VonDoom
12-08-2015, 01:45 PM
Nice first person perspective about our top pick and how he's learning from the veterans we have. Sounds like Von has become more Batman than Robin in the last few years:
You can tell watching tape that Von is an incredible athlete. But when you see him up close, it’s insane. I watch how quick his feet are — how many steps he takes and how he sets himself up to swipe the blocker’s hand and dip his shoulder to get around the edge. I think, OK, let me try that. Let me take my steps like this and work it into my own style.
His get-off is the fastest I’ve ever seen. He just explodes off the ball. So one day at practice, I just walked up to him and said, “Hey man, I’m having trouble. My get-off is not looking like yours. What am I doing wrong?” He bent down, grabbed my feet and put them in the right stance, then showed me how to lean — how to balance my body to maximize my get-off speed. I started working on that on my own, and next thing you know, I’m getting off the ball faster. I could notice the difference. All because he was there, and I asked.
When we were playing the Raiders earlier this year, I was going up against a bigger guy. DeMarcus came up to me and said, “You’re strong and you’re fast. That guy’s bigger than you. You gotta be able to set him up. Give him a couple of speed rushes to take him up the field and get him moving back a little bit. Then hit him with a power rush. He’ll be on his heels and you can shed him easier. The quarterback is gonna step up in the pocket and you’ll be right there.”
And that’s exactly what happened. The quarterback stepped up in he pocket, and I was right there to get the sack.
I wasn’t supposed to be in Denver. I wasn’t supposed to fall to 23rd in the draft. But I made a mistake before the draft and paid the price. Now, all I can do is work my ass off to be the best player I can be on the field and the best teammate and person off it. Everything happens for a reason, and at the end of the day, I don’t think there’s a better place I could have landed than right here with the Broncos. I get Von and DeMarcus and the other guys to learn from and support me, and as a rookie, I get a chance to compete for the playoffs and for a Super Bowl.
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/shane-ray-broncos-rookie-diary/
You can tell watching tape that Von is an incredible athlete. But when you see him up close, it’s insane. I watch how quick his feet are — how many steps he takes and how he sets himself up to swipe the blocker’s hand and dip his shoulder to get around the edge. I think, OK, let me try that. Let me take my steps like this and work it into my own style.
His get-off is the fastest I’ve ever seen. He just explodes off the ball. So one day at practice, I just walked up to him and said, “Hey man, I’m having trouble. My get-off is not looking like yours. What am I doing wrong?” He bent down, grabbed my feet and put them in the right stance, then showed me how to lean — how to balance my body to maximize my get-off speed. I started working on that on my own, and next thing you know, I’m getting off the ball faster. I could notice the difference. All because he was there, and I asked.
When we were playing the Raiders earlier this year, I was going up against a bigger guy. DeMarcus came up to me and said, “You’re strong and you’re fast. That guy’s bigger than you. You gotta be able to set him up. Give him a couple of speed rushes to take him up the field and get him moving back a little bit. Then hit him with a power rush. He’ll be on his heels and you can shed him easier. The quarterback is gonna step up in the pocket and you’ll be right there.”
And that’s exactly what happened. The quarterback stepped up in he pocket, and I was right there to get the sack.
I wasn’t supposed to be in Denver. I wasn’t supposed to fall to 23rd in the draft. But I made a mistake before the draft and paid the price. Now, all I can do is work my ass off to be the best player I can be on the field and the best teammate and person off it. Everything happens for a reason, and at the end of the day, I don’t think there’s a better place I could have landed than right here with the Broncos. I get Von and DeMarcus and the other guys to learn from and support me, and as a rookie, I get a chance to compete for the playoffs and for a Super Bowl.
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/shane-ray-broncos-rookie-diary/