He's no Larry Allen, but Cowboys' Kosier ready to fill void
The Associated Press
IRVING – Just to reiterate what's already obvious: Dallas Cowboys guard Kyle Kosier is never going to be Larry Allen.
He can't bench press 700 pounds, as Allen so famously did during the Cowboys' annual strength test. He doesn't intimidate opposing linemen, and whereas Allen has gone to 10 Pro Bowls, Kosier hasn't been once in four NFL seasons.
Even while quietly sitting as his locker Saturday, Kosier was something his hulking and dominant predecessor never Advertisement
was: inconspicuous.
He was virtually ignored while sitting a few lockers from Terrell Owens, who didn't meet with the media Saturday after a four-deep horde of reporters swarmed his locker during a 15-minute session Friday.
"I'm just a normal guy," said Kosier, a former teammate of Owens in San Francisco. "Going out to do my job. That's it."
That might be the best the Cowboys, who released Allen this spring after he wouldn't accept a pay cut, can hope from Kosier. After all, how do you replace someone who was the greatest guard of his generation, if not the best ever to play his position in the NFL?
Easy, says Kosier – you don't even try.
"He's one of the strongest guys in the NFL," said Kosier, 28, who came from Detroit after spending his first three seasons with San Francisco. "He's a very physical player. I'm obviously not as strong as him, but there's not too many guys that are."
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound lineman added: "I've got some big shoes to fill."
When the Cowboys released Allen in March – a predictable cost-cutting move – they lost the final link to their last Super Bowl title in 1996. He was also the last player in the Cowboys locker room to have won a playoff game in a Dallas uniform.
But Allen was going to count more than $7.5 million toward next season's salary cap, and he was due another $2 million the week before he was released. Two days after being cut, Allen signed a two-year contract with the 49ers.
Allen, an eight-time All-Pro, will still count $4 million against the cap this season for Dallas. Kosier received a five-year, $15 million contract with a $5 million signing bonus.
"I don't think he's feeling pressure to go out and be as good as Larry Allen," said tackle Rob Petitti, who started 16 games for Dallas last season. "He's a very down-to-earth guy and he works very hard, and I think he feels comfortable with us now."
Kosier, a seventh-round pick out of Arizona State in 2002, started 40 games in the West Coast offense with Detroit and San Francisco. He bounced around the Lions' offensive line last year, going from left tackle to right guard.
Another addition to the Cowboys' offensive line is former New York Jets tackle Jason Fabini, a nine-year veteran who should challenge Petitti for the starting job on the right side.
Left tackle is still locked up by Flozell Adams, who coach Bill Parcells said is "overweight and rusty" since coming back from a knee injury.
Parcells hasn't said Kosier is his man at right guard, but Kosier seems to have made a good impression. He reported to minicamp in shape at 308 pounds. During training camp last year, Allen failed the team's conditioning test.
"I think I know what I have (with Kosier)," Parcells said.
CAMP NOTES: Owens and Parcells smiled while chatting after Saturday's final practice, before Cowboys owner Jerry Jones came over and pulled Parcells aside. ... K Mike Vanderjagt, the second-biggest offseason acquisition by the Cowboys, didn't appear in the locker room during media availability for the second straight day.
IRVING – Just to reiterate what's already obvious: Dallas Cowboys guard Kyle Kosier is never going to be Larry Allen.
He can't bench press 700 pounds, as Allen so famously did during the Cowboys' annual strength test. He doesn't intimidate opposing linemen, and whereas Allen has gone to 10 Pro Bowls, Kosier hasn't been once in four NFL seasons.
Even while quietly sitting as his locker Saturday, Kosier was something his hulking and dominant predecessor never Advertisement
was: inconspicuous.
He was virtually ignored while sitting a few lockers from Terrell Owens, who didn't meet with the media Saturday after a four-deep horde of reporters swarmed his locker during a 15-minute session Friday.
"I'm just a normal guy," said Kosier, a former teammate of Owens in San Francisco. "Going out to do my job. That's it."
That might be the best the Cowboys, who released Allen this spring after he wouldn't accept a pay cut, can hope from Kosier. After all, how do you replace someone who was the greatest guard of his generation, if not the best ever to play his position in the NFL?
Easy, says Kosier – you don't even try.
"He's one of the strongest guys in the NFL," said Kosier, 28, who came from Detroit after spending his first three seasons with San Francisco. "He's a very physical player. I'm obviously not as strong as him, but there's not too many guys that are."
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound lineman added: "I've got some big shoes to fill."
When the Cowboys released Allen in March – a predictable cost-cutting move – they lost the final link to their last Super Bowl title in 1996. He was also the last player in the Cowboys locker room to have won a playoff game in a Dallas uniform.
But Allen was going to count more than $7.5 million toward next season's salary cap, and he was due another $2 million the week before he was released. Two days after being cut, Allen signed a two-year contract with the 49ers.
Allen, an eight-time All-Pro, will still count $4 million against the cap this season for Dallas. Kosier received a five-year, $15 million contract with a $5 million signing bonus.
"I don't think he's feeling pressure to go out and be as good as Larry Allen," said tackle Rob Petitti, who started 16 games for Dallas last season. "He's a very down-to-earth guy and he works very hard, and I think he feels comfortable with us now."
Kosier, a seventh-round pick out of Arizona State in 2002, started 40 games in the West Coast offense with Detroit and San Francisco. He bounced around the Lions' offensive line last year, going from left tackle to right guard.
Another addition to the Cowboys' offensive line is former New York Jets tackle Jason Fabini, a nine-year veteran who should challenge Petitti for the starting job on the right side.
Left tackle is still locked up by Flozell Adams, who coach Bill Parcells said is "overweight and rusty" since coming back from a knee injury.
Parcells hasn't said Kosier is his man at right guard, but Kosier seems to have made a good impression. He reported to minicamp in shape at 308 pounds. During training camp last year, Allen failed the team's conditioning test.
"I think I know what I have (with Kosier)," Parcells said.
CAMP NOTES: Owens and Parcells smiled while chatting after Saturday's final practice, before Cowboys owner Jerry Jones came over and pulled Parcells aside. ... K Mike Vanderjagt, the second-biggest offseason acquisition by the Cowboys, didn't appear in the locker room during media availability for the second straight day.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:47 AM
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