Sept 1, 2012; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Bjoern Werner (95) tries to get past Murray State Racers offensive lineman Roerick Tomlin (62) during the second half of the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-US PRESSWIRE
Any car fans out there can tell you about what to expect from cars like BMW, Mercedes, Porche, etc. German auto-engineering is famous for its quality and performance. Some even poke fun at the intense passion and meticulousness that they put into manufacturing.
Every part has a purpose, everything moves efficiently, and there is no unnecessary material.
Last year I would have compared Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner to a Ford Mustang: big, powerful, and good in a straight line. It is much more fitting that the German-born Werner came out of the summer looking more like a rally-tuned BMW M3.
Werner underwent a body fat-percentage analysis in the offseason and was shocked at the results. He admitted to having a strong sweet tooth and, much like a true engineer, decided to re-analyze his system and fine tune it. He fixed his diet and after summer practices he lost a total of 15 pounds and vastly improved his body fat percentage. Now at 6’4” and a much slimmer 255 lbs, Werner can show renewed stamina, flexibility, and versatility as a pass rusher.
In the past, he has relied on his tenacity and strength to get to the QB. Now he is showing impressive lean and burst around the edge. His weight also shows the possibility of standing up in the 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker. Werner showed off his new, slimmer “chassis” (I’m rolling with these car metaphors) opening weekend as he embarrassed the Murray State offensive line with four sacks, five tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble in just three quarters.
Unfortunately for the Seminoles, they lost Brandon Jenkins for the 2012 season after suffering a foot injury on Saturday. Jenkins was their other pass rushing weapon, so Werner will have to step up and face a lot of double teams in the future. I believe the newer, slimmer Werner is certainly up to the task and should do his countrymen proud as an efficient, fine-tuned, sack-machine.