 Shields with theGreen Bay Packers in2011 | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1987-12-08)December 8, 1987 (age 37) Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Booker (Sarasota, Florida) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Miami (FL) (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Samuel George Shields III (born December 8, 1987) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMiami Hurricanes. Shields was signed by theGreen Bay Packers as anundrafted free agent in 2010. He wonSuper Bowl XLV with the team over thePittsburgh Steelers.
A native ofSarasota, Florida, Shields attendedBooker High School, where he playedfootball,baseball and rantrack. In football, he playedwide receiver. During his senior year, Shields had 67receptions for 1,201 yards and 22touchdowns. His performance helped his team make it to the Class 3A Championship game.[1] Shields was ranked the 17th best wide receiver coming out of high school byRivals.com.[2] He receivedathletic scholarship offers from theUniversity of Miami,Louisville,Louisiana State andPittsburgh.[3]
Shields also lettered twice in track and field while at Sarasota, where he was one of the state's topsprinters. He recorded a personal-best time of 10.47 seconds in the100-meter dash, and also ran a leg on the Sarasota4 × 100 meters relay squad that captured the state title with a time of 41.77 seconds.[4]
Shields ultimately decided to play for theUniversity of Miami, where he started seven games in his freshman year. He recorded 37 receptions, the most by a Miami true freshman sinceReggie Wayne in 1997.[1] During his first start againstLouisville, he caught three passes for 63 yards including a reception for 49 yards.[5] His first touchdown reception came on a trick play where he caught a 37-yard pass fromsafety Lovon Ponder versusNorth Carolina.[6] Shields also scored two touchdowns in a game againstDuke.[7] Miami earned a bowl bid to theMPC Computers Bowl againstNevada. In the game, Shields had four catches for 101 yards and caught a 78-yard touchdown pass to win the game.[8] His performance earned him a spot as an honorable mentionAll-American on the freshman team bySporting News.[5] He was also named a selection to the 2006Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Football Team.[9]
During his sophomore season, Shields started five of the ten games that he participated in.[5] On September 20, 2007, in a game againstTexas A&M, Shields recorded a career-high 117 yards off six receptions.[10] He finished the season with 27 receptions for 346 yards and three touchdowns.[5]
Shields saw an increase in playing time and played in all 13 games during his junior year either as a receiver or onspecial teams. He had a season-high three catches for 32 yards againstVirginia. He was also voted Miami's Special Teams Player of the Year.[5]
During his final season with the Hurricanes, Shields switched positions from wide receiver tocornerback. During a game againstGeorgia Tech, he made six tackles. In a match-up betweenWake Forest, Shields posted a career-high seven tackles as well as a forcedfumble and recovery. He received the Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player award on defense at Miami's awards banquet.[11]
Shields was projected to be a seventh round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 28th best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.[12]
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 4.30 s | 1.56 s | 2.48 s | 4.19 s | 6.79 s | 39 in (0.99 m) | 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) | 15 reps | |||
| All values are fromMiami'sPro Day[12] | ||||||||||||
Shields went undrafted in the2010 NFL draft, but received contract offers from seven teams.
On April 26, 2010, theGreen Bay Packers signed Shields, as anundrafted free agent, to a three–year,$1.22 millioncontract that includes an initialsigning bonus of $7,500. The contract was for the rookie minimum for undrafted free agents[13][14]
Throughout training camp, Shields competed to be the nickelback or dime back againstBrandon Underwood andPat Lee.[15] Head coachMike McCarthy named Shields the third cornerback on the depth chart to start the regular season, behindCharles Woodson andTramon Williams.[16]
On September 12, 2010, Shields earned his first career start and made his professional regular season debut in theGreen Bay Packers' season-opener at thePhiladelphia Eagles and recorded three combined tackles in their 27–20 victory.[17] Shields and safetyMorgan Burnett became the first rookie defensive back tandem to start for the Packers since the AFL and NFL merged.[1] He was inactive for two games (Weeks 4–5) due to a calf injury.[1] On November 11, 2010, Shields recorded a season-high two pass deflections, a solo tackle, and made his first career interception off a pass thrown byJon Kitna to wide receiverMiles Austin during a 45–7 victory against theDallas Cowboys.[17][18] On December 12, 2010, Shields collected a season-high six solo tackles in the Packers' 7–3 loss at theDetroit Lions.[17] On December 26, 2010, he made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byEli Manning as the Packers routed theNew York Giants 45–17. He completed his rookie season in2010 with 29 tackles (25 solo), six passes defensed, and two interceptions in 14 games and six starts.[19] He also served as a kick returner and had 21 kick returns for 452-yards (21.5 YPR).
