A player who began to emerge for the defense and special teams during the course of last season was tackle Scott Paxson. The 6-5, 275-pounder is a good athlete with a tenacious attitude. A former outside linebacker, he continued to make good progress in the spring and is penciled in as a starter at one of the defensive tackle posts heading into preseason. Paxson is a strong and physical player who brings a tremendous work-ethic and desire to the practice field and game day. His tenacity has been especially evident on special teams, as he crashed through the line to block two kicks last season. Paxson has good size, skills and mobility and should be in the mix for significant playing time this season. | Diabetes to motivate Penn State lineman By Derek Levarse How does a defensive tackle with short arms and an even shorter vertical leap block all of those kicks? "No one sees me, but I go out there before the play and I throw magnets on the ball," Paxson says in a serious tone. "And I got magnets on my hands." Magnets? "Yeah, magnets, man. I got 'em on the ball and in my gloves and it comes right to me." Oddly enough, that joke is as feasible an excuse as any for the Penn State junior, who has found himself ranked second in the country among active players in career blocks. Though the NCAA does not keep such a statistic, the University of Buffalo's sports information department does. Paxson's seven blocks are tied with Buffalo's Rob Schroeder and Florida State's B.J. Ward. Central Michigan's James King leads the country with 12. "We just think it's a riot," Paxson's mother Lynn said. Initially, she had inquired about the statistic through e-mail, saying, "My son has the shortest arms on the team and I find this quite amusing." Paxson, his mother, and his high school coach can't even readily recall him blocking kicks in his days at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. After all, this is a guy known as "T. Rex" to his teammates because of his disproportionately short arms to his 6-foot-5 frame. But his high school coach, Jim Murphy, ventured a guess as to how Paxson pulls it off. "The big thing is the surge he gets at the line of scrimmage," Murphy said. "One thing is he is strong and he has a low center of gravity. His legs are like tree trunks." And that's the best explanation there is. Paxson's drive at the line gets him closer to the ball so he doesn't even need to jump to swat away field goals and extra points. That physical drive with his legs has made him a mainstay in the middle of the Nittany Lions' defensive line, helping anchor the 12th best defense in the country. But that other drive -- the one that's kept him pointed toward the NFL since grade school -- may be even stronger It's an ambition that was slowed in high school by the onset of Type I, or juvenile, diabetes at the age of 15. Paxson was diagnosed after a series of warning signs that included him actually collapsing before one of his games as a freshman. When it's first revealed, everything is unknown. Frightening. Scott and his family were initially concerned about how it would affect his life that revolved around athletics. At the time, Paxson played three sports in high school. "He was diagnosed in high school and when he was diagnosed I really didn't know much about it, and I didn't know if it was going to be something that would hinder his playing," Lynn Paxson said. But the doctors had some good news. Not only would Paxson's condition not prevent him from playing sports, but that it was essential that he remain active. The more the Paxsons learned about Scott's diabetes, the more at ease they were. Not that it wasn't tough to adjust to at first. The biggest thing Paxson had to learn was to balance his blood-sugar levels. With Type I diabetes, the pancreas cannot produce its own insulin and the person requires regular injections of it to be able to function. The other component is eating regularly to keep the blood sugar levels in balance. So when one of the two doesn't happen, serious problems can result. Like last year, when Paxson nearly passed out on campus because he hadn't eaten soon enough and had to be taken to the hospital. "It was definitely scary," Paxson said. "I snapped back into it and I was in an ambulance. And I was like, 'This is a joke, right?' That's scary. It's more of a wake up call than anything." Paxson ended up fine from the ordeal, but it was a reminder of how diligent he had to be when it came to taking care of himself. The key was getting into a routine that started back in high school. Taking the shots, always having food around, especially during games and at halftime, was essential. The experience of having a diabetic player was a first for Murphy as well. Both player and coach learned