Cowboys Corner

David Arkin realizes 'anchor strength' was a problem last year, says weight work has benefited him

David Arkin has no trouble seeing what the problem was in his first year with the Cowboys.

“I felt like that was a little bit of a problem for me, was my anchor strength,” he said.

That likely explains why the second-year guard was never active in his rookie season, despite being a fourth-round pick. While other rookie linemen around him – seventh-round pick Bill Nagy, undrafted Kevin Kowalski – got in games and even started, Arkin sat on the practice squad for all 17 weeks.

He hopes that “anchor strength” won’t be the problem this year.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at that,” he said during the last week of offseason practices. “I’ve been pretty much straight through, since the season started, lifting really hard. So I feel like it’s benefited me a lot.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said in the opening week of OTAs that Arkin had made a “marked improvement” from his first year.

“He’s two days into our football phase of the offseason, and he’s done some good things out there, but he has to improve really, like we all have to improve,” Garrett said on May 23. “He’s dedicated. He’s tough. He just needs to play more football. We’re giving him a chance to do that.”

Despite his inactivity last year, Arkin accepts that the Cowboys have faith in him.

“I know they took me with a draft choice, so I knew they believed in me,” he said. “I don’t really worry too much about it. I just can control what I can control.”

Arkin said he has made the adjustment to new offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

“Technique-wise, it’s a little different,” he said. “Every offensive line coach is a little bit different. You kind of got to acclimate to all that and everything. I feel like it’s been good. Stuff feels natural. The techniques feel more natural to me.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Nose tackle Josh Brent says constant adjustments slowed Cowboys defense last year, but it will be polished this year

After the way last year ended, nose tackle Josh Brent is ready for his third pro season to begin. He finished 2011 on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered on Thanksgiving Day.

It was a tough end to a tough year for him and some of the other Cowboys defenders, who spent much of the season trying to play catch up with new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

“It was so much on the go, on the fly, with team adjustments,” Brent said after an OTA practice in May.

The former seventh-round supplemental pick out of Illinois played in only five games last year. But he said his offseason knee rehab went well, and he didn’t miss a snap of the OTAs or minicamp.

“I flowed right back into everything as far as training, getting back into lifting, running,” he said. “Fell right back into OTAs. Didn’t have to take any time off. Everything was on track and on pace, and I was able to participate.”

The offseason practice will pay off this year for everyone, he said. Brent believes when everyone is more sure of what they are doing on a given play, everyone will be better – including him.

“When we get to the season, we won’t have the miscommunication we had last year,” Brent said. “Offenses get rolling, fastballing, you can’t get the call in every single time. So a lot of times, the backers and safeties have to make the call and adjust the formation and those types of things. Having these OTAs and getting in these situations, getting them studied now and out of the way, by the time we get to the season, they’ll be polished and we won’t have these miscommunications.”

But Brent said he is not assuming anything. Especially about himself.

“I just want to be able to play a role here in this defense,” he said. “First and foremost is to make the team. Make the team, try to create a role for myself on the team somehow, some way.”

Brent said he likes the way the Cowboys defensive line is shaping up. He was impressed by third-round pick Tyrone Crawford and undrafted rookie Ben Bass at defensive end.

“We’ve added, with the two young guys, a little bit of diversity,” he said. “They’re young, youthful, rush the quarterback pretty well. Haven’t really gotten to see Tyrone too much, but obviously, the Cowboys drafted him, so he can play ball. Bass played well in the run game, looked great in the pass game. I think they both fit in perfectly.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

AOA is looking for a role -- any role at all -- in his second time through with Cowboys

The Cowboys are going to give another look to Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a small-school safety they took in the fourth round in 2010.

They released him last season after trying him for a while at receiver, and Jacksonville signed him and used him in four games.

But he is back at Valley Ranch now, where at least he knows his way around.

“This is a place I was drafted. Like I said, I’m comfortable here,” he said after an OTA practice in May. “But you’ve just got to find a role. I’m not going to be naive. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, you’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

It doesn't matter what the opportunity looks like.

"Special teams, safety, corner, whatever it is -- find an immediate role and make an impact, somehow someway," Owusu-Ansah said.

The best bet for the 24-year-old is probably on special teams. The Cowboys think he can be good on kickoff returns because of his speed. Last year, he averaged 18.7 yards on three kickoffs with the Cowboys. In college at Indiana (Pa.), he averaged 25.9 yards on 53 returns.

