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A GREAT EXPERIENCE
The game itself wasn't much, but just being in Miami and taking part in the Pro Bowl was special for those Cowboys in attendance.
by Alain Poupart
Long after the 2010 Pro Bowl had ended, Miles Austin was still on the field at Miami's Sun Life Stadium doing interview after interview. After he finally made his way into the NFC locker room, more reporters were there to ask him more questions.
While answering countless inquiries isn't necessarily something NFL players relish, Austin didn't mind talking about his first Pro Bowl experience.
And the same words came up again: awesome, great, priceless.
The Cowboys would have liked to have been busy the last week of January beginning preparations for Super Bowl XLIV, but for Austin and seven of his Dallas teammates, spending the week in South Florida was the next-best thing.
Austin, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Leonard Davis, Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins were on the losing end of a 41-34 decision on Jan. 31, but the outcome wasn't nearly as significant as the overall scene itself.
"I thought it was awesome," Austin said. "It was a great experience. I was happy to be out there and play amongst these guys and just enjoy myself, really."
Jenkins, added to the team as an injury replacement for Minnesota's Antoine Winfield, and Austin both were making their first Pro Bowl appearances.
"It's been great, just being out here with some of these older cats," Jenkins said the day before the game. "I knew half these guys coming in, but it's like they're taking me in like a little brother. I have to earn my respect; it's my second year in the league. I feel like I'm doing a good job right now. I'm just out here enjoying my time."
Pro Bowl week indeed is a time for players to relax, have fun and hang out with top players from other teams. The game itself, with specific rules stressing offense and unwritten rules discouraging physical play, is almost an afterthought.
That's why Romo easily could shake off a late interception that all but clinched the AFC's victory; why Witten could deal with dropping a touchdown pass at the goal line; and why Jenkins wasn't about to get bummed about giving up a couple of long completions.
"Probably not getting injured is the priority," Ware said. "We have a long season ahead of us, so why get hurt in an all-star game? But us being competitive, you always want to win. You hate to lose."
The Pro Bowl game capped a memorable week for Ware, who also was selected to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team.
"You started off on the right foot, you've been working hard and you've been progressing and everybody sees it, and it's like your hard work is being recognized," Ware said of being named. "Hopefully I can keep doing what I'm doing now, and hopefully I'll be able to do it again."
Ware made Pro Bowl week a mini-vacation, as he brought down to South Florida his family, including his daughter. Romo also had his family in town, as did Austin. Even Austin's coach at Monmouth made the trip.
"It was great to see them and talk to them and share the experience with them," Austin said. "Just sharing the experience with them was probably the most self-gratifying."
The order of the day the entire week, though, was relaxation.
Davis, making his third Pro Bowl appearance, went to the zoo on Tuesday.
Jenkins made it a point to get to the beach every day.
Ratliff, for his part, went deep-sea fishing and said he reeled in a sailfish, a bonito and a barracuda, although he was quick to point out it wasn't that big a barracuda.
That's not all Ratliff did, though.
"Eating everywhere," he said. "I've eaten like crazy. That's one of the things I love to do right now. Just hanging out."
For Newman, who earned his second Pro Bowl invitation after the Arizona Cardinals' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie pulled out, his game plan was simple.
"Sleeping," Newman said the day before the game. "I like sleep. I went to the beach for the first time yesterday to eat. That was it. I like the free food. It's kind of expensive over there at the Marriott."
For the first time since 1979, the Pro Bowl was played somewhere other than Hawaii. It also was the first time the game was played before the Super Bowl, as the NFL decided to make it sort of a kickoff event for the big game.
Witten, who earned his sixth Pro Bowl appearance, said he preferred the game be played after the Super Bowl.
Romo, meanwhile, had no preference. When it came to playing in Miami, he took the same approach during the week as he did in Hawaii.
"There isn't a difference," he said. "It is still throwing the ball and hanging out in a nice weather climate."
Of course, the weather took a turn for the worse on game night as rain fell and temperatures dipped into the 60s—it was in the low 80s and sunny at the same time in Honolulu.
Ware was quick to point that out.
"It didn't rain in Hawaii," he said. "The weather is the same, it's still really good weather. But Hawaii is even more of a vacation place because you look forward to going all the way across the water over there."
Said Newman: "It's a big difference. It's a vacation here, but everybody kind of knows where to go here. And Hawaii, it's kind of like, 'All right, what's going on tonight? What are we doing this evening?' Kind of that. It's more like a vacation out there because you have to take an eight-hour flight or however far it is from your city. It's just a little bit different there.
"The Pro Bowl is going to be the Pro Bowl. It doesn't matter where it is. It's easy for people here to actually get a chance to go to the game. I think it helps out a little bit because we're playing here, the Super Bowl is next week and guys can stay here and relax a little bit and make it to the Super Bowl as well."