as they went along. "Scott really did a terrific job," Murphy said. "He and his parents always made sure he had some type of food there ready. It was just one of those deals where you're aware of it and you just ask him if he needs a break. And he was always honest, he was someone who was always in tune with what his body was doing." And Lynn was always there to help. Paxson said most of his conversations with his mother typically would end with Lynn asking about her son's blood sugar levels. Dad talks about football and mom makes sure classes and health are going well. Though diabetes was always on the minds of the Paxsons, it wasn't really on the minds of recruiters. Paxson's junior year at Roman brought about recruiting mail -- floods of it -- and offers. Penn State, Ohio State, Maryland, Syracuse and Miami were just some of the Division I programs looking to land Paxson, a dominant tight end and defensive tackle. Paxson began turning heads of scouts who weren't even necessarily looking at him. Current Detroit Lions rookie and former Virginia Tech star tailback Kevin Jones was playing at nearby Cardinal O'Hara High School. In a showdown between the two schools in 2000, Jones' and Paxson's senior seasons, Roman pulled off a 26-21 win over O'Hara, thanks in large part to Paxson's efforts against the future NFL first-round draft pick. Murphy said one play in particular would always stick out in his mind. "Fourth-and-goal," Murphy dramatically sets the scene. "Against O'Hara. Kevin Jones took a handoff, saw Scott Paxson coming at him, his eyes got as big as saucers and he dropped the ball. And Scott lit him up. Jones heard footsteps." It was plays like this that attracted schools like Penn State, and it wasn't until a family visit to Happy Valley that the Nittany Lions were even aware of Paxson's condition. Not that it was a problem. Several players in the program at the time, like offensive tackle Matt Schmitt, were diabetic, as was assistant coach Brian Norwood. "That was a comfortable feeling," Lynn Paxson said. State College ended up feeling comfortable for Scott, too, as he verbally committed to the Lions before his senior season at Roman started. And his goal of reaching the NFL in spite of his diabetes has been on his mind ever since. "When he was diagnosed with diabetes, that was even more of a drive for him," Lynn Paxson said. "Like, 'I'm going to the NFL with diabetes.' He has the drive." Lynn said she realizes that very few make it to the NFL, and that there are other leagues and other alternatives if it doesn't happen. Paxson is also working toward a degree in crime, law and justice at Penn State. But her son has set his sights high in the past, and he's proved himself every time, be it school, football or diabetes. "He does set goals for himself," Lynn Paxson said. "He jokingly said to me when he was younger, 'You're not going to have to pay for college for me,' and I said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' So he has set goals that he has achieved and I hope that whatever it is now that he wants, he gets." The NFL is always looking for guys who can block kicks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Lions Paxson gets kick out of blocks Penn State tackle Scott Paxson is the national leader in blocked kicks, as far as we know. By FRANK BODANI Daily Record/Sunday News Saturday, November 13, 2004 At bottom: · PSU KICKOFF Almost certainly so. Junior defensive tackle Scott Paxson has blocked a stunning five kicks this season. No one else on the Lions has blocked more than one. And it appears that no one else in the nation has more blocked punts, extra points and field goals than Paxson. At least according to Paul Vecchio, the sports information director at the University of Buffalo. The NCAA does not keep statistics on blocks through the season. So Vecchio has taken it upon himself to keep track of such things. He became interested last year when one of Buffalos players, Rob Schroeder, blocked a few kicks. Now, Vecchio sends weekly e-mail to sports information directors at all 117 Division I-A schools to get updates on blocked kicks, in hopes of learning who is the best at it. Hes trying to shed some light on an overlooked statistic. Its a mystery of sorts at Penn State, where Paxsons most recent block was a field goal attempt by Northwestern last week at the end of the first half. Today, he goes against Indiana kicker Bryan Robertson and punter Tyson Beattie neither have had a kick blocked this season. Its mysterious because Paxson doesnt possess the leaping ability often required of the best blockers, like Penn State linebacker Derek Wake and former Nittany Lion LaVar Arrington. Teammates even tease Paxson for having short arms. His lower half is just so darn big