All season long, Will Compton has been aware of former Arkansas Razorback Martrell Spaight's desire to become a better inside linebacker. Spaight peppers his Washington Redskins teammate with questions in text messages: How do you understand route concepts? What do you look at?
Such complex questions are difficult to answer with your thumbs, but Spaight, the backup, is constantly looking to pick up tips and hints from Compton, the starter at the "Mike" position. But when Compton explained that a knee injury he suffered in Sunday's victory over Philadelphia meant that Spaight will be making his first career start Monday night against Carolina, the younger player's later text was even more direct.
"I'm going to stick to you like a fly to [expletive]," Spaight recalled. "It's an old phrase I used to hear in movies. What better way to put it than that?"
It has been a season-long study session for Spaight, a fifth-round selection in the 2015 draft who has been a special teams asset but didn't receive significant reps up until Compton was hurt in the third quarter against Philadelphia.
In a road division game crucial to the Redskins' playoff hopes, Spaight had to be the "quarterback" of the defense for the rest of the second half. Coaches and players praised the way Spaight handled the stressful scenario, one he began preparing for months earlier.
Spaight's rookie season was washed away because of a concussion he suffered during the season opener that landed him on injured reserve. He felt isolated away from his teammates during the recovery process and didn't overcome his loneliness until he was cleared to work out again. Spaight was able to rest his body and understand defensive coordinator Joe Barry's scheme better last season, and he returned to the field hungrier.
Spaight, 23, who was born in North Little Rock, asked Compton to share everything he knew because "it's apparent that Will Compton is pretty much the smartest guy on the team when it comes to football, and I just wanted to dissect his brain," Spaight said.
"He's got a very humble approach to his preparation," said Compton, in his first full season as a starter. "He tries a lot of different ways to prepare, figures out what he likes and what he doesn't like. He's always asking questions, so he's somebody that you always enjoy being around because you know that he's just a good dude to be around."
Compton has told Spaight throughout the season, "You see a little; you see a lot. You see a lot; you see a little."
The advice reminds Spaight to focus his eyes on his keys because those small details will tell him more about the play than gauging the entire field. Offenses want defenders to have their eyes wander at players in motion or other forms of trickery meant to create confusion.
"Next thing you know, you're in the wrong gap or didn't see a puller, didn't see the fullback slipping across," said inside linebacker Mason Foster.
Out of Spaight's 38 snaps, Redskins Coach Jay Gruden and Barry raved about his pursuit on a fourth-quarter wide receiver screen. Compton had told Spaight, who played through a shoulder injury suffered in the game, to be aware of a certain formation the Eagles ran that would result in a screen. On second and 15, Spaight dropped back in coverage and immediately broke on the designed screen to Nelson Agholor. Despite being chop-blocked, Spaight popped back up to make the tackle after a 12-yard gain.
On the following play, the Redskins made a rare third-down stop to force a field goal.
"He made a game-saving tackle on a screen," Gruden said. "We like his athletic ability. Mentally, is he as far along as where Comp is? We'll see, but he didn't have any trouble communicating the calls, so I feel very confident in Spaight. I think he's a good linebacker. He's tough, he's physical, and we've just got to make sure health-wise he gets to where he can be productive."
Barry still views Spaight as a rookie because he played only one game last season and rookies tend to make mistakes. But Gruden believes in him. Barry believes in him. And the starter he's replacing, and regularly texting, believes in him.
"I've been doing this all my life," Spaight said. "I've been a leader all my life from high school, to junior college, to Arkansas. The game never changes. Just got to go out there as a band of men, make sure they believe in me, play technique football, be physical and just go get the job done."
Sports on 12/18/2016