The light nature of the practices didn't change, though, regardless of the venue.
While the teams had to get ready for the game, there was still plenty of time for cracking jokes. One new teammate in particular made Ratliff laugh.
And that just happened to be the quarterback of the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
"McNabb, man, that guy's funny," Ratliff said. "I never knew that. I thought he was serious all the time. I never got a chance to talk to him because you're playing against him in our division.
"Everyone is down to earth, no one is talking about what happened during the year or anything like that. Everyone is just coming out here, having fun and enjoying themselves."
Of course, the eight Dallas players at the Pro Bowl had the advantage of already knowing the playbook, considering Wade Phillips and his staff were coaching the NFC team.
"It's sort of like bringing Dallas to Miami," Ware said. "You have all the coaches and trainers here. It was a good thing. The comfort level is a little bit higher, having all the guys that you're used to playing for."
The first three practices of the week were closed to the public, but the Saturday walk-through at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale—home of the Florida Atlantic University Owls—drew a nice crowd.
Throughout the stadium, fans wore jerseys of their favorite team. But no club was represented nearly as much as the Cowboys, and spotted were jerseys of Romo, Witten, Austin, Ware, Marion Barber and the number 31 formerly worn by safety Roy Williams.
At the end of the workout, players conducted on-field interviews before walking toward the buses that would take them back to the hotel. As he made his way across the field, Davis was stopped by a Mexican television reporter who asked him to put on a sombrero and say, "Viva Mexico."
Davis first said "Mexico" before correcting himself and pronouncing it "Mehico." Another TV reporter took advantage of the opportunity to ask Davis about his Spanish.
"I know a little bit, but not much," Davis said. "I'm not fluent at it."
From there, it was back to the hotel and on to the game the next night.
For the NFC, Austin caught six passes for 49 yards; Witten had three receptions for the same yardage; Romo was 13-of-18 for 154 yards with the one interception; Ratliff had two tackles and a pass defensed; Newman had a team-high six tackles, including one for a loss; Jenkins had five tackles and a pass defensed while playing on all the special teams; and Ware had a sack and a forced fumble.
It's unlikely any of the players will remember those stats, though. What they will remember is the whole Pro Bowl experience.
"It was very fun," Jenkins said. "I enjoyed every moment of it. Hopefully I can get back and do it again. But not play all these special teams."
Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine, February, 2010
The game itself wasn't much, but just being in Miami and taking part in the Pro Bowl was special for those Cowboys in attendance.
by Alain Poupart
Long after the 2010 Pro Bowl had ended, Miles Austin was still on the field at Miami's Sun Life Stadium doing interview after interview. After he finally made his way into the NFC locker room, more reporters were there to ask him more questions.
While answering countless inquiries isn't necessarily something NFL players relish, Austin didn't mind talking about his first Pro Bowl experience.
And the same words came up again: awesome, great, priceless.
The Cowboys would have liked to have been busy the last week of January beginning preparations for Super Bowl XLIV, but for Austin and seven of his Dallas teammates, spending the week in South Florida was the next-best thing.
Austin, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Leonard Davis, Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins were on the losing end of a 41-34 decision on Jan. 31, but the outcome wasn't nearly as significant as the overall scene itself.
"I thought it was awesome," Austin said. "It was a great experience. I was happy to be out there and play amongst these guys and just enjoy myself, really."
Jenkins, added to the team as an injury replacement for Minnesota's Antoine Winfield, and Austin both were making their first Pro Bowl appearances.
"It's been great, just being out here with some of these older cats," Jenkins said the day before the game. "I knew half these guys coming in, but it's like they're taking me in like a little brother. I have to earn my respect; it's my second year in the league. I feel like I'm doing a good job right now. I'm just out here enjoying my time."
Pro Bowl week indeed is a time for players to relax, have fun and hang out with top players from other teams. The game itself, with specific rules stressing offense and unwritten rules discouraging physical play, is almost an afterthought.
That's why Romo easily could shake off a late interception that all but clinched the AFC's victory; why Witten could deal with dropping a touchdown pass at the goal line; and why Jenkins wasn't about to get bummed about giving up a couple of long completions.
"Probably not getting injured is the priority," Ware said. "We have a long season ahead of us, so why get hurt in an all-star game? But us being competitive, you always want to win. You hate to lose."
The Pro Bowl game capped a memorable week for Ware, who also was selected to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team.
"You started off on the right foot, you've been working hard and you've been progressing and everybody sees it, and it's like your hard work is being recognized," Ware said of being named. "Hopefully I can keep doing what I'm doing now, and hopefully I'll be able to do it again."
Ware made Pro Bowl week a mini-vacation, as he brought down to South Florida his family, including his daughter. Romo also had his family in town, as did Austin. Even Austin's coach at Monmouth made the trip.