where he can go right through people, said cornerback Alan Zemaitis.Hes strong as I dont know what, man, so nobody can get in front of him and straight-up stop him. He just tears through the line and gets those little arms up. This is at a college level that hes doing it. It would be hard for anybody to get as many as he does at a high school level. Paxson blocked two kicks last year and is now tied for second nationally in career blocks among active players, according to Vecchio. James King of Central Michigan has a dozen career blocks. Paxson, Schroeder and Florida States B.J. Ward all have seven. Wake has six. King blocked eight as a redshirt freshman in 2001 four punts alone at Michigan State. The all-time career leader? James Ferebee of New Mexico State with 19 blocks. Paxson seems humbled by the recent attention, simply giving credit to the jumpers behind him such as Wake. “I think a lot of people are scared of them blocking the kicks, Paxson said. We just try to get a real good push for the jumpers to get up there and block the ball, but if I feel a seam I just try to slide through it and get my hand up ... Im not really known to have long arms so I don’t know how I do it either. He has the mindset to block the kicks, and nobody is going to stop him, said Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny. He has so much confidence in himself. And yet, Posluszny said, I dont know how he is able to do it so well. |
| Scott Paxson frequently targets his vertical leap — or lack of one — with self-deprecating humor.
Several weeks ago, the Penn State defensive tackle said his vertical was about ''four inches.'' This week, he was at it again. ''My vertical, I think, is like 42 inches,'' Paxson said, then paused as he waited for the laughter to subside at the press conference. ''Actually, my vertical is somewhere in the mid-20s if I get a great running start. It's not something to brag about.'' It's not something that holds him back, either. By all accounts, this has been a difficult year for the Penn State football team (2-7, 0-6). The defense has played well and doesn't have a Big Ten victory to show for it, while the offense has labored to score even one touchdown in conference games. Still, Paxson has emerged through the troubles as a bright spot with a unique talent. He has blocked five kicks (field goals and extra points) this season and seven in his college career. ''That's just a guy wanting to make a play — and wanting to make a play bad,'' cornerback Alan Zemaitis said. ''He's one of those guys, when he's on the field, he's got the ability to block every kick. It would be hard for anyone to get as many as he does, at the high school level.'' Not bad for a guy who regularly pokes fun at his own athletic abilities. A redshirt junior who graduated from Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High, Paxson has been teased about his accent and his hometown. He's been called ''Rocky'' and ''Cheesesteak.'' But his most amusing nickname — T-Rex, as in Tyrannosaurus Rex — requires an explanation. ''Fat thighs and short arms,'' Paxson said. ''Built like a dinosaur.'' So far, he has made it work. Paxson (now listed at 6-5, 275) was named first-team all-state as a senior and played in the Big 33 Classic. He made his first career start for the Lions last year at Purdue. And, like many of his teammates, Paxson cringed at the way Penn State played defense in 2003. ''We were embarrassed as a defensive unit,'' he said. ''Everyone ran the ball on us, scored on us. There were a lot of times you wanted to put your head down and not look up after last year.'' This year, Paxson has solidified his spot in the lineup and has 26 tackles (13 solo) and three sacks. He also plays for a group that ranks among the top 12 nationally in three categories. However, Paxson truly shines when an opponent lines up for a kick. ''Every time we line up, he has a mindset that he's going to block the kick,'' linebacker Paul Posluszny said. ''He has so much confidence that he can do the job. ''It's kind of a play off for some guys. ''You know, 'Let's just kick it.' Scott, he takes that play really seriously, and he goes all out. I think that's why he blocks some of the kicks that he does.'' Paxson's most recent effort came in Saturday's 14-7 loss to Northwestern. He blocked a 31-yard field-goal attempt by Brian Huffman at the end of the second quarter and preserved a 7-7 score going into halftime. It's a feeling of accomplishment each time, Paxson said. And if there's any pain involved, Paxson ignores it. ''When the ball hits your hand, you get that excitement,'' he said. ''You just hope to look around, and maybe someone will pick it up and take it to the end zone.'' PSU's 'T-Rex' takes the kicks seriously |
Great Scott!
