By Ben Rogers | @benrogers
Lost in the aftermath of Dez’s entertaining sideline brawl on Monday was the fact that Charles Haley was sparking a little practice excitement too.
During a heated, intense 1-on-1 pass rush drill, Haley gave rookie (and current wearer of his old #94 jersey) Randy Gregory what amounted to tough love, loud instruction and ultimately priceless advice.
After watching the rookie get stone-walled by Tyron Smith repeatedly, Haley (who is lending his unique brand of Hall of Fame expertise to the team) grabbed Gregory and started jerking his body around to illustrate technique, much like a youth coach would to a much smaller human. He grabbed, he yelled, he made a scene but most importantly, he taught.
Haley had just the move for Gregory to use in order to crack the Tyron code. He instructed the rookie to grab Tyron high, pull him inwards to offset his balance, and then use the grip to slingshot around him. The next play, Gregory did EXACTLY that, surprisingly beating the previously perfect Smith quite handedly which brought an eruption from onlookers.
Then Haley added a cherry on top.
“You just got your ass whipped, boy!” Haley belted loudly and proudly, while staring right at Smith. Then time stopped. Like a giant, inquisitive Transformer robot, Smith stared back stoically without sound or motion as if he was processing it all. He ultimately ignored it, but man, for a second it was like two Godzillas sizing each other up while deciding whether or not to turn the entire facility into rubble.
I couldn’t help but like it for multiple reasons. I liked it for Charles on a personal level to still be contributing to the game he loves. I liked it for Gregory to be getting useful instruction from an absolute legend who can certainly expedite his growth and help him reach his full potential. I even liked it for Tyron, because as big and bad as he is — um, and he is truly freaking elite — even he was able to be pushed just a little bit too.
Mainly, I liked the added spark of intensity that Haley’s presence brought to practice. He made the drill that much more intense, and in the process, that much more productive.
As the drill resumed Smith went back to utterly dominating every play, and Gregory went back to being a rookie with lots to learn. But for one play, thanks in large part to the Yoda-like wisdom of Charles Haley and his continued diligence in the cause against all quarterbacks of Earth, Gregory was able to flash some very promising fireworks of his own.
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