SAN ANTONIO – It's hard to make noise at the linebacker position playing behind the likes of Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware. But lately, Alex Albright has forced his way into the conversation of being a rookie free agent who could make the cut.
Albright admitted that football at this level moves at a quicker pace. "It's moving fast, I didn't expect it to move this fast," he said.
Fortunately on Sunday, during the White and Blue scrimmage, the game slowed down for him. Albright recorded four tackles within one yard of the line of scrimmage, while also posting a pass defended and one sack. Granted, Albright recorded these stats playing against the second- and third-team offense. Nevertheless, he made the most out of the opportunities given to him.
At Boston College, Albright played defensive end. Now the Cowboys are in the process of turning him into a linebacker. On Monday, he spoke about what he has to do in order to learn the position.
"I think just getting more familiar in dropping back in pass coverage and reading offensive formations," Albright said. "Like playing (defensive) end, I never really had to worry about that, so I think I'm just getting more comfortable getting off the ball without my hand down."
During practice on Monday, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was seen giving the rookie some hands-on work.
"I think he knows I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone playing at linebacker. He's just trying to make me ... get used to playing like that. Using my hands more, instead of firing off the ball low," Albright said.
To no surprise, Albright is a fan of Ryan's coaching style.
"He's been really good with the rookies, you know, helping us out. They don't have to say anything to undrafted rookies but they make sure we're understanding everything and are up to speed," Albright said.
In an effort to get him comfortable at linebacker, Ryan has had no problems throwing Albright into the fire.
"He wants me to go against (tight end Jason) Witten and stuff just to go against the best and get used to learning how to do techniques like that," Albright said.
Linebacker coach Matt Eberflus commented on how Albright is adjusting to his new position and said.
"Typically that's a work in progress, but because of his functional intelligence he is able to process all of the information, understand drops, understand different rushes that we use," Eberflus said.
During an interview on Monday, Ryan spent time praising Albright for the work he has done so far in camp. Ryan credits Eberflus for scouting Albright from Boston College.
The past year, the big story coming out of BC was Mark Herzlich, who overcame bone cancer and signed with the New York Giants. Because of the attention surrounding the dramatic story of Herzlich, Albright could have gone overlooked by many teams. Albright has overcome adversity himself, returning from neck surgery in 2008 to fix a career-threatening injury.
While Ryan liked Herzlich, he had this to say: "That's a great story, a wonderful story. I like that man over there, but heck, I like (No.) 47 a lot better."
Make no mistake, along with all the rookies, Albright has a long way to go. However, if his progress continues, he has a shot at being one of the few rookie free agents to make the squad.
On the defensive side, the Cowboys have already seen injuries to Keith Brooking, Jay Ratliff, Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman just two weeks into training camp.
Albright has a chance in the upcoming preseason game against the Broncos to prove he can fill in at linebacker, if another starter goes down.
Albright admitted that football at this level moves at a quicker pace. "It's moving fast, I didn't expect it to move this fast," he said.
Fortunately on Sunday, during the White and Blue scrimmage, the game slowed down for him. Albright recorded four tackles within one yard of the line of scrimmage, while also posting a pass defended and one sack. Granted, Albright recorded these stats playing against the second- and third-team offense. Nevertheless, he made the most out of the opportunities given to him.
At Boston College, Albright played defensive end. Now the Cowboys are in the process of turning him into a linebacker. On Monday, he spoke about what he has to do in order to learn the position.
"I think just getting more familiar in dropping back in pass coverage and reading offensive formations," Albright said. "Like playing (defensive) end, I never really had to worry about that, so I think I'm just getting more comfortable getting off the ball without my hand down."
During practice on Monday, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was seen giving the rookie some hands-on work.
"I think he knows I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone playing at linebacker. He's just trying to make me ... get used to playing like that. Using my hands more, instead of firing off the ball low," Albright said.
To no surprise, Albright is a fan of Ryan's coaching style.
"He's been really good with the rookies, you know, helping us out. They don't have to say anything to undrafted rookies but they make sure we're understanding everything and are up to speed," Albright said.
In an effort to get him comfortable at linebacker, Ryan has had no problems throwing Albright into the fire.
"He wants me to go against (tight end Jason) Witten and stuff just to go against the best and get used to learning how to do techniques like that," Albright said.
Linebacker coach Matt Eberflus commented on how Albright is adjusting to his new position and said.
"Typically that's a work in progress, but because of his functional intelligence he is able to process all of the information, understand drops, understand different rushes that we use," Eberflus said.
During an interview on Monday, Ryan spent time praising Albright for the work he has done so far in camp. Ryan credits Eberflus for scouting Albright from Boston College.
The past year, the big story coming out of BC was Mark Herzlich, who overcame bone cancer and signed with the New York Giants. Because of the attention surrounding the dramatic story of Herzlich, Albright could have gone overlooked by many teams. Albright has overcome adversity himself, returning from neck surgery in 2008 to fix a career-threatening injury.
While Ryan liked Herzlich, he had this to say: "That's a great story, a wonderful story. I like that man over there, but heck, I like (No.) 47 a lot better."
Make no mistake, along with all the rookies, Albright has a long way to go. However, if his progress continues, he has a shot at being one of the few rookie free agents to make the squad.
On the defensive side, the Cowboys have already seen injuries to Keith Brooking, Jay Ratliff, Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman just two weeks into training camp.
Albright has a chance in the upcoming preseason game against the Broncos to prove he can fill in at linebacker, if another starter goes down.
