Tashard J. Choice(born November 20, 1984) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was arunning backin theNational Football League(NFL) for theDallas Cowboys,Washington Redskins,Buffalo Bills,andIndianapolis Colts.He playedcollege footballfor theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
 Choice in 2013 playing for theBuffalo Bills. | |||||||||||||
| Texas Longhorns | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running backs coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | November 20, 1984 Jonesboro, Georgia,U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Lovejoy(Hampton, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College: |
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| NFL draft: | 2008/ round: 4 / pick: 122 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| As a player: | |||||||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Choice began his collegiate career at theUniversity of Oklahomabut transferred toGeorgia Techin 2005. Choice playedhigh school footballforLovejoy High School,inLovejoy, Georgiawhere he recorded 40 career all-purposetouchdowns.[1]Choice graduated with a degree in History, Technology and Society in December 2007,[2]and earned All-Big 12AcademicHonor Rollin 2004 along with All-ACCAcademic Honor Roll in 2005-2006.[3]He signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Cowboys.
After his playing career, Choice took on various assistant coaching jobs for the Cowboys,North Texas,and Georgia Tech. He is currently the running backs coach atTexas.
Early life
editChoice attendedLovejoy High School,where he playedrunning back.As a senior, he registered 129 carries for 1,200 rushing yards, 600 receiving yards, 15 rushingtouchdownsand two receiving touchdowns. He dislocated his right shoulder in a November contest, but did not miss any games. He received All-Southern Crescent, All-state and the Daily's Southern Crescent Offensive Player of the Year honors. The school retired his No. 2 jersey in 2007.
College career
editRedshirt freshman (2003)
editChoiceredshirtedin2003.Kejuan Jones and Renaldo Works led the Oklahoma rushing attack into theBCS National Championship Game.Oklahoma featuredHeisman TrophywinnerJason Whitequarterbacking the high-powered Sooner offense, which scored over 42 points per game.[4]
Freshman (2004)
editIn2004,Choice was named the Sooners' starting running back out of spring practice, but a left hamstring pull sidelined him and allowed true freshmanAdrian Petersonto move ahead of him on the depth chart in the fall. It also forced him to miss the first three games.
Peterson went on to be aHeisman Trophyfinalist and Oklahoma reached the BCS title game once again. Choice only took 23 carries and gained 100 yards the entire year (all in two games). His best game at Oklahoma saw him garner 71 yards on 16 carries againstTexas Tech.At the end of the season, his mother fell ill and Choice applied for a medical hardship to return home and play for Georgia Tech. His hardship was granted and he transferred to Tech by spring 2005.[3]
Sophomore (2005)
editIn2005,Choice arrived at Georgia Tech and found himself behindP. J. Danielson thedepth chart.They combined for over 150 all-purpose yards per game and 11 total touchdowns.[5]Choice's most notable appearance occurred in the upset of then #3Miami Hurricanes.Daniels was injured in practice so Choice was announced the starter for the game. He carried the football 29 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.[6]The victory guaranteed Tech abowlappearance and solidified Choice's role as a competent starter for the 2006 season.
Junior (2006)
edit
Choice led the Yellow Jacket rushing attack in2006,becoming the first Yellow Jacket to rush for 1,000 yards since Daniels in 2003. Choice set several Tech records in 2006. He rushed for over 100 yards nine times and had seven straight 100 yard efforts, both Tech records.
Choice accounted for 12 of Tech's 42 offensive touchdowns. Choice, along with All-AmericanCalvin Johnsonand senior quarterbackReggie Ball,took Tech to theAtlantic Coast ConferenceTitle Game as the Coastal Division Champions. He played the final month of the season with a left knee meniscus tear.
