For Saints' Terron Armstead, smarts far outweigh athleticism as he reaches news heights

10-19-2018, 01:08 PM

jeanpierre · 10-19-2018, 01:08 PM

BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com Oct 19, 2018 - 10:50 am

Terron Armstead stretched with his teammates, went through individual drills and then lined up at his usual spot during the team portion of practice.

It sounds mundane, and it is, but movements such as these would have qualified as significant news a year ago. Back then, the Saints left tackle spent many weeks on crutches until Thursday and was completely unsure of his status until hours before the game.

“There were weeks with not one pass set, not one run step,” Armstead said. “I wouldn’t touch the field until Sunday morning. I would work out before the game, and if I could jog, I would play.”

Instead of working his technique, Armstead would spend his weeks watching film, attending meetings and hanging out in the training room, where the staff worked to get the swelling out of his leg. The goal was to make sure he could jog when he tested his hip on Sundays. And if that was successful, those games are when Armstead would work on his technique since he wasn’t getting practice reps during the week.

A lot of other players might have shut things down and thought about next year or the next contract. It would have been hard to blame Armstead if he decided to take care of himself. You can see him on film dragging his leg back to the huddle between plays. But despite that, he still played in 10 games last season and rated as Pro Football Focus’ 19th best tackle.

“That ain’t me, man. I’m trying to play,” Armstead said. “I never thought about a contract. None of that. I love to play. I love to win. If I lose, I got to come back. I got to fight back.”

Armstead still gets some Wednesdays off from practice and is usually limited when he does take part, but he’s back on Thursdays and looks as good as ever on Sundays. Pro Football Focus has improved his ranking among tackles to third overall.

In most ways, Armstead feels like he’s playing better than ever. There are things he wants to improve upon, and his goal is to become the most dominant he can be, an achievement that will probably always exist in the distance as a source of motivation, but there are also things he knows will never be the same.

“I’m smarter. Have more experience. I’m a better player,” Armstead said. “Ability-wise, I may not do things I did in my second, third year as far as running, some crazy stuff. But I’m a smarter player. Getting the job done, I feel like I’m better now than I’ve ever been but I want to continue to work to just become dominant.”

Ryan Ramczyk sees it. The Saints right tackle saw it last year, too, but this year it looks different.

Literally.

The second-year player has learned a lot from being in meeting rooms with Armstead and watching him play, and he now realizes that some of the stuff his teammate does on the field isn’t necessarily the way other players do it. Armstead is unorthodox in his approach. The players studying him have to pick and choose the things that might work for them.

“I’ll give you an example. A quick set. You have a tight end on your side. He typically will set real fast, real hard to that end,” Ramczyk said. “Instead of what I did a lot of last year, which was just fall back, fall back, fall back. That’s leaving a lot of space between you and the D-end.”

Armstead realized a while ago that he could and should do things a little bit differently than other players. He’s not the biggest tackle around, nor is he the smallest, but he has abilities that that other players do not possess, even after the injuries.

So, he took a different approach to the position. During his early years in the league, Armstead studied teammates Zach Strief, Jahri Evans, Ben Grubbs and Jermon Bushrod, along with players like Dallas’ Tyron Smith and Philadelphia’s Jason Peters. Armstead found things he wanted to use and things he wanted to do differently by watching each of these players.

Peters liked to play and space and widen the pocket, which Armstead liked, while Smith nevered changed his set. That wasn’t going to work for Armstead. He decided early on that he wanted to change up his looks and disguise his intentions.

So, for instance, he’ll try to make his jump sets look like it’s a running play. He wants to keep his stance the same so that the defense doesn’t get a read. If he can sell run on a passing play, even for a brief period, an advantage is gained.

“I don’t want to give him the same look 60 times,” Armstead said. “He’s going to beat you. Often. Anything I can do to switch up or where I can play offense -- offensive line is often more defensive. Anytime I can go forward and be the aggressor, I feel like that’s an advantage for me.”

Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar has been struck by Armstead’s cerebral approach to the game since he first started working with him. His left tackle is always prepared and knows the strengths and weaknesses of all of his opponents and how to attack them.

It was in a moment of failure when Roushar again reminded of Armstead’s approach and intelligence. In the trenches, the defensive linemen are often working to counter what the offensive linemen show with their hands. So, if you get your left or right hand out there, the pass rusher will see the move and try to transition.

Armstead sometimes flashes a little bit with his inside hand depending on the pass rusher. During Week 1 against Tampa Bay pass rusher Jason-Pierre Paul, he instead flashed with his outside hand, lost it and got edged.

“He came off right after that series and said he’s made a fundamental mistake,” Roushar said. “Terron is a really smart player. He knows himself. He knows what we’re trying to do within the scheme. He knows his opponent really well. We’ve been really pleased with him.”

They should be pleased with him. There is no longer any hitch in his step. After five games, Armstead is back as one of the NFL's best left tackles.

