Tag: workout video

From pulling trucks to trucking linebackers, FB Nick Ralston relishes throwback role with Cowboys

The UDFA hopes to land a job as the Cowboys’ fullback, an unglamorous role that the 24-year-old Texas native trained for in an unusual way. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Life in today’s NFL is tough for a fullback. Once a standard role on every team, the full-time fullback has become a rarity among rosters of the modern era. Never mind that many of the greatest rushers the sport has ever seen are actually being mislabeled today when they’re called running backs. Earl Campbell. John Riggins. Franco Harris. Jim Brown. All were, technically speaking, fullbacks.

These days, though, it’s an unglamorous job that’s viewed as an old-fashioned relic of the way the game used to be once upon a time. Three yards and a cloud of dust and all that. That’s actually the way Cowboys fullback Nick Ralston likes it.

“I think I’m more of a throwback guy,” the 24-year-old undrafted free agent said Thursday in Frisco. “Somebody who’s extremely tough, does the dirty work. I can do some things out of the backfield, but I think the one thing that is one of my best traits is how physical I am, the willingness to run head-first into a linebacker.”

Cowboys fans, of course, are conjuring up mental images of Daryl Johnston as they read that. The tough-as-nails fullback they called “Moose” made a ten-year career out of plowing a road for the league’s all-time leading rusher. The NFL even created a fullback position in the Pro Bowl because of his contributions to the Dallas dynasty of the ’90s. But Ralston was just three years old when Johnston retired from football, so he’s not necessarily trying to step into anybody’s shoes… even though he’s no doubt aware of the best fullback in team history.

“I grew up a Cowboys fan my whole life,” Ralston admitted.

A Texas native, his Argyle high school team played in three state championships during Ralston’s time there. So even though he’s a rookie, he’s no stranger to AT&T Stadium.

“The last time I was in there before this past game [the Cowboys’ preseason game last week versus Houston] was state finals my senior year. Double-overtime loss, and I had 54 carries. That left a bitter taste in my mouth, so to get back there and to be on that field was special for me.”

Ralston was not selected in the 2021 NFL draft. He received phone calls from multiple teams minutes after the draft ended, but chose to sign with Dallas. It was the beginning of a new chapter, coming finally at the conclusion of a rather uncertain one.

“It’s been a long journey,” Ralston explained. “I graduated high school early, went out to Arizona State for four years and ended up grad-transferring my last year to Louisiana-Lafayette and then did well there. And then COVID hit and shut down pro days, so I had to train for another year. To put in all that work for an additional year by myself- every day, six hours in the gym and on the field- to see that I’m here? It’s just a blessing from God, and every day, I’m taking advantage of my opportunity.”

But even if Cowboys fans don’t know Ralston by name, there’s a good chance they’ve seen him. Because he wasn’t only in the gym and on the field during the pandemic.

“I was pulling trucks,” Ralston laughed about his workout that blew up on social media back in 2020. “You didn’t see that video?”

But Ralston knows it will take more than a viral stunt to survive the final round of roster cuts in Dallas. It will take exceptional special teams play.

“I think that definitely is the key to getting on the 53-man roster,” Ralston said. “I’ve got to be versatile on offense as well as special teams. But I think with my body type and skill set, I can play a lot of different positions on multiple phases.”

Ralston may have a leg up due to fullback Sewo Olonilua’s season-ending injury, but that doesn’t mean he has a foot in the door. The rookie has been leaning heavily on the mentoring he’s been getting from the A-list veteran he shares a backfield with.

“Zeke is so intelligent, and he’s so helpful. I’m just trying to absorb everything from him like a sponge. We’re in the film room, and he’s coaching me up at fullback,” Ralston said of Ezekiel Elliott. “He’s given me tips on run-blocking, creating space, pad level, pass protection. He was coaching me up today on route-running. He’s a special back, and he’s a good guy. He really treats the rookies well.”

In return, Ralston hopes for the chance to do right by Elliott on Sundays, putting his own body on the line to open up holes for the two-time rushing champ.

And the young fullback relishes the opportunity to fulfill that throwback job description… and maybe truck a few opposing defenders in the process.

“I think that’s just something that’s been ingrained in me since I was a young kid doing Oklahoma drills,” Ralston said, grinning as he double-tapped his forehead right where the bumper pad of his helmet would be. “Just put your two screws into their chest and blow them up.”

Nick Ralston’s eyes may have actually twinkled when he said it. Just in case there was any doubt as to whether or not he’s a true fullback.

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Broncos LB Joe Jones posts training video on Instagram

Broncos linebacker Joe Jones shared some impressive workout footage on social media last week.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCWa4zWgFJF/?igshid=1gz6vg8y610km

Drew Lock and his offensive teammates weren’t the only Broncos players who got in some on-field work this offseason. Denver’s defensive players got in some on-field training as well.

Broncos inside linebacker Joe Jones posted a video on his Instagram page last week that highlighted some on-field drills and weight room workouts. Denver’s players did not have official on-field practices this spring because of COVID-19 but they did get together on their own time.

