By Brandon George
bgeorge@dallasnews.com | Bio
5:19 PM on Thu., Nov. 3, 2011
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IRVING - No matter how it's sliced, the Cowboys' pass rush the last few weeks has consisted of DeMarcus Ware and more Ware.
The Cowboys have eight sacks in their last three games and Ware has seven of them. Ware has the Cowboys' last six sacks, seven of the last eight, eight of the last 10 and 10 of the last 14.
Coming off a career-high four sacks last weekend at Philadelphia, against one of the NFL's most-mobile quarterbacks in Michael Vick, Ware will face a Seattle team Sunday that has allowed a league-high 28 sacks.
"He's an amazing football player and of course they know it and move him around to do things with him to give him his chance to be effective," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of Ware. "He's very much a problem and the kind of guy you have to have a mindfulness throughout the game plan because he can strike you at any time."
Ware ranks second in the NFL with 12 sacks, trailing only Dallas-born Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen with 12.5 (but he's played one more game than Ware). No other player has more than nine this season. The Cowboys have eight fourth-quarter sacks, and Ware has half of them.
The Cowboys recognize Harvey Martin's 23 sacks in 1977 as their team record, though sacks didn't become an official statistic until 1982. The Cowboys also record Martin's 114 career sacks as the team record. But Jim Jeffcoat's 94.5 sacks would be the career Cowboys record post-1982. Right now, Ware sits at 92 career sacks and is closing in on Jeffcoat.
Ware is on pace for a 27-sack season this year, which would break former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5 in 2001.
"As a pass-rusher, you're always aware of what you have but you just don't talk about it," Ware said. "You just get out there and keep working. At the end of the season, you just hope that you are where you need to be."
Right now, Ware is everywhere. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has done a good job of moving Ware around pre-snap this season, making it harder on teams to zero in on him. That has left Ware in more one-on-one situations, always a favorable matchup for him.
On Sunday, Ware will line up across from second-year left tackle Russell Okung, a native Texan who played at Oklahoma State, some of the time and will be eye to eye with rookie right tackle James Carpenter from Alabama other times.
"There are some players around the league, but there are not many, who can have more of a factor than he can from the defensive standpoint," Carroll said. "He's really something."
bgeorge@dallasnews.com | Bio
5:19 PM on Thu., Nov. 3, 2011
Link
IRVING - No matter how it's sliced, the Cowboys' pass rush the last few weeks has consisted of DeMarcus Ware and more Ware.
The Cowboys have eight sacks in their last three games and Ware has seven of them. Ware has the Cowboys' last six sacks, seven of the last eight, eight of the last 10 and 10 of the last 14.
Coming off a career-high four sacks last weekend at Philadelphia, against one of the NFL's most-mobile quarterbacks in Michael Vick, Ware will face a Seattle team Sunday that has allowed a league-high 28 sacks.
"He's an amazing football player and of course they know it and move him around to do things with him to give him his chance to be effective," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of Ware. "He's very much a problem and the kind of guy you have to have a mindfulness throughout the game plan because he can strike you at any time."
Ware ranks second in the NFL with 12 sacks, trailing only Dallas-born Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen with 12.5 (but he's played one more game than Ware). No other player has more than nine this season. The Cowboys have eight fourth-quarter sacks, and Ware has half of them.
The Cowboys recognize Harvey Martin's 23 sacks in 1977 as their team record, though sacks didn't become an official statistic until 1982. The Cowboys also record Martin's 114 career sacks as the team record. But Jim Jeffcoat's 94.5 sacks would be the career Cowboys record post-1982. Right now, Ware sits at 92 career sacks and is closing in on Jeffcoat.
Ware is on pace for a 27-sack season this year, which would break former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5 in 2001.
"As a pass-rusher, you're always aware of what you have but you just don't talk about it," Ware said. "You just get out there and keep working. At the end of the season, you just hope that you are where you need to be."
Right now, Ware is everywhere. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has done a good job of moving Ware around pre-snap this season, making it harder on teams to zero in on him. That has left Ware in more one-on-one situations, always a favorable matchup for him.
On Sunday, Ware will line up across from second-year left tackle Russell Okung, a native Texan who played at Oklahoma State, some of the time and will be eye to eye with rookie right tackle James Carpenter from Alabama other times.
"There are some players around the league, but there are not many, who can have more of a factor than he can from the defensive standpoint," Carroll said. "He's really something."
