The War Room: Rocky Calmus, LB, Oklahoma 
Linebacker
Rocky Calmus
College: Oklahoma
Year: Senior
Height: 6’3"
Weight: 234
Birthday: August 1, 1979
Strengths: Rocky Calmus is a student of the game who never enters a stadium unprepared. Gifted with tremendous instincts, he plays like he’s read the opponent’s gameplan, always disrupting their attack. In three+ years at Oklahoma, he’s recorded 48 tackles behind the line of scrimmage (through October 6), placing him tops in Sooner history.
He also has a knack for causing key turnovers and coming up big in huge games (last year, he caused a fumble against Florida State to lock up Oklahoma’s National Championship). All this despite most offensive coordinators gameplanning ways to minimize Calmus’ impact.
An aggressive, sideline-to-sideline player, Calmus has incredible heart and desire, playing games last year with a broken right thumb, after playing some of 1999 with a broken bone in his leg. A leader on the field, and a humble, soft-spoken man off of it, he’s a good kid who leaves it all on the field.
Areas of concern: Calmus is a blue collar worker, and as a result, doesn’t really excel at any one thing on the football field. He’s fast, but not super fast, strong, but not overpowering — rock solid consistency is his forte, and thus, he doesn’t really stand out.
Calmus has some trouble fighting off blockers and isn’t a certifiable run stopper. Scouts grade him below last year’s top LB, Miami’s Dan Morgan, who was a mid-first round pick, and behind more athletic classmates like Colorado’s Jashon Sykes and South Carolina’s Kalimba Edwards. Those guys had can’t-miss written all over them at the start of the season, but Calmus doesn’t. Heart and desire will only go so far — at the pro level, you have to have the physical talent to go along with it. Calmus will need a strong showing at the combine to quell any doubts.
Is he sponge-worthy?: Yes. Calmus is generally viewed as a second to possibly third round pick, and with Houston owning four picks during those two rounds, it’s a good bet a guy like Calmus would tempt them. Calmus should make a solid inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, something that might really get Dom Capers‘ attention.
Calmus is a steady, smart player. He’s anchored a national championship defense and has shown a flair for making big plays when games matter most.
Off the field, Calmus reads the Bible and is oft-embarrassed by his fame and notoriety (last year, he refused to be a part of Playboy‘s annual All-American team and his photo, at his request, did not appear in the magazine). Bob McNair would likely be proud to have a guy like Calmus represent his organization.
Rocky Calmus 
Return to The War Room 
Oklahoma’s Rocky mountain The Oklahoma Daily profiles the Sooners’ steady Rocky Calmus.
Sooners want a Rocky sequel The Miami Herald previews the Sooners’ 2001 season with a look at Rocky Calmus.
