Anyone who played sports growing up knows that there’s a practice player, and then there’s a game player. Basically, a practice player takes his chance to shine in controlled scrimmages where he is familiar with the competition, while a game player waits for his chance to perform on the big stage.
For Ohio State DE Chase Young, there was no line between the two — when the competition was on, no matter live-action or scrimmage, he was doing everything he could to wreck the play. For Maryland Terrapins running back Anthony McFarland — who went to high school with Young at DeMatha — recalling those memories of practice against Young is triggering.
“Oh, man, Chase used to wreck practice, like every day,” McFarland said, via NBC Sports Washington. “When he was at D-end, especially when he first got there, our offense couldn’t get the ball off. We just couldn’t get the ball off.”
For a coach overseeing this type of play, it can be both highly-encouraging and frustrating at the same time. On one hand, you have a great player who will dominate on the field when it matters; on the other hand, your offense has little ability to get better if they’re stopped short of execution before every whistle.
“Chase just wanted to dominate anybody who was in front of him,” McFarland said. “A lot of the coaches and stuff would be mad because we’re trying to get a play off or we’re trying to practice, and Chase is just like, ‘No.'”
It’s hard to think that Young will be just as dominant in NFL practices with whichever team drafts him, likely the Washington Redskins, but his intensity will surely bring some fire to the practice field, making him and the rest of his teammates the better for it. The coaches just need to figure out a way to accept his competitive nature and allow him to wreck plays, time and again.
“That’s why I know he’s going to be a good player because he’s been like that since high school,” McFarland said. “No matter what, he’s going to get himself better each play. It doesn’t matter what the offense is trying to do. He’s one of those guys, man, who pisses the coach off.”
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