ShareThisANN ARBOR, Mich. - When Michigan senior Will Heininger stands up straight in practice -- a stance that renders a defensive lineman useless -- his head will start hurting.
"We have chutes that we practice out of every day, and they're made of metal, so if you're too high, your head's going to be ringing on that metal," Heininger said.
By lowering his pad level, Ann Arbor-native Heininger has managed to raise his game in this his final season for the Wolverines (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten). He is coming off of perhaps his best game, in coach Brady Hoke's viewpoint, in Michigan's loss to Michigan State two weeks ago. Heininger and tackle Mike Martin were stout in the middle, and two of Heininger's four tackles were made behind the line of scrimmage.
Heininger, who began the season at end before flip-flopping with senior Ryan Van Bergen, is expected to make his eighth start Saturday when No. 17 Michigan hosts Purdue.
The biggest key to Heininger's progression, according to defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, has been staying low.
"I've seen him buy into what we're trying to do because of his confidence," Mattison said. "Now, in the technique, it's allowed him to use his strength, and it's allowed him to become a more physical football player."
A graduate of Pioneer High School, Heininger figured he'd stick around town for college and be a Wolverine -- but as a baseball player. Instead he joined the football team as a walk-on, eventually earning a scholarship, and this year, a starting spot. Heininger said he made significant strides his freshman year, learning from coaches and from offensive tackle Jake Long, who was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft after that season. Heininger and Van Bergen still celebrate the times they beat Long in practice. There were only three such instances.
"If I was lower than him I had a chance, and he even told me that," Heininger said. "(I could win if) he would play high and I would play low, for as strong as he was, and as weak as I was."
At 6-foot-6 and almost 300 pounds, Heininger said his length is "a gift and a curse" when it comes to trying to achieve a leverage advantage over offensive linemen.
"You really have to bend your knees and get down there," he said.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit the Toledo Blade
