NFL: Permian grad Bird primed for second season with Chargers

Bront Bird will soon be fighting for his NFL life.

The 23-year-old Permian High School graduate had a decent rookie season with the San Diego Chargers last year. He appeared in nine games before a season-ending knee injury, mostly playing special teams, and made at least one tackle in seven of those games.

Now Bird is preparing for his second season with the Chargers, who open preseason training camp July 25. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound inside linebacker will be earning the league minimum in terms of salary and isn?t assured of making the active roster out of camp, but he feels good about his chances.

?There?s definitely no guarantees in the NFL unless you?re getting paid 10 million dollars a year,? Bird said Friday from San Diego. ?But I know what I can do and know I?m a lot more advanced than I was last year. When they brought me up (from the practice squad) and I did get to play, I played well.?

Bird was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent on July 26, 2011, one day after the end of an owners? lockout that lasted more than four months. The former Texas Tech standout didn?t have the benefit of participating in organized team activities or minicamp and, because preseason camp was abbreviated, Bird said the entrenched starters got most of the repetitions and attention from coaches.

This offseason has been much more productive for Bird, who said he?s recovered from his right knee sprain and is leaner, stronger and faster than he was in 2011. He?s been working out at the Chargers? facilities and with right guard Louis Vasquez, Bird?s former teammate at Texas Tech and neighbor in San Diego.

Bird, who played in a 4-3 defense with the Red Raiders, said he?s also more versed in the Chargers? 3-4 scheme. The Chargers? new defensive coordinator is former linebackers coach John Pagano, which has made for a smooth transition.

?I?ve about got the defense down now, so that?s definitely nice,? Bird said. ?Whenever you learn the defense to a T like that, you?re able to just play so much faster and without any hesitation. I think that would be the biggest difference.?

Bird said he hopes to continue excelling on special teams and take advantage of the opportunities he gets on defense, much like he did last year. Six of his 14 tackles last year came in a 34-14 win against the Baltimore Ravens, and five of those tackles were of the solo variety.

Bird already has taken advantage of the Southern California climate, which he described as ?70 degrees and sunny every day.? He said it?s been much more pleasant than the triple-digit temperatures he endured in Odessa earlier this month, when he returned home to visit family and friends.

His round of golf at Torrey Pines South, the San Diego-area course where Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open in 2008, wasn?t so enjoyable. Bird said he had been consistently shooting in the high 80s at other courses but guessed he shot ?way over 100? at Torrey Pines.

?I honestly gave up on keeping score. I don?t know what I shot,? Bird said. ?It was so hard it made me never want to play golf again.?

At least Bird has football to fall back on. He said the Chargers, who finished 8-8 last year and narrowly missed an AFC playoff berth, are poised for a solid season after making some additions through the draft and free agency.

Bird hopes to be a big part of that, and he can prove his worthiness soon enough.

?We?ll see,? he said. ?I?m pretty confident in myself.?

>> Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter at @OAZuvanich

Source: http://www.oaoa.com/sports/season-90793-chargers-bird.html

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