| No. 65 | |||||||||
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| Position | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1980-04-04)April 4, 1980 (age 45) Joliet, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 295 lb (134 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Providence(New Lenox, Illinois) | ||||||||
| College | Iowa (1998–2002) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2003: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Eric Steinbach (born April 4, 1980) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aguard for nine seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theIowa Hawkeyes, and earned consensusAll-American honors. He was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the second round of the2003 NFL draft. He played for the Bengals from 2003 to 2006 and theCleveland Browns from 2007 to 2011.
Steinbach was born inJoliet, Illinois. He attendedProvidence Catholic High School in New Lenox, and played for the Providence Catholic Celticshigh school football team. He helped his team to a 50-game winning streak and four consecutive state championships. As a senior, he had 46 tackles, 55 assists, and a school record 26 quarterback sacks on his way to being named conference most valuable player and first-team all-state. One of the top high school players in the country, he was named Super Prep and PrepStar all-American.[1]
While attending theUniversity of Iowa, Steinbach played for coachKirk Ferentz'sIowa Hawkeyes football team from 1999 to 2002. He received first-teamAll-Big Ten honors twice (2001, 2002), was theBig Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year (2002), and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American (2002).[2] Steinbach majored in education.
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft6+1⁄4 in (1.99 m) | 297 lb (135 kg) | 31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.98 s | 1.79 s | 2.91 s | 4.42 s | 7.36 s | 36 in (0.91 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
In the2003 NFL draft, Steinbach was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the second round (33rd overall) and was immediately named a starter.[4] Through the2006 season, Steinbach has appeared in 63 regular-season games, 62 as astarter, missing only one game. Steinbach's relentless work-ethic makes him a standout at the guard position. Yahoo! Sports called him one of the Top 10 Free Agents to watch for a few months prior to the end of the 2006 season.[5] The versatile and durable Steinbach was able to play at the guard, tackle, and center positions on the offensive line, and his speed and athleticism helped to make him one of the league's premier pulling lineman.
On March 2, 2007, (the first day of the year's NFL free agency period) the Browns signed Steinbach to a seven-year, $49.5 million contract (of which $17 million was guaranteed), making him at the time one of the highest paid offensive lineman in the league. He had consistently been rated as a top five free agent (and widely considered number one among offensive lineman) following the 2006 season by every major sports authority.[6]
On December 18, 2007, Steinbach was named as a first alternate for the2008 Pro Bowl at offensive guard.[7]
The Browns released Steinbach on March 14, 2012.[8]
Steinbach was signed by theMiami Dolphins on July 26, 2012.[9] He retired from professional football on August 22, 2012.