Unique stances in the world of sports most commonly appear in the sport of baseball. Names like Kevin Youkilis and Craig Counsel have signature stances that fans of those respective teams will never forget.
Unique stances in the NFL are far less common, but Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty’s unorthodox pre-snap stance, which saw him stand up like the Michael Myers character from the Halloween series, felt noteworthy — until the Raiders appeared to be attempting to coach him out of the stance.
Well, after Jeanty delivered a career performance on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had a strong reaction to the return of the ‘Halloween’ stance.
Raiders HC Pete Carroll Sounds Off on Ashton Jeanty’s Return to ‘Michael Myers’ Stance
After Jeanty delivered the goods with 155 total yards and three total touchdowns after returning to his unique pre-snap stance, Pete Carroll had a straightforward response to the development.
“I loved it,” said Carroll when speaking to the media on Monday.
To be fair, it feels impossible to argue with the results the NFL world saw on Sunday. Embracing how Jeanty feels comfortable starting feels like the common-sense thing to do.
Yet, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly made some noteworthy comments about the NFL being a “bent knee” before the start of the season — which likely led to Jeanty trying to adjust his stance.
Well, the new stance experiment failed. Jeanty’s old stance succeeded, and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Jeanty even touched on his return to his signature stance while talking to the media after the Raiders’ 25-24 loss at the hands of the Chicago Bears.
“That’s how I naturally feel good standing in the backfield. So, that’s how I’m going to play,” commented Jeanty.
How Does the Injury to OT Kolton Miller Impact Ashton Jeanty?
Ashton Jeanty’s breakout performance in Week 4 could be tough to replicate in the near future after starting left tackle Kolton Miller suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Bears and could miss some time.
Levi Dombro of Just Blog Baby believes this injury to Miller could be very bad timing for a rushing offense that finally showed signs of life this season.
Miller, through the first three weeks, was the lone bright spot for the Raiders‘ struggling offensive line. He often kept the unit together and prevented catastrophic circumstances from plaguing the Las Vegas offense. Without him, the group is a bit of a rudderless ship,” wrote Dombro. “This is not only a gut punch for Miller, who got paid handsomely this offseason to the tune of a three-year, $66 million extension, but for both the team and fan base, as he is a fan favorite who is relied on weekly.”
Prior to Jeanty’s explosion in Week 4, the Boise State product tallied just 144 rushing yards and one touchdown over 47 carries. His rough 3.1 yards per carry through the first three weeks was made worse by Jeanty’s yards after contact actually topping his total rushing production during that span — which suggested the offensive line was struggling prior to Miller’s injury.
Either way, Jeanty’s big performance should be something the dynamic runner can build upon moving forward.