Dont bet against Aaron Donald as Rams look for jolt from superstar
There is no scouting report for this.No historical blueprint.No reliable precedent to tell us what Aaron Donald will look like after spending two full seasons away from football, then returning at 35 to play one of the most physically unforgiving positions in sports.Monday night we finally get a chance to see what that might look like as Donald makes his long-awaited return on Monday Night Football against the Giants at Sofi Stadium.We have no idea whether Donald can still wreck an offensive game plan, split a double-team or hunt down a quarterback with the same terrifying combination of power, speed and fury that made him one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.And while it’s tempting to imagine Donald eventually joining forces with Myles Garrett to create one of the most fearsome defensive-line tandems the league has ever seen – and carrying the Rams all the way to another Super Bowl championship – there are no guarantees this Hollywood sequel will deliver a storybook ending.But let’s be honest: Are you willing to bet against Aaron Donald?Because I’m not.No way.
No how.Even with Garrett sidelined indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery last week and landing on the injured reserve list, are you willing to underestimate Donald? Now more than ever with Garrett on I.R.and the Rams desperately needing Donals to help them get back on the right track after dropping their season opener to the 49ers in Australia?If anyone can pull this off, it’s Donald.
And not simply because he is one of the most extraordinary physical marvels football has ever produced.Skill, strength and athletic ability alone did not turn a relatively undersized, 6-foot-1, 285-pound kid from Pittsburgh into a football behemoth and future first-ballot Hall of Famer.Donald built that player through a relentless, obsessive, almost maniacal devotion to his craft.
He transformed perceived limitations into advantages and natural gifts into historic greatness.His preparation ca...