Cowboys Insider: Ratliff's versatility, unselfishness dates from high school
Tom Orsborn
Express-News staff writer As head coach of Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Ga., during the late 1990s, Milt Miller knew he could count on Jay Ratliff to always do what was best for the team.
Nearly a decade later, Ratliff continues to place his team’s needs ahead of his own.
“Jay would do anything you asked him to do,” Miller said via telephone from Georgia. “He was an unselfish player who would say, ‘Just let me know what I can do for you, coach, and I will do my best.’ ”
With that in mind, it came as no surprise to Miller that Wade Phillips is turning to Ratliff to play nose tackle with starter Jason Ferguson out for the season with a biceps injury.
Even though he’s backed up Ferguson since training camp, Ratliff’s true position is defensive end, a spot he mans in the team’s dime packages.
And at 298 pounds, the 6-foot-4 Ratliff is considered undersized as a nose tackle.
But instead of complaining about the move, Ratliff did what he’s always done: Saluted and said, “Yes, sir.”
“He’s not a self-centered guy,” Miller said of Ratliff, who will make his first career start Sunday when the Cowboys (1-0) play at Miami (0-1).
As a senior, Ratliff led Lowndes to the 1999 state championship in Georgia’s highest classification.
“He was all of 6-6, 215 pounds back then and we had him at tight end, split end and, on some occasions, defensive end,” Miller said. “He even returned a few punts.”
In middle school, Ratliff played quarterback. When he got to Lowndes, Miller and his staff played him at different spots before settling on tight end as his primary position.
“We knew we had to get the ball to him on offense, but our defensive coaches were begging for him,” Miller said. “We put him over there on defense one game and he and Vincent Barnes (who went on to play for Kentucky and the Indianapolis Colts) were on opposite sides at defensive end.
Well, they rushed the quarterback on third and long, and Jay got hurt, so that was the end of defense for him.
“He was too valuable to us on offense. He could help us move the football so well, either inside or out.”
Playing in a run-oriented offense as a senior, Ratliff caught the attention of college scouts by catching 46 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns en route to all-state honors, quite an achievement considering he missed three games with a knee injury.
“He was a good enough athlete to do just about anything,” Miller said. “He was also a basketball guy and he did a little track. He always stayed busy doing something. And he comes from a great family; his parents were very supportive.”
After graduating from Lowndes, Ratliff moved on to Auburn, where he played tight end as a freshman. Before his sophomore year, he moved to defensive end.
As a senior, he played defensive tackle.
The Cowboys selected him in the seventh round in 2005. His passing-rushing skills are among the team’s best, and he said he intends to play nose tackle the same way he’s played end.
In other words, he intends to get to the quarterback.
“Being me is how I got here,” Ratliff said, “so I’m not going to change that.”
Meanwhile, Miller said he’s just happy his former star player continues to do things the right way – as a player and person.
“He comes from a good family,” Miller said, “and we’re all proud of him.”
And Miller says he knows Cowboys owner Jerry Jones feels the same.
“I was in Dallas for a coaching convention not too long ago, and I met Jerry Jones and introduced myself,” Miller said. “He was super nice, and when I told him I had coached Jay in high school, he said he was really high on Jay and thinks a lot of him.”
Miller retired from coaching after the 2001 season. He spent 33 years in the profession, including 28 seasons in Georgia, where he forged a 209-93-0 record.
Five reasons why the Dolphins beat the Cowboys
1. Quarterback Trent Green and receiver Chris Chambers imitate Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress and shred a secondary still reeling from giving up four touchdown passes in the opener.
2. With Ferguson sidelined, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown picks up big yardage between the tackles.
3. Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams follows up one of his best games in recent memory with a stinker, allowing Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor to punish Tony Romo.
4. The Cowboys wilt in the heat.
5. The Cowboys fail to contain Ted Ginn Jr. on punt and kickoff returns.
Five reasons why the Cowboys beat the Dolphins
1. The Dolphins’ injury-depleted secondary has no chance against Romo and Co.
2. The Dolphins gave up 191 rushing yards in their season-opening loss to the Redskins. Marion Barber and Julius Jones should do substantial damage running behind an offensive line that excelled in the opener.
3. Miami’s offense will pick up where it left off in the opener, which is to say it will continue to be bogged down by penalties, dropped passes and other miscues.
4. The addition of Ratliff to the starting lineup sparks defensive ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears to actually put some heat on the quarterback.
5. Roy Williams bounces back from another bad game with a performance befitting a Pro Bowler.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Dolphins 23. The defense will play better, but it’s Romo and the offense that again rule the day. They won’t hang 45 points on the Dolphins defense, but it’s hard to imagine Zach Thomas and Co. having enough to stop an attack that could be the Cowboys best since the days of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
Express-News staff writer As head coach of Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Ga., during the late 1990s, Milt Miller knew he could count on Jay Ratliff to always do what was best for the team.
