Nick Greisen
No. 54, 55, 59
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1979-08-10) August 10, 1979 (age 44)
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Sturgeon Bay
(Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin)
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:2002 / Round: 5 / Pick: 152
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:263
Sacks:4.0
Forced fumbles:5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Nick A. Greisen (/ˈɡraɪsən/ GRY-sən; born August 10, 1979) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.

Greisen also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. He is the younger brother of quarterback Chris Greisen and the cousin of offensive lineman Casey Rabach.

Early years

Greisen was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He attended Sturgeon Bay High School, where he played running back, linebacker and punter on the football field.[1] Greisen was a five-sport athlete his senior year of high school.[1]

College career

Greisen played college football at Wisconsin after being offered a scholarship at a Badger camp before his senior year of high school.[2] After playing as a backup his freshman and sophomore years, Greisen cracked the starting lineup as a junior and led the Big Ten in tackles.[1] He also earned All-Big Ten honors after his junior season.[3] A team captain his senior year, he led the country in tackles and was first-team all-Big Ten.[4][3]

Professional career

New York Giants

Greisen was drafted in the fifth round (152nd overall) by the New York Giants in the 2002 NFL Draft.[5] He played mostly on special teams during his first two seasons, and also made his first start in December of his rookie season when Mike Barrow was injured.[6] He also saw significant playing time at linebacker after injuries to Barrett Green in 2004 and 2005 opened a starting position.[1]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On April 28, 2006, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Greisen to a two-year contract. The move came after Greisen could not put a deal together with the Tennessee Titans and the Jaguars tried unsuccessfully to sign LaVar Arrington.[7] During the 2006 season, he started ten games and recorded an interception.[8] Greisen was released by the team during final preseason roster cuts in 2007.[9]

Baltimore Ravens

On September 19, 2007, Greisen signed with the Baltimore Ravens after the team waived Dennis Haley.[8] On March 13, 2008, the Ravens re-signed him to a three-year, $4 million contract with a $1 million signing bonus.[10] Greisen's defensive playing time sharply declined in the 2008 season, and the Ravens released him on March 13, 2009, in a move that saved the team $716,000 in salary cap space.[10]

Denver Broncos

On April 28, 2009, Greisen signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos.[11] He spent the season on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in training camp.[12] He was resigned by the team on April 29, 2010.[13] Greisen was waived by the team on August 12, 2010, when the team signed Johnny Williams.[14]

Omaha Nighthawks

Greisen was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on September 8, 2010.[15] He spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the organization.[3]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2002 NYG 8 1 8 7 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
2003 NYG 15 0 12 6 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 NYG 15 7 80 61 19 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 6 1 1 0 0
2005 NYG 16 12 88 67 21 1.0 9 0 0 0 0 4 3 3 28 0
2006 JAX 16 10 34 31 3 0.0 6 1 6 0 6 3 0 1 1 0
2007 BAL 14 2 30 24 6 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2008 BAL 14 1 11 10 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
98 33 263 206 57 4.0 21 1 6 0 6 13 5 7 29 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2002 NYG 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 NYG 1 1 7 4 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 BAL 3 0 3 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 1 11 8 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

Greisen appeared on ElimiDate during his playing career in New York.[16]

Greisen is married, and obtained an MBA degree from Northwestern University after his playing career ended.[4] With that MBA, he signed on with Pro Financial Services as a sports insurance specialist.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Branch, John (October 20, 2005). "A Star Is Born in the Giants' Versatile Greisen". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Mulhern, Tom (November 17, 2001). "Greisen remembers his roots". Journal Times. Lee Newspapers. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Oxley, Jim (22 July 2015). "Wisconsin Football Countdown: No. 45, Nick Greisen". Badger of Honor. FanSided. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Shaw, Mike (March 16, 2018). "Former Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, NFL linebacker Nick Greisen tackles insurance business". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Gannett. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  6. ^ Price-Brown, Laura (December 5, 2002). "Grandpa Will Be Smiling / Set for first NFL start, Greisen thinks of Stan". Newsday. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (April 28, 2006). "Jaguars sign ex-Giants LB Greisen to two-year deal". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Len (September 19, 2007). "Ravens pick up veteran linebacker Greisen". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Jaguars cut Leftwich, former starter and first-round pick". NFL.com. September 1, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Hensley, Jamison (March 13, 2009). "Greisen released after 2 seasons". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Greisen Joins Broncos". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. April 28, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Clayton, John (April 29, 2010). "Broncos re-sign Greisen". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Broncos Sign Linebacker Greisen". FOX Sports. April 29, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "Broncos make switch at linebacker". ESPN. Associated Press. August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "UFL Transactions". OurSportsCentral.com. United Football League. 2010-09-08. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  16. ^ Schmadtke, Alan (May 23, 2006). "Jags' Greisen courts starting job". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 20, 2020.

External links

New York Giants 2002 NFL draft selections
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