PLAY HARD OR GO HOME: Dallas Cowboys LB Sean Lee not going to sellout on the field
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee has yet to play a full 16-game schedule in his NFL career.
Entering the final season of his rookie contract, Lee, who missed the final 10 games of the 2012 season with torn ligaments in his right big toe, said he isn’t going to change the way he plays.
“I’m going to try to play a certain way, play hard,” Lee told KTCK-AM Tuesday, via the Dallas Morning News (see below). “I don’t think I would be successful if I didn’t play that way. I’d rather cut a few years off my career and play the right way than go soft and not play right. If injuries come, they come. But I’m going to sellout on the field and try to sellout every game. I think that’s the only way we really can win, if everybody does that.”
Lee said last week he is “pretty much 100 percent” and plans to be healthy enough to participate in organized team activities next week.
He will play a key role in the middle of new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin’s Texas-Two scheme. He told the radio station he has been studying Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and former Bear Brian Urlacher to learn how to play the scheme.
RELATED: Sean Lee – ‘I’d rather cut a few years off my career and play the right way than go soft’
Torn ligaments in Sean Lee’s right big toe caused the Dallas Cowboys linebacker to miss the final 10 games of the 2012 season. Lee said last week that he’s “pretty much 100 percent” and that’s obviously good news for a defense that’s transitioning into a 4-3 scheme under Monte Kiffin.
But will Lee be able to turn in the first 16-game season of his career in 2013?
Since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while at Penn State in 2008, Lee has battled wrist and other leg injuries. Some players might try to change the way they play because of frequent injury setbacks, but the former second-round draft pick doesn’t plan on changing anything about his game.
“I’m going to try to play a certain way, play hard,” Lee said (<—listen to MP3 by clicking on word) Tuesday during the BaD Radio show on 1310 The Ticket [KTCK-AM]. “I don’t think I would be successful if I didn’t play that way. I’d rather cut a few years off my career and play the right way than go soft and not play right. If injuries come, they come. But I’m going to sellout on the field and try to sellout every game. I think that’s the only way we really can win, if everybody does that.”
Lee, who said he’s been studying film of how Chicago Bears linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs played in the Tampa-Two scheme, is in the final year of his rookie contract. It’s likely that the Cowboys will try to sign him to a long-term deal.
But if that doesn’t happen before the season starts, don’t expect to see the 26-year-old publicly demanding a new contract.
“I’m just happy to be playing football,” Lee said. “I really don’t think about that stuff. I just want to be on the field, staying healthy. The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. For me, that’s all I think about non-stop, ‘How can I get better as a football player? How can I help my team win? What can I do to make my teammates better so we hopefully can compete for a Super Bowl every year?’ That’s my main concern.”
KIFFIN’S TEXAS 2 DEFENSE: Passing up defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at 18 was the right decision
It seemed like a perfect match on draft day. With a switch to a 4-3 scheme on the way, the Dallas Cowboys had a need at defensive tackle. Sharrif Floyd, who many saw as the top DT in the draft, surprisingly slid to the Cowboys at No. 18 (and 17 other teams for that matter). But instead of taking Floyd to shore up the defensive line, the Cowboys traded down and took an offensive linemen instead.
So how did the decision sit with new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin? Just fine, apparently.
“[Floyd’s] a really, really outstanding football player, but I think everybody discussed it and the decision was made,” Kiffin told KRLD-FM The Fan. “And I think it was the right decision, or it wouldn’t have been a big time discussion. We made the right decision for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Kiffin, in his first year with the Cowboys after spending the last three seasons at USC, will be installing a Texas variation of the Tampa 2 scheme that traditionally requires a disruptive 3-technique defensive tackle to work well. And while the Cowboys have talent along the defensive line, starters Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware are coming off surgery, while Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer will be moving to different positions.
Still, Kiffin seemed far less concerned about the state of his defensive front than his linebacking corps heading into the final day of the draft.
“I walked into the linebacker room the other day and there were five linebackers in there. And I walked in the d-line room and I couldn’t get a seat. I had to sit on the floor,” Kiffin said. “So I said, ‘Coach Garrett, we still need linebackers.’ And everybody knows that.”
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PLEA BARGAIN IN WORKS: Dez Bryant close to deal on family violence charge
The radio station 105.3 THE FAN is reporting that Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant is close to a plea deal after his arrest on a family violence charge amid accusations he assaulted his mother.
PHOTO: Dez Bryant and his mother, Angela, appeared with attorney Royce West in July.
The Dallas Morning News has previously reported that his mother, Angela Bryant, signed an affidavit saying she did not want her son to be prosecuted.
According to THE FAN:
Lawyers representing Dez Bryant met this week with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office and, according to a source familiar with the case, are extremely close to a plea bargain in which the Dallas Cowboys’ receiver will plead guilty to a reduced charge of a Class C misdemeanor for Family Violence.
