Dwight Freeney’s iconic spin move was lethal throughout his career. The former Syracuse defensive end used his leverage to get around offensive lineman and pounce on quarterbacks. In fact, Freeney led the nation with 17.5 sacks in his senior season in 2001.
Freeney, who recently competed in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, shared how he developed his standout move early in his career.
“I mean I can’t tell you why it was so effective,” said Freeney. “I was just doing it for so long, it became a natural thing. It was always something as a kid, where I would go do those types of things. I’d try to be as creative as possible. The football field gave me the opportunity to show my creativity to the world.”
That creativity turned into one of the best spin sack moves in NFL history. Freeney used that spin move during the course of 16 seasons in the NFL, 11 of them with the Indianapolis Colts. He ended his career as a seven-time Pro Bowler and became a Super Bowl XLI champion with the Colts in 2007.
“For me, I was a big And1 mixtape guy. I wanted to find ways to bring that And1 mixtape type of style where you’re out there embarrassing that guy who was trying to defend you. For us in football, that guy that was trying to block you. That was the best I could think of to make him look silly.”
NFLVault breaks down Freeney’s spin move, and what he did to be so effective.
Freeney will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3rd, and he feels a sense of relief without the stress of making a team or being let go.
“This is football heaven. I’ll be there no matter what. I can’t be cut. I can’t be released. Even if I don’t want to be on the team, I’m on the team. It doesn’t matter. It’s really an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys who I watched play.”
