Rutgers in the NFL: Christian Izien has impressed Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp
Now we know the real reason Tom Brady retired this offseason: he didn’t want to face Christian Izien in training camp. The former Rutgers football defensive back is making a strong impression in camp so far, even so far as earning praise from head coach Todd Bowles.
Izien signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie free agent. He was a former standout at Rutgers, where he was a starter at safety over the last three years.
He had 84 total tackles a season ago and four passes defended. Izien also had five tackles for a loss.
Against Iowa, he had 15 tackles, a career-high.
On Saturday following his team’s preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Todd Bowles was asked how Izien performed in the role of nickleback. Bowles isn’t one to heap praise on a player unnecessarily.
“Izien was solid, he had one technical error but I thought he was solid,” Bowles told reporters on Saturday.
“He didn’t get a lot of action but he did a lot of right things. We knew what he can bring to the table. He’s the frontrunner right now.”
A product of Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Izien was a three-time All-Big Ten selection at Rutgers.
Bowles was the former head coach of the New York Jets. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., he played his college football at Temple.
His son, Todd Bowles Jr., is a defensive back at Rutgers.
