Bucknell University Athletics
Conover proves to be a Titan
8/17/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 17, 2007
By Albert Breer
FOXBORO - Just five nights ago, he had a sack, a fumble recovery, another quarterback knockdown and two solo tackles. He's worked his way up to being a primary backup at defensive end for the Tennessee Titans.
And yet, Whitman's Sean Conover is acting like he still has to make the team. Technically, of course, he does.
But Conover seems to have his spot sewn up for a second NFL season. It's just that given where he's come from, as an undrafted free agent out of a nonscholarship football school, it's hard to take anything for granted.
"I know I have to earn my spot every year," said Conover, a 2002 Whitman-Hanson graduate who tomorrow night will play for the first time at Gillette Stadium, where his uncle has long been a season-ticket holder. "Every practice, I feel like I have to prove myself. And I think that's good, because I can't relax at all. There's no taking it easy."
After a solid high school career, Conover, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end at the time, had just a handful of partial scholarship offers, all from the Division 1-AA Atlantic-10.
At that point, Conover decided the academic reputation of Bucknell was too great to pass up. When he enrolled, the NFL was the farthest thing from his mind.
"I really didn't get any Division 1-A offers, and had I got some, maybe I would've thought about it," said Conover, who's now listed at 262 pounds. "But with 1-AA being my only opportunity, I was just thinking about the best education."
All that changed when his lanky frame began to fill out, and Conover grew into a two-time first-team All-Patriot League pick and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.
After signing with the Titans, Conover immediately became what most rookie free agents are: a live body to hit. But slowly, that changed.
"We knew he was undersized for this level, but he was a good athlete," said Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. "What we found out when he got here was how tough, committed and smart he was."
That was enough to land him on the practice squad. And with some injuries, he was elevated to the active roster on Nov. 22 and made his pro debut four days later, drawing the start at right end opposite New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey.
"He had to line up on a Pro Bowler and surprisingly enough, he held his own," said Schwartz. "It's not that he won the matchup, it was that all this was not too big for him. It would be for a lot of guys coming from where he did. But he had a good demeanor, and that's one of the reasons he's stuck."
He got five more games, including another start, under his belt. In his second year, Conover is bigger, stronger and more prepared for what's in front of him. And that's because he maintains the attitude he had last year.
"It's immeasurable how much I've improved as a player since last year and through camp," said Conover, who will have more than 20 well-wishers in the stands tomorrow. "I wish could go back and play another season at Bucknell, and see what I'd do there now."
