A Reunion With The Master Of The Jab-O’ Leg
July 29th, 2011
Bucs defensive tackles coach Keith Millard, right, is reunited with former pupil Bucs second-year defensive tackle Brian Price, center.
Earlier this month, Brian Price looked anything but an NFL player ready to rock and roll once the asinine lockout ended. Last season as a rookie, Price pulled a leg muscle so severely it was torn from his pelvis.
Later, after additional tests, Price was found to have a cracked pelvis that required two surgeries and four screws to repair the damage, not exactly the healing process an NFL player wants.
So earlier this month at Josh Freeman’s mini-camp at IMG in Bradenton, Price couldn’t participate because he was not yet healed. He sounded depressed if not frustrated.
But the joke was on Bucs fans.
“That was all smoke and mirrors,” Price said Friday after the evening practice of Day 1 of Bucs training camp. “The way people were dogging me on the Internet, there was no way I couldn’t come [to training camp]. There was no doubt I would come out here. I had to prove people wrong.”
First step so far has been a success for Price, but now there’s a second step. He has a green light to practice but he has to play within limits. Trainers and doctors have told him if he feels any sort of pain, to pull back, which is nearly blasphemy to a football player.
“If I don’t feel comfortable, I am told to back out,” Price said. “That’s hard to do as a football player because you seem weak. But that’s the smart thing to do because I want to play 10-20 years. I want to play when my grandkids are born.”
Once Price is healthy, what may have him turn the corner from prospect to feared could be new Bucs defensive line coach Keith Millard. In fact, it’s a reunion for both men. Coming out of UCLA, Price hired Millard as a tutor for six weeks of training. The two already have a bond that could nurture.
“He is explosive, very quick,” Millard said of Price. “He has all the things I saw in him coming out of college. I know him pretty well. He’s quick and explosive and he just needs to clean up the little things, clean up his technique, the little things to clean up here and there. Little things.”
Price is very happy to be reunited with Millard.
“I worked with him before the combine [last year] and he’s a good guy,” Price said of Millard. “I like how he teaches and the tools he teaches players to have. Hey, he had 18 sacks in a season, a record for a defensive tackle and he has coached the best like Warren Sapp.”
Price hopes to be able to put his favorite move learned from Millard, the “Jab-O’ Leg,” to frequent use.
But don’t expect Price to tell a stranger the details of this classified move.
“I can’t tell you what it is, the Jab-O’ Leg, I can’t tell you a secret,” Price said. “A magician isn’t going to tell you how he does his magic. I just know how to do it.”
July 29th, 2011 at 11:55 pm
This is really excellent news. He certainly looked tentative on some drills, but the fact he was out there for the scrimmages/walk throughs was huge.
So excited that Bucs football is back!
July 30th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Maybe im just too tired but what exactly was “smoke and mirrors”???? That part of the story doesnt seem to make any sense
July 30th, 2011 at 12:27 am
Good job Joes. Glad to see your finally back in your element. Had to work late and couldn’t go to practice, but my son said it was a packed house, more than he has seen yet at camp. This may be a good sign for more fans and fewer empty seats. Probably just all you diehards from JBF on the first day. I’m jealous but it won’t be long. Thx
July 30th, 2011 at 12:39 am
He looked good out there today. Nice interview Joe. Real nice. After you interviewed him down at the Freeman organized practice you were convinced he wasn’t going to be ready for camp and convinced us too. And he got you. LOL. Don’t think these guys don’t read what you and others write about them. Obviously, they do. Those DLine guys all love Sapp.
July 30th, 2011 at 12:45 am
Im not buying the smoke and mirrors thing. Somebody said he looked like he was 350lbs. I think he may have sat around a bit too much this offseason and now that real football is back he is stepping his game up.
July 30th, 2011 at 12:46 am
So, to my mind, this is the kind of thing us fans need–we need to be reminded that we DID upgrade this offseason. I have a lot of confidence in these new coaches, and ultimately, combined with all that young talent we have up front, I think we are going to have one hell of a fun year watching bucs ball.
July 30th, 2011 at 12:49 am
Fear the Glow:
Remember what Price went through (and is still going through). It wasn’t like Price physically could work out like most players in the offseason. Having two surgeries on your pelvis will keep most men off their feet for weeks.
July 30th, 2011 at 12:58 am
Hopefully he really was blowing smoke up our butts. I would love nothing more than to see this man-beast killing interior o-linemen every Sunday. Im just saying that he’s a young guy in a very weird off-season that may have been a little too “comfortable” nursing his injury. As soon as a reporter asked Dominik about Price at his presser the other day he immediately said something along the lines of “no, he’s fine he just needs to get in shape.”
Arrelious Benn was a man possessed this off-season working out to come back from his injury. It seemed like every day that he was mentioning a workout on his Twitter page.
Price just never struck me as the kind of guy that has that work ethic. Maybe its the Cali upbringing.
I truly hope im wrong and this guy is ready to be a terror against Detroit in a few weeks.
July 30th, 2011 at 1:13 am
To fear the Glow….I dislocated my hip when I was 20 it took me 2 months to even walk.
To Bob….He acted like he wouldn’t make training camp and now he is here…Let’s start with this do you even know what smoke and mirrors means??
Personally I don’t care if he is ready at the beginning of the season just that he plays the majority of the season and doesn’t reinjur his hip. Hip pain sucks I know from experience…my surgery lasted about 15 years and now it hurts in the future I will need a hip replacment hopefully by then the robitic-transplants work really well.