He is trying to make himself better at it, and he knows the approach he wants to take.

“I could probably watch more film, watch previous film of me and see what I’m doing wrong and trying to hit the holes and maybe try to set it up in different ways,” he said.

Last year with the Jaguars, Owusu-Ansah got a chance to play in the regular defense for the first time. He had 19 tackles in four games, including two starts.

He has a long climb to get into the Cowboys’ regular defense, but special teams is a reasonable goal for his potential this year.

“When coaches see potential in you, I think it’s a big thing,” Owusu-Ansah said. “Like I say, I’ve just got to find my role, find my impact, make my place any way.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

DeMarcus Ware says he knows it's his responsibility to set an example for Cowboys defense

DeMarcus Ware isn’t known for being an outspoken leader. But he said he does try to lead by voice and by action – it’s just not always seen.

“What you guys don’t see is me taking a leadership role on defense for the rookies, for the older guys,” the All-Pro outside linebacker said to reporters l after the Cowboys finished their last minicamp practice. “And also, lead by example. Sometimes you have to check some guys and put them in place. That’s what I do. That’s what a lot of other guys on the team have been doing.”

Ware, in his eighth year since the Cowboys made him a first-round pick out of Troy and one of the best defensive players in the NFL, said he knows his place in the locker room hierarchy. It is a responsibility to provide an example, he said.

“Guys come in, and they look up to you,” he said. “They look up to how you play the game. And you have to set that example. But also let them know so they know where they stand in the whole scheme of things.”

Ware said the Cowboys built a lot of camaraderie during the offseason, which featured only one missing player, cornerback Mike Jenkins. The intensity of the practices is part of what forged mutual respect.

“Brandon Carr, Claiborne, a lot of the younger linebackers – defensively, it’s a battle out there,” he said. “You can see those guys and the tenacity that they bring. It’s going to be good.”

The Cowboys begin training camp on July 30 in Oxnard, Calif.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Brodney Pool says he didn't have his best year last season with Jets, but ready to go make plays for Rob Ryan

New Cowboys safety Brodney Pool had perhaps his worst pro season last year.

The numbers say so. A career-low 34 tackles and three passes defensed with the New York Jets.

He says so.

“Last year, I didn’t have my best year. For whatever reason, I struggled a little bit,” he said after an OTA practice in May. “I’m back with Rob, and he just told me to go out there and play football and make plays, and that’s why I’m here.”

The Cowboys believe Pool, signed to a one-year contract, will make plays now that he has been re-united with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. When they were together in Cleveland in 2009, Pool had his best year as a pro, with four interceptions, 10 passes defensed and 48 tackles in only 11 games.

“He’s a very athletic guy, a very rangy guy,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s got a good feel for playing. His big thing is trying to understand what we’re doing. He’s got a little bit of a jump being around Rob before.”

Pool has 13 career interceptions since being drafted in the second round by Cleveland in 2005. He had 11 interceptions in five years with the Browns. He had one each in 2010 and 2011 with the Jets.

So why did his best year come under Ryan?

“I think it was the type of coach he was,” Pool said. “He wants his players just to make plays. That’s the best thing about playing for him. He’s always got your back, and he wants you to go out and perform at your best. He’s just a great guy all the way around.”

Pool said making plays on the ball is not about an individual, but about the whole defense doing its job.

“It’s a collective effort by the group,” he said. “I think guys know that this year, we’ve got to make more plays on the ball. We have the talent to do it. It’s just a matter of going out and doing it.”

Pool said he learned about playmaking from his first coaches – his parents.

“The thing about it is, my parents are big football fans,” he said. “And they taught me that once the ball is in the air, it’s yours. That’s always been my mindset. When the ball is in the air, it’s mine. My mom is a coach, and my dad and my stepdad played football. And they all relayed that to me.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys aren't worried about Dan Connor picking up the defensive schemes -- he's seen a lot of them

Inside linebacker Dan Connor did not get a chance to practice during the OTAs and minicamps.

But the Cowboys aren’t worried about him being able to pick up the defense when training camp starts.

They figure he knows enough defense.

“He has been in different systems, and he’s been trained well,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said after the last practice of the offseason wrapped up last week.

