Sean Lee is proof of what can happen when you draft injured players

News that Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker Sean Lee is likely out for the season with a toe injury is anything if not deflating; click here for more.

If Lee was not as important as DeMarcus Ware then it was a case of 1 and 1a. Lee was essentially on the field for every defensive play, in every formation, in every circumstance. 

As witnessed against the Panthers on Sunday after Lee went out with the injury, replacement Dan Connor is a nice backup. He is not Sean Lee, and there is going to be a major problem in the middle of the field. Don't be surprised if former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett goes off on Sunday against his old team.

Expect the Cowboys to try the "Next man up" line but even they know that's BS. The next man up is not Sean Lee.

This was the risk the Cowboys took when they selected Lee with a second round pick in the 2010 draft. He was injured during his career at Penn State, and he's been injured often in his first three years of the league.

Injured guys get hurt.

In 2011, Lee suffered a dislocated left wrist against the Eagles on Oct. 30, but he missed only one game.
In 2010, Lee was injured a few times as a rookie with hamstring.
The spring of 2008 at Penn State, he tore his ACL in non-contact drill and missed the season.

Now in 2012 and he's going to miss the rest of the season.

These injuries are no knock on Lee, who in his third season we developing into a monster inside linebacker with a knack for making plays and holding teammates and the entire defense accountable to high standards.

The guy can play. But he also gets hurt.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Video: Galloway & Big Mac wonder where the progress is for Coach Process

 

Chris' Cartoon

 

 

 

 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

 

 

Quote of the day

Walter Kornbluth: I'm really a nice guy. If I had friends you could ask them. 

 

 

 

 

 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

The reason Texas football is average - start with the Longhorn Network ... duh?

Hope the ESPN executives are listening, and listening good, because Mack Brown and the fine folks at the University of Texas have had enough of ESPN's unfair requests for original content to air on The Longhorn Network.

Texas would merely prefer to take the $300 million from ESPN/Disney and the network giant politely just leave them alone.

On Monday afternoon, Texas football coach Mack Brown had the brass stuff to tell the AP that his program is "a little overexposed." Mack Brown said that Texas football is overexposed.

Let that sink in - Mack Brown said that Texas football is overexposed. 

Do not think for a moment that several members of the media, and other coaches, are not enjoying this complaint a great deal. The network that Big 12 commissioner/UT AD DeLoss Dodds fought so hard to protect, and played such a huge role in Texas A&M's decision flee to the SEC, not to mention all but cost Dan Beebe his gig, is now an unfortunate headache.

Brown is tiring of the many needs the network requires to fill the 24/7 station, and he has expressed concern that anyone can watch the increased access that could give an advantage to an opposing team.

"It's a true advantage (for opponents)," Brown said. "They can watch our attitude, they can watch our coaches."

Yes, yes ... that's why Oklahoma rolled you out of the Cotton Bowl. And why Baylor went for 50 on you in Austin. It was because the other teams could see your team's attitude, watch Manny Diaz dial up that Longhorn defense, and study the no tackling techniques employed in Austin.

What were Brown and UT expecting when they agreed to a 20-year deal with ESPN for $300 million - all softball all the time? The only way this network was going to be sold to more cable carriers was increased access to a football team that wins a lot. Softball and women's soccer isn't going to cut it.

Mack is as PR and politically savvy as any coach in recent memory and he would be better served to take this money, and to shut it when it comes to this network.

 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Baylor football coach stands by his embattled defensive coordinator

Do not expect Baylor football coach Art Briles to dump defensive coordinator Phil Bennett any time soon. He is not going to make any changes in season.

Bennett will remain Baylor's defensive coordinator in the face of historically bad numbers.

I asked Briles on the Big 12 media conference call on Monday morning if he has full faith in Bennett to coach his defense and make the necessary improvements.

“Yes. I certainly do,” Briles said.

The Bears rank last in the FBS level in total defense, allowing 553.17 yards per game. They are giving up an average of 6.51 yards per play on defense. Generally, those are the types of numbers that don’t help your football team win football games on the football field.

Of the many problems this defense has had start with 3^rd downs – the Bears defense is allowing opposing offenses to convert at a 63 percent rate.

"We’re certainly depleted a little bit depth wise, no doubt. That’s a concern," Briles said. "What we have to do is play better. We have to get off the field on third downs, that is the most critical factor for us. That has been a thorn for us this season."

The Bears are 3-3, and have lost three straight games where they have allowed 63, 49 and 50 points, respectively.

Public Enemy No. 1 in this Bear bomb is Bennett, who is in his second season in Waco.

Bennett is like any other coach or coordinator – he can do a fine job if he has players. Baylor doesn’t have enough defensive talent.

Bennett has been a defensive coordinator since 1984 when he was with Iowa State. Below are each of Bennett’s season as a defensive coordinator, the team’s national defensive ranking, and their overall record.

