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Breaking Out
Spagnola: Cowboys Player Primed To Emerge This Season
IRVING, Texas - Can feel it in my bones, can't you? Football is on the horizon. Sort of like that storm that blew through here the other night. Could see it coming a mile away, the hail and eventual high water.
The league and the players association are talking. We are hearing real numbers and percentages. It's just a matter of time, probably after The Fourth, for an agreement to be reached, thus unlocking the doors, launching the new league year and freeing us up to actually talk with players, meaning you will once again be fully entertained.
But until then . . .
We must continue to be creative, coming up with lists and topics while biding our time - and yours. So here we go, at least one more time:
The Dallas Cowboys 2011 Breakthrough Player, the guy on the verge of emerging into someone big, and not necessarily as a starter or earning Pro Bowl honors, but a guy who has been in the league a year or two or three who is about to become a difference-maker. And goodness knows, after last year's 6-10 season, the Cowboys need some guys to step up and become so, and certainly more than last year. When you think about it, the only difference-makers to emerge were Doug Free at offensive left tackle, Dez Bryant at wide receiver and to a certain extent David Buehler.
And stop it. Can hear it now: Buehler had one of the worst field-goal percentages in the league, making just 75 percent. Well, check this out: If he had made two more, just two more out of the 32 attempts he had, which would have given him 26 conversions, his percentage would have risen to 81.25 percent, considered good in this league. Let's also remember the weapon he is, not only on kickoffs but also hitting four of six attempts from beyond 49 yards. And don't forget, he was in just his first full NFL season kicking field goals.
So he has to be a consideration this year, assuming he can improve on last year's performance, like just eliminating two of those three missed between 30-39 yards.
And before we go any further, time to out myself. This idea was first broached to me by the good folks at Pro Football Weekly, canvassing their correspondents on who would be their pick to take the next step.
And when answering the question, consideration must be given to just which players will be given the opportunity to emerge. See, you might like a guy like Victor Butler, but really, how much of an opportunity is he going to get to replace the likes of DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer at outside linebacker? Not much to none.
Again, to me Free and Bryant have already emerged, Dez, like Free, showing us exactly what he can do last year until suffering the season-ending injury. So they don't count.
Who else?
Maybe Akawsi Owusu-Ansah? He showed flashes during his rookie season last year, but again, how much opportunity will he get to become a starting safety? He would have to go a long ways during training camp and preseason, along with the Cowboys not signing a high-priced free-agent safety, to reach that level.
Not sure we can even count Tyron Smith. When you are taken with the ninth pick in the draft there are no shadows from which to emerge, not even for a rookie. You are expected.
Martellus Bennett? Again, when the starting tight end catches a team-high 94 passes, as Jason Witten did last year, how many passes are available for the second tight end?
Running backs? Think we know what the Cowboys have there. Same at cornerback. Same on the defensive line, although Josh Brent is a thought, but if he's still playing behind Jay Ratliff not sure just how much of a breakthrough he'll be able to make.
So to me, here's the 2011 Dallas Cowboys Breakthrough Player:
Sean Lee.
Right?
Let's examine. With Bradie James having turned 30 and Keith Brooking steaming toward the 36 he'll be the day before Halloween, there is going to be some opportunity. Plus, when you look at the depth at inside linebacker, it's not like Lee will have a ton of competition to get in his way. Yes, the Cowboys did select Bruce Carter in the second round of the draft. But chances are he'll probably be eased into training camp while putting the final touches on his ACL reconstruction rehab. Might not even be ready to start the season, and believe me, the Cowboys are in no hurry to rush him onto the field. They understand probably better than the North Carolina rookie what they were doing in the draft, taking advantage of a guy with first-round talent in the second round.
After that, the Cowboys have just a bunch of guys trying to make the squad as backups at inside linebacker. So when it comes to opportunity, Lee has the best shot.
We know all about his work ethic, and just how much he loves to play the game and how much pressure he puts on himself to improve. Maybe after last year's injury-riddled season he'll better understand you can't make the Pro Bowl in the third training camp practice; that you have to pace yourself to get through training camp in one piece.
