BOURBONNAIS — Akiem Hicks got to Jay Cutler on a pass play Friday and celebrated accordingly. The quarterback was not amused.
“Somebody told me he said, ‘Do that in pads,’” Hicks said.
Hicks did Saturday, the first padded practice at Olivet Nazarene University. Not allowed to tackle the quarterback, Hicks beat his man, got close to Cutler, screamed twice and playfully smacked his back.
“He didn’t say much,” Hicks said.
The new end has made the most noise of any defender in camp — with his play and mouth.
“I just get excited really fast,” he said. “I get excited pretty easy.”
Signed away from the Patriots and to a two-year deal, Hicks will help keep blockers off inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman.
“Anybody that plays football will tell you that the guys in front of them are key factors in their success,” coach John Fox said. “Whether you’re talking linebackers about the front, or you’re talking DBs about the pass rush, it definitely makes their job a little more functional.”