July 30th, 2011 at 1:15 am
Fear the Glow …….don’t you mean……………………. “interior o-linemen killing man-beast” ?
July 30th, 2011 at 1:24 am
Same thing…
July 30th, 2011 at 1:37 am
“The two already have a bond that could nurture.”
Joe is docked -5 for an incomplete sentence.
July 30th, 2011 at 1:42 am
How do you know what kind of work ethic he has from an interview? Didn’t u see any of his replays at UCLA he doesn’t play like a slacker/easy going Cali cat, he bust his ASS on the field. It’s his “HIP” “WAKE UP” you are not even supposed to walk for a couple to several weeks when you hurt your hip. He ripped both the muscle and the tendons AND broke his hip in TWO different places. This isn’t a “tape it up”, “rub dirt on it” type of injury this is a major piece of your skeleton. He has to be in a 3 and 4 point stance and gets hit on all sides by 300lb+ athletes. Do you have any clue on how much strain that puts on a hip joint?
July 30th, 2011 at 1:46 am
No you don’t because you’re an arm-chair QB like me, but I have a little understanding because of my injury. Trust me besides your eyes, brain and heart the hip is the last thing you want an injury to.
July 30th, 2011 at 3:15 am
any of you that went to TC last year saw that Price easily was the most impressive lineman out there (to include any vets). The thought of having him healthy with Mccoy, Clayborn, and Bowers creates a stain in my underwear.
July 30th, 2011 at 3:27 am
I knew I was going to catch flak for my post but I hope you all see where im coming from. I really want this guy to dominate. I am a Bucs fan.
I just don’t understand why i’ve heard for months that he could “barely walk/ barely run/ just starting to jog”
…and then all of a sudden he’s going full speed in practice just a few weeks later.
I understand that his injury is no joke but if you had a hip replacement or a jammed pinky finger you don’t go from “just starting to jog” to blowing up veteran o-linemen in training camp in a matter of weeks. Something is fishy.
July 30th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Well, this is all shocking to here. He did not look like a football player at the OTAs. He has definitely lost weight since then. Some more is necessary, which will come with all the practice time. I sure hope he is ready for the season. That would be crazy considering a hip injury like that. Many players never return from that. Plus, if he takes it easy at practice and doesn’t overdue it, if will actually speed up his recovery. mental and physical benefits. We all win!
July 30th, 2011 at 8:22 am
I should add that putting on weight is natural for athletes unable to work on being athletic due to injuries. It is no knock on Price by any means. Putting on weight is natural after injury.
July 30th, 2011 at 9:04 am
fear the glow, you’re way out of line. obviously a guy who hasn’t ever had a serious football injury and has no frame of reference on the subject.
July 30th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Smoke and mirrors is a term used to indicate a false hood or used in MISDIRECTION. His use of the term might stem from all of the reports that he was not doing well at healing or reports from bloggers and THE MEDIA. We all must realize that his surgery was quite a few months ago and we (as in the fans) dont know spit about his work ethics or workout regimen… and the few reports that we did get ,we ran with them as if they were gospel.
July 30th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Let’s see if he can be a master of the Oil Check too.
He can Jab-O’ Leg and Oil Check himself all the way to the HALL.
July 30th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
To Brock T.
Thanks perfect points. When you say…..don’t know spit about his work ethics or workout regimen… and the few reports that we did get, we ran with them as if they were gospel……………
To Glow Hard
I want to put an (!) point on a couple words of Brock T’s brilliant prose……. First off (few) these reports you speak of are these reporters/bloggers with Brian Price every day? No they are not. You heard (A) report he was out of shape/barley running, when was that, in March and how many times was that same report used over aand over? It’s the same story respun. Last word (Gospel) reports/bloggers like drama the words they write are not gospel (if you don’t believe in god please go with Brock T’s term.) The media like to add fluff.
Also in your own words you say………..I just don’t understand why I’ve heard for months that he could “barely walk/ barely run/ just starting to jog”…….
If you read my post you wouldn’t be worried about flack (or in my opinion asking for an argument.) When you hurt your hip (I dislocated my left hip 8 inches no breaks) the DR’s/Physical Therapist don’t let you even touch your foot to the ground for a 2-4 weeks. In my personal experience they wouldn’t let me out of bed for two weeks. I was in the hospital for a total 31 days. So when they say he could barely walk…..THAT IS HOW IT WORKS. You don’t walk, the reason being is if you do something wrong and knock it out of place again you F’ed, you have to start rehab all over again. I personally didn’t break my hip JUST dislocated it. That is the reason I say 2- 4 weeks to even walk. I don’t know for sure how long he was in bed. But I am sure his hip healed slower than mine cause a break in 2 different places, I am sure is longer/harder thearpy.
July 30th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Sambizzle:
No, not March, but July. July 2011. That would be just a couple of weeks ago.
July 30th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
We all feared the worst! Great to see him suited up! If he and Bowers can both play this season, it would like an unexpected Christmas in August.
Obvious both guys( and a few others- Benn, Grimm, Joseph, McCoy, etc) worked long hours to get ready! Gentleman, we appreciate your sacrifices, and are happy to see you!!
Go out and spred fear of the Buccaneers! Especially wanna see the Defense become a dreaded matchup in the league!
Go Bucs!!
July 30th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Price is back? Millard is coaching the DL and the excitement continues to build.
This is about living in the now and seeing things are going in the right direction. Cannot wait to see this through but today? Man it’s GOOD to be a Buccaneer fan.
July 30th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
The Jab O’ Leg haha. Sounds like something that is liable to seriously piss off some O-linemen.