By Joe Mason
Times Sports Editor
Scott Paxson never got caught up in the feud.
Paxson, a Juniata resident and Roman Catholic High School grad, was a lifelong Eagles fan.
But when he arrived at Penn State five years ago, he didn't get involved in the Eagles-Steelers rivalry, a pretty heated rivalry that runs rampant at University Park.
"I didn't get involved because I always respected the Steelers," Paxson said. "I love the Eagles, always have, always will, but I also respected what the Steelers did. I never hated on them at all . . . I always kind of liked them."
Now those Steelers are his favorite team.
Paxson inked a free-agent contract with the Steelers in late April, just days after the NFL draft. Since then, he's been spending his time getting ready for football with the defending Super Bowl champs.
And it hasn't been all fun and games.
He spent most of the past month in Pittsburgh. First there was a rookie camp, and then he spent time with his new teammates during a week of mini-camp.
Now he's just trying to make the team and contribute at nose guard for the Steelers.
"It's been great, really great," said Paxson, who stands 6-feet-5 and weighs roughly 300 pounds. "In some ways, you're just there working, you're just there trying to learn."
Sometime in late July, the Steelers coaching staff will hand out pads, and that's when Paxson and his mates get down to business. But for now, it's a lot of learning the plays, getting terminology down and meeting the new guys.
"I'm not going to lie, it is kind of cool," he said. "A few rookies were talking and someone said, ‘Yo, I just walked past Big Ben (Roethlisberger).' That's real cool.
"And I've been an Eagles fan as long as I can remember, and I remember sitting and yelling ‘DUUUUUUUUCE' for Duce Staley," Paxson said, recalling his days of watching the former star Eagles runner who's now with the Steelers. "It's kind of hard for me not to go over to him and yell it at him, but I'm not a fan anymore, I'm his teammate."
The big Steelers news last week, of course, was the motorcycle accident in Pittsburgh that seriously injured quarterback Roethlisberger, who led the team to a Super Bowl victory four months ago.
For Paxson, the first few days of getting familiar with the team — and being part of it — have been awe-inspiring, but he certainly has the credentials to make it in the NFL.
Last year, when the Nittany Lions finished 11-1 and were ranked No. 3 in the country, Paxson was a key part of Penn State's defense. He notched 25 solo tackles, assisted on 19 more and recorded three sacks.
He also learned from a knowledgeable coaching staff led by Joe Paterno and grew a lot during his time at Penn State.
Paxson also has bulked up in recent years. Coming out of Roman Catholic in 2001, where he also starred on the Cahillites' nationally recognized hoops team, Paxson weighed about 240 pounds. Since then, his efforts to eat right and rely on plenty of weight training have toned him with 60 extra pounds of muscle.
"I'm not all muscle, but I'm three-hundred pounds and let's just say I'm not afraid to take my shirt off in public," Paxson said with a laugh. "I worked really hard to get where I am. I never really maxed out in the weight room, but I do lots of reps and I put the muscle on the right way. It's really been a huge reason for my success."
So has his ability to stay healthy.
During his sophomore year at Roman, Paxson was diagnosed with diabetes. When the doctor told him, Paxson feared the worst. "I was very upset . . . my first question was, ‘What about sports?'" he recalled. "Sports was always very important to me. I loved it, I have played it my whole life.
"The doctor told me that if I took care of it, I would be fine," he explained. "Now I give myself about three shots (of insulin) per day. And I even check myself about six times a day to make sure everything's fine."
Monitoring his blood sugar, he said, has become easy and routine. But there were times, especially during his freshman year at Penn State, when he wasn't always 100-percent careful. But he credits maturity and a great health center at Penn State for his ability to play through the disease.
His goal now, quite simply, is to live his NFL dream.
It won't be easy. Pittsburgh comes into the season as the defending champ. And the Steelers typically field one of the top defensive units in the league from season to season.
