Jan 8, 2005 4 min read

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) – Jonathan Vilma finished working out at the University of Miami one day last spring when he spotted fellow Hurricane alum Santana Moss. Vilma rushed up to Moss and told him how much he wanted to play for the New York Jets. Little did Vilma know, the Jets wanted him, too. So they made him the No. 12 overall pick in the draft. Look at Vilma now.

A sensational debut season made him The Associated Press 2004 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Vilma capped the regular season with a bang, returning an interception for a touchdown in a 32-29 overtime loss to the Rams.

Not bad for a player some skeptics said was too small to play middle linebacker in the NFL. Vilma always knew he would make an impact his first year. So did Moss, coach Herman Edwards and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.

“When we first drafted him, we knew we had a guy that had all the characteristics we were looking for,” Henderson said. “Leadership, passion for the game, the way he flew around and made plays. Obviously he’s stepped up and took on the responsibility, and the opportunity has been good for him.”

Vilma, who earned 21 votes from a national panel of 48 writers and broadcasters who cover pro football, came into training camp ready to win a starting job as part of a revamped Jets linebacking corps. Though Henderson penciled in veteran Sam Cowart to start, Vilma competed hard for the job.

In Week 2, Cowart sprained his left knee. Instead of struggling in the middle, one of the toughest positions on the field because the player must make all the calls, Vilma stepped in as if he had been the starter for years.

Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham said Vilma made everything look so easy.

“After watching him play, a lot of people say he is already a vet,” Abraham said. “He handled himself like a vet. He was far past his years when he came in here.”

That has plenty to do with his college background. Vilma is just the latest in a line of stellar linebackers from Miami, following Dan Morgan, Ray Lewis and Nate Webster, among others. He became a starter his sophomore year, though if it was up to his father, Fritz, Vilma never would have set foot on a football field.

Fritz Vilma always feared his son would get injured. But Jonathan kept nagging until his father finally said he could play in high school. Vilma joined the junior varsity team as a linebacker. In his first game, about 60 people filled the stands.

“It was just different because it was on a Wednesday on the practice field where the varsity practices,” Jonathan Vilma recalled. “I just wanted to show the varsity coaches that I could play.”

He definitely did that, becoming a starter on the varsity the following year at Coral Gables High, just down the road from Miami. Vilma knew he wanted to become a Hurricane. Moss knew it, too, because he heard plenty about him from Vilma’s sister, who was in one of his classes at Miami.

“Everyone talked about him,” said Moss, who was a senior when Vilma was a true freshman. “When he came in and made play after play you always thought when he takes over this thing and learns it, he is going to be dominant. It’s shown. When he came in I had no doubt in my mind he was going to be that type of player.”

Vilma had one of his best games against Arizona in November, making 10 tackles, with an interception and fumble recovery to stop two fourth-quarter drives. He finished the season second on the team with 116 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

He also was the first Jets rookie to return an interception for a touchdown since Erik McMillan in 1988.

“When I first came here I told a lot of the media that I’d prepare and play as if I’m a starter,” Vilma said. “When I got my opportunity, I got my chance, so it was just a matter of getting the experience. I didn’t have to change any of my ways or my habits.”

Houston cornerback Dunta Robinson was second with 12 votes, followed by Denver LB D.J. Williams with seven and Washington safety Sean Taylor with 3. Both Williams and Taylor also played at Miami.

Kansas City end Jared Allen got two votes. Receiving one each were Arizona LB Karlos Dansby, Chicago tackle Tommie Harris and Seattle safety Michael Boulware.

Vilma is the third Jet to win the award, following McMillan and end Hugh Douglas (1995). Last year’s winner was Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs.