Cowboys lose linebacker Sean Lee again
Oft-injured Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee didn’t even make it through the first offseason practice without another setback in a career filled with them.
Lee went down with a left knee injury during the team portion of what was supposed to be a noncontact workout Tuesday. Coach Jason Garrett said Lee was getting an MRI later in the day.
The fifth-year middle linebacker went to the ground with rookie offensive lineman Zack Martin on top of him and didn’t get up right away. He had to be helped off the field.
The 27-year-old Lee has missed 15 of 32 games the past two seasons and has never played a full a season in his four years in the league. He missed five games last year with hamstring and neck injuries.
Despite playing just 46 games over four seasons, he leads all linebackers with 11 interceptions.
No contact for Romo
Quarterback Tony Romo looked like the man in charge of the Dallas offense for the first offseason practice until the drills got a little more competitive.
Five months removed from back surgery, Romo donned a baseball cap for 11-on-11 work. There’s no use in rushing, as coach Jason Garrett has been saying for weeks.
Romo sustained a herniated disk against Washington and missing the finale against Philadelphia with a playoff berth on the line.
Clowney, Watt on field
It’s almost enough to make a defensive coordinator drool.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans’ No. 1 pick in the draftout of South Carolina, was on the field for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.
As both players get used to new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, Clowney has eyes on the All-Pro as he eases into the NFL.
“Just watching him work it makes you want to work even more,” Clowney said.
Watt knows what Clowney is going through. While the expectations are high, things will take time.
“I don’t know enough yet to tell you. We’re just in helmets right now,” Watt said when asked about Clowney’s potential impact. “I know he’s in the playbook and he’s working hard.”
No regrets for Pouncey
Mike Pouncey has no regrets about how the Miami Dolphins’ 2013 season unfolded and does not believe he needs the NFL-mandated medical evaluation that is the result of the team’s bullying scandal.
Pouncey, Miami’s starting center, made those remarks after the team’s first OTA.
Ted Wells, an NFL-appointed investigator, said Pouncey and fellow offensive linemen Richie Incognito and John Jerry engaged in a pattern of abuse directed at teammates and Dolphins staff. The league has decided that Pouncey must undergo a mental-health evaluation before being allowed to play this fall – a prospect Pouncey is not happy about.
Asked what the evaluation would entail, Pouncey responded: “I have no clue, but I don’t think I need that.”
Pouncey was asked if he has any regrets about how last season went.
“No, not at all,” he said.