Binns feels reborn, refreshed

To err is human. To forgive? Well, that proved to be difficult for Iowa defensive lineman Broderick Binns.

Binns carried the guilt of a summer misdeed and the subsequent one-game suspension throughout the 2010 season.

“I’m a team player, and I hurt my team by doing that,” Binns said. “That sat bad with me. It really affected my game.”

As a sophomore in 2009, Binns started all 13 games and recorded 63 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, nine pass break-ups and six quarterback sacks.

Last year, Binns started five games and had 36 tackles, just one for loss. He had zero sacks and broke up just two passes.

“It was a combination of things,” Binns said. “If I wasn’t playing good, I let Mike (Daniels) go in there and do his thing. He showed he was able to play and start.

“I was right there next to him, cheering him on and helping him out.”

Binns was happy to see Daniels emerge as a defensive line force last fall, even at the cost of his playing time.

But Binns was just not the same player that he was a year before.

Iowa fans may remember Binns against No. 5 Penn State in 2009. He had the sack that forced the fumble that led to a safety after PSU went ahead 10-0. Binns finished that game with eight tackles, including 2½ for loss, and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

And while Adrian Clayborn, deservedly, gets a lot of credit for shutting down the Georgia Tech option attack in the Orange Bowl, Binns was manning the other defensive end spot.

But when Binns was arrested for an OWI on July 9, 2010, he felt like he betrayed his team.

“At some point where everybody else forgave me — my teammates forgave me, coaches forgave me — but I didn’t forgive myself,” Binns said. “It was just one of those things that took me a while to get over.”

Binns grew up in a religious home. When he went to high school at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn., it was an eye-opener.

“It was kind of funny, I didn’t know who Tupac and Biggie were when I went to high school,” Binns said. “I had just played drums in the church choir.”

His background probably added to the guilt he was feeling, but it also helped provide the path out.

He said conversations he had over the summer with former Hawkeye Aaron Kampman in Iowa City helped as well.

“He’s a great leader,” Binns said. “He talked me through some things.

“It was just time to move on. I realized everyone had forgotten about it … maybe I should do the same.”

So almost a year after his big mistake, Binns finally feels reborn, fresh for the 2011 season.

“He’s really shown he’s learned from it, clearly,” Daniels said. “I watch him work; I can’t wait to see him play.

“Broderick has been bringing the hammer, setting the tone in practice.”

With three Hawkeye defensive linemen now in the NFL, and a lot of question marks, Binns is going to be needed now more than ever.

“Last year was last year,” he said. “I’ve been through it. Now I’m just anxious.”

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Tags: Broderick Binns, football, Tennessee Tech

Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football