Choice would also lead Tech to its tenth straight bowl game, againstWest Virginiain the 2007Gator Bowl.[3]Choice sliced and diced his way through opponents in 2006 and worked his way towards becoming a preseason pick on several 2007 Heisman Trophy lists.[7][8]
Senior (2007)
editChoice led the Yellow Jackets' powerful ground game behind four returning starters on the offensive line and veteran fullback Mike Cox. As the reigningACCRushing Champion, Choice looked to improve upon 2006's nine-win season, with new offensive coordinatorJohn Bondfeaturing thesingle back formation.[9]
Choice missed the second half of the third game againstBoston Collegewith a right hamstring pull that would limit him throughout the season.
Before the week 5 game vs. Clemson, Choice - as team captain - made an inspired and rousingpre-game speechwhich was later posted on social media by a team assistant. Choice and Georgia Tech would go on to defeat Clemson, 13-3. The video has since been viewed over 900,000 times.
Choice suffered a right knee sprain in the eighth game, againstArmy,undergoing minor surgery three days later that would forced him to miss the ninth game againstVirginia Tech.He also missed part of the tenth gameDuke Universitywhen he re-injured his right hamstring, but was able to return to the contest in the second quarter.
Choice had 1,310 yards rushing on 249 attempts and 10 touchdowns, even with injuries to his hamstring and to his knee. He concluded his NCAA career on the "Smurf Turf"of Boise against theFresno StateBulldogs in theHumanitarian Bowl.Choice was used in a limited role in Georgia Tech's 40-28 defeat. His best statistical game was against the University of Miami, posting 204 yards rushing with a sore hamstring. he also recorded his first passing touchdown of his career, to Taylor Bennett.[9]
Choice left school after becoming the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, the first player in school history to lead the ACC in rushing in consecutive seasons, tied for first in 100-yard rushing games (18), ranked first in consecutive 100-yard rushing games (nine), ranked third in career rushingtouchdowns(28), ranked fourth in career yards (3,365) and ranked seventh in career all-purpose yards (3,646).
Awards and honors
editThe accolades Choice picked up during his college career include:
- 2003 Big 12 All-Academic Team[10]
- 2006 Second TeamAll-ACC[11]
- 2006 ACC All-Academic Team
- 2006ESPNAll-Bowl Team[12]
- 2007 ACC All-Academic Team[13]
- 2007 First Team All-ACC by league's 73-member media association[14]andRivals.com[15]
- 2007 Honorable Mention All-America bySports Illustrated[16]
College statistics
edit| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Passing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | |||
| 2003 | Oklahoma | 0 | Redshirted | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Oklahoma | 8 | 22 | 100 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | Georgia Tech | 12 | 117 | 513 | 4.4 | 6 | 14 | 76 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | Georgia Tech | 14 | 297 | 1,473 | 5.0 | 12 | 12 | 98 | 8.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | Georgia Tech | 12 | 261 | 1,379 | 5.3 | 10 | 14 | 107 | 7.6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals[17] | 46 | 697 | 3,465 | 5.0 | 28 | 41 | 288 | 7.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄2in (1.79 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
30+3⁄4in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄4in (0.23 m) |
4.50 s | 1.50 s | 2.55 s | 4.26 s | 6.87 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
20 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[18][19] | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
edit
Choice was selected by theDallas Cowboysin thefourth round(122nd overall) of the2008 NFL draft.[20]His first career carry came in the season opener against theCleveland Browns,where he had five attempts for 26 yards. He did not receive another carry until week 7 against theSt. Louis Rams,after he replaced fellow rookieFelix Jonesas the backuprunning back,who had suffered a torn hamstring against theArizona Cardinalsin week 6 and later a season ending torn ligament in his left toe during his recovery process.
He was used primarily onspecial teamsuntil injuries toMarion Barberforced the team to play him against thePittsburgh Steelers,who at the time had the best defense in theNFL.[21]Choice surprised by registering 23 carries for 88 yards, and five receptions for 78 yards.
This started a stretch of playing time against some of the league's best defenses. The following week against theNew York Giants,he rushed 9 times for 91 yards, caught 4 passes for a team-high 52 receiving yards and scored his first career touchdown. On December 20 against theBaltimore Ravens,he rushed 17 times for 90 yards, caught seven passes for 25 yards and scored a touchdown.