Iowa State defensive coordinator
1984: 17^th out of 110 (2-7-2)
1985: NCAA does not have this ranking outside of the top 20 (5-6)
1986: NCAA does not have this ranking outside of the top 20 (6-5)

Purdue defensive coordinator
1987: NCAA does not have this ranking outside of the top 20 (3-7-1) 
1988: NCAA does not have this ranking outside of the top 20 (4-7)
1989: 67^th out of 106 (3-8)
1990: 71^st out of 106 (2-9)

LSU defensive coordinator
1994: 11^th out of 107 (4-7)

Texas A&M defensive coordinator
1995: 3^rd out of 108 (9-3)
1996: 33^rd out of 111 (6-6)

TCU defensive coordinator
1997: 49^th out of 112 (1-10)

Kansas State defensive coordinator
1999: 2^nd out of 114 (10-1)
2000: 4^th out of 114 (10-3)
2001: 3^rd out of 115 (6-5)

Pittsburgh defensive coordinator
2007: 5^th out of 119 (5-7)
2008: 27^th out of 119 (9-4)
2009: 23^rd out of 120 (10-3)
2010: 8^th out of 120 (8-5)

Baylor defensive coordinator
2011: 116^th out of 120 (10-3)
2012: 120^th out of 120 (3-3)

Give Bennett players and the Baylor defense will be fine. Alas, this does not mean he won't be fired in the offseason.

 

 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Dallas Cowboys parade chat No. 5: The next three games are it

Thanks for checking in for this Dallas Cowboys Parade chat to cover their 19-14 win against the Carolina Panthers. Post your comment underneath and we can begin a discourse.

SHOULD YOU EVEN BELIEVE?
At 3-3 and with five games remaining within the division everything is still very possible for the Cowboys. Whether it is likely is not the issue.

As Jerry Jones noted on Sunday after the game, they are not digging their way out of anything. Here is a look at their remaining schedule:

10/28 v NYG (5-2)
11/4 at ATL (6-0)
11/11 at PHI (3-3)
11/18 v. CLE (1-6)
11/22 v. WASH (3-4)
12/2 v. PHI (3-3)
12/9 at CIN (3-4) 
12/16 v. PITT (3-3)
12/23 v. NO (2-4)
12/30 at WASH (3-4)

The Cowboys host the Giants on Sunday before playing their next two games at Atlanta and at Philadelphia. If the Cowboys come out of that three-game stretch with a 2-1 record they will be in decent shape.

Through their first six games they have shown just enough to tease you into thinking anything is possible.

Which makes drinking heavily sometimes a prerequisite to follow this team. 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Dallas Cowboys parade chat No. 4: Cam Newton & Vince Young

Thanks for checking in for this Dallas Cowboys Parade chat to cover their 19-14 win against the Carolina Panthers. Post your comment underneath and we can begin a discourse.

CAM NEWTON IS NOT VINCE YOUNG ... YET
(This space is normally reserved for a Dallas Cowboys centric post, but we'll make an exception because Cam Newton played college ball at Blinn and he is kinda looking like a former Texas-ex.)

Cowboys defensive end Jason Hatcher said Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is nothing like he has ever seen before. He compared him to Donovan McNabb because of his size.

Adhering to the tried and true unwritten white sports journalists creed of comparing only honkeys to honkeys, Cam Newton may be more like Vince Young than McNabb. OK, so it is too early for that because Cam is a far superior passer than VY.

Cam needs to work on his accuracy, for sure, but he has far more to work with than the Texas-ex ever did.

In terms of making friends within his organization, Cam may be wise to not follow the same path VY took during his time in Tennessee.

After the loss against the Cowboys on Sunday, the former Blinn College star said: “The past couple of games has been the same, the same script by the same director. It’s kinda getting boring.”

He was speaking of his offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski. On Monday morning following the loss, the Panthers fired the GM who selected Cam No. 1 overall in 2011, Marty Hurney.

Newton tried to include himself in some of the blame of his team’s 1-5 start, and it is rather apparent he is frustrated by the losing, but killing your coaches is not a good way to make friends.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Dallas Cowboys parade chat No. 3: The end is coming for this Dallas Cowboy

Thanks for checking in for this Dallas Cowboys Parade chat to cover their 19-14 win against the Carolina Panthers. Post your comment underneath and we can begin a discourse.

JOSH BRENT IS MAKING JAY RALIFF EXPENDABLE
This would not be a huge deal if not for the surprise development of Josh Brent at nose tackle. Ratliff is being slowly worked back from the preseason injury that kept him out of the first four games, but Brent has been very good in his place.

So good that Ratliff is better off, and may eventually be slotted for, passing downs only.

As good as Ratliff has been over the past four seasons his size, and the intensity at which he plays, made him ripe for a burnout. He was always smallish for nose tackle, and the nature of the position may have finally caught him.

Brent, however, has the classic 3-4 nose tackle body type and is making a difference in collapsing the pocket against the run. Against the Panthers he was a force in the middle, and often required more than one blocker.

A former 7th round draft pick out of the supplemental draft, Brent is becoming a major find for the Cowboys.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel 

Dallas Cowboys parade chat No. 2: Of Anthony Spencer

Thanks for checking in for this Dallas Cowboys Parade chat to cover their 19-14 win against the Carolina Panthers. Post your comment underneath and we can begin a discourse.

3. DECODING ANTHONY SPENCER: Of the many maddening Cowboys, there may not be a single more “interesting” defender than outside linebacker Anthony Spencer. And by interesting I mean frustrating.

The Cowboys gave him a franchise tag of $8.8 million in the offseason, and as evidenced by his performance against the Panthers on Sunday he was worth the big money. Spencer was credited with six tackles, one sack, a tackle for a loss and one QB hit. That's a good day.

The first round pick out of Purdue (’07) has the ability, and sometimes has done more than his stats have shown, but the Cowboys need him to be more like he was against the Panthers.

They need plays from him.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel