Florida Atlantic coach Carl Pelini said he still shows game film of Landon Cohen to his players — a testament to the former Ohio defensive tackle’s athletic ability.
One play in particular stands out to Pelini. During the first half of Ohio’s 2007 loss to Virginia Tech, Cohen applied pressure on Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He got the pass off, but it ricocheted off a receiver and was recovered by none other than Cohen himself.
“I talk about hustle, and when we coach our D-line, we tell them, ‘When the ball’s thrown, run to the football,’” Pelini said. “Early in camp when we’re talking about effort and pursuit, I always show this play.”
Cohen, a current Chicago Bear, made his first start for the team on Thursday against the New York Giants. He used his athleticism to make an impact on not only Ohio but also Pelini, who was Ohio’s defensive line coach from 2005 to 2007.
“He really changed the way that I coached defensive line,” Pelini said.
Pelini left Ohio after the 2007 season to join his brother Bo at Nebraska, where he coached current Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Cohen, a defensive tackle, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and has since played for five NFL teams.
Cohen had his best NFL season in 2009, when he had 14 individual tackles and 21 tackles overall. The Chicago Bears picked up Cohen on Sep. 27.
Cohen had an illustrious collegiate career from 2004 to 2007 and was named to the Mid-American Conference second team during his junior and senior seasons.
He recorded a career-high 40 total tackles and was second among Bobcat players with 14 tackles for loss during his junior season — the 10th best total in Ohio history.
He also made 27 solo tackles during his senior campaign and assisted on an additional 32.
Cohen said even though he has played for several teams, he doesn’t mind being an NFL journeyman.
“It’s fun,” he said. “You’re still getting to go fulfill you’re childhood dream, so it doesn’t really matter who you’re suiting up for as long as you’re suiting up.”
Cohen said he makes it a point to recognize other MAC players while playing because he feels they have a special bond.
“Whenever you see a MAC guy on your team or on the opposing team, you kind of give each other a shout-out,” Cohen said. “Just knowing the conference we come from is not one of those typical big conferences, but there’s a lot of guys (from the MAC) that make it to the next level and stay.”
Dak Notestine, Ohio’s assistant strength and conditioning coach and former defensive end, said Cohen was one of the quickest players he’s ever seen. He also said Cohen had a sense of humor on the field and would wear dress socks under his cleats to stay comfortable during practice.
“Landon’s a hilarious guy, first of all, and he’s always got his little niches that he sticks to,” Notestine said. “But as far as development of young players, I really looked up to him and I appreciated every little piece of mental knowledge he could pass along.”
Cohen said the 2004 hire of Ohio coach Frank Solich ushered in a new era of Ohio football and that practices during that time period were intense, which allowed him to thrive.
Solich said Cohen’s success at the next level is a testament to his work ethic.
“He had a big impact on our program,” Solich said. “Obviously (he) had excellent quickness, toughness. … He had great natural strength and so ended up being a complete player for us, the kind that you look for in order to certainly move the program forward.”
mk277809@ohiou.edu
