Birdine's back

Defensive end had time to think last season

By John Shinn

The sweat was still pouring out of Larry Birdine’s body when reporters descended upon the Sooner defensive end Wednesday night.

He’s a go-to guy in that regard. Any question will solicit an unfiltered and often humorous response. After all, Birdine was the same guy who created a fire storm weeks before the 2005 Orange Bowl when he gave a less than flattering opinion of USC.

But ask most around the Sooner program and they’ll tell you Birdine isn’t the same person he was two seasons ago.

And if they won’t say it, Birdine will. Spending a season on the mend from a serious injury has that effect.

“I had to sit back and look at everything I had done to that point,” Birdine said. “To me it was like I had to realize this game is not promised to me.”

Confidence is something Birdine has never lacked. He was a dominant player at Lawton Eisenhower and had managed to push Dan Cody and Jonathan Jackson for playing time by the end of his redshirt freshman season.

By 2004, it became apparent Birdine had star potential. Cody and Jackson were both All-Conference selection that season, but Birdine also had seven sacks and 40 tackles.

Last season was supposed to be his breakout year in more ways than one.

He entered the 2005 season as a consensus All-Big 12 preseason selection. Some were calling him one of the best defensive ends in college football.

Birdine was listening, too. He figured one more good season would be enough to launch him into the NFL. But then he collided with wide receiver Travis Wilson in a freak play during preseason practice. The impact left Birdine with a torn left biceps and nearly an entire season to contemplate his future.

He didn’t like what he saw.

“I think I was trying to be bigger than the game at one point,” Birdine said. “I had a selfish attitude. It was all about me for some time. I didn’t have the great summer workouts I was accustomed to and I didn’t practice as hard as I should have. The injury made me rededicate myself to this game and this team.”

Chris Wilson had been trying to get Birdine to notice as much since he became defensive ends coach following the 2004 season. The message fell on deaf ears for some time. But time off the field caused Birdine to see things in a different light.

“He sees there are other great players in this program,” Wilson said. “What it shows is that this program is greater than one person. It’s that way now and it’s been that way forever.

“What it does is it gives everybody the idea that you have to come in and compete every day.”

There’s no doubt about that.

While Birdine spent last year healing, Calvin Thibodeaux and C.J. Ah You stepped forward and turned in big seasons. John Williams and Alonzo Dotson are also pushing for playing time.

Just getting on the field this season must be earned.

Birdine remains a jokester to the core and as brash as he can be. But humility has also crept into his psyche.

“Since he’s come back, he’s brought a ton of energy to the team and I think he’s looking at it from a different perspective,” Thibodeaux said. “He knows this game can be taken from him at any time. Now, every time he steps on the field, he plays hard and gives it everything he has.”

And OU is finally getting the Larry Birdine it always wanted.

John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com