Robert Geathers

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=Cincinnati Bengals
currentnumber=91
currentposition=Defensive end
birthdate=birth date and age|1983|8|11
birthplace=Georgetown, South Carolina
heightft=6
heightin=3
weight=265
debutyear=2004
debutteam=Cincinnati Bengals
college=Georgia
draftyear=2004
draftround=4
draftpick=117
pastteams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (2004-present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Tackles
statvalue1=138
statlabel2=Sacks
statvalue2=20.5
statlabel3=INTs
statvalue3=2
nfl=GEA429541

Robert Geathers (born August 11, 1983 in Georgetown, South Carolina) is an American football player who currently plays defensive end and linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals. Geathers played at Choppee High School and later at Carvers Bay High School in Georgetown SC, for James “Nate” Thompson. As a senior, he recorded 100 tackles and nine sacks on defense and played quarterback on offense. This helped him garner several scholarship offers, and decided to attend the University of Georgia.

Family

Geathers comes from a line of football athletes. He is the son Robert and Debra Geathers. Robert Sr. was a standout defensive lineman at South Carolina State and his uncle James "Jumpy" Geathers played at Wichita State University and then in the NFL for 13 years. Jumpy recorded 62 sacks and two Super Bowl wins in a 13-year NFL career (1984-96 with New Orleans, Washington (Super Bowl XXVI), Atlanta, and Denver (Super Bowl XXXIII).

College career

At the University of Georgia, He started 16 of 39 games during his career registering 81 tackles with five sacks, 10 stops for losses, 22 quarterback pressures, six pass deflections, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and two interceptions. He decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. He was drafted in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by Cincinnati. He was a sports studies major.

NFL career

Robert made his first NFL start on November 14th versus the Washington Redskins. In his rookie season, Robert saw sparing action because he was primarily used on special teams. He had a career game resulting in a victory on Nov. 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Robert finished the game with a sack and forced fumble, a key pass defended, and a QB pressure that led to an intentional grounding penalty. On January 2, 2005 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he intercepted a swing pass by Jeff Blake and returned it 36 yards for his first career NFL touchdown. This gave the rookie some confidence going into the 2005-06 season.

At the beginning of the 2005-06 season, he was named the starter at defensive end and started all sixteen games, including Cincinnati’s playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He entered the 2006-07 season with a hopes of winning a Super Bowl. Geathers along with his coaches set high standards for him and his teammates. Geathers finished the season with 10.5 sacks.

Hit on Trent Green

On September 10, 2006, Geathers acquired headlines around the country. Geathers made a tackle on a scrambling Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, which gave Green a concussion. There was no penalty on the play. After several reviews on television the announcers thought that Eddie Kennison might have tried to block Geathers forcing him into Green. Green was on the injured list for almost two months. Geathers was not fined by the NFL for his hit.