Lyle Sendlein
Encyclopedia
Lyle Sendlein is an American football
center
for the Arizona Cardinals
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
at Texas
.
, Sendlein was a four-year letter winner
and three-year starter
as a prepster. He started varsity
football
early at a great school for football and became a first-team all-region choice at offensive tackle as a sophomore. He started at defensive tackle and linebacker
as a senior, linebacker
as a junior and offensive tackle as a sophomore. Sendlein also helped lead team to back-to-back Arizona 4A State Championships in 1999-2000 and a 28-game winning streak. He became a first-team all-state, all-region and all-city selection as a senior he posted 110 tackles
, six sacks
, three fumble
recoveries (one returned for a TD
) and a 29-yard interception return for a TD that year, he also had 21 tackles, two sacks and a 29-yard INT return for a TD against rival Saguaro
in 2001. He earned second-team all-state and first-team all-region and all-city honors as a junior. Sendlein was also named the Valley's 2000 Defensive Player of the Year. He racked up 157 tackles that year, his top game of his junior season was a 19-tackle performance against the Saguaro Sabrecats.
. He started for the 2005 National Championship team
and helped the Longhorns set an NCAA single-season record with 652 total points scored and a UT single-season record with 6,657 total offensive yards.
He earned a degree in liberal arts
in December 2006.
, but signed with the Arizona Cardinals
as an undrafted free agent. On his signing with the Cardinals, Sendlein said, "I had about 20 to 25 teams call to check on my status, but my agent and I felt like Arizona would be a good fit." said Sendlein. This will be a homecoming for Sendlein since he played for Scottsdale Chaparral as a prepster.
Sendlein started only 2 games as a rookie in 2007. He became the starting center (American football)
for Arizona in his sophomore year, and has maintained that position ever since, without missing a game for 3 years (2008 to 2010). The Cardinals reached the 2008-09 NFL playoffs with a won-lost record of 9-7, head coach Ken Whisenhunt
's second year, scoring 427 points (26.7 points/game), 3rd in the NFL. The Cardinals beat the Atlanta Falcons
in a wild card game, amassing 271 net passing yards with Kurt Warner
as quarterback
. They then defeated the Carolina Panthers
with 215 net passing yards in the divisional round and the Philadelphia Eagles
with 267 net passing yards in the NFC championship game. However, they lost Super Bowl XLIII
to the Pittsburgh Steelers
despite 374 net passing yards. Throughout the playoffs, Sendlein provided excellent pass protection with Reggie Wells
and Deuce Lutui at guards and Mike Gandy
and Levi Brown at tackles. In the 2009-10 NFL playoffs, with the same offensive line except for Jeremy Bridges
replacing Gandy at left tackle, the Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers
in a wild card game, with 375 net passing yards, but lost in the divisional round to the New Orleans Saints
. Without Warner at quarterback, they missed the playoffs in 2010.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
.
Early years
Coached by Ron Estabrook at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, Sendlein was a four-year letter winner
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
and three-year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
as a prepster. He started varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
early at a great school for football and became a first-team all-region choice at offensive tackle as a sophomore. He started at defensive tackle and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
as a senior, linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
as a junior and offensive tackle as a sophomore. Sendlein also helped lead team to back-to-back Arizona 4A State Championships in 1999-2000 and a 28-game winning streak. He became a first-team all-state, all-region and all-city selection as a senior he posted 110 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, six sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
, three fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recoveries (one returned for a TD
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
) and a 29-yard interception return for a TD that year, he also had 21 tackles, two sacks and a 29-yard INT return for a TD against rival Saguaro
Saguaro High School
Saguaro High School is a former A+ and Blue Ribbon Schools Program certified high schools of the Scottsdale Unified School District in Scottsdale, Arizona. Saguaro was opened in 1966....
in 2001. He earned second-team all-state and first-team all-region and all-city honors as a junior. Sendlein was also named the Valley's 2000 Defensive Player of the Year. He racked up 157 tackles that year, his top game of his junior season was a 19-tackle performance against the Saguaro Sabrecats.
College career
Sendlein played in 50 games while at Texas and he started in his final 26 games. He was a two-time all-conference performer as center in the Big 12Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. He started for the 2005 National Championship team
2005 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, winning the Big 12 Conference championship and the national championship. The team was coached by Mack Brown, led on offense by quarterback Vince Young, and played...
and helped the Longhorns set an NCAA single-season record with 652 total points scored and a UT single-season record with 6,657 total offensive yards.
He earned a degree in liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
in December 2006.
Arizona Cardinals
Sendlein went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, but signed with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent. On his signing with the Cardinals, Sendlein said, "I had about 20 to 25 teams call to check on my status, but my agent and I felt like Arizona would be a good fit." said Sendlein. This will be a homecoming for Sendlein since he played for Scottsdale Chaparral as a prepster.
Sendlein started only 2 games as a rookie in 2007. He became the starting center (American football)
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for Arizona in his sophomore year, and has maintained that position ever since, without missing a game for 3 years (2008 to 2010). The Cardinals reached the 2008-09 NFL playoffs with a won-lost record of 9-7, head coach Ken Whisenhunt
Ken Whisenhunt
Kenneth "Ken" Moore Whisenhunt is the current head coach of the Arizona Cardinals NFL football team, leading them to the first Super Bowl in franchise history during the 2008 season...
's second year, scoring 427 points (26.7 points/game), 3rd in the NFL. The Cardinals beat the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a wild card game, amassing 271 net passing yards with Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
as quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. They then defeated the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
with 215 net passing yards in the divisional round and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
with 267 net passing yards in the NFC championship game. However, they lost Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
despite 374 net passing yards. Throughout the playoffs, Sendlein provided excellent pass protection with Reggie Wells
Reggie Wells
Reginald Arness "Reggie" Wells is an American football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
and Deuce Lutui at guards and Mike Gandy
Mike Gandy
Michael Joseph Gandy is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and later played for the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals...
and Levi Brown at tackles. In the 2009-10 NFL playoffs, with the same offensive line except for Jeremy Bridges
Jeremy Bridges
Jeremy Eugene Bridges is an American football guard for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
replacing Gandy at left tackle, the Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in a wild card game, with 375 net passing yards, but lost in the divisional round to the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Without Warner at quarterback, they missed the playoffs in 2010.