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Phillips: Continuity, Friendship Has Aided D-Line
Line of Trust
Continuity, Friendship Has Aided D-Line
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - Early in this fortnight just south of the Alamo, no position endured more training camp attrition than the defensive line.
Supplemental seventh-rounder Josh Brent broke his hand the second day. Then seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore strained his groin. Then defensive end Jason Hatcher hyper-extended his elbow trying to put the brakes on Felix Jones. Rookie free agent Lorenzo Washington never made it to practice with a strained hamstring; he got cut.
Short-handed, the healthy ones pushed ahead until some returned. They picked each other up.
"We had a long 30-play period and people came to the sideline and looked tired," defensive end Stephen Bowen recalled. "We were like, 'Come on man, we keep doing it.' We just keep helping out each other, keep going, motivate each other and get through it every day."
That's what this group has done for years.
Few positions on the Cowboys' roster have maintained this much long-term stability. The line returns all six of its rotation players from 2009: starters Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff and Igor Olshansky; reserves Hatcher, Bowen and Junior Siavii. Four vets - Spears, Ratliff, Hatcher and Bowen - have played together since 2006, Bill Parcells' last season as head coach.
Most aren't household names - at least not yet. By design, they don't produce bushels of SportsCenter-worthy sacks and tackles. They're the anchor for Phillips' aggressive 3-4 defense, occupying offensive linemen and funneling lanes for the linebackers to make plays. Ratliff's back-to-back Pro Bowl selections have shined a brighter light on their trench work.
It's a big reason why the Cowboys allowed the second-fewest points last year (250) and held opponents under 100 rushing yards in 10 of 16 regular-season games.
Internally, it hasn't gone unnoticed.
"Those guys do their jobs all the time. All the time," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "That allows us to make plays. Without those guys being good, we couldn't be good. There's only a certain amount of things you can do if your D-Line isn't good.
"They've been together five or six years, so they really know each other and they play to each other's strengths."
It's easy to notice over a long season, not just training camp, that these guys are close. Their communication extends beyond the field or the locker room.
It's a trait Jason Ferguson, Dallas' gregarious veteran defensive tackle from 2005 to 2007, tried to instill in the rookie classes on his watch: Spears, Ratliff and the now departed Chris Canty in 2005; followed by Hatcher and Bowen in 2006.
"We went over to his house every Friday and ate," Hatcher said of Ferguson, who recently retired after 13 NFL seasons. "He taught us it's more than football. It's friendships. ... Just keep a bond between us, so we'll have something to play for. When we line up, the guy next to us, this guy right here knows my family. I know everything about him. I know him like my own brother."
Last year right end Canty left for a $42 million contract with the Giants and was replaced by Olshansky, who played under Phillips in San Diego. The line welcomed him, and the right side stayed solid in 2009.
When work's over, they still try to carry Ferguson's message. Sometimes they talk about football; sometimes everything but the game.
"We go to dinner together or just hang out, but we're a team and everybody is welcome," Ratliff said. "It definitely makes a difference."
On the field, they don't believe in using the terms "starters" and "backups." And head coach Wade Phillips has found a solid mix with the aforementioned six rotation players.
Spears and Olshansky have been sturdy run blockers with underrated pass rush skills; Hatcher and Bowen combined for 62 quarterback pressures in passing situations. Ratliff has developed into an elite nose tackle, using his quickness and skill to excel against bigger opponents, while getting spelled here and there by Siavii.
Brent, Lissemore and first-year end Marcus Dixon are all competing for jobs, too. It's a deep, versatile collection that Pasqualoni, the Cowboys' former tight ends and linebackers coach, has inherited since returning in January as ex-coach Todd Grantham's successor.
"The first thing I like is I like who they are," Pasqualoni said. "I like the fact that they all genuinely really love football. They come in each day and they're a hard-working group. They're mentally a tough group. Those are the things you like, and of course you like their ability.
"They're all different, they've all got different talents. But they've all got a special talent which is why they're here."
The NFL's expiring collective bargaining agreement helped keep them together for at least one more season. Spears, Hatcher, Bowen and Siavii all would've been unrestricted free agents this past spring, but remained restricted because players must have at least six accrued seasons to test the market in an uncapped year.
All four signed one-year restricted tenders before training camp. They understand that like Canty, change is inevitable. It's a business, and ultimately they'll have to do what's best for their families.
Right now, though, they're committed to each other, trying to accomplish something special with the rest of the team in 2010.
"It's a life lesson," Spears said. "Anything that you care about, genuinely, you're going to protect it and make sure that it's strong and it stays together. That's the unit in a nutshell."
