Alameda Ta'amu
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Ta'amu with the Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||
| No. 79 Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||
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| Position: | Nose tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 23, 1990 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Kent, Washington | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 355 lb (161 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Seattle (WA) Rainier Beach | ||||||||
| College: | Washington | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2012 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2014 | |||||||||
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Alameda Ta'amu (born August 23, 1990) is an American football nose tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
High school career
Ta'amu attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, where he was a two-way lineman and regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com.[1] He also had success as a shot putter.[2]
College career
2008
Played in all 12 games as a true freshman starting 5 of them. Was one of 12 true freshman to see playing time. Racked up a season high 6 tackles versus UCLA. Finished the season with 21 tackles.[3]
2009
Played in all 12 games starting 11 of them. Had a season high 5 tackles at Arizona State. Finished the season with 19 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and 2.5 sacks.[3]
2010
Started all 13 games at defensive tackle in what would be his breakout season. Was a key factor in getting the Huskies back to a bowl game. Had a season high 7 tackles at Oregon which was then matched versus UCLA. Recorded a 10-yard sack and 14-yard fumble return during the Holiday Bowl. Finished the season with 39 tackles, 5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 and won the L. Wait Rising Lineman of the Year award at the post-season banquet.[3]
2011
Started all 13 games at one defensive tackle spot. Named a team captain prior to the start of the season. Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12. Had a good game vs. Washington State, totaling four tackles, two and a half for loss and two sacks. Had five tackles, one and a half for loss and half a sack in the win over Colorado. Two tackles for loss and a sack vs. Hawai'i. Five tackles vs. Eastern Washington. Two tackles in the Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Baylor. Named the L. Wait Rising Defensive Lineman of the Year award at the team's postseason banquet.[3]
Professional career
2012 NFL Draft
Regarded as one of the few two-gap nose tackles, Ta'amu was projected as a third-to-fourth round draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.[4] Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, however, described Ta'amu as "a pass rushing three-technique stuck in a zero-technique's body," who "struggles to hold his ground at the point of attack".[5] The Pittsburgh Steelers nevertheless traded its number 6 pick to move up 10 spots in the fourth round to select Ta'amu with the 109th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.[6]
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2⅜ in | 348 lb | 32 in | 9¾ in | 5.37 s | 1.82 s | 3.08 s | 4.72 s | 7.52 s | 26 in | 8 ft 7 in | 35 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine, except 20-ss and 3-cone (Washington Pro Day)[7] | |||||||||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers
On November 12, 2012, Ta'amu was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was re-signed on November 15, 2012. During the season he was inactive for seven games and spent six games on the practice squad.
Arizona Cardinals
After Ta'amu failed to make the Steelers' 53-man roster, the Arizona Cardinals claimed him off waivers on August 31, 2013.[8] On September 5, 2015, he was released by the Cardinals.[9][10]
Kansas City Chiefs
On January 5, 2016, Ta'amu signed a futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[11]
Personal
Criminal proceedings
In October 2011 Ta'amu was charged with driving under the influence for an incident that occurred December 12, 2009, while he was playing for the University of Washington. The police report stated that Ta'amu was stopped for driving 73 mph in a 60 mph zone at 3:40 a.m. and that he "smelled [of] an odor of alcohol" and had "blood-shot watery eyes." Police said Ta'amu, who was 19 at the time, registered 0.097 and 0.098 on breath tests. Ta'amu pleaded guilty to negligent driving, for which he was sentenced to one day in a community-work program and ordered to pay a $350 fine.[12]
On October 14, 2012, Ta'amu was arrested after he allegedly evaded police while driving intoxicated and struck several parked cars, injuring one person in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood.[13] During the chase, before he was apprehended, Ta'amu allegedly shed his shirt in an attempt to evade arrest, claiming he was not the driver of the erratic SUV.[14] As a result of the incident the team suspended Ta'amu for two weeks without pay (from October 16–29, 2012).[7] On April 4, 2013, Ta'amu pleaded guilty to three counts of recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest and driving under the influence. Charges of aggravated assault were withdrawn by prosecutors. The trial judge found him not guilty of fleeing and eluding arrest because the officer chasing him along East Carson Street was in an unmarked car. Ta'amu was sentenced to serve 18 months probation, four days in a DUI housing program and 150 hours of community service.[15]
References
- ↑ "Alameda Ta'amu". Rivals.com.
- ↑ Smith, Craig (May 8, 2008). "Track and Field". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
- 1 2 3 4 "Alameda Ta'amu UW Bio". GoHuskies.com. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ↑ O'Neil, Danny (February 22, 2012). "Alameda Ta'amu gets chance to prove he is still a first-rounder at NFL scouting combine". Seattle Times.
- ↑ Brugler, Dane (April 5, 2012). "Alameda Ta’amu, DT". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
- ↑ The Sports Xchange (April 30, 2012). "Alameda Ta’amu, DT". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
- 1 2 "Alameda Ta'amu, DS #10 DT, Washington". NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ↑ Somers, Kent (August 1, 2013). "Arizona Cardinals awarded waiver claims on Bradley Sowell, Alameda Ta’amu". Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Urban, Darren (September 5, 2015). "Cardinals Make Final Roster Cuts". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ↑ Weinfuss, Josh (September 5, 2015). "Arizona Cardinals cut 22, including QB Logan Thomas". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ↑ Paylor, Terez (January 5, 2016). "Chiefs sign six players to reserve-futures contracts". KansasCity.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ↑ Dulac, Gerry (October 16, 2012) (October 16, 2012). "DUI charge was second for Steelers' Ta'amu". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ↑ Kane, Kane (October 14, 2012). "Pittsburgh Steeler faces felony charges following police chase". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ↑ Busbee, Jay (October 14, 2012). "Steelers rookie arrested on 15 counts of DUI, resisting-arrest charges after car chase". Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ↑ Ward, Paula Reed (April 4, 2013) (April 4, 2013). "Steelers lineman Ta'amu pleads guilty in drunken South Side rampage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
External links
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