player, in which he recorded 46 tackles, 16 quarterback pressures, 3.5 tackles for losses and three sacks. In 2003, during LSU's

national championship season, Spears contributed 49 tackles, 23 quarterback pressures, 13 tackles for losses, six sacks and six passes defensed to earn First-team All-SEC honors. Playing against the Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl
, Spears returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 21–7 advantage in their 21–14 victory.

During his 2004 senior season, Spears put together a career year, earning

Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, and AP, and second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated, first-team All-SEC honors, and was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award
. He finished the year tying his career-high in tackles (49) while setting career-highs for tackles for losses (17) and sacks (nine, a figure that ranks fourth in the LSU single-season records). He also recorded 21 quarterback pressures to help the Tigers finish the year third in the country in total defense.

In April 2021, Spears was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash
20-yard shuttle
 Three-cone drill Vertical jump Bench press
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		307 lb
(139 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 5.05 s 4.44 s 7.21 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[2][3]

Dallas Cowboys

The

2005 NFL Draft with two first round draft choices. Spears was considered by head coach Bill Parcells to be the key to the team's eventual move to a 3-4 defense and wanted to take him with the first selection (11th overall pick). However, owner/GM Jerry Jones overruled Parcells and drafted DeMarcus Ware instead, who the team thought would not be available later in the draft. Spears was eventually selected by the Cowboys with the 20th overall pick.[4][5]

2005

Spears suffered from injury problems in his first two

calf
. He missed the first three preseason games but bounced back in time for the final preseason game and recorded three tackles and a sack.

He started the season as a backup in the team's

4-3 defense but moved into a right defensive end starting role midway through the season, to earn All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly
. His 35 tackles were 12th on the team - third among linemen and rookies, while his six quarterback pressures were fourth. He also added 1.5 sacks and a pass defended.

In his

Washington Redskins. Spears then led all defensive linemen with four tackles at the San Francisco 49ers. He helped limit the Philadelphia Eagles to 129 yards, including just 19 rushing, the fourth lowest in franchise history. Spears earned his first NFL start at defensive end at the Seattle Seahawks and responded with three tackles and a batted pass while helping limit Shaun Alexander, the NFL's leading rusher to 21 carries for 61 yards (2.9 avg.). He officially moved into the starting lineup full-time against the Arizona Cardinals and led all linemen with four tackles. Spears logged his third career start in Philadelphia and posted a season-high seven tackles to lead all linemen and finish second on the team. He had a three-tackle game at the New York Giants. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Spears recorded four and a fumble recovery. With 1:16 remaining in the first half and Dallas trailing 14–10, Spears scooped up a Trent Green fumble at the Cowboys 15-yard line and returned it 59 yards to the Chiefs 26-yard line. It was the eighth-longest return in franchise history and the longest ever by a Dallas rookie. Three plays later, Drew Bledsoe completed a pass to Jason Witten for a touchdown and a 17-14 halftime lead. In Washington, Spears recorded three tackles. In the season finale against the St. Louis Rams
, he recorded two tackles and his first solo sack of the season.

2006

Before the

3-4 defense and Spears earned the starting role at left defensive end
, finishing ninth with 48 tackles (31 solo), one sack, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss and tied for fifth on the squad with three quarterback pressures.

In the season opener at the

Christmas Day loss to the Eagles and did not record a stat in the season finale against the Detroit Lions
. In his postseason debut, Spears had one tackle and led the team with two quarterback pressures against the Seahawks.

2007

In 2007, he appeared in all 16 regular season games and Dallas' lone post season game. For the season Spears recorded 32 tackles (19 solo), two forced fumbles, and a career-high two sacks and three passed defensed on the season.

In the season opener against the

Washington Redskins, he recorded one tackle. In the week 12 victory over the New York Jets, Spears recorded two tackles and one pass defensed. During the week 13 victory over the Green Bay Packers
, he recorded one tackle, and a pass defensed. In the week 14 win over the Detroit Lions, Spears recorded one tackle. During a week 15 loss to the Eagles, he recorded three tackles (two solo). In a week 16 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Spears recorded one tackle and one pass defensed. During the season finale against the Washington Redskins, he recorded a season high five tackles (four solo), one sack, and one forced fumble.

In the Cowboys lone playoff game against eventual Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants, Spears recorded two tackles.

2008

Marcus Spears started 15 games of the 16 games he played in the 2008 season. He registered 35 tackles (with 23 being solo, and 12 being assisted tackles), a sack, and a forced fumble.

2009

In 2009, he started 14 games and recorded 50 tackles (2 for losses), a career-high 2.5 sacks and a career-high tying 16 quarterback pressures and 2 pass breakups.

Spears registered a tackle and three pressures in the wildcard playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles, with the defense not allowing a rushing first down for the first time in postseason team history. He had a postseason career-high six tackles and a pressure in the divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings.

