The Dallas Cowboys got off to a hot start with new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. The guy was energetic and got his team motivated to play at a level they haven't seen in years. They jumped to the top of the defensive rankings and headed into the Philadelphia Eagles game as the No. 1 rush defense in the nation.
Then LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick ran for 235 yards against the Cowboys and scored two rushing touchdowns while Philadelphia beat the Cowboys 34-7. Then, the next week, in a game Dallas should have won easily, Marshawn Lynch ran for 135 yards and a touchdown in a game Dallas won, 23-13.
Heading into the game with the Buffalo Bills, Dallas has dropped to 10th in the NFL in rushing defense. The scary news is that Fred Jackson, who ranks third in the NFL behind McCoy and Matt Forte, plays for the Bills.
What happened to that great Dallas Cowboys defense? His name is Sean Lee and he is a second year linebacker out of Penn State.
A lot of people talk about DeMarcus Ware and his chase for the NFL sack record. Yes, Ware is possibly the best defensive player in all the NFL but Lee is just as integral to the Dallas defense as Ware. The problem is that Lee went down in the Week 7 win over St. Louis with a wrist injury. He wasn't on the field for the Eagles or Seahawks game and Dallas paid for it.
Before his injury, Lee recorded 51 tackles on the season, with a high of 12 against the New York Jets. He also had three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. More than that, he made players around him better. Runners knew not to head in his direction and turned into Ware or one of the other Dallas defenders.
The Dallas Cowboys need Sean Lee back in their starting lineup if they want to have any chance of stopping Fred Jackson. Keith Brooking is not the linebacker he once was and his 27 total tackles on the season prove it. If Dallas doesn't get Lee back for Week 10, you can count on the third straight monster running performance against the Cowboys to occur.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
Source: Dallas Cowboys website
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