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SAN ANTONIO – Free agent Henry Melton enjoyed the sumptuous steak dinner the Dallas Cowboys bought him Monday night at a swanky resort hotel in his hometown of Grapevine.
But the club’s newly signed defensive tackle made it clear Wednesday that sharing the table with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli was the best part of the meal.
Melton’s relationship with Marinelli was a big reason why the Texas-ex signed a one-year contract with a three-year team option. Marinelli previously coached Melton for three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
“He’s a great guy,” Melton said in a conference call with reporters. “I am excited to play for him. He genuinely cares about you as a person – not just what you can do for him on the field. Of course, he cares about that. But he actually does care about you off the field.”
The competition to sign Melton included bids from the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams. Although he enjoyed his time with the Bears after joining the team as a fourth-round pick in 2010, Melton showed no desire to remain in the Windy City after Chicago made it clear it wasn’t eager to re-sign him.
“They dropped out early,” he said of the Bears. “They told me they wanted to see what the market was, and we don’t do business like that.”
The Cowboys signed Melton to a cap friendly one-year contract that protects them should his surgically repaired knee prevent him from returning to the Pro Bowl form he showed in 2012, when he recorded six sacks. Melton played only three games last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.
Melton’s base salary for 2014 will be $1.25 million, although he can earn up to $5 million with incentives. The club can exercise a three-year option on Melton beginning in 2015 that will reportedly give him $9 million in guaranteed money, meaning he will be paid along the lines of the league’s top defensive tackles.
“Everywhere that we went, all the doctors that have seen it, they all said it looks great,” Melton said of his injured knee. “I should be ready to go by training camp.”
With 2012 team sacks leader Jason Hatcher gone to the Washington Commanders in free agency, Melton will anchor the Cowboys’ 4-3 Tampa 2 defense at the all-import “three-technique” tackle spot. He recorded 15½ sacks playing the position in
Chicago, including six when he earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2012, and knows he’s going to have to be a disruptive force in the middle if Dallas is going to improve a defense that finished last in the NFL in 2013.
“For the defense to be successful, the three-technique has to do his job and be very disruptive,” Melton said.
That certainly was the case in 2011, when he had a career-high seven sacks.
“The under tackle in Marinelli’s scheme is very disruptive,” Melton said. “It’s fun. Not a lot of people can do it. You have to be very athletic to make plays when doing it, but it’s fun. It’s never wrong when you’re trying to rush the passer. You’re never wrong when you’re being physical.”
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But the club’s newly signed defensive tackle made it clear Wednesday that sharing the table with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli was the best part of the meal.
Melton’s relationship with Marinelli was a big reason why the Texas-ex signed a one-year contract with a three-year team option. Marinelli previously coached Melton for three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
“He’s a great guy,” Melton said in a conference call with reporters. “I am excited to play for him. He genuinely cares about you as a person – not just what you can do for him on the field. Of course, he cares about that. But he actually does care about you off the field.”
The competition to sign Melton included bids from the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams. Although he enjoyed his time with the Bears after joining the team as a fourth-round pick in 2010, Melton showed no desire to remain in the Windy City after Chicago made it clear it wasn’t eager to re-sign him.
“They dropped out early,” he said of the Bears. “They told me they wanted to see what the market was, and we don’t do business like that.”
The Cowboys signed Melton to a cap friendly one-year contract that protects them should his surgically repaired knee prevent him from returning to the Pro Bowl form he showed in 2012, when he recorded six sacks. Melton played only three games last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.
Melton’s base salary for 2014 will be $1.25 million, although he can earn up to $5 million with incentives. The club can exercise a three-year option on Melton beginning in 2015 that will reportedly give him $9 million in guaranteed money, meaning he will be paid along the lines of the league’s top defensive tackles.
“Everywhere that we went, all the doctors that have seen it, they all said it looks great,” Melton said of his injured knee. “I should be ready to go by training camp.”
With 2012 team sacks leader Jason Hatcher gone to the Washington Commanders in free agency, Melton will anchor the Cowboys’ 4-3 Tampa 2 defense at the all-import “three-technique” tackle spot. He recorded 15½ sacks playing the position in
Chicago, including six when he earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2012, and knows he’s going to have to be a disruptive force in the middle if Dallas is going to improve a defense that finished last in the NFL in 2013.
“For the defense to be successful, the three-technique has to do his job and be very disruptive,” Melton said.
That certainly was the case in 2011, when he had a career-high seven sacks.
“The under tackle in Marinelli’s scheme is very disruptive,” Melton said. “It’s fun. Not a lot of people can do it. You have to be very athletic to make plays when doing it, but it’s fun. It’s never wrong when you’re trying to rush the passer. You’re never wrong when you’re being physical.”
Continue reading...