Carl Granderson poised for a breakout year

Sometimes success is only time and opportunity away from being achieved. For New Orleans Saints pass rusher Carl Granderson, his time and opportunity is right in front of him. From the looks of things this summer he is eager to seize the moment ahead of him. Canal Street Chronicles got a chance to talk with Coach Aaron Day, who is a defensive line trainer, about the work Carl has been putting in this summer.

He, like many Saints fans, seems to expect big things from Granderson this coming season.

CSC: How did you and Carl initially decide to work together? Did you guys have a previous relationship of working or is this the first time?

AD: Carl reached out to me on Instagram about getting some pass rush training in. He knew of me through my work with dlinevids, but specifically from working with a friend of his & fellow Sacramento-native (PJ Johnson) who I worked with after he was drafted by the Detroit Lions back in 2019.

CSC: What specifically are you working on in Carl’s game to take him to the next level?

AD: I’m working on all things pass rush with Carl. After watching his game film from the 2020 season, I noticed that he has a great spin move & he can go inside or outside with it. I love to train pass rushers on the spin move, so that has been a point of emphasis for me in our training sessions, both the physical execution of the move as well as the mental approach.

CSC: What attributes do you see in Carl that can propel him to a successful NFL career?

AD: Carl has the athleticism, competitive toughness & mental focus to go far in the NFL. He’s got great speed, play strength & bend at the top of the rush. His motor is also very good. Working with him, he’s shown leadership qualities as well. He understands the game & isn’t afraid of constructive criticism. He just wants to get better & step up for the Saints.

With Trey Hendrickson signing a massive deal to join the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, Granderson will have every opportunity to step up and make an impact on this team. It sounds eerily similar to Hendrickson before the start of last season. Through the first 3 years of Hendrickson’s career, he played in a handful of games and amassed 6.5 sacks. Similar story to Granderson, who for the first 2 years of his career has played in a handful of games and gotten 6 sacks.

Hendrickson was able to prove his abilities with extended playing time due to Marcus Davenport’s various injuries that sidelined him for five games last season. Hendrickson went on to have a career year with 13.5 sacks and was looked at as a premier pass rusher in free agency. With his departure those snaps will likely be Granderson’s to fight for and by the looks of his vigorous offseason workout regimen, he is fighting hard to be the next Saint to have a breakout season. The great American author Napoleon Hill once wrote, “Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” Carl Granderson is putting all three to the test to make sure those words hold true.

Coach Aaron Day is a personal defensive line trainer who specializes in developing elite pass rushers. You can follow him on Twitter @dlinevids1, and on Instagram @dlinevids.

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