As an adolescent you were probably taught or at least heard the nursery rhyme/kids song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. It was meant to teach us not only parts of the human anatomy, but was probably taught as an exercise as well. But, for Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee, it could be used a roadmap of injuries he has sustained in his career.
Injuries of course are a part of the NFL or just about any other professional sport. But, it has been a big part of Sean Lee's career dating all the way back to his collegiate days at Penn State. Unfortunately, despite his immense talent, he has become extremely untrustworthy for the Dallas Cowboys.
You see, the defense for the Dallas Cowboys is pretty much built around Sean Lee. No one will argue that they are better when he is in the lineup, but are a dramatically different team when he's not on the field. He is that talented and makes that much of a difference. It's truly amazing how much the Cowboys depend on just one player.
Now, I could throw out all kinds of statistics of how the Cowboys defense plays when Sean Lee is in the lineup and when he's not. But, it's something that we already know, so why bother. Instead, I want to focus on his injuries and what the Dallas Cowboys can possibly do to keep him healthy.
We all know that at some point Sean Lee is going to miss some time due to an injury. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he's played an entire season in his NFL career. He has sustained multiple concussions, an ACL tear, a neck injury where there was ligament damage, plantar fascia tear in his foot, a fractured wrist, and a smorgasbord of hamstring injuries. Yet, we don't really hear the injury prone label attached to him.
It's way past time that the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff and their strength and conditioning program get together and figure out some way to keep Sean Lee on the field. If they're going to depend on him as much as they do to make their defense better, something needs to change and fast.
The Cowboys organization needs to cut back on Sean Lee's workload in practice. He has the heart of a Gladiator and wants to be out on the field as much as possible, but he doesn't really need the practice repetitions. He is arguably the most mentally prepared player day in and day out in the NFL. Practice repetitions don't mean squat to a vet player like him unless he isn't in shape.
Unfortunately, #50's body can't hold up to the workload. His heart is definitely in it, but the body just can't hold up the way he would like. We have seen it time after time. Sean Lee is going to sustain some kind of soft tissue injury. Resting him as much as possible in the off-season and in between games each week is really the only solution.
Who knows? It may be too late in Sean Lee's career to change things. But, that doesn't mean the Dallas Cowboys don't need to do everything in their power to keep him on the field. They don't have his replacement currently on the roster, probably making it a top priority the 2018 NFL Draft.
One thing is for sure though. The sad truth is, Sean Lee is simply untrustworthy to be relied upon like the Dallas Cowboys do. It's time some serious changes are made one way or another.
