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How I Get to the Quarterback

By Anna Katherine Clemmons / Photograph by Jamie Kripke
Broncos defensive end and seven-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware learned early that a rip move can be a difference maker. "If you tell any high school kid, 'You need to get to the corner,' they just know what you mean," says Ware, the second fastest in NFL history to record 100 sacks. "It's using your power, staying low and not giving up on it. I go against guys who are 350 pounds, and I'm only 250, so to be able to push them back, staying in the low position and having great leverage is key. It's a chess match each and every time." For a closer look at life on the edge, Ware powers through a rip move for us.

1

"To start, make sure you're in a comfortable stance. You need to get down in that crouch so you can get off the ball. People say you need to think -- that it's all about your brain. I say it's all about your butt. That's where you get the speed and power to get around the corner quickly."

2

"I'm looking at the tackle's shoulders. The majority of the time, if you catch him at the right angle, he'll shoot his inside hand on you. You want the tackle to stop his feet so you can create space to get around the corner."

3

"Once you take that next step, that's when the next move comes -- a stab or swiping motion with my outside hand to get ready for the rip. You swipe at the outside hand of the tackle. After that I'll rip with my inside hand, going around the corner and up under his hand."

4

"It's almost like a dip-and-rip. You see me dip my shoulder down and then rip up. Dipping low and ripping high keeps the tackle's arm you just swung on pinned to his body. It's called a rip because of the sound it makes. Then you take it around the corner, using that power."

5

"You've got to get the rip around the corner. You have 2.5 seconds to get to the quarterback. That's what you're thinking. It's really simple, but it's the technique of doing it the same way each time, no matter what, that makes it challenging."

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