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Free ready and willing to move to RT
By Tim MacMahon ESPN/Dallas
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys tackle Doug Free didn’t get a vote, but he doesn’t have a problem with the decision to switch sides with Tyron Smith.
“I’ll do whatever we need to do to get the job done,” Free said at the Stars of Texas diabetes fundraiser. “I’m excited. If it’s what makes our team better, I’m all for it.”
That doesn’t mean Free wanted to essentially be demoted, moving from left to right tackle, one season into his four-year, $32 million deal. But he’s going to make the best out of the situation, not rock the boat.
The first seven starts of his NFL career came at right tackle, when he filled in for an injured Marc Colombo in 2009. He performed well enough there to convince the Cowboys that he was ready to take over for Flozell Adams at left tackle.
Free performed well enough at left tackle in 2010 to make his big contract seem like a decent bargain when he signed it last summer. He regressed significantly last season, while Smith was the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman as a 20-year-old rookie, prompting the Cowboys to flip the tackles.
“It’s not particularly my best spot, maybe. Well, it might be, I don’t know,” Free said of the right side. “I played pretty well over there last time, I’d like to say. But it’s going to be different. I’ve played primarily left in my career, but whatever. It’s just switching over to the other side. I’ve done it before, and I’m ready to do it again.”
By Tim MacMahon ESPN/Dallas
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys tackle Doug Free didn’t get a vote, but he doesn’t have a problem with the decision to switch sides with Tyron Smith.
“I’ll do whatever we need to do to get the job done,” Free said at the Stars of Texas diabetes fundraiser. “I’m excited. If it’s what makes our team better, I’m all for it.”
That doesn’t mean Free wanted to essentially be demoted, moving from left to right tackle, one season into his four-year, $32 million deal. But he’s going to make the best out of the situation, not rock the boat.
The first seven starts of his NFL career came at right tackle, when he filled in for an injured Marc Colombo in 2009. He performed well enough there to convince the Cowboys that he was ready to take over for Flozell Adams at left tackle.
Free performed well enough at left tackle in 2010 to make his big contract seem like a decent bargain when he signed it last summer. He regressed significantly last season, while Smith was the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman as a 20-year-old rookie, prompting the Cowboys to flip the tackles.
“It’s not particularly my best spot, maybe. Well, it might be, I don’t know,” Free said of the right side. “I played pretty well over there last time, I’d like to say. But it’s going to be different. I’ve played primarily left in my career, but whatever. It’s just switching over to the other side. I’ve done it before, and I’m ready to do it again.”
