nutcrackin
08-05-2005, 01:07 PM
Spirit of the bull: For a brief moment Wednesday, rookie linebacker Kenneth Pettway bore a striking resemblance to the bull on the side of his helmet.
Charging with a full head of steam, Pettway maneuvered around a large hula-hoop that was laying out on the ground, and then continued his mad rush for the quarterback.
When he finally reached the signal caller -- which in this case was represented by a blocking dummy with a ball stuck to it -- Pettway delivered a powerful uppercut. The blow successfully dislodged the ball into the air, sending it way over to the next practice field.
“It’s good!” joked defensive line coach Mike London, as if he was judging a field goal attempt.
The explosiveness and power exhibited by Pettway was just what London was looking for in this particular ball-stripping drill. By forcing the players to race around the perimeter of an imaginary blocker and then attack the football, London hopes to have more of his players force fumbles this season. In 2004, the Texans recovered only eight fumbles, ranking next to last in the conference in that category.
“You want to hit it as hard as you can,” said Pettway, explaining why he caused the ball to sail so far. “On that (tackling) dummy, the ball is just velcroed on it so it’s going to come off easy. But in the game the quarterback is going to be holding it tight, so you’ve got to punch it as hard as you can.”
According to Pettway, the hula hoops served as a valuable teaching tool.
“Using the hoop is just like going around the tackle,” Pettway explained. “You have to run hard and lean in to get around it, and then either punch up or swipe down on the ball.”
Pettway, whom the Texans chose in the seventh round of this year’s draft, recovered three fumbles last year at Grambling State. After moving up from I-AA football, he is finally getting acclimated to life in the NFL
“It’s going real good so far,” he said. “It’s more mental than physical.
“Practice-wise, it’s not really different. Coming from a black college, we are used to working hard. We were out there in the heat and the dirt. We had pads that weren’t in the best of condition, but they kept us protected. So I’m grateful just to be able to come out here and practice on a good field and having water anytime you want it and things like that.
"The mental aspect is the tough thing. You’re going to practice more and you’re going to stay in the meeting rooms a little bit longer. It was a big change that I had to make, but now I’ve gotten adjusted to it.”
Charging with a full head of steam, Pettway maneuvered around a large hula-hoop that was laying out on the ground, and then continued his mad rush for the quarterback.
When he finally reached the signal caller -- which in this case was represented by a blocking dummy with a ball stuck to it -- Pettway delivered a powerful uppercut. The blow successfully dislodged the ball into the air, sending it way over to the next practice field.
“It’s good!” joked defensive line coach Mike London, as if he was judging a field goal attempt.
The explosiveness and power exhibited by Pettway was just what London was looking for in this particular ball-stripping drill. By forcing the players to race around the perimeter of an imaginary blocker and then attack the football, London hopes to have more of his players force fumbles this season. In 2004, the Texans recovered only eight fumbles, ranking next to last in the conference in that category.
“You want to hit it as hard as you can,” said Pettway, explaining why he caused the ball to sail so far. “On that (tackling) dummy, the ball is just velcroed on it so it’s going to come off easy. But in the game the quarterback is going to be holding it tight, so you’ve got to punch it as hard as you can.”
According to Pettway, the hula hoops served as a valuable teaching tool.
“Using the hoop is just like going around the tackle,” Pettway explained. “You have to run hard and lean in to get around it, and then either punch up or swipe down on the ball.”
Pettway, whom the Texans chose in the seventh round of this year’s draft, recovered three fumbles last year at Grambling State. After moving up from I-AA football, he is finally getting acclimated to life in the NFL
“It’s going real good so far,” he said. “It’s more mental than physical.
“Practice-wise, it’s not really different. Coming from a black college, we are used to working hard. We were out there in the heat and the dirt. We had pads that weren’t in the best of condition, but they kept us protected. So I’m grateful just to be able to come out here and practice on a good field and having water anytime you want it and things like that.
"The mental aspect is the tough thing. You’re going to practice more and you’re going to stay in the meeting rooms a little bit longer. It was a big change that I had to make, but now I’ve gotten adjusted to it.”