panchucko
It's Back
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I hope he plays is butt off this year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...allas-cowboys-2013-nfl-season/?xid=nl_siextra
OXNARD, Calif. -- For the first time in this preseason the hitting was live, and five or so thousand fans at last Tuesday's afternoon practice for the Dallas Cowboys were into it. During one especially spirited seven-on-seven period in the third hour of the session, quarterback Tony Romo lofted a pass into the seam, in the direction of wideout Miles Austin. But the ball was batted down by a defensive back running stride for stride with the speedy Austin, 35 yards down the field.
Except that, once the players untangled themselves, the defender turned out to be ... not a DB. It was middle linebacker Sean Lee, gliding around like a safety, down at least 10 pounds from his 2012 playing weight of 245. Lee, a fourth-year player out of Penn State, has his football roots in pass coverage; he first got on the field as a cornerback at perennial powerhouse Upper St. Clair High, just south of Pittsburgh. He later moved to safety, before making the switch to linebacker at Penn State.
When practice was over, no Cowboy was in better spirits than Lee, who spent at least 10 minutes lingering along the fence-line, smiling and chatting with fans, signing footballs and jerseys, including the back of one with a five-year-old boy still in it: the pressure of the Sharpie tickled the boy, whose father was more giddy than his son.
Asked by a television reporter how it felt to be hitting for the first time since last December, the 27-year-old Lee corrected him. His 2012 season actually ended in October. "So yeah, it's nice to put the pads on again."
Lee was not quite halfway through what was looking very much like a Pro Bowl season when that season was abruptly terminated. On Oct. 24, at the end of a play in the third quarter of a 19-14 win at Carolina, Dallas end DeMarcus Ware tossed an off-balance Panther in the direction of Lee, who was face down on the ground. With his big right toe pointing directly into the turf, the toe had nowhere to go: it ended up in contact with his shin, tearing the plantar plate, plus medial and lateral ligaments in his foot. He had season-ending surgery a few days later.
So, of course, he was excited to be back in the mix -- though it's a different mix. Out is former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. He was replaced by the 73-year-old Monte Kiffin, whose tried and true Tampa 2 defense is simpler and more streamlined than Ryan's multiple, personnel-scrambling, mad scientist approach. After firing Ryan, team owner Jerry Jones spoke of how "too many schemes" can overwhelm players, particularly in a day and age of high roster turnover.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...dallas-cowboys-2013-nfl-season/#ixzz2aBwpW1DS
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...allas-cowboys-2013-nfl-season/?xid=nl_siextra
OXNARD, Calif. -- For the first time in this preseason the hitting was live, and five or so thousand fans at last Tuesday's afternoon practice for the Dallas Cowboys were into it. During one especially spirited seven-on-seven period in the third hour of the session, quarterback Tony Romo lofted a pass into the seam, in the direction of wideout Miles Austin. But the ball was batted down by a defensive back running stride for stride with the speedy Austin, 35 yards down the field.
Except that, once the players untangled themselves, the defender turned out to be ... not a DB. It was middle linebacker Sean Lee, gliding around like a safety, down at least 10 pounds from his 2012 playing weight of 245. Lee, a fourth-year player out of Penn State, has his football roots in pass coverage; he first got on the field as a cornerback at perennial powerhouse Upper St. Clair High, just south of Pittsburgh. He later moved to safety, before making the switch to linebacker at Penn State.
When practice was over, no Cowboy was in better spirits than Lee, who spent at least 10 minutes lingering along the fence-line, smiling and chatting with fans, signing footballs and jerseys, including the back of one with a five-year-old boy still in it: the pressure of the Sharpie tickled the boy, whose father was more giddy than his son.
Asked by a television reporter how it felt to be hitting for the first time since last December, the 27-year-old Lee corrected him. His 2012 season actually ended in October. "So yeah, it's nice to put the pads on again."
Lee was not quite halfway through what was looking very much like a Pro Bowl season when that season was abruptly terminated. On Oct. 24, at the end of a play in the third quarter of a 19-14 win at Carolina, Dallas end DeMarcus Ware tossed an off-balance Panther in the direction of Lee, who was face down on the ground. With his big right toe pointing directly into the turf, the toe had nowhere to go: it ended up in contact with his shin, tearing the plantar plate, plus medial and lateral ligaments in his foot. He had season-ending surgery a few days later.
So, of course, he was excited to be back in the mix -- though it's a different mix. Out is former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. He was replaced by the 73-year-old Monte Kiffin, whose tried and true Tampa 2 defense is simpler and more streamlined than Ryan's multiple, personnel-scrambling, mad scientist approach. After firing Ryan, team owner Jerry Jones spoke of how "too many schemes" can overwhelm players, particularly in a day and age of high roster turnover.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...dallas-cowboys-2013-nfl-season/#ixzz2aBwpW1DS
