Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler should have seen it coming. After the snap, he fell back but quickly realized his go-to receivers were covered. The blocking to his right was breaking down fast—thanks mostly to Green Bay’s No. 74, left defensive end Aaron Kampman. The 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound Packer was trying to throw off his blocker and was bearing down.
Cutler thought he could simply step up past the potential sack. Big mistake. With a mighty grasp, Kampman one-armed the 6-foot-3-inch, 233-pound Cutler to the ground as if he were a rag doll.
That sack was the first of three that Kampman would register that October night, giving him eight sacks on a season not yet half over. At that rate, he was on pace to pass the NFC-leading 15 ½ sacks he notched during the 2006 season, second only to San Diego’s Shawne Merriman (17 sacks) that year.
Tough and Tender
In a game that has recently been tainted by allegations of cheating, showboating and a lot of trash-talking, Kampman stands out for two things: He’s a fierce but fair competitor on the field and a consummate nice guy off.
The Pro Bowl defenseman netted 113 tackles during the 2006 season, a club record for a defensive lineman. (This also being the same team that once featured the awesome Reggie White on the front line.) In addition to his 15 ½ sacks, Kampman forced numerous quarterback hurry-ups and stuffed numerous runs. In fact, according to the Pro Football Prospectus, Kampman led the NFL in quarterback knockdowns (with 35) and ranked seventh in quarterback pressures (with 24). “Teams don’t run at him, either,” says his teammate, right tackle Mark Tauscher, who regularly lines up against Kampman in practice.
“In the end, everyone looks at sacks,” Kampman says. “But if you really think about it, a deflection, a pressure that forces an incompletion is pretty similar. You’re not getting negative yardage or a chance at a fumble, but they’re still big, positive plays.”
Kampman’s known for working himself hard in the gym and spending hours reviewing game film. “There are a lot of guys that God’s given a lot of ability to—and Aaron’s one of those guys,” says John Schneider, the Packers’ assistant to the general manager. “But he also combines that with an intense film study of his opponent.”
But get him off the field and you’ll find Kampman visiting sick children at the hospital or hanging around after a game to sign autographs. He also works with the youth group at Green Bay Community Church. In fact, his attention has been on children for a long time. He was an Academic All-American at the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education and frequently worked as a camp counselor at a Christian camp in Parkersburg, Iowa. Perhaps better than any other honor, in 2004 he was given the “Nice Guy Award” at the annual Doug Jirschele Sports Banquet.
So what accounts for this seeming disparity? Tough but tender? Kampman names Jesus Christ as his Lord, and in everything he does, he wants to bring glory to Him.
Faithful Through Struggles
Green Bay struggled through a .500 season in 2006, finishing 8-8. (They did go out with a bang, though, winning the last four games.)
Kampman admits to being frustrated, despite being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time that year.
“Everyone gets frustrated,” he says. “But you have to learn to control your emotions. As a believer in Christ, you have to realize life is bigger than winning and losing. You have to stay consistent. In the end, it’s about bringing glory to God.” (He also has a healthy, long-term perspective about the whole sports thing: “In 10 years it’s not going to matter.”)
Kampman counsels young men not to take their cues from the surrounding culture, especially showboaters in big-time sports.
“Some guys are more focused on the self than the team,” he says. “It’s part of culture. It’s the result of original sin.”
The same is true of trash-talking. “This all feeds off the ‘self’ ideal in so much of our culture,” he says. “It’s about making yourself feel better and the other guy feel worse. It’s trying to make yourself big by making the other guy small.”
There’s nothing wrong with playing hard, he says, but there’s no reason to puff yourself up or bring down the other guy to do that—unless, of course, he has the ball in his hand!
Kampman is quick to add that this loutish behavior accounts for a minority of guys in the NFL. It just that the trash-talkers and show-offs tend to get all the attention.
“Bad news sells better than good news,” he says, “but don’t believe everything you see. A lot of guys haven’t changed. Look for these guys, the guys involved with family and community. It’s hard, because they’re not in the spotlight, but they’re the ones you should model.”
Kampman himself hosts a couples’ Bible study in his home along with his wife, Linde. “Work hard to cultivate real relationships,” he says. “In the end that’s the only real thing.”
And, most important, he counsels that you should not get into sports because of the glory or other rewards it might bring.
“Do it if you feel passionate about it,” he says. “Don’t do it just for the wins and losses, because you’ll always have a fair share of both. Stay positive and passionate, and you’ll draw more people to Christ because of your hard work and your attitude.”
In the meantime, quarterbacks beware! He may be nice, but Aaron Kampman’s not going to give you a break—especially if you have the ball in your hand. 
