Indiana University Athletics
Feeney Lets Work Ethic Define His Play
9/25/2015 12:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Dan Feeney remembers the play, but he'd rather not talk about it.
It came last November on the road against Rutgers. One mistake, that's all it was.
The redshirt junior guard got beat. He couldn't slow down a Scarlett Knights defender and allowed a sack.
It's the only one he's allowed in his career.
"I try to shut it out," Feeney said. "I really hate getting beat. I had trouble sleeping for a few days. It's not something I like to ever think about."
The way Feeney regrets his one costly mistake reflects the standard he holds himself to. He expects perfection.
He's taken over 1,800 snaps in 27 career starts at right guard and got beat once. To put that in perspective, that means Feeney allowed a sack on 0.056 percent of his snaps.
That's why when asked who his most consistent player was, head coach Kevin Wilson didn't waste time coming up with his answer: Dan Feeney.
"Hands down, the best," Wilson said. "Dan Feeney's real good. He walks in and puts his socks on good, I guarantee it."
Feeney laughed when he found out what Wilson said about him. He shook his head and promised he didn't put his socks on any different than anyone else. He doesn't keep any sock secrets.
"One foot at a time, I guess," Feeney said.
Socks aside, Wilson has long praised Feeney's consistency on the offensive line. He's developed a reputation among his coaches and teammates for being one of the hardest working players in the locker room.
That's easy to say, offensive line coach Greg Frey said, but it's entirely different when it's true. He said Feeney makes up for any technical skill he lacks by outworking the players around him.
"Dan has a unique quality that he really tries as hard as he can on each play," Frey said. "Whether it's practice, whether it's walk-throughs, whether it's a game—whatever it may be. You don't have to coach effort with him."
Feeney's become a favorite among NFL scouts who have stopped by practices and games to see him up close. CBS Sports' 2017 NFL Draft board ranks him as the No. 3 guard available, meaning he could one day end up being a first round pick.
After earning honorable mention All-Big Ten last season, Feeney was named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List (best lineman or linebacker) and the Outland Trophy Watch list (best interior lineman) in the preseason.
Feeney will find out if he wins those awards in December, but his quarterback, senior Nate Sudfeld, doesn't need the awards to back him up.
"If you were to try to create an offensive lineman, you'd create Dan Feeney," Sudfeld said.
Whether he's on the field, off the field or even just playing Ping Pong in the locker room, Feeney attacks everything with the same intensity.
If it's a game, Feeney wants to win it. More importantly, he wants to crush his opponent doing it.
"He's selfless," Sudfeld said. "He sets the tone with that O-line."
Feeney said there's an art to playing at his intensity level. It's not something that just happened overnight, he said.
He mentally resets before every snap. He needs to clear his head, refocus and start fresh each and every play to perform to his standard.
"You definitely have to think about it every play," Feeney said. "The human body is naturally lazy. It's definitely an uphill battle. You've just got to keep fighting, keep grinding, keep wanting to get better."
Feeney's aware of the awards. He knows he's gaining the attention of NFL scouts and that opponents are eager to tack on another sack to his name. But none of that changes anything, he said.
He didn't get as far as he did by taking days off. Feeney goes in to practice the same way every day, and despite what Wilson may think, he puts his socks on one foot at a time and gets to work.
"He's always been that guy who's done everything as hard as he could, whatever it is," Frey said. "Whether it be physical, mental, spiritual or whatever it is in his life, I think he goes hard at it. That's all he knows."
It came last November on the road against Rutgers. One mistake, that's all it was.
The redshirt junior guard got beat. He couldn't slow down a Scarlett Knights defender and allowed a sack.
It's the only one he's allowed in his career.
"I try to shut it out," Feeney said. "I really hate getting beat. I had trouble sleeping for a few days. It's not something I like to ever think about."
The way Feeney regrets his one costly mistake reflects the standard he holds himself to. He expects perfection.
He's taken over 1,800 snaps in 27 career starts at right guard and got beat once. To put that in perspective, that means Feeney allowed a sack on 0.056 percent of his snaps.
That's why when asked who his most consistent player was, head coach Kevin Wilson didn't waste time coming up with his answer: Dan Feeney.
"Hands down, the best," Wilson said. "Dan Feeney's real good. He walks in and puts his socks on good, I guarantee it."
Feeney laughed when he found out what Wilson said about him. He shook his head and promised he didn't put his socks on any different than anyone else. He doesn't keep any sock secrets.
"One foot at a time, I guess," Feeney said.
Socks aside, Wilson has long praised Feeney's consistency on the offensive line. He's developed a reputation among his coaches and teammates for being one of the hardest working players in the locker room.
That's easy to say, offensive line coach Greg Frey said, but it's entirely different when it's true. He said Feeney makes up for any technical skill he lacks by outworking the players around him.
"Dan has a unique quality that he really tries as hard as he can on each play," Frey said. "Whether it's practice, whether it's walk-throughs, whether it's a game—whatever it may be. You don't have to coach effort with him."
Feeney's become a favorite among NFL scouts who have stopped by practices and games to see him up close. CBS Sports' 2017 NFL Draft board ranks him as the No. 3 guard available, meaning he could one day end up being a first round pick.
After earning honorable mention All-Big Ten last season, Feeney was named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List (best lineman or linebacker) and the Outland Trophy Watch list (best interior lineman) in the preseason.
Feeney will find out if he wins those awards in December, but his quarterback, senior Nate Sudfeld, doesn't need the awards to back him up.
"If you were to try to create an offensive lineman, you'd create Dan Feeney," Sudfeld said.
Whether he's on the field, off the field or even just playing Ping Pong in the locker room, Feeney attacks everything with the same intensity.
If it's a game, Feeney wants to win it. More importantly, he wants to crush his opponent doing it.
"He's selfless," Sudfeld said. "He sets the tone with that O-line."
Feeney said there's an art to playing at his intensity level. It's not something that just happened overnight, he said.
He mentally resets before every snap. He needs to clear his head, refocus and start fresh each and every play to perform to his standard.
"You definitely have to think about it every play," Feeney said. "The human body is naturally lazy. It's definitely an uphill battle. You've just got to keep fighting, keep grinding, keep wanting to get better."
Feeney's aware of the awards. He knows he's gaining the attention of NFL scouts and that opponents are eager to tack on another sack to his name. But none of that changes anything, he said.
He didn't get as far as he did by taking days off. Feeney goes in to practice the same way every day, and despite what Wilson may think, he puts his socks on one foot at a time and gets to work.
"He's always been that guy who's done everything as hard as he could, whatever it is," Frey said. "Whether it be physical, mental, spiritual or whatever it is in his life, I think he goes hard at it. That's all he knows."
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