Jared Veldheer draws the unenviable task of taking on Denver's Elvis Dumervil. Veldheer is tall. Dumervil is not. Veldheer has a whopping nine inches on Dumervil. If Veldheer wants to avoid getting out leveraged, he is going to have to play low.
Veldheer is acutely aware of this fact. Veldheer, as quoted by Steve Corkran:
"Any matchup presents someone has a strength here, someone has a strength there. I have to work on, obviously, playing lower than 6-foot-8 this week. It’s just one of the things you need to work on in the week of practice and preparation."
Jump over for more....
Veldheer is doing everything he can to be prepared for this challenge, and everything else. As Corkran says, he is the first to arrive and the last to leave. There is no doubting Veldheer's work ethic.
Veldheer reportedly added 20 pounds of muscle this offseason. He outweighs Dumervil by 55 pounds. He needs to put that extra weight and muscle to work on running downs. If Veldheer stays low, he should be able to wear down Dumervil and muscle him around on running plays.
This is easier said then done. Dumervil makes his cash rushing the passer, but he is no slouch in run defense. This will be a great test for Veldheer. He looked fantastic in the preseason. If he can handle Dumervil in the run game by himself, the Raiders interior line will be free to dominate the Broncos weak DTs.