Nick Roach Has Finally Found A Place To Call Home

By: Nick Kapetan (@KapN93)

Nick Roach’s road to where he is today has been anything but easy.

The linebacker, who will begin his second season with the Oakland Raiders after he is cleared to return from the concussion he sustained, has clearly become a leader on a rising defense.

On a unit that is loaded with veterans, Roach stands out because he is the face of an up and coming linebacker core. Being in the same meeting room with the future face of the defense Khalil Mack, as well as Sio Moore, means that Roach has the day-to-day task of teaching these youngsters everything he knows. He is the one that has the opportunity to ingrain life lessons into the minds of these two.

There is an enormous difference between Roach and the budding linebacker duo. Mack was a highly touted first round draft pick in 2014, while Moore was selected in the third round of the 2013 draft. Roach on the other hand: entered the league as an undrafted free agent, had to put in his dues on a practice squad, rode the pine for a period of time with the Chicago Bears, was inserted into the starter’s role for only emergency purposes, started next to one future Hall of Famer as well as a Pro Bowler, battled through injury, regained his starting role, then lost it in the end, all while earning the respect of his teammates along the way.

Even after this six year odyssey with the Bears, Roach was not seen as a part of Chicago’s future.

Now one season after the decision to let Roach walk, the Bears realize that they made a mistake. While a revolving door of players attempt to pick up where Roach left off, the Wisconsin native is proving that he is an NFL starter.

Roach and the Bears were never meant to be. The contributions the linebacker made on a weekly basis were overlooked because he had to play third fiddle to Urlacher and Lance Briggs. When something went right, the two men that were a part of the Monsters of the Midway were patted on the back, while when something went wrong, Roach was the one who had fingers pointed at him.

From a distance, it seemed as if Roach was never fazed by the lack of positive attention.  It always appeared that the man, who was once passed over by every single NFL team during the 2007 draft, was just glad to have a chance to play in the league.  

Coming from one of the most overlooked college football programs in the country, Northwestern University, Roach flew under the radar. While Northwestern as a whole was not fantastic during his time on campus, Roach still was a force for all four years as he competed in what was, at the time, a respectable conference. A broken leg that he suffered towards the latter part of his senior season played a large factor in Roach not being drafted.

Still, someone should have taken a flier on Roach, but nobody did. This just added fuel to the fire. Roach was determined to still make a name for himself in the league, despite his initial rejection by all 32 teams.

In 2009, he did just that. During his third year in the league, Roach finally saw his first substantial chunk of playing time. He recorded 75 tackles and two sacks, which went incredibly unnoticed by many. That year would be a precursor for the rest of his time in Chicago.

Nobody really gave Roach credit for what he was able to do while he was playing in a position he was not accustomed to. A middle linebacker by trade, he was told early on that if he wanted to see the field, he would have to transform into an inside linebacker. That he did.

Six years after that experiment started, while there were enormous bumps along the way, Roach realized that the position change was best for him.

Even though Roach is back at his natural position of middle linebacker with the Raiders, putting in countless years playing on the inside, made him a more versatile player. Roach even had the chance to sniff some time at his former position as Urlacher’s multiple injuries towards the latter part of his career meant that Roach would have to step in, in a moment’s notice. Heck the man would even take Briggs’ place on the outside on occasion. Talk about a hybrid.

While he will never admit it, it must be refreshing for Roach that he finally is in a situation where he does not have to look over his shoulder in fear of having his starting role taken away from him.  In Oakland, he was given a fresh start to make a consistent impact. Now that he is a grizzly veteran, Roach can teach the youngsters a thing or two about perseverance.

Oakland, I hope you will fall in love with Roach, if you have not done so already. The man will give it his all each and every day. If you need any evidence, his 112 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season should be all the proof you need.

 

 Nick Kapetan hosts The Sports ReKap with his co-host DJ Vogt. The show airs every Tuesday from 6:00PM-7:30PM CT on MarquetteWire.org

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