Thirty3 · 10-19-2018, 01:41 PM

Good read

10-19-2018, 01:08 PM	#1
Threaded by jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39 Rating: (0 votes - average) Twitter
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10-19-2018, 01:08 PM	#2
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: For Saints' Terron Armstead, smarts far outweigh athleticism as he reaches news heights BY NICK UNDERHILL \| nunderhill@theadvocate.com Oct 19, 2018 - 10:50 am Terron Armstead stretched with his teammates, went through individual drills and then lined up at his usual spot during the team portion of practice. It sounds mundane, and it is, but movements such as these would have qualified as significant news a year ago. Back then, the Saints left tackle spent many weeks on crutches until Thursday and was completely unsure of his status until hours before the game. “There were weeks with not one pass set, not one run step,” Armstead said. “I wouldn’t touch the field until Sunday morning. I would work out before the game, and if I could jog, I would play.” Instead of working his technique, Armstead would spend his weeks watching film, attending meetings and hanging out in the training room, where the staff worked to get the swelling out of his leg. The goal was to make sure he could jog when he tested his hip on Sundays. And if that was successful, those games are when Armstead would work on his technique since he wasn’t getting practice reps during the week. A lot of other players might have shut things down and thought about next year or the next contract. It would have been hard to blame Armstead if he decided to take care of himself. You can see him on film dragging his leg back to the huddle between plays. But despite that, he still played in 10 games last season and rated as Pro Football Focus’ 19th best tackle. “That ain’t me, man. I’m trying to play,” Armstead said. “I never thought about a contract. None of that. I love to play. I love to win. If I lose, I got to come back. I got to fight back.” Armstead still gets some Wednesdays off from practice and is usually limited when he does take part, but he’s back on Thursdays and looks as good as ever on Sundays. Pro Football Focus has improved his ranking among tackles to third overall. In most ways, Armstead feels like he’s playing better than ever. There are things he wants to improve upon, and his goal is to become the most dominant he can be, an achievement that will probably always exist in the distance as a source of motivation, but there are also things he knows will never be the same. “I’m smarter. Have more experience. I’m a better player,” Armstead said. “Ability-wise, I may not do things I did in my second, third year as far as running, some crazy stuff. But I’m a smarter player. Getting the job done, I feel like I’m better now than I’ve ever been but I want to continue to work to just become dominant.” Ryan Ramczyk sees it. The Saints right tackle saw it last year, too, but this year it looks different. Literally. The second-year player has learned a lot from being in meeting rooms with Armstead and watching him play, and he now realizes that some of the stuff his teammate does on the field isn’t necessarily the way other players do it. Armstead is unorthodox in his approach. The players studying him have to pick and choose the things that might work for them. “I’ll give you an example. A quick set. You have a tight end on your side. He typically will set real fast, real hard to that end,” Ramczyk said. “Instead of what I did a lot of last year, which was just fall back, fall back, fall back. That’s leaving a lot of space between you and the D-end.” Armstead realized a while ago that he could and should do things a little bit differently than other players. He’s not the biggest tackle around, nor is he the smallest, but he has abilities that that other players do not possess, even after the injuries. So, he took a different approach to the position. During his early years in the league, Armstead studied teammates Zach Strief, Jahri Evans, Ben Grubbs and Jermon Bushrod, along with players like Dallas’ Tyron Smith and Philadelphia’s Jason Peters. Armstead found things he wanted to use and things he wanted to do differently by watching each of these players. Peters liked to play and space and widen the pocket, which Armstead liked, while Smith nevered changed his set. That wasn’t going to work for Armstead. He decided early on that he wanted to change up his looks and disguise his intentions. So, for instance, he’ll try to make his jump sets look like it’s a running play. He wants to keep his stance the same so that the defense doesn’t get a read. If he can sell run on a passing play, even for a brief period, an advantage is gained. “I don’t want to give him the same look 60 times,” Armstead said. “He’s going to beat you. Often. Anything I can do to switch up or where I can play offense -- offensive line is often more defensive. Anytime I can go forward and be the aggressor, I feel like that’s an advantage for me.” Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar has been struck by Armstead’s cerebral approach to the game since he first started working with him. His left tackle is always prepared and knows the strengths and weaknesses of all of his opponents and how to attack them. It was in a moment of failure when Roushar again reminded of Armstead’s approach and intelligence. In the trenches, the defensive linemen are often working to counter what the offensive linemen show with their hands. So, if you get your left or right hand out there, the pass rusher will see the move and try to transition. Armstead sometimes flashes a little bit with his inside hand depending on the pass rusher. During Week 1 against Tampa Bay pass rusher Jason-Pierre Paul, he instead flashed with his outside hand, lost it and got edged. “He came off right after that series and said he’s made a fundamental mistake,” Roushar said. “Terron is a really smart player. He knows himself. He knows what we’re trying to do within the scheme. He knows his opponent really well. We’ve been really pleased with him.” They should be pleased with him. There is no longer any hitch in his step. After five games, Armstead is back as one of the NFL's best left tackles. Crusader likes this.
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10-19-2018, 01:41 PM	#3
Thirty3 1000 Posts + Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 1,255	Re: For Saints' Terron Armstead, smarts far outweigh athleticism as he reaches news heights Good read
Thirty3 1000 Posts + Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 1,255

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