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Cowboys' young linebackers learn the ropes
By Chad Peters - Express-News Web Posted: 08/02/2010 12:00 CDT
One relies on speed, the other know-how.
The line that separates Dallas Cowboys linebackers Jason Williams and Sean Lee is quite stark — and it goes back to their earliest days in football.
“Ever since I was a kid,” Williams said, “I always was taught that speed kills.”
Said Lee: “I learned at an early age how to watch practice and take mental reps.”
Now, with the two battling for a starting spot in the nickel defense, Williams wants what Lee has.
Mental reps have always come easy for Lee, a rookie from Penn State whose inexperience is partly mitigated by the salty familiarity with which he plays his position.
Even when sidelined, as he's been since July 27 with a strained quadriceps, Lee manages to get the most out of practice. He could return as early as Wednesday, coach Wade Phillips said.
Lee's instincts are envied by the second-year Williams, who still is getting used to playing linebacker after starring in a “hybrid” version of the position at Western Illinois.
“The toughest part really is just learning to be a true linebacker,” said Williams, a third-round pick in 2009 who recorded two special-teams tackles as a rookie. “I've played so many different positions that I never had a chance to really settle into one position.
“I just have to learn to be a true linebacker.”
An athletic marvel, the 6-foot-1, 244-pound Williams wowed in college with his ability to wreak havoc from all over the field.
But such versatility came with a caveat — unlike Lee (6-2, 242), Williams never got a chance to master the true art of playing linebacker.
With Lee out, Williams has gotten increased reps, but with mixed results. His only first-team looks in the nickel package have come when veteran Keith Brooking sits out the front-end of two-a-days to rest his surgically repaired left knee.
The nickel role opened up when the Cowboys traded Bobby Carpenter to St. Louis in the offseason.
“It will take some work,” Phillips said of Williams' progression, “and he is frustrated, and we are frustrated when he doesn't do it perfectly. But he is getting close.”
Phillips notes that Williams “reacts a lot faster this year” and added that he has a better grasp at some of the run-defending chores that bothered him last year.
Already, Williams is feeling particularly more comfortable in coverage, and he even is starting to spot some of the same things Brooking does at the snap of the ball.
Which is a start.
“Sean Lee, he's probably a lot more instinctive than I am right now,” Williams said. “In time, I will learn to be a true linebacker.”
By Chad Peters - Express-News Web Posted: 08/02/2010 12:00 CDT
One relies on speed, the other know-how.
The line that separates Dallas Cowboys linebackers Jason Williams and Sean Lee is quite stark — and it goes back to their earliest days in football.
“Ever since I was a kid,” Williams said, “I always was taught that speed kills.”
Said Lee: “I learned at an early age how to watch practice and take mental reps.”
Now, with the two battling for a starting spot in the nickel defense, Williams wants what Lee has.
Mental reps have always come easy for Lee, a rookie from Penn State whose inexperience is partly mitigated by the salty familiarity with which he plays his position.
Even when sidelined, as he's been since July 27 with a strained quadriceps, Lee manages to get the most out of practice. He could return as early as Wednesday, coach Wade Phillips said.
Lee's instincts are envied by the second-year Williams, who still is getting used to playing linebacker after starring in a “hybrid” version of the position at Western Illinois.
“The toughest part really is just learning to be a true linebacker,” said Williams, a third-round pick in 2009 who recorded two special-teams tackles as a rookie. “I've played so many different positions that I never had a chance to really settle into one position.
“I just have to learn to be a true linebacker.”
An athletic marvel, the 6-foot-1, 244-pound Williams wowed in college with his ability to wreak havoc from all over the field.
But such versatility came with a caveat — unlike Lee (6-2, 242), Williams never got a chance to master the true art of playing linebacker.
With Lee out, Williams has gotten increased reps, but with mixed results. His only first-team looks in the nickel package have come when veteran Keith Brooking sits out the front-end of two-a-days to rest his surgically repaired left knee.
The nickel role opened up when the Cowboys traded Bobby Carpenter to St. Louis in the offseason.
“It will take some work,” Phillips said of Williams' progression, “and he is frustrated, and we are frustrated when he doesn't do it perfectly. But he is getting close.”
Phillips notes that Williams “reacts a lot faster this year” and added that he has a better grasp at some of the run-defending chores that bothered him last year.
Already, Williams is feeling particularly more comfortable in coverage, and he even is starting to spot some of the same things Brooking does at the snap of the ball.
Which is a start.
“Sean Lee, he's probably a lot more instinctive than I am right now,” Williams said. “In time, I will learn to be a true linebacker.”