Cowboys LB Ware finding the fastest way to QBs
Associated Press
Updated: November 20, 2007, 7:38 PM ET
IRVING, Texas -- The ball was snapped and DeMarcus Ware already was in motion, out of his stance but still hovering low to the ground. Somehow able to build speed, Ware zipped around Washington's three-time Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels and took aim on quarterback Jason Campbell.
Campbell didn't have a chance.
The sack was a given, but it wasn't enough. Ware also saw the quarterback was holding the ball loosely, so he went for the strip -- and got it, stopping the Redskins from building on their lead at the start of the second half of Sunday's game.
Later in the quarter, Ware was about to sack Campbell again but the quarterback threw the ball at the last second. Actually, after the last second. He wound up being flagged for intentional grounding, forcing Washington to settle for a field goal instead of a possible go-ahead touchdown.
Those aren't the biggest plays Ware has made this season, just the most recent.
While Tony Romo and Terrell Owens get most of the raves for the Dallas Cowboys being 9-1, save some credit for Ware, too.
He has nine sacks, the most in the conference and a half-sack from being tops in the NFL. He also has 59 tackles, which easily is the most among the sack leaders. With such all-around success, it's no wonder he needed two bags of IV fluid after the Redskins game.
"He's fantastic," coach Wade Phillips said. "I call him an all-star. He's the all-star kind of person you want on your team. He's all-out every play. I've never seen an outside linebacker make as many plays as he does. Inside linebacker, sure. But him getting in on so many plays -- running plays, pass plays, knocking the quarterback down, running him out of the pocket, all those things."
The arrival of Phillips and his aggressive 3-4 scheme was expected to turn Ware from a reliable up-and-comer into a pass-rushing force. After all, he was taking over the role that turned Shawne Merriman into a star the last few years in San Diego.
He started slowly, with no sacks the first two weeks. But he's been on quite a roll since, getting at least one in seven of the last eight games.
"He's going to be there in the leaders in sacks because he is so relentless," Phillips said. "That's the way Merriman was last year, same way."
The irony is that the Cowboys had the choice between Ware and Merriman when both were coming out of college in 2005. While Ware made the Pro Bowl last season, Merriman was seen as the bigger star.
Maybe Phillips' play-calling has something to do with the comparison. Note that Merriman has only 5.5 sacks this season, after ringing up 17 last season for Phillips.
But when it comes to comparing Ware with someone, Phillips doesn't stop at Merriman. He considers Ware in the mold of another guy he coached: career sack leader Bruce Smith.
"He is a force on the field. That's the way Bruce was, and some of the other guys I've had," said Phillips, who also coached Reggie White.
Phillips said the way Ware goes so fast while being so low -- an important skill when trying to avoid 6-foot-5, 310 pound linemen like Samuels -- is another trait reminiscent of Smith.
"That's the way he got around there, too," Phillips said. "He could bend and still stay up. I don't know how he did it."
The same could be said about how quickly Ware moved on the snap that resulted in his sack-forced fumble.
"Great pass rushers have that sixth sense, or whatever it is, that they get off the ball quicker than anybody else, and he is one of those guys," Phillips said.
Next up in his sights: Rookie Kellen Clemens and the New York Jets, Dallas' foe on Thursday.
Jets coach Eric Mangini has gotten a look at Ware the last few days, and knows his young quarterback better be ready.
"He's got excellent edge speed, but he's also got very good power, so he's able to transition from speed to power and blow you back that way. And he's going all the time," Mangini said. "Combining those elements, it's a long day."
Updated: November 20, 2007, 7:38 PM ET
IRVING, Texas -- The ball was snapped and DeMarcus Ware already was in motion, out of his stance but still hovering low to the ground. Somehow able to build speed, Ware zipped around Washington's three-time Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels and took aim on quarterback Jason Campbell.
Campbell didn't have a chance.
The sack was a given, but it wasn't enough. Ware also saw the quarterback was holding the ball loosely, so he went for the strip -- and got it, stopping the Redskins from building on their lead at the start of the second half of Sunday's game.
Later in the quarter, Ware was about to sack Campbell again but the quarterback threw the ball at the last second. Actually, after the last second. He wound up being flagged for intentional grounding, forcing Washington to settle for a field goal instead of a possible go-ahead touchdown.
Those aren't the biggest plays Ware has made this season, just the most recent.
While Tony Romo and Terrell Owens get most of the raves for the Dallas Cowboys being 9-1, save some credit for Ware, too.
He has nine sacks, the most in the conference and a half-sack from being tops in the NFL. He also has 59 tackles, which easily is the most among the sack leaders. With such all-around success, it's no wonder he needed two bags of IV fluid after the Redskins game.
"He's fantastic," coach Wade Phillips said. "I call him an all-star. He's the all-star kind of person you want on your team. He's all-out every play. I've never seen an outside linebacker make as many plays as he does. Inside linebacker, sure. But him getting in on so many plays -- running plays, pass plays, knocking the quarterback down, running him out of the pocket, all those things."
The arrival of Phillips and his aggressive 3-4 scheme was expected to turn Ware from a reliable up-and-comer into a pass-rushing force. After all, he was taking over the role that turned Shawne Merriman into a star the last few years in San Diego.
He started slowly, with no sacks the first two weeks. But he's been on quite a roll since, getting at least one in seven of the last eight games.
"He's going to be there in the leaders in sacks because he is so relentless," Phillips said. "That's the way Merriman was last year, same way."
The irony is that the Cowboys had the choice between Ware and Merriman when both were coming out of college in 2005. While Ware made the Pro Bowl last season, Merriman was seen as the bigger star.
Maybe Phillips' play-calling has something to do with the comparison. Note that Merriman has only 5.5 sacks this season, after ringing up 17 last season for Phillips.
But when it comes to comparing Ware with someone, Phillips doesn't stop at Merriman. He considers Ware in the mold of another guy he coached: career sack leader Bruce Smith.
"He is a force on the field. That's the way Bruce was, and some of the other guys I've had," said Phillips, who also coached Reggie White.
Phillips said the way Ware goes so fast while being so low -- an important skill when trying to avoid 6-foot-5, 310 pound linemen like Samuels -- is another trait reminiscent of Smith.
"That's the way he got around there, too," Phillips said. "He could bend and still stay up. I don't know how he did it."
The same could be said about how quickly Ware moved on the snap that resulted in his sack-forced fumble.
"Great pass rushers have that sixth sense, or whatever it is, that they get off the ball quicker than anybody else, and he is one of those guys," Phillips said.
Next up in his sights: Rookie Kellen Clemens and the New York Jets, Dallas' foe on Thursday.
Jets coach Eric Mangini has gotten a look at Ware the last few days, and knows his young quarterback better be ready.
"He's got excellent edge speed, but he's also got very good power, so he's able to transition from speed to power and blow you back that way. And he's going all the time," Mangini said. "Combining those elements, it's a long day."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:32 PM
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