Cowboys Insider: Players gaining weight, working on agility
Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
IRVING – A skinny frame earned receiver Sam Hurd the nickname “Bird” when he was at Brackenridge High School.
These days, the 23-year-old Hurd looks more like a panther. His muscles are thicker, his step lighter and his determination to pounce on his opportunity pronounced.
In preparation for a training camp he hopes will lead to a breakthrough season, Hurd added nine pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-2 frame during the offseason. He says the hike in weight has allowed him to play the game faster.
“The focus is speed, speed, speed and getting my weight up,” Hurd said. “I want to play at a weight I’m comfortable at, in the 200s, where I could use my force a little bit more. I was always 190, trying to bang with everyone else. Now if I’m higher, I can give them a contest out there.”
Hurd hopes added pounds will help him counter the bullying tactics of Anthony Henry and other cornerbacks who favor popping receivers early in their routes.
“He’s got what I call old man’s strength,” Hurd said of Henry. “He will sit there and punch you and he will back you up. That’s one of his favorite moves, and beware of that. He will sit there, be stationary and hit you with everything he’s got. And he will hurt you.”
Now maybe Hurd can hurt Henry right back.
Hurd isn’t the only player at Valley Ranch flexing his muscles these days.
Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware says he’s tipping the scales somewhere between 260-265 pounds, which is at least 15 pounds more than his rookie weight in 2005.
Adding the bulk was a gradual process, Ware says.
And it wasn’t easy.
“When I gained the first 10 pounds, I was a little stiff,” said Ware, who wanted to get stronger without losing any of his quickness and agility. “But you’re finding out you’ve got to stretch a little bit more, you’ve got to do more squat work, you’ve got to do more things to make your body stronger so you can carry that weight the same way.”
The added strength should help Ware enjoy another season of double-digit sacks. He’s recorded 25½ the last two seasons, including 14 in 2007, a career best and a record for a Cowboys linebacker.
“In their mind,” Ware said of opposing offensive tackles, “when they know you can power them, that’s when they open a lot more.”
And once that happens, Ware should be able to use his speed to blow past them.
While Tony Romo didn’t have a dramatic shift in weight, the Pro Bowl passer says he continues to work on his agility by participating in a number of sports.
“The more active you are as an athlete, (the better),” Romo said. “I’m very active in my life. I will go out and play soccer and basketball and a lot of stuff you probably shouldn’t do, but I do it because that’s stuff I’ve done all my life. I don’t sit around and take naps and get bored. I think it helps me stay injury-free because I’m using different muscles on a daily basis.”
torsborn@express-news.net
IRVING – A skinny frame earned receiver Sam Hurd the nickname “Bird” when he was at Brackenridge High School.
These days, the 23-year-old Hurd looks more like a panther. His muscles are thicker, his step lighter and his determination to pounce on his opportunity pronounced.
In preparation for a training camp he hopes will lead to a breakthrough season, Hurd added nine pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-2 frame during the offseason. He says the hike in weight has allowed him to play the game faster.
“The focus is speed, speed, speed and getting my weight up,” Hurd said. “I want to play at a weight I’m comfortable at, in the 200s, where I could use my force a little bit more. I was always 190, trying to bang with everyone else. Now if I’m higher, I can give them a contest out there.”
Hurd hopes added pounds will help him counter the bullying tactics of Anthony Henry and other cornerbacks who favor popping receivers early in their routes.
“He’s got what I call old man’s strength,” Hurd said of Henry. “He will sit there and punch you and he will back you up. That’s one of his favorite moves, and beware of that. He will sit there, be stationary and hit you with everything he’s got. And he will hurt you.”
Now maybe Hurd can hurt Henry right back.
Hurd isn’t the only player at Valley Ranch flexing his muscles these days.
Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware says he’s tipping the scales somewhere between 260-265 pounds, which is at least 15 pounds more than his rookie weight in 2005.
Adding the bulk was a gradual process, Ware says.
And it wasn’t easy.
“When I gained the first 10 pounds, I was a little stiff,” said Ware, who wanted to get stronger without losing any of his quickness and agility. “But you’re finding out you’ve got to stretch a little bit more, you’ve got to do more squat work, you’ve got to do more things to make your body stronger so you can carry that weight the same way.”
The added strength should help Ware enjoy another season of double-digit sacks. He’s recorded 25½ the last two seasons, including 14 in 2007, a career best and a record for a Cowboys linebacker.
“In their mind,” Ware said of opposing offensive tackles, “when they know you can power them, that’s when they open a lot more.”
And once that happens, Ware should be able to use his speed to blow past them.
While Tony Romo didn’t have a dramatic shift in weight, the Pro Bowl passer says he continues to work on his agility by participating in a number of sports.
“The more active you are as an athlete, (the better),” Romo said. “I’m very active in my life. I will go out and play soccer and basketball and a lot of stuff you probably shouldn’t do, but I do it because that’s stuff I’ve done all my life. I don’t sit around and take naps and get bored. I think it helps me stay injury-free because I’m using different muscles on a daily basis.”
posted by The Gryphon at 6:52 PM
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