Since high school, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty has lined up in the backfield with a straight posture and hands at his sides—a stance some have compared to Michael Myers from the “Halloween” movies.
During the offseason, the Raiders‘ coaches encouraged Jeanty to adopt a more conventional running back stance. But in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, Jeanty returned to his trademark stance and delivered his best game of the season, totaling 155 yards—138 rushing—and scoring three touchdowns, two receiving and one on the ground.
As a result, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe is calling out offensive coordinator Chip Kelly for altering the 21-year-old’s stance in the first place.
“I’m trying to figure out what does that stance have to do with [Kelly’s] coaching style?” Sharpe said on a recent episode of “Nightcap.” “It’s all about control with him.
“It’s kind of like a quarterback, and Johnny [Manziel] talked about it, saying he only took about six snaps his whole career prior to getting into the NFL under center. This man has been playing like this. You took him in the as a top 10 pick in the draft, and now you get him, and now you want to change everything about him. Why? (…) I think Chip Kelly was trying to do too much for that. That was totally unnecessary.”
Why is Raiders Coach Chip Kelly Being Attacked?
Even after a Heisman Trophy runner-up season at Boise State—where Ashton Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards, the second-highest single-season total in FBS history—Kelly felt his stance needed to change for the NFL. That adjustment began on the opening day of the team’s rookie minicamp in May.
“It’s a bent knee game,“ Kelly said in May (h/t Ryan McFadden of ESPN). “… In any athletic sport you’re playing, you’ve got to bend your knees. 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.”
Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Intends to Stick Stance
Jeanty was efficient on the ground, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He broke off five runs of more than 10 yards, highlighted by a 64-yard touchdown — the second-longest run in the league this season. After the game, Jeanty made it clear that the “Michael Myers” stance isn’t going anywhere.
“That’s how I naturally feel good standing in the backfield. So, that’s how I’m going to play,” Jeanty said (h/t Ryan McFadden of ESPN).
Moreover, it seems Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is backing Jeanty to stick with what’s comfortable for him.
“Everybody’s been saying [Jeanty] just needs to break one run or whatever,” Carroll said. “Well, he did, and he had a great game, and he looked fantastic for us, and Raheem [Mostert] was really good too,” Carroll said. “… I saw nothing but upside because [of] the ability to run the football.”
If Jeanty can have success running the football for a second straight week, there’s no way what works for him is going anywhere, and the Raiders shouldn’t look to change his style.
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