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Moore: Cowboys' Anthony Spencer seizing his moment, could be 'scary good'
11:20 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Column by DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News | dmoore@dallasnews.com
David Moore
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OXNARD, Calif. – The beard is a nice touch. If this were the 1860s, Anthony Spencer would be a trendsetter.
Think of Abraham Lincoln bellowing the Gettsyburg Address in shoulder pads and helmet.
Wade Phillips can't tell you how Spencer compares with the 16th president of the United States. But in a coaching career that spans just shy of four score and seven years, one player comes to mind.
Phillips watched last week as Rickey Jackson was enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Phillips coached Jackson. The Cowboys coach doesn't see a lot of difference in Jackson's performance and how Spencer finished last season at outside linebacker.
"I mean, it's great to hear my coach say that," Spencer said. "At the same time, I don't want to get complacent.
"I feel like I've got a long way to go. I've got a lot of things to work on, and I'm working on them. I look more at the things I'm not doing right than the things I'm doing good."
No one put Spencer and Jackson in the same breath 12 months ago. The sights were set on Spencer to become a decent replacement for Greg Ellis.
Spencer was mired behind Ellis on the depth chart for two seasons. The coaching staff cut ties with Ellis before last year's camp because they feared Spencer would be unable to grow into the position with the veteran around.
Now, Phillips will tell you that Spencer has "become a dominant player" at the outside position that plays over the tight end. Few young linebackers know when to go around a blocker to chase the quarterback and when to plow through him.
Spencer does. It's a knack that can't be coached.
Teammates no longer look at Spencer and wonder if he can get the job done. They look at him and wonder how good he can be.
"Everyone has their moment," said Spencer, who practiced twice Wednesday but was limited with a sore shoulder. "Either you're ready for it, or you're not. I think I came up big last year at the end of the season."
It didn't click right away. In the opening months of last season, Phillips constantly spoke of how good Spencer played the run. He had to because the linebacker failed to get a sack in the first 10 games of the season.
DeMarcus Ware asked Spencer to join him in private film sessions. Spencer declined Ware's invitation his first two seasons. But now he sat down with the Pro Bowl linebacker and learned ways to get a quicker jump off the ball. He learned how to determine if the offensive tackle is setting up for a run or pass by what he does with his legs.
"There was a lot of frustration," Spencer said. "I was pressing myself to get a sack. Everyone gets judged off of how many sacks they get.
"The more I pressed, the less I got. I stopped worrying about it, and everything fell into place."
The dam burst on Thanksgiving with two sacks against Oakland. Spencer collected six sacks over the final six regular-season games and added one in each of the team's playoff games.
A player who managed just 4.5 sacks in the first 38 games of his NFL career finished with a flourish. Phillips said Spencer played as well as anyone on the team in the second half of last season. That should mean fewer double-teams for Ware entering this season.
"I've never been a person lacking confidence," Spencer said. "Never. I have the utmost confidence in myself and my abilities. But once you start making those plays, it's easier to make them all the time."
Now, about that beard ...
"It got kinda scary," admits Spencer, who got bored several months ago and decided to let it grow. "Right now, I'm like whatever. We're in camp. It really doesn't matter. I don't have to go out in public too much."
The beard is out of place for this century.
Spencer is not. He belongs.
He could be scary good.
11:20 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Column by DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News | dmoore@dallasnews.com
David Moore
Archive | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. – The beard is a nice touch. If this were the 1860s, Anthony Spencer would be a trendsetter.
Think of Abraham Lincoln bellowing the Gettsyburg Address in shoulder pads and helmet.
Wade Phillips can't tell you how Spencer compares with the 16th president of the United States. But in a coaching career that spans just shy of four score and seven years, one player comes to mind.
Phillips watched last week as Rickey Jackson was enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Phillips coached Jackson. The Cowboys coach doesn't see a lot of difference in Jackson's performance and how Spencer finished last season at outside linebacker.
"I mean, it's great to hear my coach say that," Spencer said. "At the same time, I don't want to get complacent.
"I feel like I've got a long way to go. I've got a lot of things to work on, and I'm working on them. I look more at the things I'm not doing right than the things I'm doing good."
No one put Spencer and Jackson in the same breath 12 months ago. The sights were set on Spencer to become a decent replacement for Greg Ellis.
Spencer was mired behind Ellis on the depth chart for two seasons. The coaching staff cut ties with Ellis before last year's camp because they feared Spencer would be unable to grow into the position with the veteran around.
Now, Phillips will tell you that Spencer has "become a dominant player" at the outside position that plays over the tight end. Few young linebackers know when to go around a blocker to chase the quarterback and when to plow through him.
Spencer does. It's a knack that can't be coached.
Teammates no longer look at Spencer and wonder if he can get the job done. They look at him and wonder how good he can be.
"Everyone has their moment," said Spencer, who practiced twice Wednesday but was limited with a sore shoulder. "Either you're ready for it, or you're not. I think I came up big last year at the end of the season."
It didn't click right away. In the opening months of last season, Phillips constantly spoke of how good Spencer played the run. He had to because the linebacker failed to get a sack in the first 10 games of the season.
DeMarcus Ware asked Spencer to join him in private film sessions. Spencer declined Ware's invitation his first two seasons. But now he sat down with the Pro Bowl linebacker and learned ways to get a quicker jump off the ball. He learned how to determine if the offensive tackle is setting up for a run or pass by what he does with his legs.
"There was a lot of frustration," Spencer said. "I was pressing myself to get a sack. Everyone gets judged off of how many sacks they get.
"The more I pressed, the less I got. I stopped worrying about it, and everything fell into place."
The dam burst on Thanksgiving with two sacks against Oakland. Spencer collected six sacks over the final six regular-season games and added one in each of the team's playoff games.
A player who managed just 4.5 sacks in the first 38 games of his NFL career finished with a flourish. Phillips said Spencer played as well as anyone on the team in the second half of last season. That should mean fewer double-teams for Ware entering this season.
"I've never been a person lacking confidence," Spencer said. "Never. I have the utmost confidence in myself and my abilities. But once you start making those plays, it's easier to make them all the time."
Now, about that beard ...
"It got kinda scary," admits Spencer, who got bored several months ago and decided to let it grow. "Right now, I'm like whatever. We're in camp. It really doesn't matter. I don't have to go out in public too much."
The beard is out of place for this century.
Spencer is not. He belongs.
He could be scary good.