Rutgers football: For Max Melton, playing on ‘Melton Island’ can be lonely, but it requires focus to stay that way
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — According to Max Melton, perfection is in the details. The Rutgers football defensive back is finding himself targeted fewer and fewer times this season, forcing the all-Big Ten caliber player to rely on focus and mental toughness in pursuit of his craft.
College football programs are replete with mantras and Rutgers is no different. From ‘CHOP’ to ‘F.A.M.I.L.Y.,’ there are daily reminders around Rutgers of their culture. On the field, however, Melton says a line repeatedly before every single play, a mantra that has become a way of life.
In his stance. Crouched. Fingers twitching. Ready to backpedal. He looks up. The words run through his mind.
“The ball is coming my way.”
Increasingly, the truth of the matter is that the ball isn’t coming his way. But Melton has put this saying on repeat prior to every play as a reminder to stay sharp.
Melton, a likely NFL draft pick next season, is going through a season where his statistical numbers are down. Halfway through the year, Melton has just 13 total tackles (last year, he finished with 33 total tackles). This puts him on pace for the lowest number of tackles he has had in a season since he was a freshman. The reason for the drop in production is because Melton is doing his job at a high level and opposing offenses are throwing fewer times at his direction.
‘Melton Island’ is alive and real at Rutgers.
Through six games, Melton has appeared in 189 snaps on defense. He has been targeted 24 times and allowed 14 receptions. Last year in 306 defensive snaps, he was targeted 54 and allowed 31 catches.
Pro-rated, Melton is seeing the ball fewer times this year than a season ago, a testament to his ability to lock down one side of the field. But it also tests the mental readiness of the Rutgers defensive back.
“I’ll go home and look at the film (and) it’s like ‘Okay, maybe there’s supposed to be a little bit more ball on the field’,” Melton told Rutgers Wire this week.
“I still take each snap like ‘No, this ball…it is coming to me right now,.’ No matter what, the ball is coming to me right now. So there will be games I feel like I played horrible because I do nothing – the ball is not coming my way.”
Melton acknowledges that giving up two or three catches a game is not bad by any stretch, especially since he often draws the assignment of the other team’s top wide receiver.
But there are long stretches where Melton will go unchallenged. That leads to the battle within in the game of staying sharp and on point.
“The ball is coming my way.”
It is a way for Melton to stay locked in, something the lockdown cornerback says is an evolving part of his game.
“I don’t get bored. I used to do that back when I was younger, but I’m more mature now. So I always tell myself to think that the ball is coming out every play,” Melton said.
“It is definitely a challenge. It’s a challenge, to say the least, to be out there – what do we play like 60…70 snaps in a ball game? And the ball comes my way sometimes once or twice a game – it is definitely a challenge. But I got my coach on the sideline talking to me whenever I’m on the sideline. The other team is talking trash, you know? So stuff like that keeps it alive. And yeah, I really just tell myself every play (that) the ball is coming here and if it doesn’t, well, next play ball is coming here again.”
For Melton, the mental side of the game has taken on a greater importance. He spends time watching more film, even if in some games his film is admittedly sparse and lacking in targets.
But watching film has become a way of life for Melton and something that is massively important in his development at Rutgers as well as his ambitions to play on Sunday.
“Whenever I don’t have class- literally whenever I’m done I pick it up. Like I hate to call it no free time to yourself, but there’s really is no free time to yourself. Last night I put my iPad down at nine o’clock because I was tired and asleep by 9:30 – easy,” Melton said.
“That’s daily so really just taking the next step and bringing it to your house rather than just watching film in their facility. Bring it with you everywhere to take that next step.”