The Green Bay Packers finished second in theNFC North with a 10–6 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 9, 2011, Shields started in his first career playoff game and recorded four solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 21–16 victory at thePhiladelphia Eagles in the NFC Wildcard Game. The Packers then defeated theAtlanta Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round.[17] On January 23, 2011, Shields started in theNFC Championship game and recorded four solo tackles, deflected two passes, made two interceptions, had a sack, and forced a fumble during a 21–14 win at theChicago Bears. He intercepted a pass byquarterbackCaleb Hanie, that was intended for wide receiverJohnny Knox, with less than 47 seconds left to seal the Packers' victory and send them to Super Bowl XLV.[20] On February 6, 2011, Shields collected two solo tackles in the Packers' 31–25 victory against thePittsburgh Steelers in winSuper Bowl XLV.[21] Shields injured his shoulder in the second quarter and had difficulty covering receivers due to his limited mobility.[22][23]
Defensive coordinatorDom Capers retained Shields as the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, to begin the regular season.[24]
On September 8, 2011, he started in theGreen Bay Packers' season-opener against theNew Orleans Saints and collected a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) and two pass deflections in their 42–34 victory.[25] In Week 4, he collected five combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byKyle Orton] and returned it for a 60–yard gain during a 49–24 victory against theDenver Broncos.[25] On October 16, 2011, he recorded five solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made an interception before exiting the Packers' 24–3 victory over theSt. Louis Rams in the third quarter due to a concussion.[26] Shields intercepted a jump ball thrown bySam Bradford, that was originally intended for wide receiverDanario Alexander in the endzone, and was blindsided by wide receiverBrandon Gibson during the return. The hit by Gibson made direct impact with Shields' helmet and caused a concussion that sidelined him for the Packers' Week 7 victory at theMinnesota Vikings. The concussion reportedly caused him dizziness and headaches for multiple days.[27] On December 11, 2011, he made one tackle, a season-high two pass deflections, and an interception in the Packers' 46–16 win against theOakland Raiders in Week 14.[25] Shields finished the season with 45 combined tackles (42 solo), 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, and a forced fumble in 15 games and seven starts.[19]
During the off-season former starting safetyNick Collins departed during free agency. Defensive coordinatorDom Capers chose to haveCharles Woodson transition from the No. 1 starting cornerback to starting free safety. Throughout training camp, Shields competed to be a starting cornerback againstDavon House,Jarrett Bush,Tramon Williams, and rookieCasey Hayward.[28] Shields became the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season after Davon House injured his shoulder duting the preseason and was inactive for the first six regular season games. With his absence, head coach Mike McCarthy elected to name Tramon Williams and Jarrett Bush the starting cornerbacks in Week 1.[29]
In Week 2, Shields supplanted Jarrett Bush as a starting cornerback and started alongside Tramon Williams. In Week 4, head coach Mike McCarthy decided to move starting free safety Charles Woodson back to starting cornerback, replacing Shields for the rest of the season.On September 24, 2012, Shields recorded two combined tackles and a pass deflection in theGreen Bay Packers 14–12 loss at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3.[30] During the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, Shields was shoved to the ground by Seahawks'wide receiverGolden Tate while he was covering him during a last ditch hail mary by Seattle. The pass was simultaneously caught by Golden Tate and Packers'safetyM. D. Jennings and immediately ruled as a touchdown by one official while his colleague signsled it was an interception. After a review by officials, it was ruled as a touchdown reception by head official Wayne Elliot, giving the Seattle Seahawks a 14–12 victory.[31] The play was highly controversial and the NFL would later release an official statement acknowledging the shove by Tate that should've been called for offensive pass interference. It was dubbed the"Inaccurate Reception" and "Fail Mary" while highlighting the problems surrounding the NFL's choice to hire replacement officials during the NFL's officials strike.[32] In Week 5, Shields collected a season-high five solo tackles and broke up a pass during a 30–27 loss at theIndianapolis Colts.[30] Shields was inactive for six games (Weeks 7–13) after suffering a high ankle sprain during a Week 6 win at theHouston Texans.[33] On December 23, 2012, he made one tackle, two pass deflections, an interception, and had his first career sack, dropping Titans' quarterbackJake Locker for an eight-yard loss in the fourth quarter during a 55–7 victory against theTennessee Titans in Week 16[34] He finished the2012 season with a total of 28 combined tackles (23 solo), ten passes defensed, three interceptions, and one sack in ten games and eight starts.[19]
TheGreen Bay Packers finished first in theNFC North with an 11–5 record and earned playoff berth. On January 6, 2013, Shields recorded seven combined tackles (five solo), deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt byJoe Webb during a 24–10 victory against theMinnesota Vikings in the NFC Wildcard Game.[30] On January 12, 2013, he made four solo tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and returned an interception byColin Kaepernick on the 49ers' opening drive 52–yards for his first career touchdown during a 45–31 loss at theSan Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round..[35]
On March 12, 2013, the Green Bay Packers signed Shields to a one–year, $2.02 million contract.[36]Defensive coordinatorDom Capers and cornerbacks coachJoe Whitt Jr. held an open competition between Davon House, Tramon Williams, and Casey Hayward.[37] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Shields and Tramon Williams as the starting cornerbacks to kick off the season.[38][39]
