Teddy Lehman

Teddy Lehman

No. --     Free Agent
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: November 18, 1981 (1981-11-18)
Place of birth: Tulsa, Oklahoma
High school: Fort Gibson High School Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
College: Oklahoma
NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37
Debuted in 2004 for the Detroit Lions
Career history
Detroit Lions (2004–2007) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2008)* Detroit Lions (2008)* Buffalo Bills (2008) Las Vegas Locomotives (2009) Jacksonville Jaguars (2010) Las Vegas Locomotives (2010–2011) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big 12 (2001, 2002, 2003) Consensus All-American (2002, 2003) Dick Butkus Award (2003) Chuck Bednarik Award (2003) UFL championship (2009, 2010)
Career NFL statistics as of week 17, 2008
Tackles	150
Sacks	1
Forced fumbles	2
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Teddy Lehman (born November 18, 1981) is an American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was twice recognized as an All-American. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL).

Early years

Lehman was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Fort Gibson High School in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, and played high school football for the Fort Gibson Tigers. He started at both linebacker and running back, wearing number 34.^{[citation needed]} As a senior, he helped the Tigers post their best-ever record of 13–1, and advance to the Oklahoma Class 4A state championship game.^{[citation needed]}

He ended his senior season with 181 tackles, nine interceptions, eleven sacks, and six forced fumbles.^{[citation needed]} He ranked first in the state in rushing with 1,892 yards and 36 touchdowns on 206 carries (8.1 avg.) as a running back.^{[citation needed]} He also shared the punting duties for the Tigers with an average of 51.6 which was the top in Class 4A.^{[citation needed]}

He recorded more than 600 tackles and twenty interceptions during his four high school seasons.^{[citation needed]}

College career

In 2000 as a freshman, Lehman played in all 13 games starting 5 and finished the season with 59 tackles and two sacks. He was a First-Team Freshman All American Selection.

In 2001, Lehman replaced departed Dick Butkus Award winner Rocky Calmus as weak-side linebacker, and was more than able to fill his predecessor's shoes. He finished the year with 132 tackles, including four sacks and 17 stops for losses, and garnered accolades from around the country. He was the Chevrolet National Defensive Player of the Year and was one of three finalists for the Butkus Award. He was the recipient of the fumble by Texas quarterback Chris Simms which was jarred loose by Roy Williams and Lehman took it into the endzone for the game-winning score.

In 2002, Lehman was named a first-team All-American selection by various publications, including The NFL Draft Report, the Associated Press, and Sports Illustrated. Lehman was also named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and added All-Big 12 Conference first-team honors from the media and league coaches.

Lehman posted six tackles (five solo) in the Rose Bowl against Washington State and sacked Quarterback Jason Gesser twice for a loss of 17 yards. Both sacks ended scoring drives at the end of the second quarter and were instrumental in securing Oklahoma's first-ever Rose Bowl win.

During the 2003 season, Lehman continued his success from his breakout 2002 campaign. He led the team in tackles, with 157, adding six forced fumbles, nine pass breakups, and 29 tackles for loss. His 24 stops behind the line of scrimmage shattered the school’s season record for linebackers (17, shared by Brian Bosworth in 1986, Torrance Marshall in 1999, and Rocky Calmus in 2000.)

Lehman closed out his college career in the 21-14 Sugar Bowl loss against LSU with eight tackles (six solo) and two stops behind the line of scrimmage, including one sack.

He was named a consensus All-American First-Team selection and a unanimous All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice. He was awarded the Dick Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker, as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. Lehman was rated the top outside linebacker pro prospect in the country by The NFL Draft Report.

Professional career

First stint with Lions

Teddy Lehman was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the fifth pick of the second round (37th overall) in 2004.

Lehman was the only rookie linebacker in the NFL to start all 16 games in 2004. He also logged a total of 1,225 plays (1,054 on defense, 171 on special teams), more than any other member of the team. He finished the season with 102 tackles, the second-highest total on the team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an unrestricted free-agent on March 4, 2008. However, he was released on July 25.

Second stint with Lions

On July 26, 2008, Lehman re-signed with the Detroit Lions. His No. 54 taken by Gilbert Gardner, Lehman was assigned No. 58. He was placed on Injured Reserve on August 4. On August 8, he was taken off IR and released.

Buffalo Bills

Lehman was signed by the Buffalo Bills on November 7, 2008 after cornerback Ashton Youboty was placed on injured reserve.

Las Vegas Locomotives

Lehman signed with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League on August 5, 2009.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On May 11, 2010 Teddy Lehman signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was one of eight players that participated in the club’s May 1–3 mini-camp on a tryout basis. On September 3, 2010 he was released by the Jaguars.

External links

• Buffalo Bills bio