Defensive end Marcus Spears has seen his playing time diminish over the past five games, but the Cowboys need him again. Kenyon Coleman had season-ending surgery on his left triceps Tuesday.
"It’s tough," Spears said of losing Coleman. "He’s a heck of a football player. I think Kenyon brought that old grimy, 3-4 end, play the run, physical kind of player. He actually had some good pass rush going, too. You hate to lose him, and you know how we are on this D-line, real close. It’s a blow emotionally and to the unit, but at the end of the day, the nature of the business, we’ve all been here before. I think every guy in our room has had to miss time and other guys had to step up. It’s just an opportunity for me to go in and play and help."
Spears played 93 plays in the first four games before being a healthy scratch against Baltimore. He has played only 48 plays in the past four games, including only eight against the Eagles last week. Spears has 15 tackles, including two for loss.
Spears, a first-round pick in 2005, has made 83 starts in his career.
Rookie Tyrone Crawford, Josh Brent and Sean Lissemore, who has not played since he sprained his ankle against Baltimore, will help fill in for Coleman. The Cowboys also promoted defensive end Ben Bass from the practice squad earlier this week.
-- Charean Williams
"It’s tough," Spears said of losing Coleman. "He’s a heck of a football player. I think Kenyon brought that old grimy, 3-4 end, play the run, physical kind of player. He actually had some good pass rush going, too. You hate to lose him, and you know how we are on this D-line, real close. It’s a blow emotionally and to the unit, but at the end of the day, the nature of the business, we’ve all been here before. I think every guy in our room has had to miss time and other guys had to step up. It’s just an opportunity for me to go in and play and help."
Spears played 93 plays in the first four games before being a healthy scratch against Baltimore. He has played only 48 plays in the past four games, including only eight against the Eagles last week. Spears has 15 tackles, including two for loss.
Spears, a first-round pick in 2005, has made 83 starts in his career.
Rookie Tyrone Crawford, Josh Brent and Sean Lissemore, who has not played since he sprained his ankle against Baltimore, will help fill in for Coleman. The Cowboys also promoted defensive end Ben Bass from the practice squad earlier this week.
-- Charean Williams
