If you’ve watched a single Boise State game or caught the Las Vegas Raiders' early 2025 season highlights, you've probably done a double-take. There’s this guy in the backfield. He isn't crouched. He isn't leaning. He’s just... standing there. Completely vertical. Arms at his sides. Staring. It's the Ashton Jeanty Michael Myers stance, and honestly, it’s one of the weirdest sights in modern football.
People started calling it the "Michael Myers" because it looks exactly like the slasher villain from Halloween stalking his prey. Just a stationary, menacing figure before the chaos starts. Most running backs are taught from Pee-wee league to stay "coiled like a spring." You stay low. You keep your hands on your knees. You’re ready to explode. Jeanty does the opposite. He stands like he's waiting for a bus.
But there’s a method to the madness.
The Physics of Being Relaxed
Why on earth would an elite athlete ignore every coaching manual ever written?
Basically, Jeanty says it’s all about comfort. He’s been doing this since high school. During a press conference back in his Boise State days, he mentioned a rule a former coach told him: if you can't hold a stance for five minutes, it's a bad stance. Most RBs are burning energy just staying in their crouch. Jeanty? He's catching a breather.
Imagine you just finished a 60-yard sprint. Your lungs are on fire. The last thing you want to do is squat down and put more tension on your quads. By standing upright, he’s literally resting in the seconds before he has to go 100 miles per hour again. It’s a conservation of energy play that sounds simple but is actually pretty brilliant.
Does it actually help his vision?
There’s a lot of debate here. Some analysts, like former NFL linebacker Kirk Morrison, have pointed out that standing tall gives a shorter back (Jeanty is about 5'9") a better "crow's nest" view of the defense. If you're low, you're looking at the butts of your offensive linemen. If you’re standing, you can see the safeties rotating. You can see the linebacker creeping up for a blitz.
However, his own coaches have been skeptical. James Montgomery, his RB coach at Boise, once joked that the difference in height between a crouch and standing is only a few inches—hardly enough to see "over" 6'5" linemen. But for Jeanty, those few inches might be the difference between spotting a gap and running into a wall.
The Battle with Chip Kelly
When Jeanty got to the NFL and joined the Las Vegas Raiders, the "Michael Myers" look almost died.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wasn't having it. On the first day of rookie minicamp in May 2025, Kelly reportedly used a basketball analogy. He asked Jeanty how he’d guard someone on the court. Jeanty, obviously, dropped into a low, athletic stance. Kelly’s point was simple: "Then why are you standing like a statue when you’re about to carry a football?"
For the first three weeks of the 2025 NFL season, Jeanty tried to play the "right" way. He crouched. He got low.
And he struggled.
Through those first three games, he was averaging a measly 3.1 yards per carry. He looked stiff. He looked like he was thinking too much instead of just playing.
The Return of the Boogeyman
Everything changed in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. Jeanty and the coaching staff reached an "alignment," which is basically code for "let the kid do what works." He went back to the Ashton Jeanty Michael Myers stance.
The results were immediate and frankly kind of terrifying for the Bears.
- 138 rushing yards.
- 2 receiving touchdowns.
- A total of 3 scores on the day.
He looked loose again. When he stands straight up, he’s able to "lull" the defenders. They see a stationary target and relax for a split second. Then, the ball is snapped, and Jeanty hits a jump cut that leaves ankles in the grass. He’s like a car idling in neutral that can somehow hit 60 mph in a gear-shift.
More Than Just a Meme
The internet loves this stuff. During October 2024, when he was the Heisman frontrunner, Jeanty even leaned into it. He posted videos wearing the actual Michael Myers mask. He understood the brand. But beneath the social media hype, the stance represents a shift in how we think about "athletic positions."
We see similar things with players like Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions or even how Nick Chubb used to stand at Georgia. It’s about "stillness." If you’re perfectly still and upright, you aren't giving away any "tells." If a running back leans slightly forward, he’s probably running. If he’s sitting back, he might be pass-blocking.
Jeanty looks the same every time. Whether he’s getting the handoff, running a route, or picking up a blitzing linebacker, he’s just... there. Standing.
Actionable Insights for Players and Fans
If you're a young athlete or just a die-hard fan trying to understand why this matters, here are the real takeaways from the Jeanty saga:
- Comfort equals speed: If you’re tense before the play starts, you’re slower. Jeanty proves that being "relaxed" is a functional skill.
- Don't fix what isn't broken: Coaches often try to "standardize" players. Jeanty’s success in 2025 showed that unique traits should be managed, not erased.
- Vision is subjective: What works for a 6'2" back won't work for a 5'9" back. Seeing the field is about the angle that makes you feel most confident.
- The "Tell" factor: Standing upright makes it nearly impossible for a defense to read your intentions based on body lean.
The Ashton Jeanty Michael Myers stance isn't just a gimmick for Twitter likes. It’s a high-level psychological tool. It keeps him fresh, it keeps the defense guessing, and most importantly, it keeps him in the end zone. As long as he’s putting up 150-yard games, nobody in Las Vegas is going to ask him to bend his knees again.
To see this in action, watch his tape from the Week 4 Raiders vs. Bears game. Pay attention to how he doesn't move a muscle until the center’s fingers twitch. It's the most productive "statue" in football history.