Connor shrugs. Yeah, he’s seen some defenses.

“I’ve been in three different systems already in Carolina. So this is the fourth system,” he said, but noted that doesn’t mean a problem. “You can only run so many coverages. Kind of getting the names down, what name is what, is pretty much it. Once you get that done, you’re good.”

Connor, 26, a five-year veteran out of Penn State, signed a one-year free agent contract with the Cowboys in the offseason after spending his first four years in the league with the Panthers.

The Cowboys are counting on that experience, so they didn’t worry about the shoulder surgery that would keep him off the field in the offseason.

“He’s a very instinctive player,” Garrett said. “You see him see things unfold very quickly and get where he needs to get. I don’t think understanding football and understanding schemes are an issue with him. He’s been banged up a little bit. The biggest issue is he hasn’t really practiced football with us.”

Instead, Connor has studied.

“That’s pretty much all I can do now – work out and study,” he said. “So I continued with the offseason program, with the runs with Coach Woicik and the lifts with him. Like I said, I have more time so I can do more than the guys practicing. Pretty much studying the rest of the day. Staying up late, trying to get that defense, feel comfortable with it as quickly as I can.”

Connor had his most productive year last year, ranking third on the Panthers with 75 tackles, and forcing a fumble. With the Cowboys,  he will compete against Bruce Carter for a spot on the inside alongside Sean Lee.

"Dan Connor is a damn good football player," defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said. "He’s going to find a role in here, too. Whether it’s starting or playing, it doesn’t matter to me. We’re going to play our best players. We’re in a fortunate situation to have three damn good players there."

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys defensive line coach remembers when he didn't even know who Sean Lissemore was

A rib injury kept defensive end Sean Lissemore from getting in all of his work in minicamp and OTAs.

But it doesn’t mean he’ll be behind when training camp starts.

At least right now, he’s got a productive season behind him. And his coaches know his name.

“Shoot, I started training camp last year not even knowing who Sean Lissemore was, other than he was some guy on our team,” defensive line coach Brian Baker said last week after a practice at Valley Ranch. “I didn’t do him in college. I didn’t have a familiarity with him. I saw him so little in the season because he was hurt. And we didn’t have an OTA.

“But it didn’t take long for me to get to know him in training camp.”

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan remembers thinking the same thing.

“When I first got here, I watched the tape, and he wasn’t that impressive the year before,” Ryan said. “Then he clearly, in my opinion, beat out the incumbent, Olshansky, so we went in that direction. Might have turned some heads doing that. He’s improved. Done an excellent job. And he’s a real player.”

Lissemore had 28 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss last year, playing both nose tackle and defensive end. The former seventh-round pick (2010) out of William & Mary finished last year with tackles in 11 consecutive games, including sacks at Arizona and Tampa Bay.

In training camp, Lissemore is expected to play both nose tackle and defensive end, but he’ll get most of his work at defensive end, where he will push Kenyon Coleman and Marcus Spears.

“Is he going to be behind for where he wanted to be in training camp? Yes,” Baker said. “But is he going to be too far behind to compete to get one of those solid rotation roles, which is what I expect of him? No.”

Ryan doesn’t believe Lissemore will be too far behind, either.

“He’s been through an incredible offseason with Mike Woicik,” Ryan said. “This guy, his body’s changing, everything about him. He’s so fast for the game now. He knows his assignments. He’s doing a great job. The nice thing is, if we ever get in a situation where, God forbid, somebody gets hurt, Sean Lissemore can jump in in any spot and be an effective starter.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jay Ratliff says Cowboys defense is more confident and aggressive, plans to 'shut up and do our jobs'

Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff didn’t make himself available to reporters during OTAs and minicamp this spring, but maybe it was part of the plan.

He said Wednesday in a radio interview that the Cowboys defense is going to shut up and do its job.

“We’re not going to sit here and talk about what we’re going to do this year or all the expectations everyone else has for us,” he told KTCK 1310-AM “The Ticket.” “I think the attitude for us this year needs to be we’re going to be quiet. To put it bluntly, we’re going to shut up, not say a thing and do our jobs.”

Ratliff was limited during the offseason practices because of a foot injury, but he said he can sense a change in the confidence level of the defense because of the offseason work.

