Eric Weddle

Eric Steven Weddle (born January 4, 1985) is an American football safety for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Utah, and was recognized as an All-American. A second-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, he has played professionally for the Chargers since 2007. He currently resides in Escondido, California.

Early years
Weddle was born in Fontana, California. He grew up in Alta Loma, California, and attended local Alta Loma High School. At Alta Loma High, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a three-time all-league selection and a two-time All-CIF selection.

Weddle added first-team all-area accolades from the Los Angeles Times and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. A second-team All-Southern Section honoree, he also received all-region honors from Rivals.com and Student Sport Magazine. He was named the team's best receiver and most valuable player as a senior.

The team captain had 129 tackles, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and five recovered fumbles on defense, adding 587 yards rushing, 22 touchdowns, 965 yards passing and five scoring tosses as a senior. He led Alta Loma High to the 2000 Mt. Baldy League championship.

College career
Weddle enrolled in the University of Utah, where he played for the Utah Utes football team from 2003 to 2006. He was immediately put into action in 2003, starting his last nine games at right cornerback. He earned Freshman All-American first-team and All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention. He posted 60 tackles (29 solos) with four sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He deflected four passes and intercepted another while also carrying the ball once (minus 6 yards).

In 2004, Weddle shifted to strong safety, starting eleven games. Despite sitting out the Arizona clash with a right knee sprain, he ranked third on the team with 75 tackles (47 solos). He added one sack, 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and a forced fumble. He advanced a fumble recovery 31 yards, batted away five passes and intercepted four others. He also averaged 10.5 yards on 20 punt returns.

Weddle earned Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-MWC, second-team All-American and Emerald Bowl Defensive MVP honors in 2005. He started all twelve games, lining up at strong safety in five contests, at left cornerback in four and as a nickel back in three others. He ranked third on the team with 78 tackles (49 solos) and second with eleven stops for losses. He had four sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He led the conference with sixteen passes defensed (12 break-ups, 4 interceptions). He punted twice for 46 yards, attempted two passes and averaged 6.4 yards on 24 punt returns. He also rushed seven times for 35 yards and one touchdown.

In 2006 Weddle was a consensus All-American and unanimous All-MWC first-team choice. He was again named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. He started the team’s first two games at strong safety before shifting to left cornerback and closed out the season as the nickel back. He made 64 tackles (40 solos) with a sack, a forced fumble and 2.5 stops for losses. He returned one of three fumble recoveries for a touchdown, deflected two passes and ranked eighth in the nation with seven interceptions. He averaged 5.5 yards on eight punt returns and completed 2-of-4 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. He also carried 44 times for 203 yards (4.6 avg) and five scores.

In 48 games at Utah, Weddle started 45 times (9 at right cornerback, 12 at left cornerback, 6 at nickel back, 18 at strong safety). He recorded 277 tackles, as his 165 solo hits rank sixth in school annals. He produced ten sacks for minus 69 yards and 22.5 stops for losses of 108 yards. He set the school career record with nine forced fumbles and ranks sixth with six fumble recoveries, returning two for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Weddle is tied for sixth in Utah history with 23 pass deflections and ranks second (MWC record) with 18 interceptions for 148 yards (8.2 avg) in returns. His three pass thefts returned for touch-downs rank second in school annals. He ranks fifth on the school record books with 52 punt returns, good for 408 yards (7.8 avg).

On offense, Weddle rushed 52 times for 259 yards (5.0 avg) and six touchdowns. He completed 2-of-6 passes for 43 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He recovered an onside kick and also punted twice for 46 yards with a long of 34.

Nearing the end of an electrifying senior year, Doug Robinson of the Deseret Morning News wrote an article championing Weddle for the Heisman Trophy based on how valuable he is to the Utah Utes. He wrote, "The only people who spend more time on the field than Weddle each Saturday are referees. Against Air Force two weeks ago, Weddle played every snap on defense and collected eight tackles. On offense, he led the Utes in rushing with 73 yards and scored Utah's only two touchdowns. He also served as the holder for the game-winning field goal. He played a total of 90 plays." Robinson wrote that Fisher DeBerry, Air Force's football head coach told Weddle after the game, "They're cheating you, son; they ought to give you two scholarships." Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said, "He should win the Heisman Trophy... I sincerely mean that."

2007 NFL Draft
In the 2007 NFL Draft, the Chargers traded the 62nd pick (2nd), 93rd pick (3rd), and a 2008 3rd rounder and 2008 5th rounder to the Chicago Bears for the right to move up to the 37th pick and select Weddle. Chicago has so far taken Dan Bazuin, Garrett Wolfe and Kevin Payne in 2007, and Marcus Harrison in 2008. Despite the price San Diego ended up paying for Weddle, experts still believed he would be of tremendous value to the Chargers. During the 2007 combine, Weddle ran a 1.43 10 yard time, tying him with Aundrae Allison and Marcus McCauley for the then fastest split time up to that point. "

In a short article by the Union Tribune 's Jay Posner, he quoted NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock as saying, "He will upgrade them athletically in the middle of the field. I like this kid a lot. He's an instinctive kid with a nose for the ball." ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said, "That's an awful lot to give up. ... They're telling us they don't need all those other draft picks (because of the talent already on the roster)." Charger Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, Buddy Nix responded, "We're not worried about what we gave up; we're worried about what we got.''

San Diego Chargers
Weddle started the 2007 season as the strong safety behind Clinton Hart. He was also known to be the team's dimeback playing in 2nd/3rd and long situations, along with being the backup holder on special teams. It was speculated that he would be used instead of the current holder Mike Scifres in situations where a fake field goal or extra point attempt would occur as he was a threat to run or throw the ball in those situations. The Chargers led the NFL in takeaways that season with 48. On October 28, 2007, Weddle recorded his first NFL regular season interception against the Houston Texans. Weddle saw plenty of action during his rookie season, playing as the dime safety and finished his rookie season with 48 total tackles, one sack and one interception along with six pass deflections while playing in one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL.

At the start of the 2008 season, Weddle was officially named the starting free safety alongside Clinton Hart who was signed to a long-term contract extension in the offseason at strong safety. On September 22, Weddle made his first interception of the season against the New York Jets in a Week 3 Monday Night Football game against quarterback Brett Favre. He finished the season with 127 tackles, one sack, and one interception. The Chargers were 13–3 in 2009 when Weddle recorded 82 tackles, two interceptions, and 1.5 sacks. In the divisional round playoffs, Weddle recorded eight tackles and a sack in a 17-14 loss to the New York Jets. In 2010, he recorded 96 tackles, two interceptions and half of a sack. However, San Diego Chargers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Weddle was chosen as a second-team All-Pro.

He had a breakout 2011 season with 88 tackles and a career-high seven interceptions. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was chosen as an All-Pro for a second consecutive season. In 2012, he earned second-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press.