So earning a spot on the team will pose challenges for Scott Paxson, but you're not telling him something he doesn't already know. For more rookies, it's part of the territory.
"Bill Cowher is a great coach and we have Dick LeBeau as a defensive coordinator . . . that guy is a genius," Paxson said. "But even in the defensive meetings, I was just looking around and seeing all great players. There was (linebacker) Joey Porter and Casey Hampton, a nose guard who made the Pro Bowl."
"This is a great team and the guys have been nothing but helpful," he added. "They all want to win, so they're willing to help all of us. They want the best players to contribute, and they're trying to help all of us rookies."
At the moment, Paxson is resting up in Philly, but he'll head back to Pittsburgh sometime this week to resume his preparations for the season.
He's confident enough to believe he can make it in the NFL. "It's going to be a really big challenge," Paxson said. "If you ask me today, I'll say my goal is to make the team. If I make the team, my next goal will be to get on the field and contribute.
"I'm willing to play anywhere they need me," he added. "It's just such a cool feeling to know you're playing for the Super Bowl champs. I really want to make the team and then see what happens."
But there's also the matter of some unfinished business — Paxson remains two classes shy of earning his degree in criminology at Penn State. Even if he goes on to have a productive football career, he still wants to get that degree.
"I'll definitely go back, soon," he said. "But right now, the focus is on football!" ••
Paxson has things under control Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
Training camp doesn't start until near the end of July, but Steelers rookies are getting a head start on what to expect during the team's coaching sessions.
One player who is benefiting from the early tutorial is free agent defensive lineman Scott Paxson from Penn State . Paxson is taking advantage of every minute of the sessions, learning as much as he can and trying to make the adjustment to the 3-4 defense.
" These sessions are extremely valuable," said Paxson. "I never played in a 3-4 defense so I had to learn a lot about the different stuff we do. This is extremely valuable for a rookie like me to get to know the system before training camp."
When the rookies first arrived for mini-camp, a three-day indoctrination into the Steelers scheme, things come at them fast and furious. The coaching sessions, however, serve as a review for what was initially introduced at a pace that is much easier to deal with for a newcomer.
"Things are going a lot smoother. The first couple of days it's all mental," said Paxson. "I tried to come in like a sponge and just soak everything up. I soaked up as much as I could. It's an eye opener. It's like school. You go home and you are studying your notes.
"Now we haven't put any more new stuff in. We are going over stuff we put in the first three or four days. It's more playing football because you are starting to know the system. I don't know it fully, but I know it a lot more than I did before. It's less thinking and more just playing football."
Playing football is something that is a passion for him. But there was a time not that long ago that he was afraid he might never be able to do it again.
When he was a sophomore at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia Paxson was diagnosed with diabetes. His first question was can I still play sports.
"In high school I played baseball, basketball and football," said Paxson. "I asked can I still play sports. The doctor explained it all to me and told me I can. I let out a deep breath then. I told him you talk and I'll listen and see what I have to do."
It was time to make some changes in his life. He had to start monitoring his blood sugar level and daily insulin shots became the norm. It was a challenge, but one he knew he had to do and could do.
"It's tough," admitted Paxson. "You can live a normal life as long as you keep a good eye on it. I've been getting better with it."
When he arrived at Penn State and during his first two years there, things weren't so easy. Without his family there to stay on him and help him monitor things, he would sometimes let things slide and not take care of himself the way he should.
"It got a little out of control," said Paxson. "I had trouble keeping good weight on. I was not getting good sleep. I was getting fatigued more than the average guy. Those are signs you aren't keeping up with it. I was probably a little immature coming out of high school. I got back on the right track.
"The doctors came to me and worked with me. I got on the right track and I feel like I am doing well with it now."
Paxson has already met with the Steelers training staff about his condition and he knows that there is no room for him to slack off now that he is in the NFL. He has to keep up on his daily routine, which includes giving himself three shots a day and checking his blood sugar about six to 10 times a day.
"I just want to make sure I am all right," said Paxson. "I don't want to be tired at meetings or practice. I don't want to get fatigued. I've been checking it a lot more."