Jones signed a one-year deal with the Broncos earlier this offseason. He has been with Denver in 2017 and has emerged as one of the team’s best special teams players. Jones led the Broncos in special teams tackles in 2019 (8) and in 2018 (11). He’ll report to training camp next week.

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Broncos LT Garett Bolles posts impressive workout video on Twitter

Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles has been putting in work in this offseason!

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles posted an impressive workout video on his Twitter page on Wednesday.

As of Friday afternoon, the video has 108,000 views.

Bolles has averaged almost one penalty per game in his career and he’s certainly not a fan favorite in Denver.

“this video was flagged for holding…..,” @Chile__Relleno_ commented on Twitter.

Despite trolling from fans, Bolles has been active in the community.

The former first-round pick is working to become more consistent and there were signs of improvement last season.

As Mase Denver of BSN Denver pointed out on Twitter earlier this offseason, Bolles played much better after the Broncos switched to Drew Lock at quarterback late last season.

“In the last five weeks — with Drew Lock as the QB — he allowed one pressure every 46.8 pass-rush snaps, per PFF,” Mason wrote on April 30. “That ranked 9th of the 87 OTs who played at least 50 snaps in Weeks 13-17.”

Bolles will compete with Elijah Wilkinson for a starting job this summer.

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Calvin Ridley’s workout video impresses Lamar Jackson

Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley isn’t one of the bigger receivers in the league, but his speed, route-running ability and hands make him a dangerous deep threat for opposing defenses.

Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley isn’t one of the bigger receivers in the league, but his speed, route-running ability and hands make him a dangerous deep threat for opposing defenses.

That talent is why many are predicting a breakout year from Ridley as he enters his third season. A video of Ridley’s workout from his Instagram account has been floating around and it’s impressive to say the least.

Atlanta’s former first-round pick absolutely cooks an opposing defensive back, which earned the praise 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson on Twitter.

In less than two full seasons with the Falcons, Ridley has 127 catches, 1,687 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns while playing as the team’s second and third wideout since 2018.

Pass-catching tight end Austin Hooper landed in Cleveland via free agency, leaving Ridley an opportunity to showcase his skills in 2020.

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Video: Grady Jarrett shows off strength in the weight room

The grind never stops for Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. That’s what it takes to go from a fifth-round pick to an All-Pro first-team selection in five years.

The grind never stops for Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. That’s what it takes to go from a fifth-round pick to an All-Pro first-team selection in five years.

Jarrett has become one of the elite interior defensive linemen in all of football and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. The Falcons’ Twitter account released another video of Jarrett’s offseason workout routine.

Check out this freakish display of strength from one of the NFL’s most underrated players below.

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Watch: Falcons RB Todd Gurley shows off leg strength

Falcons running back Todd Gurley has accomplished a ton since the Rams drafted him back in 2015, especially considering he’s only 25 years old. 

Falcons running back Todd Gurley has accomplished a ton since the Rams drafted him back in 2015, especially considering he’s only 25 years old.

In five NFL seasons, the All-Pro back has rushed for over 5,400 yards and 58 touchdowns, with another 2,091 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions. After Los Angeles released Gurley, though, many are wondering if he can return to the elite level he played at before.

Atlanta signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million contract, which could be the ultimate bargain if his knees hold up. Based on this impressive leg workout video the team shared on Twitter, it looks like Gurley is ready to go.

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Former Cowboys WR Lucky Whitehead pulls semi in insane workout video

A former fan favorite in Dallas and current CFL champ, the receiver posted video online last week showing him hauling a massive trailer.

Pro football players are staying active, and they’re making sure everyone knows it. Dez Bryant’s private workouts have become a social media staple as he continues his NFL comeback bid. Just last week, Cowboys fans got a sneak peek inside rookie CeeDee Lamb’s agility training and even tackle Tyron Smith’s unorthodox get-up drills in his living room.

But former Cowboys receiver and return specialist Lucky Whitehead just raised the bar significantly. The fan favorite, who played for Dallas for the 2015 and 2016 seasons and is now a member of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, has posted a video that shows him pulling a semi truck.

In 30 games as a Cowboy, Whitehead hauled in nine receptions for 64 yards. Due to his famed speed (check out his Twitter handle), he saw more action on reverses and jet sweeps; he racked up 189 rushing yards on 20 attempts over his tenure in Dallas. Whitehead returned 44 punts at a 4.5-yard average. He was most effective returning kickoffs, averaging 17.2 yards per return.

An undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic in 2015, Whitehead struggled to catch on with the Cowboys coaching staff due to frequent fumbling, losing two of four loose balls.

In July 2017, it was revealed that Whitehead was facing misdemeanor petty larceny charges stemming from a June arrest. The 25-year-old receiver was accused of having stolen $25 of goods from a convenience store in Virginia and skipped court summons. The charges were dropped the next day, and Whitehead was cleared by the police when it was determined that the charges were based on mistaken identity. But the damage had been done. He had already been released by the Cowboys after the team’s first training camp practice.

After a stint with the New York Jets where he did not see the field, Whitehead signed with Winnipeg in 2019. The Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup in his first season with the club.

The semi footage from last week is not Whitehead’s first viral workout video. Several days prior, Lucky posted a scene where he pulled a four-door pickup.

