There are officially 90 days until the toe meets the ball at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
The days keep rolling and the jerseys keep counting. Today we are going to review the Greatest 90 in Dallas Cowboys History because let's face it; you are trying to sidetrack yourself at work. It's Monday and we're all wishing it were one of those random days we could have off like “Flag Day” or “Plastic Utensil Day”. Unfortunately, it's not, but we do have a nice serving of Cowboys chatter!
The following players have all worn 90 for the Dallas Cowboys:
- Marvin Austin, DT
- Willis Crocket, LB
- Everett Dawkins, DT
- Byron Frisch, DE
- Tony Hill, DE
- Demarcus Lawrence*, DE
- Eric Ogbogu, DE
- Jay Ratliff, DT
- Alonzo Spellman, DT
- Oscar Sturgis, DE
*Active player on the Dallas Cowboys roster
Number 90 is hot on the minds of Cowboys fans these days as the collective hope is that second-year player Demarcus Lawrence can live up to his draft day hype from a year ago and be an impact player in 2015. Even though Lawrence had a sack, fumble, and recovery against Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions to seal a playoff win back in January, it's not enough to make him our number one 90.
Drafted out of Auburn in the 7th round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Jay Ratliff was lucky just to make the team that year. Players that are taken that late rarely amount to much let alone become superstars like Ratliff did in Dallas. While the artist formerly known as Jay, he goes by Jeremiah now as a Chicago Bear, played his rookie year under 66, he upgraded to 90 and took off.
Jay amassed 155 tackles and 26 sacks in his time with the Dallas 90. While his statistics alone are impressive it was Jay's presence in the middle of the defensive line that Cowboys fans will remember most. Jay anchored a defensive line that featured the likes of DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis, and Anthony Spencer. For perspective on how notable that is, all three of those players were deemed by Inside The Star as the Greatest Cowboys to wear their respective numbers (94, 98, and 93).
Jay was a stout presence in the middle of the defense that made it very difficult for opposing offenses to run against. As a Cowboy, he was named to four Pro Bowls (2008-2011) and a member of the All-Pro team in 2009.
Check back tomorrow to find out who the Greatest 89 in Dallas Cowboys History is!
