Bart Scott: Flying North To New York

Bart Scott entered the NFL in 2002 with the Baltimore Ravens without much fanfare.  That's generally what happens when you are an undrafted free agent and not much is expected of you.

The strength of that Baltimore Ravens team that Scott joined in 2002 was defense.  When you are playing with guys like Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, it's very easy to blend in and not look bad.

It's more difficult however to standout and make an impact on that defense with all the talent that's there.  That's exactly what Scott did though.  He made a nice name for himself with new Jets coach Rex Ryan as his defensive coordinator.

For his first three years in Baltimore Scott played a secondary role, not receiving all that much playing time, as the Ravens still had Peter Boulware.  Boulware was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002 and 2003.

The Ravens were stacked at linebacker in fact for the first three years of Scott's career when he played sparingly.  The Raven stable of linebackers included Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Terrell Suggs, Ed Hartwell, and Adalius Thomas.

That's a heck of a group of linebackers to try and break into.  But Scott finally got his chance and in 2005, he finally made his mark. 

In the 2005 season, Scott recorded 92 tackles.  62 tackles were solo, 30 were assisted, and he had one pass defensed.  He also recorded four sacks and two forced fumbles.

In 2006 though Scott truly burst onto the scene.  He eclipsed 100 tackles for the first time in his career with 103.  78 of which were solo tackles and 25 of which were assisted tackles.  He also defensed nine passes.  Scott set a career high with 9.5 sacks and intercepted two passes as well that year.

Ever since then he's been a consistent standout in Rex Ryan's defense, so it's no wonder that once free agency hit this year that Ryan was going to be hot on Scott's trail.

Scott was the marquee free agent that Ryan and the Jets brought in this season, and he will play a major role in Ryan's defense as well as changing the attitude in Florham Park, NJ and East Rutherford, NJ this upcoming season.

With that in mind, with a possible opportunity to sit down and talk with Bart Scott about his career path in the NFL as well as his first movement to a new squad, here is a list of questions I would pose to him.

1. You came into the league back in 2002 as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois.  What were your expectations coming in and joining a team with such a deep group of players at your position?

2. The first three years of your career, you didn't play all that much.  What was the key to your improvement which enabled you to break out in 2005?

3. For your breakout season, what was the one thing you would say was a break that you received, in order to get the opportunity to become a major player for the Ravens?

4. As a player, you and your Raven teammates were known for being an aggressive and physical defense.  What do you think were the keys that gave your defensive corps in Baltimore that attitude and swagger?

5. Who has been the most influential person in your football career to this point and why?

6. How much did working with Coach Ryan mean to you in Baltimore and how much influence did he have on the development of your career as a Raven?

7. Obviously you won't get to see Hines Ward and the Steelers very often as a member of the Jets.  Did you enjoy the rivalry that the Steelers and the Ravens had during your time in Baltimore?

8. Describe for me the nature of what was going through your mind in the beginning of free agency, knowing you might not be returning to Baltimore for the upcoming season.

9. What were you most surprised about in the free agent recruiting process that you didn't expect?

10. When free agency opened up, was Coach Ryan the first one on your trail, and was there anything special that happened that made up your mind that signing with the Jets and Coach Ryan was absolutely the thing to do?

11. As an established veteran from the Ravens coming to New York, what steps can you take to becoming a leader on a young, but talented Jets defense for the upcoming season?

12. Seeing as how you have been very successful in getting to the post-season in your career, what do you think is the most important thing that can help get a team to the post-season?

13. What qualities did you see in Coach Ryan in Baltimore that makes you confident that he will be a great head coach in New York?

14. You came into the league obviously as a free agent post-draft.  Your earlier career included playing a lot on special teams.  Talk about what playing special teams meant to you and for your career.

15. How will your experience in Baltimore in variations of the 4-3, 3-4, and 46 defense help you in New York?

16. In 2006, you made your first Pro Bowl replacing Ray Lewis as a Pro Bowl Alternate.  Was that a bittersweet moment for you knowing that not a single team took a chance on you on draft day?

17. In the Patriots perfect season run, they encountered a passionate Ravens team.  If there was a way you could sum that game up, how would you sum it up?

18. If you were not playing football in the National Football League, what would you see yourself doing?

19. Now that you are going to be playing in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, do you see yourself changing at all considering Baltimore is not anywhere close to the size of the New York area?

20. Hypothetical situation here: Super Bowl against the New York Giants.  Would you rather make a four-down goal line stand from the one yard line to preserve a victory, or would you rather force a turnover and take it to the house to secure a victory in the big game?