Bryant was arrested by DeSoto police July 16 after a dispute with his mother, Angela, and originally charged with a Class A misdemeanor. That could have come with a $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
The proposed deal, mandates Bryant’s guilty plea on a diminished charge in exchange for reduced punishments of no jail time, no probation, a fine, and anger management classes.
Even without a guilty plea, Bryant would have been subjected to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The district attorney’s office could not be reached comment.
Bryant’s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, could not be reached for comment. His office said he is in Houston attending a meeting.
SURROUND SOUND: Tony Romo says his teammates want to talk football ’24/7′
Tony Romo said the Dallas Cowboys have a bunch of players who like football and like to talk about football.
“The crazy thing is those guys want to talk about football after football,” Romo said in a radio interview Friday on 1310-AM The Ticket. “You know, when we’re done, it’s a great thing. Me, Sean Lee, Dez, we’re after the game or the night before at dinner, wherever, you sit there just talking football.”
Romo said that has the Cowboys on a good start toward a good locker room.
“You just get a bunch of guys who love football and love to compete,” he said. “That alone is going to give you a great shot to have a great locker room. Because people are going to want to – basically, you want to hang out with people who have similar interests.”
Romo said it is one of the reasons he and tight end Jason Witten are close.
“I love hanging out with J just because he wants to be football, football 24/7,” Romo said. “I love that aspect about him. When you have a guy who is talented and as good as he is who also loves the game like that and doesn’t miss, I mean, the trickle down to the rest of your team … I mean, you just can’t have enough guys like that.”
Romo continued, “It’s great. It’s a great thing to see from a quarterback, from a coach, whatever. It’s just guys love it. They love competing, they love trying to get better. That to me is what makes a great locker room, it’s a shared commitment.”
RELATED: Tony Romo calls 1310 The Ticket in Dallas – Check out the interview
Click HERE to listen to the Tony Romo interview on The Ticket
Editor’s Comment: Duration is about 16 minutes. Tony talks football and also family life. Enjoy!
JERRY JONES: I don’t see myself stepping down as GM or retiring any time soon
Not happy with Jerry Jones the general manager? Well, don’t expect anything to change in the near future. The Dallas Cowboys owner and GM made it known on Monday that he isn’t going anywhere. After all, it’s his team, so he can do whatever he wants.
But considering the Cowboys haven’t played for a Super Bowl since the mid-90s, critics have asked for Jones to step aside and hire someone to handle that position.
So does Jones ever sit back and ponder the idea of moving aside and hiring a GM?
"No, I don’t," Jones said during a local radio interview with The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310). "When I bought the team I said that there’s no way I could make the kind of commitment that I’m making to buy the team … and not have the final say relative to the kinds of things that general managers decide. So, I don’t see that at all. What I do see is a better straight line way of making decisions and that has born out over the years. Now we need to win a Super Bowl."
During a two-part, 25-minute interview with host Norm Hitzges, Jones answered several questions about the Cowboys and his future with the franchise, including his thoughts on possibly being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Here are some of the highlights.
On if he envisions his organization ever changing:
"Well we change. We change from within. I’ve always been self-employed and in a way, was self-employed right out of college because I was in sales and on a sales commission. And when it didn’t work or you made mistakes, then you had to adjust that mirror. You had to take care of that guy in that mirror and have him go in a different direction, and we do that. I do that."
On if he ever considers backing out of his position with the club:
"I would hope that nature would be the decision that prevails. That’s hopefully good health. But I know that I should know more about what we’re doing and what I’m doing then I did 22 years ago. I’ve had a lot of experiences. I’ve had a lot of things that I thought was going to work that didn’t work. But we’ve got a lot of experiences and hopefully we can make better decisions than we did 10 years ago or five years ago."
On if he can picture himself retiring:
"Well, when you enjoy what you’re doing as much as I do then what are you retiring from? I understand and I’ve done that. I’ve had that briefcase in my particular case and made calls 17 hours a day. I would probably stop that at some point to do something that I enjoyed more. But as far as running the Cowboys, being involved in the NFL, being involved in sports, I don’t know what I would do relative to what you’d be doing that I enjoy more than what I’m doing. So I don’t see retiring from that."
On if he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame some day:
"Oh I don’t know about that. What I do know is that I want to try to do everything, whether it be my decision on spending resources or whether it be my energy, I want to do everything to win. And that stadium is about winning. That’s what it was about. I know that that stadium can generate revenue and can help us win. I know that stadium creates attention. That stadium was built for television, so that Al Michaels and people would really talk it up when we were playing at the stadium. That ultimately evolves around to more revenue. The healthier you are, no matter if it’s a church or it’s a city or it’s individuals, the healthier you are in that area, the more you can cut and shoot, the more you can use your athletic ability, so to speak. I think that bodes well for the Dallas Cowboys and I think it bodes well for the Cowboys of the future."
Courtesy: Jon Machota | Dallas Morning News
Troy Aikman: I disagree with Jimmy Johnson, Jason Garrett can do both jobs
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Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson recently suggested that current coach Jason Garrett should put his focus on being the team’s head coach and think about hiring an offensive coordinator to call the plays.