Line of Trust
Continuity, Friendship Has Aided D-Line
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - Early in this fortnight just south of the Alamo, no position endured more training camp attrition than the defensive line.
Supplemental seventh-rounder Josh Brent broke his hand the second day. Then seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore strained his groin. Then defensive end Jason Hatcher hyper-extended his elbow trying to put the brakes on Felix Jones. Rookie free agent Lorenzo Washington never made it to practice with a strained hamstring; he got cut.
Short-handed, the healthy ones pushed ahead until some returned. They picked each other up.
"We had a long 30-play period and people came to the sideline and looked tired," defensive end Stephen Bowen recalled. "We were like, 'Come on man, we keep doing it.' We just keep helping out each other, keep going, motivate each other and get through it every day."
That's what this group has done for years.
Few positions on the Cowboys' roster have maintained this much long-term stability. The line returns all six of its rotation players from 2009: starters Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff and Igor Olshansky; reserves Hatcher, Bowen and Junior Siavii. Four vets - Spears, Ratliff, Hatcher and Bowen - have played together since 2006, Bill Parcells' last season as head coach.
Most aren't household names - at least not yet. By design, they don't produce bushels of SportsCenter-worthy sacks and tackles. They're the anchor for Phillips' aggressive 3-4 defense, occupying offensive linemen and funneling lanes for the linebackers to make plays. Ratliff's back-to-back Pro Bowl selections have shined a brighter light on their trench work.
It's a big reason why the Cowboys allowed the second-fewest points last year (250) and held opponents under 100 rushing yards in 10 of 16 regular-season games.
Internally, it hasn't gone unnoticed.
"Those guys do their jobs all the time. All the time," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "That allows us to make plays. Without those guys being good, we couldn't be good. There's only a certain amount of things you can do if your D-Line isn't good.
"They've been together five or six years, so they really know each other and they play to each other's strengths."
It's easy to notice over a long season, not just training camp, that these guys are close. Their communication extends beyond the field or the locker room.
It's a trait Jason Ferguson, Dallas' gregarious veteran defensive tackle from 2005 to 2007, tried to instill in the rookie classes on his watch: Spears, Ratliff and the now departed Chris Canty in 2005; followed by Hatcher and Bowen in 2006.
"We went over to his house every Friday and ate," Hatcher said of Ferguson, who recently retired after 13 NFL seasons. "He taught us it's more than football. It's friendships. ... Just keep a bond between us, so we'll have something to play for. When we line up, the guy next to us, this guy right here knows my family. I know everything about him. I know him like my own brother."
Last year right end Canty left for a $42 million contract with the Giants and was replaced by Olshansky, who played under Phillips in San Diego. The line welcomed him, and the right side stayed solid in 2009.
When work's over, they still try to carry Ferguson's message. Sometimes they talk about football; sometimes everything but the game.
"We go to dinner together or just hang out, but we're a team and everybody is welcome," Ratliff said. "It definitely makes a difference."
On the field, they don't believe in using the terms "starters" and "backups." And head coach Wade Phillips has found a solid mix with the aforementioned six rotation players.
Spears and Olshansky have been sturdy run blockers with underrated pass rush skills; Hatcher and Bowen combined for 62 quarterback pressures in passing situations. Ratliff has developed into an elite nose tackle, using his quickness and skill to excel against bigger opponents, while getting spelled here and there by Siavii.
Brent, Lissemore and first-year end Marcus Dixon are all competing for jobs, too. It's a deep, versatile collection that Pasqualoni, the Cowboys' former tight ends and linebackers coach, has inherited since returning in January as ex-coach Todd Grantham's successor.
"The first thing I like is I like who they are," Pasqualoni said. "I like the fact that they all genuinely really love football. They come in each day and they're a hard-working group. They're mentally a tough group. Those are the things you like, and of course you like their ability.
"They're all different, they've all got different talents. But they've all got a special talent which is why they're here."
The NFL's expiring collective bargaining agreement helped keep them together for at least one more season. Spears, Hatcher, Bowen and Siavii all would've been unrestricted free agents this past spring, but remained restricted because players must have at least six accrued seasons to test the market in an uncapped year.
All four signed one-year restricted tenders before training camp. They understand that like Canty, change is inevitable. It's a business, and ultimately they'll have to do what's best for their families.
Right now, though, they're committed to each other, trying to accomplish something special with the rest of the team in 2010.
"It's a life lesson," Spears said. "Anything that you care about, genuinely, you're going to protect it and make sure that it's strong and it stays together. That's the unit in a nutshell."