When New York Giants defensive end Damontre Moore sat down with Big Blue View recently he talked about having truly learned how to watch film during the offseason. Who did he learn from? Giants great Michael Strahan, whose enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame comes Saturday night.
"I would go in and watch film, I’ll sit with the guys and teach them to watch film. Look for this, look for that," Strahan said. "I remember the first time I went in and the film was running and they were just watching. They’re doing the same thing as the casual fan sitting at home. This is your job, you have to pay more attention to the details. How is the tackle’s hand? How is his feet? How is that tackle’s hands, how is his feet? How is the stripe on his helmet when he’s going in certain directions? How’s the quarterback, does he do anything special before the ball is snapped to him? Does the center squeeze his off-hand before he snaps the ball? All little things that you have to pay attention to if you want to be a student of the game. Those are just some of the things I’ve been trying to teach these guys. These guys are so talented."
What did Moore learn about film study from his new Hall of Fame pal?
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"Just watch it ‘til you can't watch it no more. Just get in there and watch as much film as you can. You've gotta eliminate the sounds, the commentators and stuff and actually just get in there and watch film. Have one mind-set and look for those little techniques," Moore said."
Moore has had a good training camp thus far, both rushing the passer and setting the edge better vs. the run.
Strahan says he enjoys working with current players:
"Do I get over there as much as I'd love to? No," he said. "I'd love to be over there all the time. Ive never wanted to be a coach on a staff because I kind of like the freeness to come and go as I want. But I also want to pass on a lot of things that I've learned. Not just things on the field -- how to watch film, how to prepare. How to mentally get where you need to be to compete every week."
The Giants, of course, will be happy with whatever help Strahan can offer.