You know, sometimes you just get fixated on something. Like the other Sunday, I was supposed to be relaxing, watching the Bills game. But the house was a mess, kids were doing parkour off the furniture, typical Sunday chaos. I swear, trying to watch a football game in peace is harder than actually playing.
Anyway, amidst all that, I kept noticing the defense. Specifically, the pass rush. Felt like they were almost there a bunch of times. And my eyes kept landing on Greg Rousseau. Big number 50. You hear the hype, see the highlights, but I felt like I wasn’t really seeing what he was doing play-to-play.
This happens to me sometimes. I get this itch. Like back when I was trying to figure out why my old lawnmower kept stalling. Took the whole thing apart on the garage floor. Didn’t really need to, could’ve just bought a new one. But I had to know. Same feeling here with Rousseau.
Okay, Let’s Actually Watch This Guy
So, later, when the house finally sounded less like a zoo, I fired up the game replay. Not just the broadcast copy, but that coaches film view. Gotta see the whole field, right? Decided I wasn’t gonna watch the ball. Nope. Just gonna watch number 50, every single snap he was out there.
First impression? Dude is built different. Seriously, those arms go forever. He looks like he could shake hands with the quarterback from the line of scrimmage. But how’s he using it?
- Okay, the get-off. Sometimes explosive, sometimes… less so. Is he thinking too much? Or is it just the tackle setting him up? Hard to tell from my couch, obviously.
- Hand usage. Saw some real flashes. A nice chop-rip move here, using his length to keep the lineman’s hands off him there. But then other plays, looked like he got stuck, couldn’t disengage. Needs more sand in his pants sometimes on run downs, maybe?
- The pass rush plan. Felt like a lot of power, trying to bull rush or use that length for contain. Saw a few inside counters, which was nice. But consistency is the game, isn’t it? Making the right move more often than not.
Spent probably two hours doing this. Just watching him. Did I figure out the secret to unlocking his All-Pro potential? Nah. I’m just a guy on a couch. But it was kinda satisfying, in that same way taking apart the lawnmower was. You see the potential, clear as day. The physical tools are just nuts.
But you also see the little things, the technique stuff, the consistency things, that separate the good players from the great ones. It’s a work in progress, like most things. Made me appreciate the guys who do dominate every snap. It ain’t easy. Anyway, that was my little project. Now, what to get fixated on next week?