Since making that statement on FOX’s pregame show last Sunday, Garrett, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former quarterback Troy Aikman have all disagreed with Johnson’s line of thinking.
“I don’t think being a head coach is too big for Jason,” Aikman said Thursday morning during his weekly appearance on 1310 “The Ticket” (KTCK-AM). “I don’t think being an offensive coordinator is too big for him. And I don’t often, but I’d probably disagree with Jimmy, to think that Jason Garrett can’t handle both jobs, I’d have a hard time believing that.”
Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) that he “always thought that Jason Garrett could handle coordinating as well as being the head coach.”
After Wednesday’s practice, Garrett said Johnson’s comments “could be an opinion he might have and other people might have. But right now, we feel good about the structure we have on our staff and that is what we will do going forward.”
Aikman compared coaching an NFL team to being President of the United States. He also added that if Garrett was going to hire an offensive coordinator, he would have done it already.
“Very few presidents, none that I know of, that have come out and said that they were really prepared for the job when they got it,” Aikman said. “I think the same goes for being a head coach in the National Football League. As much as you prepare yourself, then you get the job and there’s parts of it that you didn’t anticipate or there’s things that are required that you’ve got to deal with that you didn’t think were a part of it.
“If you’re going to embrace the head coaching job and then say it’s too difficult for me to do both, I think you’d give up play-calling as soon as you get named head coach. But no one does that. The offensive guys that have gone on to become head coaches have continued to call plays, and then they get more and more acclimated within the role of head coaching and how to split their duties and delegate a little bit and then they’re fine.”
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Dallas Cowboys Radio Network: Did you know?
The Dallas Cowboy Radio Network has approximately 200 stations around the country! You can listen to pregame, live gameday action with the Dallas Cowboys, and postgame shows. A lot of True Blues watch on TV (or at the game) and listen to the Dallas Cowboy Radio Network’s broadcast team. You’ll hear the ‘voice of the Dallas Cowboys’ Brad Sham … one of, if not, the BEST and most recognized voices in sports radio.
To learn more, click HERE, or use the tabs at the top of The Boys Are Back blog for quick access to Dallas area radio stations and The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network stations around the country.
Listen Live to: The Fan 105.3 Dallas (KRLD) … Flagship of The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network!
Listen to the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network
Keep up to date and informed about America’s Team by listening to the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network online. You can catch the pre-game and post-game shows, interviews with players and coaches, The Jerry Jones Show, and special reports on the Dallas Cowboys from Brad Sham (The voice of the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network), Mickey Spagnola, and others.
Listen to: The Fan 105.3 Dallas (KRLD) … the flagship of The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network!
Also, check out:
Listen to The Ticket 104.1 FM/1310 AM
Listen to: ESPNradio 103.3 Dallas
Listen to the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network (reposted)
Keep up to date and informed by listening to the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network online. You can catch the pre-game and post-game shows, interviews with players and coaches, The Jerry Jones Show, and special reports on the Dallas Cowboys from Brad Sham, Mickey Spagnola, and others.
Listen to: The Fan 105.3 Dallas (KRLD) … the flagship of The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network!
Also, check out:
Listen to The Ticket 104.1 FM/1310 AM Dallas
Listen to: ESPNradio 103.3 Dallas
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m., weekdays, on ESPN/103.3 FM
TBAB Note: These radio stations have been added to the “Radio” tab located at the top of each page.
Troy Aikman: Romo performed in ‘heroic fashion’; Redskins outlook
Troy Aikman obviously understands the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, so he is the perfect person to discuss Tony Romo’s performance against the 49ers last Sunday.
Romo’s ability to return with a broken rib and punctured lung and lead his team to victory would seemingly go a long way in terms of earning the respect of his teammates. But Aikman recently said Romo possessed that respect among the veteran players before the 27-24 win in San Francisco.
“He already had the respect of those players, and the young guys, they don’t really know much different anyway,” Aikman said on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM). “I think it was very positive. I think the best part of it was that it came on the heels of a week of a lot of criticism. In a game where there was a lot of pressure on him to go out and play well, he did that. And he did it in heroic fashion.
“I think it goes a long way, and affords him some time to get people off his back.”
Aikman, an NFL analyst for FOX, also chatted about the Cowboys’ Monday night opponent, the Washington Redskins. He was in the broadcast booth for Washington’s Week 1 victory over the Giants. He called the Redskins a “dangerous team” and said that the organization is benefiting from some addition by subtraction.
“I like them. I like the things that they’ve done,” he said. “When they got rid of Albert Haynesworth, and I guess to a little lesser extent Clinton Portis and Donovan McNabb, that they got better because the locker room got better. They’ve got some younger players and everybody’s kind of buying in to what Mike Shanahan’s doing.”
However, there is one member of the Redskins that Aikman doesn’t believe in – starting quarterback Rex Grossman.
“I don’t know that Rex over the long haul will be able to get it done for them,” Aikman said.
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