Plus, we got a sampling, however small it was, of what last year's second-round draft choice can do once he got himself healthy. In the final five games of the season as a role player, and actually forced out of one of those with a concussion, Lee totaled 22 of his 45 tackles in 2010, so actually averaging 5.4 tackles in the four games he did play down the stretch.
Not bad for a guy playing mostly on third down, on the nickel and in some special situations.
Plus, who will ever forget the game at Indianapolis, where he totaled a career-high nine tackles (the Cowboys basically were in their nickel defense the entire game against Peyton Manning's multiple-receiver sets) and two interceptions, one returned 31 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-14 lead in the third quarter.
And as if that were not enough, Lee intercepted Manning the second time in overtime with the game tied at 35, returning the ball to the Indy 36-yard line to set up Buehler's eventual, game-winning 38-yard field goal six plays later for his first NFL career game-winner. (How 'bout those Buehler beans for the non-believers?)
Lee then finished off the season with a six-tackle performance in the Cowboys' 14-13 victory at Philadelphia to help leave a lasting impression.
Too bad this has been a lost offseason. Guys make their greatest leap between their first and second seasons, normally having the opportunity to train fulltime in the offseason for the first time in their lives, along with nearly 3� months of hands-on instruction before reporting to camp. Plus, playing linebacker at this level, with all the intricate pass coverages, is complicated, as Lee found out during training camp last summer.
Now, this is not to say Lee is going to replace either James or Brooking in the starting lineup. But I'm willing to suggest he initially becomes a mainstay on the team's nickel defense, assuming new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan uses two linebackers on the nickel, and heck, maybe even if he uses just one if Lee can learn quickly enough.
Plus, the athletic Lee is exactly what Ryan is looking for in his unconventional alignments. He wants versatile guys who are athletic enough to do numerous things. That way offenses can't sit there in pregame preparation and say, well, when this guy comes in the game this is what the Cowboys are likely doing on defense. Who knows with Lee?
So even if he's a "role" player, me thinks he can be one heckuva role player as long as he stays healthy this time, authoring truly a breakout season.
What do you think?
Spagnola: Cowboys Player Primed To Emerge This Season
IRVING, Texas - Can feel it in my bones, can't you? Football is on the horizon. Sort of like that storm that blew through here the other night. Could see it coming a mile away, the hail and eventual high water.
The league and the players association are talking. We are hearing real numbers and percentages. It's just a matter of time, probably after The Fourth, for an agreement to be reached, thus unlocking the doors, launching the new league year and freeing us up to actually talk with players, meaning you will once again be fully entertained.
But until then . . .
We must continue to be creative, coming up with lists and topics while biding our time - and yours. So here we go, at least one more time:
The Dallas Cowboys 2011 Breakthrough Player, the guy on the verge of emerging into someone big, and not necessarily as a starter or earning Pro Bowl honors, but a guy who has been in the league a year or two or three who is about to become a difference-maker. And goodness knows, after last year's 6-10 season, the Cowboys need some guys to step up and become so, and certainly more than last year. When you think about it, the only difference-makers to emerge were Doug Free at offensive left tackle, Dez Bryant at wide receiver and to a certain extent David Buehler.
And stop it. Can hear it now: Buehler had one of the worst field-goal percentages in the league, making just 75 percent. Well, check this out: If he had made two more, just two more out of the 32 attempts he had, which would have given him 26 conversions, his percentage would have risen to 81.25 percent, considered good in this league. Let's also remember the weapon he is, not only on kickoffs but also hitting four of six attempts from beyond 49 yards. And don't forget, he was in just his first full NFL season kicking field goals.
So he has to be a consideration this year, assuming he can improve on last year's performance, like just eliminating two of those three missed between 30-39 yards.
And before we go any further, time to out myself. This idea was first broached to me by the good folks at Pro Football Weekly, canvassing their correspondents on who would be their pick to take the next step.
And when answering the question, consideration must be given to just which players will be given the opportunity to emerge. See, you might like a guy like Victor Butler, but really, how much of an opportunity is he going to get to replace the likes of DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer at outside linebacker? Not much to none.
