CCBoy
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Red-Shirt Rookie Jaylon Smith Cowboys Answer at MLB
http://profootballtalkline.com/nfl/...7538/jaylon-smith-cowboys-answer-at-mlb.html/
...The linebacking corps. For the Dallas Cowboys recent efforts at creating a top-tier unit have been ineffective and the culprit is a combination of bad luck and the pitfalls of using a specific approach towards garnering talent at the position.
Injury is as much a part of the NFL as hitting and the Dallas Cowboys should be more aware than most teams as over the past few years they have had career and season ending injuries on a regular basis with an added emphasis on the LB position. Be around the NFL long enough and you learn how availability is one of the most under rated aspects of a player’s skill set. For the Cowboys LB corps it’s a deal breaker...With the club badly in need of an influx of talent at LB, in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft the Cowboys selected a first round talent who was often and currently injured, LB Sean Lee out of Penn State. Given his level of talent it was understood his injury status was why he was available in the second round. Get used to this logic. While recovering from his knee injury that occurred in college he badly strained his quad during camp but still went on to have an encouraging campaign...
In 2011 Lee was most impressive to start the year yet had a serious hamstring injury and a dislocated wrist. He wore a club for awhile due to the wrist and the hamstring visibly impacted his play. In 2012 Lee was placed on injured reserve with a toe sprain that required surgery. He played six games that season. In 2013 Lee played 11 games but ended the season with a serious neck injury and his play reflected his status. He missed 2014 entirely after a non-contact injury in OTA’s. 2015 and 2016 were very productive years with Lee playing 14 and 15 games respectively...Jaylon Smith isn’t ready (today) for a three down gig, but he is ready to contribute. He’s still a rookie. He is over running a lot of plays and he needs time to assimilate to NFL game speed. Regardless he’s still a very talented, instinctual player. Even at less than 100% he’s better than anyone the team could bring in off the street.And Anthony Hitchens is coming back this season. Don’t discount how big that could be. If Smith can give be a two down player the team can make do by juggling veterans Durant and Wilber in the rotation. The longer the almost assuredly impending suspension of Damien Wilson can be pushed towards a return by Anthony Hitchens the better and Sean Lee’s versatility to play at a high level at any LB position gives the team the ability to pull it all together. But it will be Jaylon Smith that is the lynch pin that allows the team to bring an effective unit to the field on game day.
http://profootballtalkline.com/nfl/...7538/jaylon-smith-cowboys-answer-at-mlb.html/
...The linebacking corps. For the Dallas Cowboys recent efforts at creating a top-tier unit have been ineffective and the culprit is a combination of bad luck and the pitfalls of using a specific approach towards garnering talent at the position.
Injury is as much a part of the NFL as hitting and the Dallas Cowboys should be more aware than most teams as over the past few years they have had career and season ending injuries on a regular basis with an added emphasis on the LB position. Be around the NFL long enough and you learn how availability is one of the most under rated aspects of a player’s skill set. For the Cowboys LB corps it’s a deal breaker...With the club badly in need of an influx of talent at LB, in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft the Cowboys selected a first round talent who was often and currently injured, LB Sean Lee out of Penn State. Given his level of talent it was understood his injury status was why he was available in the second round. Get used to this logic. While recovering from his knee injury that occurred in college he badly strained his quad during camp but still went on to have an encouraging campaign...
In 2011 Lee was most impressive to start the year yet had a serious hamstring injury and a dislocated wrist. He wore a club for awhile due to the wrist and the hamstring visibly impacted his play. In 2012 Lee was placed on injured reserve with a toe sprain that required surgery. He played six games that season. In 2013 Lee played 11 games but ended the season with a serious neck injury and his play reflected his status. He missed 2014 entirely after a non-contact injury in OTA’s. 2015 and 2016 were very productive years with Lee playing 14 and 15 games respectively...Jaylon Smith isn’t ready (today) for a three down gig, but he is ready to contribute. He’s still a rookie. He is over running a lot of plays and he needs time to assimilate to NFL game speed. Regardless he’s still a very talented, instinctual player. Even at less than 100% he’s better than anyone the team could bring in off the street.And Anthony Hitchens is coming back this season. Don’t discount how big that could be. If Smith can give be a two down player the team can make do by juggling veterans Durant and Wilber in the rotation. The longer the almost assuredly impending suspension of Damien Wilson can be pushed towards a return by Anthony Hitchens the better and Sean Lee’s versatility to play at a high level at any LB position gives the team the ability to pull it all together. But it will be Jaylon Smith that is the lynch pin that allows the team to bring an effective unit to the field on game day.
