Post by ironmaiden on Jan 22, 2009 6:51:54 GMT -7
Time Rushes By
Zimmer Not Surprised By Ware's Rise
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Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
January 21, 2009 5:03 PM Change Font Size A A A A
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Mike Zimmer spent his last season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator in 2005, Ware's rookie year.
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OTHER RECENT NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Mick's Mail: Wednesday, January 21, 2009
• Not Far Behind 1/21
• Jones On Ware Contract Talks, Draft and More 1/20
• Notes: Cowboys Continue Eying Senior Prospects 1/20
• Game 9 Recap: Giants Run By Cowboys, 35-14 1/20
• Mick's Mail: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
• Garrett Rejoins Cowboys Staff At Senior Bowl 1/19
• A Whole Lot Of Learning Still Going On 1/19
• Super Bowl XLIII Storylines To Watch Out For 1/19
• Rams Select Steve Spagnuolo Over Garrett 1/17
MOBILE, Ala. - Maybe Mike Zimmer didn't expect 20-sack production from DeMarcus Ware when the Cowboys selected him No. 11 overall in 2005 NFL Draft.
But Zimmer, then the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, knew Ware would be special - and soon.
"When we came out of that first mini-camp I said, 'Holy mackerel, if this guy is anything like what he looks like, we've got an unbelievable guy here,'" Zimmer recalls about that spring in '05 when Ware first attempted to transition from small-school defensive end (Troy) to pro outside linebacker.
"And in training camp when you can't hit the quarterback, I said, 'Man, I want to see if these are really our sacks, that all the time he's beating these guys.' And so obviously now he is. And he can be as good as there ever was."
Zimmer, now the Bengals' defensive coordinator, is here in Mobile coaching the Senior Bowl North Team with the rest of Cincinnati's staff. Four years ago he and the Cowboys got a close look at Ware, an Alabama native whose athletic ability astounded coaches and scouts at the Senior Bowl.
Now, Ware is expected to become one of the league's highest-paid defensive players. His agent, Pat Dye, is attending Senior Bowl week, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the two sides have begun preliminary discussions regarding a contract extension.
Ware is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2009 season, but the Cowboys appear highly committed to re-signing him this off-season.
"We've had initial visits and did (Tuesday)," Jones said. "And (Cowboys executive vice president) Stephen (Jones) spent quite a bit of time with his representative (Tuesday). And so certainly that's something we will be working on."
Ware, already a three-time Pro Bowl selection, finished second in this year's AP Defensive Player of the Year voting. He had a league-high 20 sacks - 2 ½ short of Michael Strahan's single-season record - and a career-high 110 tackles.
Ware became the first Cowboys defender to reach 20 sacks in a season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, and his sack total also ties Derrick Thomas for the second-most in a season by a linebacker in league history. His 53.5 career sacks are the most by any NFL player since 2005.
Zimmer isn't a bit surprised at Ware's ascension to elite status, even though it took him a full season to adjust to outside linebacker in Dallas' 3-4 scheme after dominating as a 4-3 defensive end in college.
Dedication was a primary reason for Ware's successful switch. Like former Cowboys defenders Randy White and La'Roi Glover, Zimmer said Ware also took karate classes to improve his balance, hand placement and agility.
"Getting hands off when a guy's trying to attack you, and being able to do that when you're going forward to go rush the passer," Zimmer explained. "And we were working on his angles to try and get him to where we call 'the spot,' where he's got to the spot on the offensive tackle so he could start rushing the passer better. But you can see it all the time now. And then he's got such tremendous athletic ability. So once you get him kind of in the right direction and then he's just turned loose.
"And he's such a tremendous kid. I'm just tickled pink for him. He's done so good."
Sooner Switch
Veteran safety Roy Williams has made five Pro Bowls playing his natural position, but the Cowboys have also tried using him at linebacker in nickel situations.
Nic Harris (6-3, 230), another former Oklahoma safety, is trying to show this week he can play both positions at the next level.
"Just my lateral movement, that I can move," said Harris, a North Team member. "I'm a physical guy, big guy with a big frame, that I can play whatever you want me to play."
Harris, a first-team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches, had 222 career tackles and six interceptions before the Sooners' national championship loss to Florida.
