THOMAS HOWARD

• LINEBACKER
• No: 53
• Height: 6’3”
• Weight: 240
• Birth date: 07/14/1983
• College: UTEP
• Acquired: Selected in the 2^nd round (38^th overall) of the 2006 NFL Entry Draft

The Oakland Raiders catapulted Thomas Howard into the starting weak side linebacker spot during his rookie season and since, he has started 31-of-32 career contests.

Oakland first took notice of the speedster when he posted a 4.44 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine prior to the 2006 draft. His speed, solid pursuit and fierceness helped him tally 96-tackles as a rookie. But his ability to drop into coverage and defend opposing targets with his 11-passes defended pointed to what Raider fans may see in the future.

The following season, Howard led the Silver & Black and all NFL linebackers with six interceptions, the most by a Raider linebacker since 2000 when William Thomas tallied six.

Two of those interceptions in 2007 were returned for touchdowns, plays that helped Oakland stay in contest or reverse the momentum of games versus the Broncos and Chargers.

Howard was able to chat with S&B Report during a recent mini-camp and offered some insight about his camp battles with Darren McFadden and relationship with teammate Kirk Morrison. To hear the exclusive Thomas Howard audio and read a special feature profiling the super tandem at linebacker, stay logged on to SBReport.net for issue #2 of SBReport the Magazine.