Ashton Jeanty reveals reason for Michael Myers pose

October has only just begun, but Ashton Jeanty is hopefully ready to terrorize NFL defenders.

Last week against the Chicago Bears, Jeanty put the Las Vegas Raiders on his back as he did his part in what was ultimately a 25-24 loss. One thing that fans noticed during the game was that Jeanty reverted back to his normal pose where he stands up straight in the backfield, as opposed to the more traditional knees-bent stance. It coincided with Jeanty enjoying the best game of his NFL career so far, totaling 155 yards from scrimmage and recording three touchdowns.

With Jeanty back in his familiar stance, it was only a matter of time until he was asked what makes it so effective.

What was the thought process behind Jeanty’s stance?

When asked in the buildup to Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, Jeanty explained why he started using his unorthodox stance.

“Just kind of did it,” Jeanty said. “I mean, coaches will always tell you to be kind of in more of the bent stance, but I don’t know. I just feel more comfortable that way, more relaxed. And then just reading the defense. I can’t really explain it more differently [than] that, but that’s just what I do.”

No one can argue the efficiency that Jeanty has had with the stance, but the Raiders made it a point of contention during the offseason.

One of the adjustments the Raiders and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly tried to make was converting Jeanty to the more traditional bent-knee stance. The results were decidedly mixed, with Jeanty struggling to break off huge chunks of yardage. In his first regular season game returning to his usual stance, however, he showed why he was so comfortable using it in the first place.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to prove that something can work and that’s all it is,” Jeanty said.

Needless to say, the Raiders will be hard-pressed to get Jeanty out of his stance, but they will happily do away with convention if it means getting their star running back going.