Ashton Jeanty has revealed that Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has forced him to change his trademark stance, but the former Boise State standout has not given up hope of changing his coach's mind.
The Raiders selected the running back with the sixth overall pick in last month's draft, and the team hopes he can help lead a rejuvenated offense alongside newly acquired veteran quarterback Geno Smith.
It is not hard to see why the Vegas front office and coaching staff loved what they saw from Jeanty on tape. The 21-year-old led the nation with 2,601 yards in his final season at Boise State, scoring 30 touchdowns in the process.
The team did see one thing it did not like in Jeanty's play, though. The Maxwell Award winner has a peculiar stance while waiting for the snap, which has been likened to the Michael Myers character from the 'Halloween' horror movie series.
Jeanty admitted in an appearance on the 'Up & Adams Show' that former Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kelly was working with him to correct his stance.
"You know, sometimes you have to, you know, go with the flow," Jeanty said. "What's crazy is, Chip Kelly comes to me first day of rookie minicamp, and he's like 'You ever play basketball?'
"And I'm like, 'Yeah, I play basketball, you know I can dunk and all that.' He's like, 'OK, show me how you would guard me,' and he's acting like he's holding the ball. And then he's like, 'That's exactly why you have to be down in your running back stance."
The rookie says he has been receptive to his coach's demands, but he hopes to prove Kelly wrong one day.
"He won for now. I'm going to try and persuade him one day," he said. "I have to earn my stripes and make some plays first, but I don't think it's going to be the end [of the stance]."
A weight of expectation has been placed on Jeanty's shoulders by Raiders fans hoping he can help turn the franchise's fortunes around, but he is not daunted by the challenge.
"It's definitely great to be in this position. I know there is high expectations for me to come and perform instantly," he told Newsweek.
"I'm ready for that, and that is what I wanted. Not only that, I just feel like I will be a complement to all the other guys on the offense. Such as Brock Bowers, Jakobi [Meyers], a great quarterback in Geno.
"They didn't have the best run game last year, I will be a boost to the run game, to make Geno's life easier. Balanced attack versus teams."
