The Need For Speed

FORMER VIRGINIA CAVALIER and new Jet D'Brickashaw Ferguson has good speed for an offensive lineman. He ran a 5.1 40-yard dash at Virginia 's Pro Day on March 21 thanks in part to six weeks with trainer Tom Shaw in Orlando before the NFL draft. The 6'6", 312-pound left tackle, who went No. 4 to New York , worked six days a week on speed, quickness and agility, doing drills few players his size can execute. "He's explosive, he's powerful, he's not sloppy like some other linemen," says Shaw . The trainer says Ferguson , who since 10th grade has drunk a quart of nutritional shakes (about 1,400 calories and 50 grams of protein) each day to help bulk up (he was 260 pounds as a freshman at Virginia ), compares favorably with Seattle All-Pro Walter Jones , the most athletic offensive lineman Shaw has seen. "Brick trains with the DBs and receivers," he says. "His work ethic is unbelievable. He's never tried to get out of a drill."

BEHIND THE GLASS
Drill Trainer Shaw ties a large mirror to the back of a John Deere ATV and drives 12 mph. Ferguson chases it for 100 yards (he's going at about 80% speed) while carefully watching his movements. Five reps, two minutes' rest between each.

Purpose "He's working on form and technique," says Shaw. "Brick's elbows used to flail out, and anything that moves side to side is wasted movement. He's deceptively fast; he has long, loping strides, but they're very powerful." Says Ferguson , "Some people like to use videotape and then go back and look, but this is instant feedback. Small differences can be monumental. If I'm clenching my fists, that's going to hold me back. The mirror allows me to adjust on the fly."

STRAIGHT AHEADS
Drill Wearing a belt attached to an elastic band that Shaw (right, in rear) holds for resistance, Ferguson sprints over six six-inch-high barriers, placed one yard apart. He keeps his feet as low to the ground as possible. Three reps with resistance, one without.

Purpose "This builds explosiveness," says Shaw. "The offensive linemen who raise their feet are the ones who get beat; they can't react quickly enough. Defensive linemen look for that. The resistance makes him have to stride forward, so he can't take short, choppy steps."

BOX TROT
Drill Two lines of six cones are set up two yards apart over 10 yards. While Shaw provides resistance with elastic bands, Ferguson sidesteps left between the first pair of cones, runs a few steps forward, then sidesteps right, zigzagging through the course. Three reps with resistance, one without (above).

Purpose Meant to increase foot speed, particularly when moving in a confined space. "It's a running back drill, but I have Brick do it because he has such quick feet," says Shaw. "For an offensive lineman, the quicker your feet the better you're going to do."

DOUBLE DUTY
Drill A partner--in this case North Alabama defensive lineman Lee Vickers, who signed as a rookie free agent with the Steelers--advances down the same course used in the previous exercise, but in random patterns. Ferguson , moving backward, mirrors his movements in blocking position. Three reps.

Purpose "He's trying to keep his feet low and keep his center of gravity. If he gets too high, he can be bullrushed," Shaw says. "He watches [Vickers's] hips, not his arm. He watches where [Vickers's] body's going."

THREE-POINT PRANCE
Drill While attached to the same resistance belt as in the straight-ahead drill, Ferguson weaves through a course of three cones that are spaced five yards apart in an equilateral triangle. He first runs forward, then backward. The belt resists Ferguson 's movement as he runs forward, away from Shaw, and assists Ferguson as he runs backward, toward Shaw. He runs five different patterns, three reps of each with resistance, one without.