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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Football in Marshall Newhouse's blood

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[SIZE=14pt]Football in Marshall Newhouse's blood[/SIZE]

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel

Green Bay — For the second consecutive year, the Green Bay Packers have drafted a player who boasts impressive lineage in the National Football League.

And while Marshall Newhouse certainly won't be expected to step in on the offensive line and make the sort of instant impact Clay Matthews did at outside linebacker in 2009, the TCU product nonetheless projects as an intriguing prospect at both guard and tackle.

Whereas Matthews' grandfather, father and uncle all played at football's highest level, Newhouse had two cousins do the same - Reggie, who enjoyed a cup of coffee with the Arizona Cardinals in 2004-'05, and Robert, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys and still ranks as the franchise's fifth-leading rusher after a 12-year career from 1972-'83.

Additionally, Newhouse's father, John, was a part of three Cotton Bowl teams at the University of Houston in 1977, '79 and '80, and two other cousins, Reggie and Rod, played collegiately at Baylor and Rice, respectively.

Like Matthews, it was all but assumed Newhouse ultimately would continue the family tradition.

"Never a question I was going to be playing football; it was just whether I'd have the opportunity to keep going up to a higher and higher level," Newhouse said in a telephone interview Saturday. "Luckily God blessed me with some talent and ability, but I've also put in a lot of hard work and gotten a lot of support from family and friends.

"Just knowing that my cousins made it, and trying to carry on that family tradition of football, there was never a question. But I've always loved this game, so playing football has been a great thing for me and a great blessing."

Newhouse, 6 feet 4 inches and 322 pounds, was the second of Green Bay's two fifth-round selections Saturday (No. 169 overall) as well as the team's second and final offensive lineman selected, joining first-round pick Bryan Bulaga.

While Bulaga is projected to begin his career at tackle, a spot he played the past two seasons at Iowa, Newhouse will be tried at both guard and tackle initially after playing his entire TCU career at left tackle.

Having scored 32 on the Wonderlic intelligence test and displaying impressive quickness and footwork at the combine by tying for the best time among tackles in the three-cone drill at 7.40 seconds, Newhouse feels he's talented enough to shift both inside and out successfully.

"I really don't have a preference - I can play either/or on both sides," said Newhouse, who was part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks in 2009. "I feel like I was good enough throughout my career that I can play tackle, and also during the (East-West Shrine) Game I showed I can play guard.

"But wherever they plug me in to help us win. I just want to make the roster and be a part of a winning team."

Newhouse was downgraded coming into the draft for being too heavy and for playing too soft, among other things. The fact TCU played a spread offense, leaving Newhouse in a two-point stance on the edge for a good amount of time, also didn't help him.

"We had a multi-dimensional offense. We played a lot under center," Newhouse said. "I played a lot of two-point, I played a lot of three-point, so I have a little bit of everything. We started going more and more spread this year, but we did plenty of ground-and-pound, three-point stance and stuff."

Many offensive linemen struggle with the speed and power of rushers coming into the NFL. Newhouse, however, might not be quite as wide-eyed after regularly squaring off against Jerry Hughes in practice for four years at TCU.

Hughes, a defensive end, was the 31st overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts.

"We both got playing time as true freshmen and we both started maturing and growing together as we got here at TCU," said Newhouse of Hughes. "I went against him a ton, and through my four years I feel like he is the first- or second-best D-end I've gone against.

"So going from him to other guys in the games wasn't that big of a jump, and I feel like he definitely made me better every day in practice, and I feel like I did the same for him."

With plenty of players ahead of him, Newhouse is far from assured a spot on the team in 2010. Still, he plans to do everything he can to make sure he sticks, including getting in touch with his cousin Robert and gleaning any advice he can with regard to launching his NFL career.

"We play different positions, but he definitely brought a lot to the game," Marshall said. "He was a quiet, confident guy, and I feel like that's how I am, too. You don't need to talk a lot of crap; just go hit somebody in the mouth and hopefully that's what I'm going to bring to the Green Bay Packers."
 
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