2010

After playing in only eight games (7 starts), his streak of 88 consecutive games played ended on November 10, when he was placed on the

injured reserve
list, with a left calf injury. Playing mostly in running downs, he registered 24 tackles (1 for loss) and 3 quarterback pressures.

2011

Spears signed a 5-year, $19.2 million contract during the off-season.[7] He injured his groin in the second preseason game and missed the rest of the preseason.[8]

New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan selected Kenyon Coleman and Jason Hatcher as the starters at defensive end, relegating Spears into a reserve role for the first time in his career. He was used mostly on running downs and registered 29 tackles (one for loss), 15th on the team and fifth among defensive linemen, one sack, two pass deflections and one quarterback pressure.

2012

In 2012, he again had a reserve role, but got a chance to start in six games because of injuries. Spears finished the season with 35 tackles (2 for loss) and 1 sack. He missed one game with a knee injury.

On March 13, 2013, Spears was released.

Baltimore Ravens

On March 15, 2013, Spears signed a two-year, $3.55 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.[9] On October 30, 2013, he was waived [10] after registering 10 tackles as a reserve defensive end.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Underline Incomplete data

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles PD Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck FF FR Yds Y/F TD
2005 DAL 16 10 31 19 12 1 — 1.5 1 0 1 59 59.0 0
2006 DAL 16 16 45 29 16 3 3 1.0 3 0 0 0 — 0
2007 DAL 16 16 30 19 11 5 3 2.0 3 2 0 0 — 0
2008 DAL 16 15 35 23 12 5 6 1.0 2 1 0 0 — 0
2009 DAL 16 14 25 55 8 4 6 2.5 1 0 0 0 — 0
2010 DAL 8 7 19 11 8 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0
2011 DAL 16 15 16 13 3 2 3 1.0 2 0 0 0 — 0
2012 DAL 15 6 25 7 18 2 1 1.0 1 0 0 0 — 0
2013 BAL 5 1 10 5 5 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Career 124 90 236 143 93 25 23 10.0 13 3 1 59 59.0 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck
2006 DAL 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0.0
2007 DAL 1 1 2 0 2 0 0 0.0
2009 DAL 2 2 3 2 1 0 1 0.0
Career 4 4 7 3 4 0 1 0.0

Charitable work

Spears was actively involved in community service projects during his time at LSU. As a rookie, Spears was a member of the Cowboys 2005 Rookie Club, a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service in the Dallas area which included work with The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas and Meals on Wheels. In the spring, Spears was a co-chair, along with teammate DeMarcus Ware, for the second annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Dallas Cowboys Tailgate Party at Abacus restaurant that benefited The North Texas Food Bank. The event raised enough money to provide 330,000 meals to North Texans in need.

Personal life

Spears and his wife, retired

WNBA player Aiysha Smith
, have three children: Macaria Reagan Spears (born 2007), Marcus Rayshon Spears, Jr. (born 2009), and Miko Reign Spears (born 2013).

Marcus is a Christian who attends

TD Jakes' church in Texas.[11]

TV career

In August 2014, Spears became a co-host of SEC Nation, the SEC/ESPN Network's flagship show. SEC Nation is a weekly college football preview show offering insight into upcoming national and SEC football games.[citation needed] He is a regular contributor to the Paul Finebaum Show, broadcast daily on the SEC Network.[citation needed] He is affectionately referred to as "The Big Swagu".[citation needed]

In 2015, Spears began hosting a TV show called DFW Outdoorsman[12] The show covers hunting, fishing, and other similar activities in the North Texas area.[citation needed]

Beginning with the 2017 college football season, Spears began hosting Thinking Out Loud on the SEC Network with former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.[citation needed]

Spears now appears regularly on ESPN morning shows

NFL studio show, NFL Live.[13]

References

  1. ^ "2021 Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". Crescent City Sports. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "Marcus Spears, LSU, DE, 2005 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ^ "Marcus Spears, Combine Results, DE - Louisiana State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  4. ^ Broaddus, Bryan. "Draft-Day Storytime: DeMarcus Ware". Bryan Broaddus Blog. DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "2005 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (July 30, 2006). "Cowboys end Spears tears cartilage in first workout". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Cowboys agree to 5-year deal with DE Spears". ESPN.com. July 29, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Rainer Sabin (September 5, 2011). "Out with a groin injury, Cowboys DE Marcus Spears expect to return to practice Wednesday". Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  9. ^ "Ravens Add Competition To Defensive Line".
  10. ^ "Baltimore Ravens waive Michael Huff, Marcus Spears". NFL.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "Dallas Cowboys Marcus Spears on Faith & Family".
  12. ^ "DFW Outdoorsman". www.facebook.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  13. ^ Thompson, Jaylon (July 1, 2020). "Marcus Spears shows gratitude to SEC Nation after ESPN promotion". 247Sports. Retrieved October 30, 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcus Spears.
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