Thomas Levon DeCoud ( ; born March 19, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. He was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He also briefly played for the Carolina Panthers.
Early life DeCoud attended Glencove Elementary School and Hogan Senior High School in Vallejo, California, then attended Pinole Valley High School in Pinole, California and was a letterman in football and basketball. In football, as a senior, he was an All-ACCAL selection. In basketball, he was an All-ACCAL selection. DeCoud graduated from Pinole High School in 2003.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons DeCoud was selected with the 98th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Playing primarily on special teams in 10 games as a rookie, DeCoud recorded 6 tackles (5 solo). He had a breakout season the next year as he started all 16 games at free safety and compiled 68 tackles (57 solo), 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 7 pass deflections and 3 interceptions. After the season, DeCoud received recognition from USA Today, which listed him on its annual "All-Joe" team.
In a SportsCenter interview on September 27, 2012, Decoud played the "Meow Game" from the movie Super Troopers.
Decoud was released from the Falcons on March 11, 2014.
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers signed DeCoud to a two-year deal on April 10, 2014. DeCoud made his first start for the Panthers in a 20-14 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 1. During the home opener in a 24-7 win against the Detroit Lions in week 2, DeCoud recorded 3 tackles and was responsible for a pass deflection deep downfield against Calvin Johnson which led to an interception by Melvin White. During the Panthers week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears, DeCoud recorded his first interception for the Panthers against Jay Cutler to go along with 4 tackles and a pass deflection. He was released on February 17, 2015.
NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2008 ATL 10 0 6 5 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2009 ATL 16 16 68 57 11 2.0 3 3 25 0 15 7 2 1 0 0 2010 ATL 16 16 75 57 18 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0 2011 ATL 16 15 86 67 19 0.0 2 4 77 0 49 6 0 0 0 0 2012 ATL 16 16 76 62 14 1.0 4 6 42 0 24 9 0 1 0 0 2013 ATL 15 15 65 44 21 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 30 1 2014 CAR 15 11 49 34 15 0.0 0 1 35 0 35 3 0 0 0 0 104 89 425 326 99 3.0 10 15 179 0 49 31 4 3 30 1
Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2008 ATL 1 0 3 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2010 ATL 1 1 4 3 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2011 ATL 1 1 9 7 2 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 ATL 2 2 11 7 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2014 CAR 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 27 20 7 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Personal life DeCoud last coached football at California High School.
References
External links
California Golden Bears bio Atlanta Falcons bio Carolina Panthers bio