PA Season Ticket Holder
05-11-2003, 02:33 PM
As a college football player, the "S" on Colin Branch's helmet stood for Stanford. It could just as easily have stood for speed.
Colin Branch blocked two kicks while at Stanford. (Stanford Athletic Dept.)
Branch was one of the fastest safeties in this year's NFL Draft, and the Carolina Panthers plan to exploit that speed in many ways.
"We wanted to improve our speed both for special teams and at the safety position so we took Colin Branch," said Panthers Head Coach John Fox. "He's 5-foot-11, 204 pounds, and runs a 4.39 (in the 40-yard-dash). He had a productive career. We really feel he can help us compete in the secondary as well as on special teams.
"Right now he'll play free safety, but we interchange our safeties pretty much anyway because the offense can dictate that. Therefore, you have to train the safeties for dual roles. He's definitely instinctive and sophisticated enough to learn those things, anyway."
Ted Robinson, the Voice of the Stanford Cardinal, says the Panthers picked up a good one in Branch.
"Colin was a good pick for a team not in need of an immediate starter," said Robinson. "He didn't start regularly until his senior year, but quickly emerged as the leader of a very young secondary that played well. Like most Stanford starters, Colin has extensive special teams experience, particularly in punt block situations."
Branch, who participated in mini-camp this past weekend, says he feels comfortable in whatever role the coaches assign for him.
"I like playing both (strong and free safety)," said Branch. "I like mixing it up in the box a little bit at strong safety. At free safety, you get to look in the eye of the quarterback and make him nervous and get a few more interceptions. So it's kind of a toss up. In the NFL, safeties have to be interchangeable anyway, so it doesn't make too much of a difference to me."
http://www.panthers.com/news/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=6100
Colin Branch blocked two kicks while at Stanford. (Stanford Athletic Dept.)
Branch was one of the fastest safeties in this year's NFL Draft, and the Carolina Panthers plan to exploit that speed in many ways.
"We wanted to improve our speed both for special teams and at the safety position so we took Colin Branch," said Panthers Head Coach John Fox. "He's 5-foot-11, 204 pounds, and runs a 4.39 (in the 40-yard-dash). He had a productive career. We really feel he can help us compete in the secondary as well as on special teams.
"Right now he'll play free safety, but we interchange our safeties pretty much anyway because the offense can dictate that. Therefore, you have to train the safeties for dual roles. He's definitely instinctive and sophisticated enough to learn those things, anyway."
Ted Robinson, the Voice of the Stanford Cardinal, says the Panthers picked up a good one in Branch.
"Colin was a good pick for a team not in need of an immediate starter," said Robinson. "He didn't start regularly until his senior year, but quickly emerged as the leader of a very young secondary that played well. Like most Stanford starters, Colin has extensive special teams experience, particularly in punt block situations."
Branch, who participated in mini-camp this past weekend, says he feels comfortable in whatever role the coaches assign for him.
"I like playing both (strong and free safety)," said Branch. "I like mixing it up in the box a little bit at strong safety. At free safety, you get to look in the eye of the quarterback and make him nervous and get a few more interceptions. So it's kind of a toss up. In the NFL, safeties have to be interchangeable anyway, so it doesn't make too much of a difference to me."
http://www.panthers.com/news/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=6100