Down Pat

What’s red, white and Green all over quarterbacks? New England Patriots Jarvis Green.

By Sebastian del Marmol; Photography by Bryce Vickmark

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Any NFL defensive end worth his smelling salts better know how to power, speed or otherwise meander his way to a violent collision with an opposing quarterback. And in about the time it takes for you to say down… set… hut. Jarvis Green, an eight-year veteran with the only dynastic professional football team of the decade—the New England Patriots—knows this better than most. “I wouldn’t say I have one best move,” Jarvis says. “I do a lot of different things well. I have a nice arsenal of things I do. But whichever I pick [on a particular play], I do so very decisively.”

Even while platooning in and out of games as part of one of the best defensive lines of the past decade, Jarvis is an integral part of the three-time champs. He’s done much of his damage on some of the biggest NFL stages—including making Peyton Manning his personal throw rag with 2.5 sacks in the 2004 AFC Championship Game—and was key to the Patriots’ history-making perfect season (16-0) in 2007.

Motivation and preservation
Though his position is often viewed as brawn over brains, Jarvis is not your average defensive end in mind or matter. He carries the strength of a DE without the corresponding heft, and credits a disciplined off-season that includes some time off for keeping him at or near his playing weight year-round. “I make sure to take a month off and don’t do anything,” he says. “I know a lot of guys who go in and start working out too early, and it breaks down your body when it’s time for off-season workouts.” He eats many small meals during the day instead of a few larger ones to keep his metabolism high and excess weight off, especially when he’s limiting his exercise.

When he does work out in the off-season, Jarvis prefers his backyard to the gym. “I’m more of a Rocky kind of guy. I find tires, heavy paint buckets and different things to lunge with or pick up over my head.” His nontraditional training helps keep him light and swift on his feet and makes him a bane for pass throwers across the league. More importantly, he says keeping fit ensures he can step away from the game in better condition than many others. “My thing is when I walk away I want to be heart-healthy and in good overall condition. You always see stories of guys after football having heart attacks, strokes. I’m all about living a healthy life.”

Jarvis Green breaks down his tactic for sacking the QB in the November/December 2009 issue of SOBeFiT Magazine.

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