He started in theGreen Bay Packers' season-opener at theSan Francisco 49ers and collected a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo) and two pass deflections in their 34–28 loss.[40] He was sidelined for two games (Weeks 11–12) after suffering ahamstring injury.[41] On December 15, 2013, Shields made five solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass thrown byTony Romo to wide receiverMiles Austin. He completed the2013 season with a career-high 61 combined tackles (51 solo), a career-high 14 pass deflections, and four interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.[19]
On March 8, 2014, the Green Bay Packers signed Shields to a four–year, $39 million contract that included an initialsigning bonus of $12.50 million.[42] He entered training camp slated as ade facto starting cornerback. Head coach Mike McCarthy officially named Shields and Tramon Williams the starting cornerbacks duo to begin the 2014 regular season.[43]
On September 28, 2014, Shields recorded three solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass thrown byJay Cutler in the Packers' 38–17 win at theChicago Bears in Week 4.[44] He was inactive for two games (Weeks 7–8) after sustaining a knee injuring during a Week 6 victory at theMiami Dolphins.[45] In Week 10, Shields collected a season-high six solo tackles and deflected a pass during a 55–14 victory against the Chicago Bears. He finished the season with 40 combined tackles (33 solo), nine passes defensed, and two interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.[19]
During the off-season, Davon House and Tramon Williams both departed during free agency. The Green Bay Packers drafted cornerbacksDamarious Randall andQuinten Rollins to compete to be a starting cornerback against Sam Shields and Casey Hayward.[46] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Shields and Casey Hayward the starting cornerbacks to begin the season.[47] On September 28, 2015, he produced six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byAlex Smith during a 38–28 win against theKansas City Chiefs. In Week 6, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles during a 27–20 victory against theSan Diego Chargers. He was inactive during a Week 9 loss at theCarolina Panthers after injuring his shoulder. On December 13, 2015, he made one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass byMatt Cassel to wide receiverDez Bryant before exiting in the third quarter of a 28–7 win against theDallas Cowboys due to an injury. He subsequently missed the last three games of the season (Weeks 15–17) due to a head injury. He finished the2015 NFL season with a total of 39 combined tackles (37 solo), 13 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 12 games and 12 starts.
Sam Shields returned as a starting cornerback alongside Damarious Randall after the departure of Casey Hayward. On September 11, 2016, Shields started in theGreen Bay Packers' season-opener at theJacksonville Jaguars and made three solo tackles before exiting in the third quarter of a 27–23 victory after suffering aconcussion while making a tackle on running backT. J. Yeldon. This marked his fourth known concussion in his NFL career.[48] On October 18, 2016, the Green Bay Packers officially placed him on oninjured reserve after missing four games.[49][50] He remained on injured reserve for the entire2015 NFL season and did not return to the Green Bay Packers.
On February 8, 2017, Shields was released by the Packers after seven seasons with the team.[51][52]
On March 8, 2018, theLos Angeles Rams signed Shields to a one–year, $1.00 million contract after he missed the2017 NFL season while recovering from concussions.[53] Throughout training camp, he competed to be a backup cornerback againstTroy Hill andNickell Robey-Coleman. Head coachSean McVay named him the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind startersAqib Talib andMarcus Peters.
On September 16, 2018, Shields made one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown bySam Bradford toChad Williams as the Rams routed theArizona Cardinals 34–0. In Week 11, he collected a season-high six solo tackles during a 54–51 victory against theKansas City Chiefs. In his first season with the Rams, Shields recorded 22 combined tackles (18 solo), four pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and two starts. Shields mainly played on special teams throughout the season.
In theNFC Championship Game against theNew Orleans Saints with the Rams down 13–0 early in the second quarter, the Rams performed a fake punt and Shields caught the ball fromJohnny Hekker for 12 yards to help the Rams get their first score of the game. The Rams went on to win in overtime 26–23 to advance toSuper Bowl LIII where they lost 13–3 to theNew England Patriots.
| Year | Team | G | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | ||||
| 2010 | GB | 14 | 6 | 28 | 24 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | GB | 15 | 7 | 42 | 38 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 68 | 17.0 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | GB | 10 | 8 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | GB | 14 | 14 | 61 | 51 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | GB | 14 | 14 | 44 | 36 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 62 | 31.0 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | GB | 12 | 12 | 39 | 37 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | GB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | LAR | 16 | 2 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 96 | 64 | 265 | 229 | 36 | 1.0 | 0 | 70 | 19 | 202 | 10.6 | 62 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Source:NFL.com | ||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | ||||
| 2010 | GB | 4 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 20.0 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | GB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | GB | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | GB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | GB | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | GB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | LAR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 8 | 32 | 28 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 92 | 18.4 | 52 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Source:pro-football-reference.com | ||||||||||||||||
On October 19, 2016, police foundmarijuana after searching Shields' home. On January 16, 2017, Shields was officially charged with two counts of marijuana possession.[54] On April 24, 2017, he pled no contest and received a $500 fine.[55]
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