49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone looking to crack roster
By Daniel Brown
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Posted: 08/07/2010
Alex Boone told the tale Saturday of how he broke a tackling sled. Legend has it that a day earlier, the 6-foot-7, 328-pound offensive lineman hit the sled with such force that he snapped a metal beam. "It just shattered -- pure steel,'' Boone recounted, gleefully.
A 49ers employee, overhearing the conversation, scoffed. "You're full of it,'' he said.
Boone scanned the practice field for the evidence, but the sled had been removed from the field.
"Where is it? Is it in the Hall of Fame?'' Boone said, smiling. "It broke it right in half. I swear to God."
Independent witnesses confirmed Boone's version of the event. He really did break the darn thing. It just shattered -- pure steel.
For his next trick, Boone will try to break his way onto the 49ers' roster. The one-time Ohio State standout who spent all of last season on the 49ers' practice squad reported this year in the best physical shape of his life.
The bar was set low: Boone treated his body like a trash can for most of his life. He started drinking in eighth grade and has said he could drink more than 30 cans of beer a day. Boone's alcohol abuse cost him in the 2009 draft, but the 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent in hopes that he could get his life on track.
Boone says he's cleaned up his act and, in this case, he doesn't have to search for the evidence. His reshaped, slimmer body serves as Exhibit A that Boone has taken his fitness more seriously.
He spent the offseason working out with LeCharles Bentley, who made two Pro Bowls as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
This is how Boone built up his sled-breaking strength: Bentley would place a monster-truck tire on the ground. Boone would flip it over five times to get to Bentley, and Bentley would flip it five times back to Boone.
They did five trips each, meaning 25 tire flips. It sounds like another legend, like breaking steel.
"It's like a 600-pound tire, I swear,'' Boone said. "When you look at the tire, you're like, 'I wouldn't want to be moving that.' "
In their more conventional weight workouts, Boone and Bentley would alternate, which meant the rest period lasted only as long it took the other to finish a set. They didn't run, but Boone said the fast-paced weight workouts gave him the cardiovascular endurance to thrive at training camp.
"I was so worried that I was going to be out of shape, and I'm like, 'I feel great out here,' '' he said. "So, I'm pretty happy with what I did."
Boone has worked mostly at left tackle during training camp but spent some time at right tackle Saturday. He's a long shot to make the roster, especially after the team used two first-round picks on linemen, Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati.
But Boone said working with tires has him thinking about a good year. He's ready to roll.
"I don't want to speak out of turn or sound cocky or anything, but I've put the work in,'' he said. "I've proven that I know my plays and that I can get out there and bang with these guys."