Paxson plans on talking with teammate Kendall Simmons, who was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, about how he handles things. He also will closely monitor things when the team gets to training camp and temperatures can begin to soar.
"The heat causes you to dehydrate quicker," said Paxson. "It causes your blood sugar to drop faster. The heat will be a challenge but I have done it before."
Defensive tackle Paxson emerging as a force on Nittany Lions defense
By Ron Bracken
rbracken@centredaily.com
Forget about the big SUV with the spinner rims. Skip right past the designer suits and the bling bling.
Scott Paxson doesn't see those in his future.
Instead he sees a patrol car, a kevlar vest and a shiny set of handcuffs.
"I wouldn't mind being a state trooper, or a cop in Philly," Paxson said. "I've even thought about the FBI. Everyone thinks about getting a fancy job, making a lot of money but I don't need a lot of money to be happy. I didn't grow up with a lot of money."
What he did grow up with was a circle of family and friends who were involved in law enforcement, people who knew what it was like to walk a beat in downtown Philadelphia.
"I have a couple of uncles who are police officers, detectives," said the junior defensive tackle for Penn State. "And my best friend has a couple of uncles and cousins who are police officers in Philadelphia."
Paxson, who is majoring in crime, law and justice at Penn State, was a fan of the television show "Cops" -- "You know, 'Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you,'" he laughed. "I used to watch that show all of the time. My brother is still a huge fan of the show. I still watch it when I can but my favorite show now is Nip/Tuck."
At the opposite end of his viewing scale are the videotapes of Penn State's last three games, all losses to Big Ten conference opponents.
While Paxson and the rest of the defense have played well enough to win, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue have choked off the Nittany Lion offense on their way to wins.
"People keep asking me about that (ability to block kicks). They ask me what my knack is, what my theory is," he said. "I just credit the guy beside me (tackle Ed Johnson). We try to pick one guy and try to get penetration so the jumper has a good lane. If I feel a seam I'll take it. I kind of look to see where the block is going to be, to visualize it for a couple of seconds. I usually pick a spot about four yards in front of the kicker.
"My brother called me and asked me how much I was paying the announcers. He said they talked about me like I was pretty good."
Actually, the defense has been "pretty good" all season. To this point it has not allowed any opponent to score more than 20 points, keeping the Nittany Lions in every game. Its downfall has been its penchant for allowing opponents to put together a long scoring drive at the beginning of the third quarter.
"We've got to come out and play better in the third quarter," Paxson said. "We've got to cause more turnovers. We are doing a good job of getting to the ball. We're a step away from being real good on defense. We're a step away from having people being afraid to play us.
"Against Boston College, we made the guy (quarterback Paul Peterson) scramble but we didn't get many hits on him. We've got to get hits on those guys. We can't settle for 'I was almost there.' I watch film and see where Matt Rice has 10 tackles, where Tamba (Hali) is in there for 75 plays. They raise the bar in the defensive line room now someone else has to raise his game a little higher."
"I was a linebacker when I first got here," he recalled. "I don't think they knew what they were going to do with me but I think they had me pegged as a linebacker. There weren't many linebackers who came in with my class -- just me, Dethrell Garcia and LaMar Stewart.
"But it was difficult for me. In high school I had played a little linebacker but it was mostly search and destroy, just find the guy with the ball and hit him. Here you have to worry about pass drops, keys and all that. A linebacker has to be real smart.
"It's not that I'm not smart but as a defensive lineman you just have to go forward. It's more natural for me to just go forward instead of turning around, looking for hooks and curls. I was thinking, 'I don't want to do this.'"
There was another problem: Food. Paxson consumed plenty of it and eventually outgrew the linebacking position. As a redshirt freshman linebacker he played on special teams and goal-line defense but the writing was already on the wall.
"I started putting on weight. The year we went to the (Capital One) bowl I was almost like having a defensive lineman in there (at linebacker)," Paxson said.
