CowboyMike
09-04-2012, 12:01 PM
Excellent read.
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The Rushers: The Ultimate Quarterback Killer
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware on violence, bounties, and playing within the rules in the new NFL
By Peter Schrager (http://www.gq.com/contributors/peter-schrager)
September 2012
DeMarcus Ware doesn't fit the profile of a guy who wrecks quarterbacks for a living. The Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker—one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL—is a brains-over-brawn kind of athlete, which is a scary thought when you're bringing the kind of brawn he's got. This is a strange time in the NFL to be a sack specialist, though: as most of them will tell you, the league slaps fines on guys for breathing too hard on a quarterback—an unmistakable trend in the rules that often seems at odds with the sport's broader glorification of hard hits and jacked-up highlights. Ware spoke with GQ about the NFL's ambivalence toward violence, how he stays on the right side of the rules—and the moment in his career when he was so scared that he didn't know if he could ever play again.
GQ: Who were the pass rushers you grew up watching?
DeMarcus Ware: The guy I really like is [Rams Hall of Famer] Deacon Jones. When I see Deacon Jones, we sit down and have deep conversations. We just talk about stuff.
GQ: I met Deacon Jones once and five seconds into the conversation, he told me he once had fifty-five sacks in a season, before they officially kept track of sack totals.
DeMarcus Ware: [Laughs] Of course he did. He's a great guy. Every time I see Deacon, I say, "What's up?" and right away he's telling me, "You've got to work on this," or, "You've got to work on that." He says, "You've got to try the head slap" or "You're not trash talking right. You're not a good trash talker." He is straight up. When he talks, he doesn't sugarcoat anything. He's going to tell you straight up what he thinks. And he's ready to get right back out there and play. Like, now.
GQ: Is there a certain technique you've mastered others haven't? Signature moves?
DeMarcus Ware: I'm the Emulator. I'm a technician. Every week, I'm going to have different moves based on the film I watch. I like revealing something totally different every Sunday. I'll get in the film room around 6 o'clock in the morning. I'll watch, say, three hours a day all by myself. I chart who is effective and see what works. Then, whatever that offensive tackle wasn't good at? I make sure I'm going to master it that whole week. I may even be uncomfortable with it, but I'm going to do it. Because I'm going to do all the negative things that you don't like. I'm going to get in your head.
Read More http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201209/demarcus-ware-nfl-gq-september-2012#ixzz25WNnTE9J
*Note: Interview is 3 pages.
---------------------------------------
The Rushers: The Ultimate Quarterback Killer
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware on violence, bounties, and playing within the rules in the new NFL
By Peter Schrager (http://www.gq.com/contributors/peter-schrager)
September 2012
DeMarcus Ware doesn't fit the profile of a guy who wrecks quarterbacks for a living. The Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker—one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL—is a brains-over-brawn kind of athlete, which is a scary thought when you're bringing the kind of brawn he's got. This is a strange time in the NFL to be a sack specialist, though: as most of them will tell you, the league slaps fines on guys for breathing too hard on a quarterback—an unmistakable trend in the rules that often seems at odds with the sport's broader glorification of hard hits and jacked-up highlights. Ware spoke with GQ about the NFL's ambivalence toward violence, how he stays on the right side of the rules—and the moment in his career when he was so scared that he didn't know if he could ever play again.
GQ: Who were the pass rushers you grew up watching?
DeMarcus Ware: The guy I really like is [Rams Hall of Famer] Deacon Jones. When I see Deacon Jones, we sit down and have deep conversations. We just talk about stuff.
GQ: I met Deacon Jones once and five seconds into the conversation, he told me he once had fifty-five sacks in a season, before they officially kept track of sack totals.
DeMarcus Ware: [Laughs] Of course he did. He's a great guy. Every time I see Deacon, I say, "What's up?" and right away he's telling me, "You've got to work on this," or, "You've got to work on that." He says, "You've got to try the head slap" or "You're not trash talking right. You're not a good trash talker." He is straight up. When he talks, he doesn't sugarcoat anything. He's going to tell you straight up what he thinks. And he's ready to get right back out there and play. Like, now.
GQ: Is there a certain technique you've mastered others haven't? Signature moves?
DeMarcus Ware: I'm the Emulator. I'm a technician. Every week, I'm going to have different moves based on the film I watch. I like revealing something totally different every Sunday. I'll get in the film room around 6 o'clock in the morning. I'll watch, say, three hours a day all by myself. I chart who is effective and see what works. Then, whatever that offensive tackle wasn't good at? I make sure I'm going to master it that whole week. I may even be uncomfortable with it, but I'm going to do it. Because I'm going to do all the negative things that you don't like. I'm going to get in your head.
Read More http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201209/demarcus-ware-nfl-gq-september-2012#ixzz25WNnTE9J
*Note: Interview is 3 pages.