The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is more motivated than ever after a slump season in 2022.
IRVINE — Aaron Donald has a ring Super Bowl and three awards as Defensive Player of the Year. There will be a bust in the Hall of Fame and a golden jacket waiting for him in Canton, Ohio. He has a strong case for being considered the best interior defensive lineman in league history. NFL.
But, ahead of his season No. 10 with Los Angeles Rams, Donald he insists he still has something to prove.
“We all need some kind of fire, something to push you, something to get you going, and it’s something I’m holding onto right now,” he declared. “And, I feel like we have something to prove as a team. I think I have something to prove as a player, and that’s how I view it.”
Aaron Donald insists he’s not looking ahead and focused only on the Rams’ present. AP Photo
Sean McVaywho has addressed Donald over the past six years, he has cited that attitude as one of the main reasons he has been able to put together such an extraordinary resume.
“That’s why he is who he is,” he shared. McVay. “The greats never get complacent. There’s always something you can focus on. No one holds higher standards for Aaron than himself. And, I think that’s the separator, and I think it’s a consistent thing when you start talking of people who are in that kind of company, and certainly he is in that rarefied air.”
Donald He is coming off the least productive season of his career, posting five sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 11 games. He ended a streak of five consecutive seasons with at least 11 sacks.
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Also, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 12 against Kansas City. The injury kept Donald out for the rest of the season, the first time in his career that he has missed games due to injury.
That 1-2 combination served to motivate Donald in this campaign recess.
“I have a lot to prove,” he said. “I didn’t have the season that I wanted, obviously coming off injury and things like that. I felt like to get to where you want to be, it’s like starting all over again. It’s a whole new year. Last year was last year, but now There’s a little more fire in me.”
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If his performance in training camp is any indication, Donald he is more than ready to put 2022 behind him. He’s throwing offensive linemen either way in drills. In team periods, it’s not uncommon to see him meeting running backs behind the line of scrimmage, and dismantling pass protection.
“It’s like high school,” the defensive lineman acknowledged. Earnest Brown IV. “Those things you see are literally impossible for anyone else to do.”
This is all the more remarkable because the Rams have been treating Donald in practices as opposing offenses will, focusing their blocking schemes against you. That can range from sliding the guard to where it lines up Donaldor ask two or even three linemen to block it together.
Los Rams hadn’t done that in previous training camps, but with a huge roster turnover around Donaldit became imperative to give inexperienced linemen an idea of what they will see each Sunday.
“No one plays it differently than that, you know?” he stressed. McVay. “It’s so good that most teams every week the first thing they talk about is ‘Find Waldo.’ Find 99, make sure you have an answer for him. And, that’s what we would do if we were.” facing, too.”
As to how much longer the Rams a Donald dictating the game, he is under contract until 2024, after his agreement was restructured after the triumph in the Super Bowl LVI.
The 32-year-old defensive back insists he’s not looking forward.
“I’m just here today and I’m focused on what I can do today,” he declared. Donald. “I’m not really worried about what’s next right now. I’m just in this camp, trying to get going.”
2023-08-09 23:50:46
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