Short Shots
The Cowboys' scouts, coaches and executives continued evaluating prospects at Wednesday's practices . . . Zimmer, Saints head coach Sean Payton and former Cowboys running backs coach Anthony Lynn are among the former Dallas coaches attending Senior Bowl week . . . Former Cowboys greats Lee Roy Jordan (1963) and Ed "Too Tall" Jones (1974) are members of the All-Time Senior Bowl team. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Zimmer Not Surprised By Ware's Rise
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
January 21, 2009 5:03 PM Change Font Size A A A A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Zimmer spent his last season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator in 2005, Ware's rookie year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER RECENT NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Mick's Mail: Wednesday, January 21, 2009
• Not Far Behind 1/21
• Jones On Ware Contract Talks, Draft and More 1/20
• Notes: Cowboys Continue Eying Senior Prospects 1/20
• Game 9 Recap: Giants Run By Cowboys, 35-14 1/20
• Mick's Mail: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
• Garrett Rejoins Cowboys Staff At Senior Bowl 1/19
• A Whole Lot Of Learning Still Going On 1/19
• Super Bowl XLIII Storylines To Watch Out For 1/19
• Rams Select Steve Spagnuolo Over Garrett 1/17
MOBILE, Ala. - Maybe Mike Zimmer didn't expect 20-sack production from DeMarcus Ware when the Cowboys selected him No. 11 overall in 2005 NFL Draft.
But Zimmer, then the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, knew Ware would be special - and soon.
"When we came out of that first mini-camp I said, 'Holy mackerel, if this guy is anything like what he looks like, we've got an unbelievable guy here,'" Zimmer recalls about that spring in '05 when Ware first attempted to transition from small-school defensive end (Troy) to pro outside linebacker.
"And in training camp when you can't hit the quarterback, I said, 'Man, I want to see if these are really our sacks, that all the time he's beating these guys.' And so obviously now he is. And he can be as good as there ever was."
Zimmer, now the Bengals' defensive coordinator, is here in Mobile coaching the Senior Bowl North Team with the rest of Cincinnati's staff. Four years ago he and the Cowboys got a close look at Ware, an Alabama native whose athletic ability astounded coaches and scouts at the Senior Bowl.
Now, Ware is expected to become one of the league's highest-paid defensive players. His agent, Pat Dye, is attending Senior Bowl week, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the two sides have begun preliminary discussions regarding a contract extension.
Ware is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2009 season, but the Cowboys appear highly committed to re-signing him this off-season.
"We've had initial visits and did (Tuesday)," Jones said. "And (Cowboys executive vice president) Stephen (Jones) spent quite a bit of time with his representative (Tuesday). And so certainly that's something we will be working on."
Ware, already a three-time Pro Bowl selection, finished second in this year's AP Defensive Player of the Year voting. He had a league-high 20 sacks - 2 ½ short of Michael Strahan's single-season record - and a career-high 110 tackles.
Ware became the first Cowboys defender to reach 20 sacks in a season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, and his sack total also ties Derrick Thomas for the second-most in a season by a linebacker in league history. His 53.5 career sacks are the most by any NFL player since 2005.
Zimmer isn't a bit surprised at Ware's ascension to elite status, even though it took him a full season to adjust to outside linebacker in Dallas' 3-4 scheme after dominating as a 4-3 defensive end in college.
Dedication was a primary reason for Ware's successful switch. Like former Cowboys defenders Randy White and La'Roi Glover, Zimmer said Ware also took karate classes to improve his balance, hand placement and agility.
"Getting hands off when a guy's trying to attack you, and being able to do that when you're going forward to go rush the passer," Zimmer explained. "And we were working on his angles to try and get him to where we call 'the spot,' where he's got to the spot on the offensive tackle so he could start rushing the passer better. But you can see it all the time now. And then he's got such tremendous athletic ability. So once you get him kind of in the right direction and then he's just turned loose.
"And he's such a tremendous kid. I'm just tickled pink for him. He's done so good."
Sooner Switch
Veteran safety Roy Williams has made five Pro Bowls playing his natural position, but the Cowboys have also tried using him at linebacker in nickel situations.
Nic Harris (6-3, 230), another former Oklahoma safety, is trying to show this week he can play both positions at the next level.
"Just my lateral movement, that I can move," said Harris, a North Team member. "I'm a physical guy, big guy with a big frame, that I can play whatever you want me to play."
Harris, a first-team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches, had 222 career tackles and six interceptions before the Sooners' national championship loss to Florida.
Short Shots
The Cowboys' scouts, coaches and executives continued evaluating prospects at Wednesday's practices . . . Zimmer, Saints head coach Sean Payton and former Cowboys running backs coach Anthony Lynn are among the former Dallas coaches attending Senior Bowl week . . . Former Cowboys greats Lee Roy Jordan (1963) and Ed "Too Tall" Jones (1974) are members of the All-Time Senior Bowl team. Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS