A sentiment I’ve seen a few times over the years is that part of the beauty of football is that it’s a bunch of different contests jammed together into one amalgamated sport. A footrace in the middle of a game of catch is happening right next to a wrestling match/demolition derby. And the whole dang thing is slapped on top of a game of chess.
In our seemingly infinite appetite for more football, what if we were to dive into one of these “other” contests to broaden our understanding of the game we love? More specifically, what can we learn about modern NFL edge rushing from the decidedly “un-modern” Japanese art of Iaijutsu?