“The defense is way more confident this year,” the eighth-year veteran said. “You have players really stepping up. One player that comes to mind is Jason Hatcher. We’re looking for him to have a breakout season. He’s more confident in the defense. He’s doing great things, creating a lot of disruption. The defensive backs are all over the place. Those guys are communicating. Everyone’s challenging the pass. No one’s sitting there waiting for the ball to come to make a tackle. They’re going for the ball. It’s a really aggressive defense. Everybody seems to have a great understanding of it. Everyone’s on the same page. We’re expecting great things from ourselves.”

But Ratliff has to remind himself to slow down. He knows who won the Super Bowl last year.

“Honestly, we don’t have room to talk,” he said. “The giants are the Super Bowl champions. They’ve won two Super Bowls in the last five years. We just need to be quiet and do our jobs. Nothing else.”

So does playing the Giants in the season opener mean something extra?

“It is a division game, and you know how those games can come back and bite you if you don’t take care of business,” he said. “But right now, the main thing we’re focused on is getting ourselves right for training camp and mastering each of our respective positions, our craft. And if every individual can do that, our team will be that much better. And I believe everything will work out. We will take care of business. This is no bulletin board material. This is just something for our team, what we need to do, myself included. And that’s what’s going to happen.”

Ratliff, who will be 31 in August and was slowed by a rib injury in the second half of the season last year, said age is not an issue for him right now but agreed there is a sense of urgency for him and the Cowboys right now.

“The only thing that I notice is your mentality. You really want to take advantage of these moments,” he said. “The window’s kind of closing. In your 30s, the way this business is, that’s kind of old, or whatever. I don’t feel old. ... I think the word I’m looking for is urgency.”

Ratliff was asked if he’d rather play nose tackle or defensive end.

“Honestly? I really don’t care,” the former seventh-round pick out of Auburn said. “At the end of the day, the opportunity came for me to play nose. I took it. I do my job. I need to go to defensive end, whatever the team needs, I’m willing to do that. Everyone always talks about size: You’re not big enough, I don’t know if you’re strong enough, this that or the other. They look at all the numbers. But how do you measure a man’s will just to get the job done? That’s all it is. There’s my secret.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys release undrafted rookie tight end George Bryan; claim Nalbone

The Cowboys released rookie tight end George Bryan, an undrafted player out of North Carolina State signed after the NFL draft. They claimed John Nalbone off waivers to take his place.

Nalbone, a fifth-round pick of the Dolphins in 2009, has spent time with six teams. He was on the Seahawks' practice squad last year.

He joins veterans Jason Witten and John Phillips, sixth-round pick James Hanna and undrafted Andrew Szczerba as tight ends on the roster.

Bryan was the all-time leader for receptions by a tight end at NC State. He left the Wolfpack with 126 catches for 1,323 yards and 17 touchdowns in 51 games.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

 

Cowboys legend and NFL rushing king Emmitt Smith reacts to the retirement of LaDainian Tomlinson

Legendary Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith was not just an accidental tourist in the career of former TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson, who is retiring today as a member of the San Diego Chargers.

Smith, the league's all-time leading rusher, was Tomlinson's inspiration as a little boy growing up a Cowboys fan in Waco, and then moreso when he went on to have an outstanding college career at TCU.

There is no question Tomlinson, who finished his 11-year career with the Chargers and the Jets as the league's fifth all-time leading rusher, had his sights set on Smith at the top spot.

He didn't quite make it but what he accomplished was enough to make him a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer and it earned him the respect and admiration of his idol.

"I have known LaDainian since he was 13 years old," Smith said. "When you know someone when they are very young, and you watch that person grow into being a man and one of the very best to ever play the game, it is inspirational for me personally. He was a pleasure to watch play football. He did it with pride and passion and he was a true professional from his very first day in the NFL. I am extremely honored to know that I have had a positive influence on him. What he accomplished in his career gives me great pride." 

And although Tomlinson didn't get the rushing title or a coveted Super Bowl, Smith said LT leaves the game with dignity and a respect that few enjoy.

"LaDainian has had a tremendous impact on the league, not only as a player but also as a person with great character, and it shows by the respect his peers have for him and how well-known he is to the public," Smith said. "He accomplished many great things as a player, but I don't know of any player recently who has left the game with as much admiration and respect from his peers as LT enjoys.  And that might be an athlete's most cherished accomplishment."

-- Clarence Hill Jr.