Cowboy’s Concerns: Part 2

Sean Lee Out For Remainder Of Season.  Let’s just give that a moment to sink in….

I remember exactly what ran through my head when I first heard the injury report on Sean Lee.  I remember the shock…the disbelief.  I remember mouthing the words, to no one in particular, “Not Lee…anyone but Lee”.

Why does it seem as though our highest valued and most irreplaceable players are the ones injured every season?  Why are the positions where we lack quality depth always the ones that fall?  Are The Cowboy’s cursed?  Are we poorly conditioned?  In the case of Sean Lee I would have to say no.

These questions bring me to the second part of my “Cowboy’s Concerns” series…INJURIES.

Sep 11, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes (10) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee (50) during the first quarter at Met Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

For the last several years I can’t help but feel like I’ve watched every game terrified.  I get flashbacks of my childhood, seeing my sister watch horror movies with her face clasped tightly in her hand, watching through tiny gaps between her fingers.

This is how I feel every time a player doesn’t immediately pop back up.  This is my horror every time I see a Cowboy take a hard hit or awkward roll up.  This is my reality, because every year the injuries to key players inevitably come.

Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, and Sean Lee are all players that have been injured multiple times in the last few seasons.  Which player hurts the most to lose, in my opinion, is Sean Lee.

As much as I would hate to see Romo go down this year, the addition of Kyle Orton this offseason would help cushion the blow and lessen the production drop off if such a thing were to occur.

In the case of Murray or Jones, we in most cases would still have the other plus Tanner and Dunbar, who seem determined to impress in every opportunity they are given.

In the event that one of our starting receivers is injured, we have Harris, Beasley, and Holmes anxious to become the next Laurent Robinson.

Sean Lee, however, is completely irreplaceable.  There is no other person that can lead the defense on the field as Lee does.  There is no other player that hustles, swarms on the ball, and can never be considered “out of the play” until the whistle blows.  His ability and enthusiasm are contagious, and the rest of the Cowboy’s defense are better for having him on the field with them.

Another question is, with six-time super bowl champion conditioning coach Mike Woicik, why are the Cowboys so injury prone?

Dec 11, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) is assisted off the field by team personnel after being injured in the first quarter of the game against the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

I suppose one answer would be that Woicik has had only two years to make his impact on the team, one of them hindered by the complete lack of an off season.  Unfortunately, the problem may become reoccurring.

Woicik, and the rest of the NFL’s conditioning coaches were clearly handicapped by last year’s lockout, but has the new CBA, with its regulations on the amount of practices, limited number of full contact exercises, as well as rules on duration, perpetuated a conditioning issue in the NFL?

With injuries in the NFL becoming more rampant, have the players shot themselves in the foot…or perhaps more accurately, torn their Achilles heel?