Cody Grimm

Cody Grimm
Cody Grimm
No. 35     Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Safety
Personal information
Date of birth: February 26, 1987 (1987-02-26) (age 24)
Place of birth: Fairfax, Virginia
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight: 198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
College: Virginia Tech
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 210
Debuted in 2010 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2011
Tackles     67
Sacks     0.0
Interceptions     2
Stats at NFL.com

Cody James Grimm (born February 26, 1987) is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech.

Contents

Early life

Grimm attended and played high school football at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, where he lettered three times. As an outside linebacker, he finished his senior season with 127 total tackles, seven interceptions and three quarterback sacks. He also caught 17 passes for 278 yards and six touchdowns as a tight end.[7] On October 29, 2004, Oakton beat Westfield High School 24-20, and Grimm recorded a high school career-high 19 tackles along with a sack and an interception as Oakton ended the Bulldogs’ 21-game winning streak.[8] That season, he helped Oakton win their first district championship in 25 years.[8] After the season, Grimm earned first-team all-state and Northern Region Defensive Player of the Year honors.[7] After graduating from Oakton, Grimm had one football scholarship offer, which was from Division I-AA William & Mary College.[1] He got recruiting offers to come in as a walk-on from Virginia, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. He decided on Virginia Tech.[9]

Grimm also played lacrosse for Oakton. He lettered three times and led team to three state championships[7] and was an all-American midfielder and face-off specialist recruited by Georgetown, Loyola and Virginia.[10] He opted, however, to play college football.

College career

Grimm played in 54 games and started 15 over four seasons at Virginia Tech, recording 214 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.[3]

Redshirt (2005)

Grimm redshirted in 2005 and worked on the scout team as a whip linebacker.[7]

Freshman season (2006)

As a freshman, Grimm was a starter on three different special team units.[7] In his first game for Virginia Tech, he was in on 13 special team plays against Northeastern University.[7] He ended the season with 10 total tackles.[7]

Sophomore season (2007)

Grimm started on defense for the first time in his college career against Boston College and played 21 snaps at whip linebacker with three tackles. He finished the 2007 ACC Championship Game at linebacker when Cam Martin was injured with knee problems.[9] In the 2008 Orange Bowl loss to Kansas, he had six tackles. Grimm finished the season with 27 total tackles.[7] Head coach Frank Beamer awarded Grimm a scholarship in his redshirt sophomore season.[9]

Junior season (2008)

During his junior season, Grimm started on three special team units. In a win over Georgia Tech on September 13, 2008, he caught his first interception and had three tackles. The following week at North Carolina, he contributed a quarterback sack and a tackle for loss among his five tackles.[7] On October 25, 2008, Grimm recorded two sacks in a loss against Florida State. In the 2008 ACC Championship Game win against Boston College, he led the team with eight tackles, including 2.5 for loss. In the 2009 Orange Bowl win, Grimm had five total tackles, a sack and an interception against Cincinnati.[7] He finished the season third on the team with 71 tackles and ranked second in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7.5).[9] He also tied for fifth on the team in quarterback hurries with seven and forced two fumbles.[7]

Senior season (2009)

In his senior year, Grimm became a starter at outside linebacker for the Hokies. On October 3, 2009, he tallied a game and career-high 14 tackles in a 34-26 win against Duke, including two tackles for loss (six yards) and a forced fumble. Grimm helped the Hokies defense hold Duke to 38 rushing yards on 31 attempts (1.2 yards per rush) and was named ACC Player of the Week.[4] On November 9, 2009, Grimm had a game-high 12 total tackles, a forced and recovered fumble, and a late-game sack in Virginia Tech's 16-3 win against East Carolina. He again won ACC Player of the Week honors.[5] Grimm won the award for the third time after he set an ACC single-season record and tied a NCAA single-game record with three forced fumbles—all of which came in North Carolina State’s first four plays—in the Hokies’ win over the Wolfpack on November 21, 2009.[1] Grimm helped the Virginia Tech defense limit NC State’s offensive to 259 yards of total offense by recording eight tackles, two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and a fumble recovery.[6] He was named the Defensive MVP of the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl, where the Hokies won against the University of Tennessee.[3]

Grimm had 106 total tackles, four sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss during his senior season.[11] He was awarded the 2009 Dudley Award, which is named for former Virginia standout "Bullet" Bill Dudley and is given to the state's top Division I college football player.[12] Grimm also earned first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors[1] and third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press.[3] He is the second former Tech walk-on to earn All-America honors, joining John Engelberger, a 1999 AP second-team selection.[2]

