How to crash the A-gap

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STANDING ALONE NEAR the end zone of Kansas City's cavernous indoor practice facility, Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe shakes his arms and neck loose before sinking his right hand into the spongy turf. He taps a right toe into the ground and inhales. His haunches lower, then lower some more. His back flattens, and his massive 335-pound frame contracts into an impossibly tight coil a third of its regular size. Just before the snap, he flips the dangling dreads from his face, lifts his chin and locks eyes with his target for this simulated pass rush: you -- a stand-in for Peyton Manning.

The call comes: three, two, one. Poe explodes out of his stance with a fluid, violent leap that instantly cuts the once-safe distance in half. Banners, clocks and equipment visible on the periphery of the field just a second ago are now blocked from view. His arms are up in front of him, reaching; his fingers spread wide open as if he's preparing to put the QB's head in a vise. And before your hypothalamus can trigger a flight response or signal for a timeout, it's too late. Poe is just a few feet away -- and closing fast.

Ready or not, you're about to come face to face with the game's best nose tackle and the antidote to today's pass-happy NFL. Brace yourself. Sometimes change can be painful.