"One day coach (Ron) Vanderlinden came over to me and said, 'Bend your knees. Now put your hand on the ground.' He said if I kept growing that's what I would be doing. I was playing linebacker at close to 270 pounds and I felt like I could still move. I was thinking 'This might be cool. I might be the biggest linebacker in the Big 10.'"
"Being athletic is what it's all about," he explained. "You have to be able to take off on the ball. I sometimes wonder if I could get to 290, 295 and still have the same speed. My goal this summer was to get to 288, 290 pounds. And all summer my runs got better."
But Joe Paterno has never been overly fond of bulky defensive tackles, with the exception of Jimmy Kennedy. He prefers quickness and agility over sheer mass.
"He's told me he knows I could play nose tackle if I weighed 265 pounds," Paxson laughed.
Or he could have been a tight end at that weight, in which case, he may have gone somewhere other than Penn State.
"Georgia Tech used their tight end well and if I had really wanted to be a tight end that might have been a good fit for me," he said. "Ohio State, Maryland and Virginia Tech were some other schools I was looking at. Growing up I was more of an Ohio State fan when they had guys like Eddie George, Bobby Hoying and Terry Glenn.
"But my dad was always a Penn State guy. And I had to find a school where I would be comfortable if football didn't work out for me. I had to ask myself if I blew out a knee would I still be comfortable at that school, would I want to stay there. And this was the school where I felt most comfortable. Once I visited here I didn't have to look around any more."
And looking back at last year's 3-9 record is something else he doesn't want to look at any more. Paxson said that over the course of the summer, during the conditioning program the players go through, thoughts of last year were a driving force.
Paxson's quiet determination during the summer workouts carried over into the fall. If he makes an exceptional play you won't see him thumping his chest in celebration. It's not his style.
"Sometimes the other guys will get on me. They'll say, 'C'mon, get up,' stuff like that. I'd love to celebrate but I just don't have that much energy. I tell them that just because I'm not chest-bumping with you doesn't mean I'm not loving this. But if I make a tackle, I just want to get back to the huddle, catch my breath and think about the next play I might be seeing.
"But if I ever got to play for Green Bay and I scored a touchdown, I'd definitely do the Lambeau Leap. On the defensive line we talk about what we'd do if we ever picked up a fumble and returned it. I don't know what you'd call it here if we leaped into the stands. If I picked it up and took it to the house I'd be loving it. I was a tight end in high school so I've been in the end zone before but it's been so long ago I have to think maybe I never did score."
This year, because of the play of the young linebackers behind him, Paxson has more time to concentrate on his job and less time worrying about what might happen if he isn't able to get the job done. Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Tim Shaw have brought a new element to the defense with their style of play.
"They are so young and have so much energy," Paxson said. "They're all good athletes. If they picked up a tennis racket, they'd be an all-star.
"Just knowing they're going to be filling the holes makes our job a lot easier. I just have to worry about taking one gap. If I have the A gap and see a running back going to the B gap and then cutting back, last year when he cut back he'd be getting five, six, 12 yards. This year, I'm more confident that if I hold my gap the linebacker is going to fill that hole."
Part of the confidence also comes from the experience Paxson has gained in the last two seasons. He has proven to himself that he belongs at a place like Penn State, that he can play at the Division I-A level. There was a time when he wasn't so sure.
"My goal, when I came here, was to be somebody and I think I'm starting to be someone," he admitted. "I didn't want to be just another person here. That was kind of a fear of mine coming out of high school. You're a big gun there but when you come here everyone's a big gun. I came here not wanting to be just another player."
Nor did he arrive at Penn State to play for an also-ran. He knew about the school's winning tradition and was hoping to be a part of it. Instead, after three losing seasons in the last four, he's found himself a part of a team that is trying to reverse the slide.
And even though the Nittany Lions are 2-4, he believes their better than that.
"We're already disappointed because I think we have a team that should be going to the Rose Bowl," he said. "We can play with anyone in the country. Things just haven't worked out for us yet. We just have to pick it up from here on out."