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Grimm was drafted in the seventh round (210th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pre-draft measureables
Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic
4.48* X 6.58** 35.5”** X 36

(* Represents Pro Day) (** Represents NFL Combine)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On July 29, 2010, Grimm signed a four-year contract with the Buccaneers worth $1.85 million.[13]

Grimm earned a spot on the Buccaneers' 53-man roster on September 4, 2010.[14] On September 23, 2010, he replaced Tanard Jackson as the team's starting free safety after Jackson was suspended a year for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Grimm was the third rookie from Tampa Bay's 2010 draft class to be named a starter for the season.[15] On October 10, 2010, during a 24-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, at Paul Brown Stadium, Grimm got his first career interception, which he returned 11 yards for his first career touchdown.[16] His season was cut short after suffering a fractured left fibula in a game against the Baltimore Ravens.

After coming back from injury, Grimm started the 2011 NFL Regular Season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting free safety. He finished with 11 tackles, 10 solo and 1 assisted and a pass deflection in three games before colliding with teammate Geno Hayes in a game against the Atlanta Falcons on September 25, 2011. On September 28, 2011 the Bucs officially placed Cody Grimm on injured reserve for the second straight year, ending his season with another setback.

Personal

Grimm is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman and current Arizona Cardinals assistant head coach/offensive line coach, Russ Grimm.[1] His older brother, Chad, who also played at Virginia Tech, is an offensive quality control coach for the Cardinals.[1] Grimm's younger brother, Dylan, plays lacrosse at Loyola University Maryland.[10] His uncle, Donn Grimm, was a starting linebacker on the Notre Dame 1988 National Championship team and signed with the Cardinals as a rookie free agent in 1991.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Tampa Bay Buccaneers seventh-round pick Cody Grimm is ready to start over". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/tampa-bay-buccaneers-seventh-round-pick-cody-grimm-is-ready-to-start-over/1090206. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  2. ^ a b "Former walk-on Grimm, freshman sensation Williams are Hokies' latest All-Americans". Daily Press. http://articles.dailypress.com/2009-12-15/sports/dp-spt_allamericans_1216dec16_1_major-all-america-squads-hokies-tech-s-athletic-department. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Bucs Sign Grimm". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/Bucs-Sign-Grimm/756bebf3-8336-4686-8264-8ff5843f32ba. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  4. ^ a b "Atlantic Coast Conference Announces ACC Football Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100509aab.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  5. ^ a b "Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech, NFL Draft". CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/archive/1243316. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  6. ^ a b "Render, Grimm Named ACC Players of the Week". TechLunchPail.com. http://www.techlunchpail.com/2009/11/render-grimm-named-acc-players-of-the-week.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Cody Grimm's Virginia Tech bio". HokieSports.com. http://www.hokiesports.com/football/players/grimm_cody.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  8. ^ a b "Pigskin Pageant". Mount Vernon Gazette. http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=259524&paper=69&cat=105. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  9. ^ a b c d "Virginia Tech's Cody Grimm: Coming into his own". The Roanoke Times. http://www.roanoke.com/sports/vtfootball/wb/227790. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  10. ^ a b Viera, Mark (2009-10-07). "Grimm Delivers a Sizable Contribution". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100602708.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  11. ^ "Getting to know Bucs safety Cody Grimm". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/getting-to-know-bucs-safety-cody-grimm/1090133. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  12. ^ "Grimm wins Dudley Award". HokieSports.com. http://www.hokiesports.com/football/recaps/20091208aaa.html. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  13. ^ "Cook And Grimm Sign NFL Deals". NBC. http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=12897077. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  14. ^ "Grimm Survives "Crazy Day" to Earn Spot". NFL.com. http://onthefringe.nfl.com/2010/09/04/grimm-survives-crazy-day-to-earn-spot/#comment-565. Retrieved 2010-09-07. 
  15. ^ "Grimm Steps In at Free Safety". www.buccaneers.com. http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/Grimm-Steps-In-at-Free-Safety/806ac11e-4eef-421e-aa95-cf331f5ac0c3. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
  16. ^ "Redemption in Cincinnati!". www.buccaneers.com. http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/Redemption-in-Cincinnati/6d4e1d00-0874-4690-ba11-c6588a1c00a9. Retrieved 2010-10-11. 

External links

Preceded by
Rodney Landers
Dudley Award Winner
2009
Succeeded by
Tyrod Taylor