As players take their final breaks before training camp, The Redskins Blog will take a look back at the new faces from this offseason and what we've learned about them, football and otherwise, so far.
Today, we'll focus on defensive lineman Evander "Ziggy" Hood.
1. Ziggy's favorite activities off the field include…fishing
Check out images of defensive lineman Ziggy Hood during his first few months with the Washington Redskins.
Not a common hobby you would think for a football player, but Ziggy has a passion for the outdoors when he has free time away from football.
"I love fishing, so if anybody got any local fishing spots let me know because I'm a catfish," Hood said. "I wouldn't say [I'm a] fisherman because I'm not really a true angler, I just want to drop a line in the water and just sit there."
2. Hood is willing to try it all for the Redskins' defensive line:
After not seeing any playing time with the Bears last season, Hood is willing to do anything he can to make the Redskins' roster and play in 2016.
"Anything that the coaches need me to do," he said. "[I'm] just learning all the ropes in case my number is called or there's an injury somewhere and they need me to fill the gaps. I'm going to be able to replace and play from there."
3. He was a former first-round draft pick:
While Hood has had a bad go with the injury bug the last couple of years, there's no doubt that the talent is there.
In 2009 he was the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-round draft pick and for five years he was a model of consistency for them. He appeared in all 80 of the Steelers' regular season games and made 46 starts during that span and continued to prove his worth until injuries put his career on hold.
**
- He loves and respects the history of the Washington Redskins:**
The Redskins have a history few NFL franchises can match. So when Hood was determining where he wanted to play after a difficult 2015 season, he settled on a team that not only has had lengthy success historically, but one that is in a position to rise up once again.
"Knowing a little bit of the history of the team and there's a couple time I've watched NFL Films and I've seen the other guys that played and paved the way and what legacy they left behind," Hood said. "So I was like, 'OK, I've got to follow that right there, they gave me the blueprint of what to do and how to work and stuff.'"
5. He was named after Evander Holyfield:
After much speculation going around about the reasoning for his real name "Evander," Ziggy finally ended the debate by explaining that he was in fact named after the famous boxer.
But why?
"That was my father's choice, he picked Holyfield with me because boxing is his biggest thing, so me and him used to watch pay per view fights," Hood said. "So I've been stuck with Evander battling with Ziggy for a while, depending if I get in trouble or not.
*6. He's familiar with the defensive scheme: *
"It's kind of similar a little bit to what I was doing in Pittsburgh when my time was there, but it's also like an attack," Hood said. "So penetrate and get in your gap, but not only that, making sure you keep your responsibilities, taking control and making sure you be the reason why somebody else makes the play."
7. He described the origin of how he got the nickname Ziggy:
The speculation around Ziggy's name never seems to end. Luckily enough, he put the matter to bed recently, explaining how he got the nickname Ziggy that has stuck with him throughout his whole life.
"Well I'm half Mexican, half Black, so my grandmother couldn't say…my name, Evander, correctly, so she gave me her favorite cartoon character, Ziggy," he said.
*Danny Heifetz contributed to this post. *
