“They’re in the defensive coaches’ room.”
“Can you take him? I have a class I need to get to,” David said to Rachel. She nodded, so he turned to Marshall. “I have to go be a student. After you’re done talking to the coaches, Ron Pennington and Gabe Francis want to take you to lunch. I’m sure they want to put the squeeze on you since you signed that big contract. I hope you brought a check for the boosters.”
“It’s probably time I gave something back,” Marshall considered.
“I’ll see you at the practice field to meet the team.”
David, Ruth, and Duke started to go, but Marshall stopped them.
“If I don’t get a chance later, thanks for asking me back. I bet if you asked, there are many alums who would love to have a day like today. It’s reminded me why I loved going here.”
“On behalf of the team, I know we can’t wait to hear what you have to say. My uncle always said that doing something like this was important for third-party validation. I’m sure that you’ll basically tell them the same stuff they’ve heard from the coaches, but when you say it, I hope it finally clicks,” David said.
“That makes sense,” Marshall said as Rachel led him to his next meeting.
◊◊◊
“Thank you all for coming out. Marshall Davidson was All-Pac 12 and second-team All-American his senior year. When he was drafted by the Giants, it was at number four. He’ll begin his eighth season with the Giants this fall with the franchise tag, making him one of the top-paid defensive ends in the NFL.
“When I talked to Marshall about coming and talking to the team, I asked him to talk about what it takes to be an elite pass-rusher,” David said.
“Thank you, David,” Marshall said as they shook hands, but Marshall pulled David into a hug.
Then he looked at Bear, who David drafted to act as the blocker for Marshall’s demonstration.
“Who’s this big fella?” Marshall asked.
“Jerry Barber, sir. I’m a freshman offensive tackle. My friends call me Bear.”
“I can see why. Let’s keep this friendly so no one gets hurt,” Marshall suggested.
“Yes, sir, but sometimes, I don’t know my own strength,” Bear said.
Marshall gave him a wary look, shook his head, and then turned to the other players.
“I expect you are all interested in what it takes to get to the NFL,” Marshall said and waited for them to agree. “First of all, it’s all about three factors: size, speed, and strength. David shared with me his philosophy of stacking days. It all starts in the weight room and consistently working on those three things.
“David, you line up as the quarterback, and Bear, you’re the offensive tackle. The first key is your stance and your ability to get out of the stance. You’ll see guys take different stances. That’s not what’s important. It’s the explosive move when the ball is snapped.
Marshall demonstrated by getting into a three-point stance as he lined up on Bear’s outside shoulder.
“Note that I put the hand closest to the ball down, and my eyes are laser-like on the ball. As the center starts to squeeze the ball to snap it, that’s when I jump off,” Marshall said as he stood up and looked at the team.
“First is the stance, second is get off the ball,” Marshall emphasized.
He looked over at David.
“For this next part, I want you to simulate snapping the ball,” he said, then turned to Bear. “I want you to do your normal pass-protecting drop. We are going to do this in slow motion, so go easy on me, big fella.”
“Got it,” Bear said.
David simulated the snap.
“As I explode out of my stance, I am going to sprint four steps. I’m racing the tackle to that point. What I do next is all based on the reaction of the offensive tackle,” Marshall said as he looked back at the team to make sure they understood.
“Now, if I beat him, I’ll use my outside arm to club the tackle as my outside leg steps to the quarterback. Note that my hips have turned at a ninety-degree angle and are now pointed right at the quarterback. From there, I am tracking the quarterback’s launch point.”
He stopped and looked at the team.
“That right there is the difference between a $37-million payday and being a free agent.”
David smiled because Marshall had said something his college coaches had never mentioned: how to get paid. That subtle difference had all his teammates hanging on Marshall’s every word.
“Next, let’s assume Bear keeps up with me as I sprint to my point, but he has low hands,” Marshall said.
He had Bear lower his hands so they were in front of him but at waist level.
“Boom! I’m going to use my inside hand and pop him in the chest. I’m going to bull-rush Bear while I also engage him with my other hand,” Marshall said and then paused. “Check where I put my hands. They are on his upper chest because I want to force him to get back on his heels. My goal is to plant his broad backside right into the lap of the quarterback.”
He gave Bear a shove, and the massive man-child stumbled back. David skipped out of the way as Bear landed on his ass.
David noted that no one chuckled at Bear’s misfortune. They’d all seen him in beast mode, lifting, and knew he could potentially do some serious damage if he got riled.
“The first rush was about speed. This one is all about strength. That is a power rush, and to move a mountain like Bear, you better have the lower body strength to handle it.”
“What if I get my hands up?” Bear asked.
“Good question,” Marshall said. “This is where you will see the o-linemen battling with their hands to get leverage. I call this chicken-fighting. Do not! … Let me repeat that … Do not get stuck doing that. If you do, Bear wins. What I suggest you do is called ‘side scissors.’
“Swing both your arms outside his. Slam them both into his outside arm to pin it away from your body. I step around him and accelerate to where? The quarterback’s launch point.”
“But won’t Bear figure that move out?” Percy asked.
“Another good question. Set them up. Go outside four or five times, and then when it counts, make the same move but inside,” Marshall coached.
“What you have to understand is that my eyes are trained to look downfield,” David commented. “When you have an elite edge rusher, I am aware of where he’s at. When we played Percy in high school for that ESPN game, I made sure I checked where he was lined up on each and every play.
“I know there were a few times I would move away from him in the pocket to help my tackle,” he continued.
Percy smiled at the compliment as Marshall nodded his agreement.
“Let’s recap,” Marshall said. “One, get into a good stance. Two, sprint three to four steps upfield, and three, react to what the tackle does.”
“Can I add one?” David asked.
Marshall gave him a look, so David said what he wanted.
“Never, ever run by the quarterback. As soon as that happens, I will tuck the ball, and you’ll never catch me.”
“Want to bet?” Percy asked.
“No, David makes a good point. Someone like David will kill you with his legs,” Marshall said and then held up a finger. “That reminds me. There is one more thing I want to show you.”
He had David simulate a snap as he and Bear raced to the four steps.
“If you either find yourself chicken-fighting or you’ve started to go past the quarterback’s drop, you need a counter. I like to make a spin move to free myself. Unless the quarterback holds the ball too long, you probably aren’t going to get to him if you must do this. What it does do is keep him contained, and he still has to account for where you’re at, especially if he’s thinking of tucking and running.”
Marshall felt he’d gotten his point across.
“What do you do when I finally throw the ball?” David asked.
“Get your damn hands up and swat it back into his face,” Percy answered.
“Exactly,” Marshall said.