Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has made a change to his stance, leading to an influx of speculation and headlines across the league.
Many have been quick to point fingers at offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as the driving force behind Jeanty’s change, but he sought to clarify that during organized team activities (OTAs) this week.
Not only did Kelly deny that it was his decision, but he also dismissed the change as anything significant.
“Let’s get that clarified,” Kelly said, via Pro Football Talk. “Deland McCullough, our running back coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments, and techniques. So he talked to him about that.
“I gave him an analogy of an athlete being in a bent-knee position to make a play, and that kind of got blown into. I haven’t told anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don’t coach a position. But it’s a bent-knee game.”
That conversation is what Jeanty referenced during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere earlier this month, leading many to assume it was Kelly’s directive.
In college, Jeanty notably stood straight up pre-snap, leading some to call it the “Michael Myers stance.” It’s something the Raiders as a whole — not just Kelly — want to see changed at the professional level.
“[I]f you look at the before the ball snapped in baseball, or the pitcher throwing the baseball, everybody’s got their knees bent. In any athletic sport you’re playing, you’ve got to bend your knees,” Kelly said. “And if you’ve got to run a flat route on Fred Warner, you’d better be in a position to run, because that dude can fly. So, all we’re trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays.
“So, I really don’t think it’s that big a deal. But he’s awesome, and he’s such a coachable guy that you can do a lot of things with him.”
Kelly isn’t wrong. It’s a knee-bend game and the change is relatively minor. Ashton Jeanty is on board and it really shouldn’t be considered so controversial.