Nearly a decade later, Ratliff continues to place his team’s needs ahead of his own.
“Jay would do anything you asked him to do,” Miller said via telephone from Georgia. “He was an unselfish player who would say, ‘Just let me know what I can do for you, coach, and I will do my best.’ ”
With that in mind, it came as no surprise to Miller that Wade Phillips is turning to Ratliff to play nose tackle with starter Jason Ferguson out for the season with a biceps injury.
Even though he’s backed up Ferguson since training camp, Ratliff’s true position is defensive end, a spot he mans in the team’s dime packages.
And at 298 pounds, the 6-foot-4 Ratliff is considered undersized as a nose tackle.
But instead of complaining about the move, Ratliff did what he’s always done: Saluted and said, “Yes, sir.”
“He’s not a self-centered guy,” Miller said of Ratliff, who will make his first career start Sunday when the Cowboys (1-0) play at Miami (0-1).
As a senior, Ratliff led Lowndes to the 1999 state championship in Georgia’s highest classification.
“He was all of 6-6, 215 pounds back then and we had him at tight end, split end and, on some occasions, defensive end,” Miller said. “He even returned a few punts.”
In middle school, Ratliff played quarterback. When he got to Lowndes, Miller and his staff played him at different spots before settling on tight end as his primary position.
“We knew we had to get the ball to him on offense, but our defensive coaches were begging for him,” Miller said. “We put him over there on defense one game and he and Vincent Barnes (who went on to play for Kentucky and the Indianapolis Colts) were on opposite sides at defensive end.
Well, they rushed the quarterback on third and long, and Jay got hurt, so that was the end of defense for him.
“He was too valuable to us on offense. He could help us move the football so well, either inside or out.”
Playing in a run-oriented offense as a senior, Ratliff caught the attention of college scouts by catching 46 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns en route to all-state honors, quite an achievement considering he missed three games with a knee injury.
“He was a good enough athlete to do just about anything,” Miller said. “He was also a basketball guy and he did a little track. He always stayed busy doing something. And he comes from a great family; his parents were very supportive.”
After graduating from Lowndes, Ratliff moved on to Auburn, where he played tight end as a freshman. Before his sophomore year, he moved to defensive end.
As a senior, he played defensive tackle.
The Cowboys selected him in the seventh round in 2005. His passing-rushing skills are among the team’s best, and he said he intends to play nose tackle the same way he’s played end.
In other words, he intends to get to the quarterback.
“Being me is how I got here,” Ratliff said, “so I’m not going to change that.”
Meanwhile, Miller said he’s just happy his former star player continues to do things the right way – as a player and person.
“He comes from a good family,” Miller said, “and we’re all proud of him.”
And Miller says he knows Cowboys owner Jerry Jones feels the same.
“I was in Dallas for a coaching convention not too long ago, and I met Jerry Jones and introduced myself,” Miller said. “He was super nice, and when I told him I had coached Jay in high school, he said he was really high on Jay and thinks a lot of him.”
Miller retired from coaching after the 2001 season. He spent 33 years in the profession, including 28 seasons in Georgia, where he forged a 209-93-0 record.
Five reasons why the Dolphins beat the Cowboys
1. Quarterback Trent Green and receiver Chris Chambers imitate Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress and shred a secondary still reeling from giving up four touchdown passes in the opener.
2. With Ferguson sidelined, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown picks up big yardage between the tackles.
3. Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams follows up one of his best games in recent memory with a stinker, allowing Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor to punish Tony Romo.
4. The Cowboys wilt in the heat.
5. The Cowboys fail to contain Ted Ginn Jr. on punt and kickoff returns.
Five reasons why the Cowboys beat the Dolphins
1. The Dolphins’ injury-depleted secondary has no chance against Romo and Co.
2. The Dolphins gave up 191 rushing yards in their season-opening loss to the Redskins. Marion Barber and Julius Jones should do substantial damage running behind an offensive line that excelled in the opener.
3. Miami’s offense will pick up where it left off in the opener, which is to say it will continue to be bogged down by penalties, dropped passes and other miscues.
4. The addition of Ratliff to the starting lineup sparks defensive ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears to actually put some heat on the quarterback.
5. Roy Williams bounces back from another bad game with a performance befitting a Pro Bowler.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Dolphins 23. The defense will play better, but it’s Romo and the offense that again rule the day. They won’t hang 45 points on the Dolphins defense, but it’s hard to imagine Zach Thomas and Co. having enough to stop an attack that could be the Cowboys best since the days of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:24 AM
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