Getty Images
Getting Sean Lee back on the field this season feels like the Dallas Cowboys acquired another surefire first-round pick in this year’s draft. The only difference is this first-round pick has already played at a Pro Bowl level in the NFL and already knows the ins and outs of the defense the team likes to run.
Whenever Lee is on the field, no matter how poorly the defense may be playing at the time, you always feel as though they have a chance to make a game-changing play. And this is mainly due to the fact that Lee is a natural ball hawk; he has a nose for the ball and tends to make a play at the biggest moment of the game. You can just look to his two interceptions against Peyton Manning (one for a touchdown and the other in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal) in his rookie season or his interception and key fumble recovery against the hated Washington Redskins in his first season as a starter for examples.
As a linebacker he already has 11 career interceptions, and to put that into context, that’s only three fewer than the Cowboys’ highest-paid cornerback, Brandon Carr, has for his career. He is in on or around every tackle made on the field and his game speed helps make up for the mistakes of some of his fellow teammates. But it’s his smarts that separate him from everyone else on the defense. He is responsible for getting everyone lined up correctly, and he is a film junkie who watches hours of game tape to prepare for his opponents; so nothing really surprises him on game day.
And it’s this kind of work ethic and a desire to be great that makes him a leader in the locker room. He may not hit as hard as the Cowboys’ new middle linebacker Rolando McClain, and the fact the he hasn’t played an entire season in three years hurts him and his progress as a player. But even when he’s unable to play he is a like an extra coach on the team, as he is always helping his teammates work on their technique and helping them get better at breaking down film.
Lee has fully recovered from the ACL injury he sustained early on in OTAs last year, and he will be back playing his natural position of weak side linebacker, a spot he thrived in under Rob Ryan’s defense when it was clicking on all cylinders. If the Cowboys are able to keep Lee healthy, they could be one of the better defenses in the league this season.
Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google.