Shortly after that video made the rounds, another CFLer, safety Stavros Katsantonis of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats posted his own footage of pulling a large delivery truck. In his reply, Whitehead vowed to up the ante.

Whitehead’s latest feat may have turned out to be a few wheels short of a full 18, but it doesn’t make the workout any less impressive.

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Florio: Dez-Dak workouts violate stay-at-home orders, NFL should ‘do something’

Do the social media videos of Dez Bryant and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott working out send a dangerous message? Should the league step in?

Some people just love to stir the pot. But when the pot in question is silver and blue and belongs to the Dallas Cowboys, it seems as though there are never enough stir sticks to go around.

Those workout videos that wide receiver Dez Bryant has been posting as he attempts to launch an NFL comeback bid have been a fun story to follow. Watching him ramp up his efforts to coax a contract out of his former employers in Dallas has been tantalizing for Cowboys fans, many of whom are eager to see the free agent throw up the X once again with a star on his helmet. His most recent sessions- ones that include current Cowboys Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott among his workout buddies- have raised the bar even further.

And also raised the ire of one Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.

Florio penned a piece on the website this week in which he lambastes Bryant and Prescott, who he says”continue to disregard important restrictions to out-of-home activities as communities throughout the world try to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus.”

The NFL insider claims the two “continue to flaunt their defiance of rules that have caused millions to change their habits dramatically.”

Florio then spoke by phone with Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan to elaborate, and he went so far as to call on the league to step in and take preventative or even disciplinary action.

“As of March 31, for the entire state of Texas, the executive order from the the governor was that people ‘shall avoid’- ‘shall avoid’- not may, not should, not we would like you to, but ‘shall,’ which is mandatory. You must do this. ‘Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, or food courts, or visiting gyms.’ And this happened at the A+D1 Training Facility in Dallas County, Texas. And Dallas County has taken it a step farther. The Dallas County order is that… ‘All public or private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited.’

“So this isn’t about what they were doing while they were there and, ‘Are they within six feet of each other?’ Look, setting aside the fact that they’re passing around a football, and if any of them have the virus on their fingers, and we’re all supposed to assume we have the virus, well, they’re putting it on the football and they’re passing it to somebody else who’s getting the virus off the football and then they’re going to have it. Apart from all that, they’re defying state and local orders that prevent them from going to this facility and that require them to be at home.

“And to make matters worse, they aren’t just brazenly violating these orders. They are flaunting it, stupidly, by putting the evidence of it on social media.”

“It’s astounding to me that the NFL has nothing to say about it,” Florio continued. “This is reckless, dangerous behavior. It sends a horrible message to anyone out there who looks up to Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant, idolizes them, and maybe emulates them.”

In these unprecedented times, everyone is trying to figure out and adapt to rules and guidelines that are changing daily life on a daily basis. There’s little going on in the world that’s normal; in the sports world, it’s been an especially slow news day for over a month now. It’s perhaps easier than ever for somebody with a platform to sit back and monitor social media with an eye toward blasting someone else for behaving (or not behaving) in a certain way that adheres to a particular worldview.

It’s fingerpointing and whistleblowing and whataboutism run amok. And now it’s a legitimate story.

Because the thing is, technically speaking, Florio makes a valid point. Cowboys fans- whether or not they feel Bryant is worthy of a roster spot- probably should be at least mildly concerned about their franchise quarterback seemingly putting himself at a higher risk of catching the virus.

If he wasn’t worried before, owner Jerry Jones honestly should be mindful of the optics at work here. The face of the franchise is out there doing something that the rest of us aren’t supposed to be doing… and he’s jeopardizing his own health (and the team’s sizable investment) in the process.

Granted, it’s a workout. A game of catch. It’s not DUI. It’s not a weapons charge. It’s not a security video of a bar brawl or a 911 call detailing something darker. But these days when going to the grocery store to buy toilet paper isn’t even a simple endeavor anymore, it’s putting the organization in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Is this a news story if the players involved are Cincinnati Bengals or Jacksonville Jaguars? Truthfully, probably not.

But the rules are different for America’s Team. Always have been. And the simple fact is, when it’s the Dallas Football Cowboys, the spotlight is just a little brighter, the microscope is just a tad bigger.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has made an example of the Cowboys to the rest of the league before. It’s not hard to believe that some form of communication has already been drafted and sent to teams about minding the rules in the COVID-19 era.

“If you’ve got players who are violating the local laws that say ‘thou shall stay home during this pandemic,’ Florio told hosts Shan and RJ, “and they are both creating a real risk of spreading the virus, and sending a horrible message to others who may be influenced to do the same thing, I would like to see the NFL do something. Even if you’re not going to suspend anyone or fine anyone under the personal conduct policy. I want the commissioner to post a video, to issue a statement, telling all players who are in the NFL or hope to be back like Dez Bryant, that they must comply with all applicable state and local requirements as what they should and shouldn’t be doing during this pandemic.”

For his part, Bryant has already heard the buzz over his workout routines. It sounds as though his comeback campaign will continue, even if it means running shelter-in-place route trees from now on.