He finished his rookie season as a player on the rise, based on his late-season starts where he recorded 472 rushing yards, 185 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.[22]
Choice began the2009 seasonbehindMarion BarberandFelix Joneson the depth chart, but injuries to both of those players gave him more playing time in week 3 against theCarolina Panthers,registering 18 carries for 82 yards, 4 catches for 36 yards and one touchdown in a win. On October 11 against theKansas City Chiefs,he had 8 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown.
After the week 7 game against theAtlanta Falconshis workload was reduced when Barber and Jones returned. The rest of the year he was used mostly in what was called the Razorback formation, which was the team's variation of theWildcat offense.He finished the season with 349 rushing yards, 132 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.[22]Because he was seen as a starting-caliber player, the Cowboys received trade offers for Choice, but declined them all.[23]
In2010,during the season opener he fumbled with four seconds left in the first half, which led to aWashington Redskins' touchdown as time expired that proved to be the difference in the game. Although the call was heavily criticized, after the incident he would not see much action during the team's second worst start in franchise history (one win in their first eight games), that eventually cost the job of head coachWade Phillips.Hisspecial teamsshortcomings were also being criticized during the losing streak. On December 5 against theIndianapolis Coltswhen the season was already lost, he rushed 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in a win.
In2011,the Cowboys draftedDeMarco Murraywhich put Choice's roster sport in jeopardy, after injuries including a hamstring strain and a minor knee injury limited him to play in only one out of four preseason games. He began the regular season as the backup running back behindFelix Jones.[24]After Jones suffered a sprained ankle, he was named the starting running back in the week 7 game against theSt. Louis Rams,but Murray had a performance for the ages, breaking several league and franchise rushing records.
Choice was waived on October 29, with the team deciding to give a bigger role to undrafted rookiePhillip Tanner.He finished his Cowboys career with 250 rushing attempts for 1,139 yards (4.6-yard average), 3 lost fumbles and 8 rushing touchdowns. His longest rushing play went for 66 yards. He also added 64 receptions for 497 yards (7.8-yard average) and no receiving touchdowns.[25]
Washington Redskins
editOn October 31, 2011, Choice was claimed off waivers by theWashington Redskins.He was released on November 22, after being deactivated in two contests with a hamstring injury and appearing in one game against his former team, theDallas Cowboys,in which he only gained seven rushing yards.
Buffalo Bills
editTheBuffalo Billsclaimed Choice off waivers on November 23, 2011, reuniting him with his former Georgia Tech head coachChan Gailey.He replaced an injuredFred Jacksonand was the backup toC. J. Spiller,playing in six games, while rushing for 70 yards and one touchdown.
He was signed as an unrestricted free agent on March 24, 2012. He re-signed with the Bills for a second time on March 29, 2013,[26]and was later released on December 4, with the team opting to give a bigger role to undrafted rookieRonnie Wingo.[27]
Indianapolis Colts
editTheIndianapolis Coltssigned Choice as afree agenton December 9, 2013, after placingChris Raineyon theinjured reserve list.[28]He was released on February 18, 2014.[29]
NFL career statistics
edit| Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2008 | DAL | 16 | 92 | 472 | 5.1 | 38 | 2 | 21 | 185 | 8.8 | 50 | 0 |
| 2009 | DAL | 16 | 64 | 349 | 5.5 | 66 | 3 | 15 | 132 | 8.8 | 28 | 0 |
| 2010 | DAL | 16 | 66 | 243 | 3.7 | 26 | 3 | 17 | 109 | 6.4 | 17 | 0 |
| 2011 | DAL | 6 | 28 | 75 | 2.7 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 71 | 6.5 | 18 | 0 |
| WAS | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | |
| BUF | 6 | 23 | 70 | 3.0 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 51 | 7.3 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2012 | BUF | 12 | 47 | 193 | 4.1 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | BUF | 12 | 35 | 126 | 3.6 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 5 | 0 |