Again, to me Free and Bryant have already emerged, Dez, like Free, showing us exactly what he can do last year until suffering the season-ending injury. So they don't count.
Who else?
Maybe Akawsi Owusu-Ansah? He showed flashes during his rookie season last year, but again, how much opportunity will he get to become a starting safety? He would have to go a long ways during training camp and preseason, along with the Cowboys not signing a high-priced free-agent safety, to reach that level.
Not sure we can even count Tyron Smith. When you are taken with the ninth pick in the draft there are no shadows from which to emerge, not even for a rookie. You are expected.
Martellus Bennett? Again, when the starting tight end catches a team-high 94 passes, as Jason Witten did last year, how many passes are available for the second tight end?
Running backs? Think we know what the Cowboys have there. Same at cornerback. Same on the defensive line, although Josh Brent is a thought, but if he's still playing behind Jay Ratliff not sure just how much of a breakthrough he'll be able to make.
So to me, here's the 2011 Dallas Cowboys Breakthrough Player:
Sean Lee.
Right?
Let's examine. With Bradie James having turned 30 and Keith Brooking steaming toward the 36 he'll be the day before Halloween, there is going to be some opportunity. Plus, when you look at the depth at inside linebacker, it's not like Lee will have a ton of competition to get in his way. Yes, the Cowboys did select Bruce Carter in the second round of the draft. But chances are he'll probably be eased into training camp while putting the final touches on his ACL reconstruction rehab. Might not even be ready to start the season, and believe me, the Cowboys are in no hurry to rush him onto the field. They understand probably better than the North Carolina rookie what they were doing in the draft, taking advantage of a guy with first-round talent in the second round.
After that, the Cowboys have just a bunch of guys trying to make the squad as backups at inside linebacker. So when it comes to opportunity, Lee has the best shot.
We know all about his work ethic, and just how much he loves to play the game and how much pressure he puts on himself to improve. Maybe after last year's injury-riddled season he'll better understand you can't make the Pro Bowl in the third training camp practice; that you have to pace yourself to get through training camp in one piece.
Plus, we got a sampling, however small it was, of what last year's second-round draft choice can do once he got himself healthy. In the final five games of the season as a role player, and actually forced out of one of those with a concussion, Lee totaled 22 of his 45 tackles in 2010, so actually averaging 5.4 tackles in the four games he did play down the stretch.
Not bad for a guy playing mostly on third down, on the nickel and in some special situations.
Plus, who will ever forget the game at Indianapolis, where he totaled a career-high nine tackles (the Cowboys basically were in their nickel defense the entire game against Peyton Manning's multiple-receiver sets) and two interceptions, one returned 31 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-14 lead in the third quarter.
And as if that were not enough, Lee intercepted Manning the second time in overtime with the game tied at 35, returning the ball to the Indy 36-yard line to set up Buehler's eventual, game-winning 38-yard field goal six plays later for his first NFL career game-winner. (How 'bout those Buehler beans for the non-believers?)
Lee then finished off the season with a six-tackle performance in the Cowboys' 14-13 victory at Philadelphia to help leave a lasting impression.
Too bad this has been a lost offseason. Guys make their greatest leap between their first and second seasons, normally having the opportunity to train fulltime in the offseason for the first time in their lives, along with nearly 3� months of hands-on instruction before reporting to camp. Plus, playing linebacker at this level, with all the intricate pass coverages, is complicated, as Lee found out during training camp last summer.
Now, this is not to say Lee is going to replace either James or Brooking in the starting lineup. But I'm willing to suggest he initially becomes a mainstay on the team's nickel defense, assuming new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan uses two linebackers on the nickel, and heck, maybe even if he uses just one if Lee can learn quickly enough.
Plus, the athletic Lee is exactly what Ryan is looking for in his unconventional alignments. He wants versatile guys who are athletic enough to do numerous things. That way offenses can't sit there in pregame preparation and say, well, when this guy comes in the game this is what the Cowboys are likely doing on defense. Who knows with Lee?
So even if he's a "role" player, me thinks he can be one heckuva role player as long as he stays healthy this time, authoring truly a breakout season.
What do you think?