"It was great to see them and talk to them and share the experience with them," Austin said. "Just sharing the experience with them was probably the most self-gratifying."
The order of the day the entire week, though, was relaxation.
Davis, making his third Pro Bowl appearance, went to the zoo on Tuesday.
Jenkins made it a point to get to the beach every day.
Ratliff, for his part, went deep-sea fishing and said he reeled in a sailfish, a bonito and a barracuda, although he was quick to point out it wasn't that big a barracuda.
That's not all Ratliff did, though.
"Eating everywhere," he said. "I've eaten like crazy. That's one of the things I love to do right now. Just hanging out."
For Newman, who earned his second Pro Bowl invitation after the Arizona Cardinals' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie pulled out, his game plan was simple.
"Sleeping," Newman said the day before the game. "I like sleep. I went to the beach for the first time yesterday to eat. That was it. I like the free food. It's kind of expensive over there at the Marriott."
For the first time since 1979, the Pro Bowl was played somewhere other than Hawaii. It also was the first time the game was played before the Super Bowl, as the NFL decided to make it sort of a kickoff event for the big game.
Witten, who earned his sixth Pro Bowl appearance, said he preferred the game be played after the Super Bowl.
Romo, meanwhile, had no preference. When it came to playing in Miami, he took the same approach during the week as he did in Hawaii.
"There isn't a difference," he said. "It is still throwing the ball and hanging out in a nice weather climate."
Of course, the weather took a turn for the worse on game night as rain fell and temperatures dipped into the 60s—it was in the low 80s and sunny at the same time in Honolulu.
Ware was quick to point that out.
"It didn't rain in Hawaii," he said. "The weather is the same, it's still really good weather. But Hawaii is even more of a vacation place because you look forward to going all the way across the water over there."
Said Newman: "It's a big difference. It's a vacation here, but everybody kind of knows where to go here. And Hawaii, it's kind of like, 'All right, what's going on tonight? What are we doing this evening?' Kind of that. It's more like a vacation out there because you have to take an eight-hour flight or however far it is from your city. It's just a little bit different there.
"The Pro Bowl is going to be the Pro Bowl. It doesn't matter where it is. It's easy for people here to actually get a chance to go to the game. I think it helps out a little bit because we're playing here, the Super Bowl is next week and guys can stay here and relax a little bit and make it to the Super Bowl as well."
The light nature of the practices didn't change, though, regardless of the venue.
While the teams had to get ready for the game, there was still plenty of time for cracking jokes. One new teammate in particular made Ratliff laugh.
And that just happened to be the quarterback of the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
"McNabb, man, that guy's funny," Ratliff said. "I never knew that. I thought he was serious all the time. I never got a chance to talk to him because you're playing against him in our division.
"Everyone is down to earth, no one is talking about what happened during the year or anything like that. Everyone is just coming out here, having fun and enjoying themselves."
Of course, the eight Dallas players at the Pro Bowl had the advantage of already knowing the playbook, considering Wade Phillips and his staff were coaching the NFC team.
"It's sort of like bringing Dallas to Miami," Ware said. "You have all the coaches and trainers here. It was a good thing. The comfort level is a little bit higher, having all the guys that you're used to playing for."
The first three practices of the week were closed to the public, but the Saturday walk-through at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale—home of the Florida Atlantic University Owls—drew a nice crowd.
Throughout the stadium, fans wore jerseys of their favorite team. But no club was represented nearly as much as the Cowboys, and spotted were jerseys of Romo, Witten, Austin, Ware, Marion Barber and the number 31 formerly worn by safety Roy Williams.
At the end of the workout, players conducted on-field interviews before walking toward the buses that would take them back to the hotel. As he made his way across the field, Davis was stopped by a Mexican television reporter who asked him to put on a sombrero and say, "Viva Mexico."
Davis first said "Mexico" before correcting himself and pronouncing it "Mehico." Another TV reporter took advantage of the opportunity to ask Davis about his Spanish.
"I know a little bit, but not much," Davis said. "I'm not fluent at it."
From there, it was back to the hotel and on to the game the next night.
For the NFC, Austin caught six passes for 49 yards; Witten had three receptions for the same yardage; Romo was 13-of-18 for 154 yards with the one interception; Ratliff had two tackles and a pass defensed; Newman had a team-high six tackles, including one for a loss; Jenkins had five tackles and a pass defensed while playing on all the special teams; and Ware had a sack and a forced fumble.
It's unlikely any of the players will remember those stats, though. What they will remember is the whole Pro Bowl experience.
"It was very fun," Jenkins said. "I enjoyed every moment of it. Hopefully I can get back and do it again. But not play all these special teams."
Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine, February, 2010