| IND | 3 | 11 | 44 | 4.0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Career[30] | 88 | 372 | 1,579 | 4.2 | 66 | 10 | 81 | 574 | 7.1 | 50 | 0 | |
Coaching career
editIn 2016, Choice joined theDallas Cowboyscoaching staff as an intern.[31]Later in 2016, he became an offensive analyst at theUniversity of North Texas.In 2018, he was promoted to running backs coach. He joined the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as their running backs coach prior to the 2019 season.[32]In December 2021, Choice was briefly hired as running backs coach forUSC.[33]However, Choice would later accept a job at the same position atTexaswithout coaching a game at USC.[34]
References
edit- ^"Clayton County's Who's Who".Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2007.RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^Knobler, Mike. - "Humanitarian Bowl: Georgia Tech Vs. Fresno State". -Atlanta Journal-Constitution.- December 27, 2007
- ^abc"Tashard Choice Profile on RamblinWreck.com".RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"2003 Oklahoma Sooners Cumulative Statistics".SoonerSports.com.University of Oklahoma Athletic Department.Archived fromthe originalon July 18, 2007.RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"Georgia Tech 2005 Statistics".RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"Georgia Tech 14, Miami 10".RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"Rivals.com's RB Power Rankings".CNN.April 3, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 19, 2013.RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"Ridiculously Early Heisman Rankings".RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^ab"Balanced Offense Highlights Tech Spring Scrimmage".RetrievedApril 8,2007.
- ^"Former Lovejoy standout transfers to Georgia Tech".
- ^"Four Schools Dominate 2006 All-ACC Teams".
- ^"Heyer Named to ESPN.com All-Bowl Team".Archived fromthe originalon January 20, 2013.
- ^"2007 All-ACC Academic Football Team Announced".
- ^"2007 All-ACC Football Teams Announced".
- ^"B.C., Clemson load up on All-ACC teams".Archived fromthe originalon November 30, 2007.
- ^"SI.com's All-Americas".CNN.December 11, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 20, 2012.RetrievedMay 24,2010.
- ^"Tashard Choice College Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedFebruary 23,2017.
- ^"2008 Draft Scout Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile".draftscout.com.RetrievedJune 1,2022.
- ^"Tashard Choice, Combine Results, RB - Georgia Tech".nflcombineresults.com.RetrievedJune 1,2022.
- ^"2008 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
- ^"Barber starts, but Choice finishes for Dallas Cowboys".
- ^ab"Tashard Choice Stats".RetrievedMay 3,2016.
- ^"Cowboys RBs draw interest".September 4, 2010.RetrievedMay 3,2016.
- ^Rainer Sabin (September 6, 2011)."Cowboys RB Tashard Choice heeds Jason Garrett's message of competition: 'I'm never comfortable'".Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 6,2011.
- ^NFL.com (November 3, 2011)."Tashard Choice NFL.com Profile".NFL.com.RetrievedNovember 3,2011.
- ^Murphy, John (March 29, 2013)."Choice says he re-signed with the Bills".BuffaloBills.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
- ^"Bills release Tashard Choice".Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2013.
- ^"Colts sign Tashard Choice".December 9, 2013.RetrievedMay 3,2016.
- ^"Colts release Tashard Choice, waive Jake McDonough".February 18, 2014.RetrievedMay 3,2016.
- ^"Tashard Choice: Career Stats at NFL.com".www.nfl.com.RetrievedFebruary 23,2017.
- ^"Tashard Choice says he's joining Cowboys coaching staff".RetrievedMay 3,2016.
- ^Staff Reports (December 21, 2018)."Former Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice joins Yellow Jackets' coaching staff".Gwinnett Daily Post.RetrievedDecember 1,2019.
- ^Tankersley, Benjamin (December 12, 2021)."Georgia Tech Football: RB Coach Tashard Choice Joins USC Staff".From The Rumble Seat.RetrievedNovember 30,2024.
- ^Nivison, Austin (December 18, 2021)."Texas Longhorns reportedly hire USC running backs coach Tashard Choice to same position".247Sports.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
External links
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