This Cowboys’ starter is channeling an NFL legend

For long-term fans of the Dallas Cowboys, there are a few names of non-Cowboys players that bring instant memories.

Many of them are opponents that earn respect in victory and defeat.

Most of them are unpleasant memories. Most of them are associated with former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Among those that aren’t, there is one name that stands out.

There’s one current Cowboys’ offensive lineman that seems to be channeling him. That’s a good thing, in case you were wondering.

Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player

Brock Hoffman is in his third NFL season. It’s proving to be something of a breakout season for the former Virginia Tech player.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Cleveland in 2022, Hoffman was later released and then signed by the Cowboys that season.

He was active for three games in 2022 and another 17 in 2023 with two starts.

This year he’s got four starts in 14 games. He’s also earned a reputation bordering on being mean and nasty.

That reputation is drawing a lot of comparisons to another mean and nasty offensive lineman, Conrad Dobler.

Dobler played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1972-77 when the Cardinals were in the NFC East along with the Cowboys.

He was drafted out of Wyoming, where he played a majority of the time on the defensive line. St. Louis wanted to make him a guard on the offensive line.

In 1972, Dobler went to camp trying to win a roster spot by being a prototype guard and wound up getting cut before the season opened.

But injuries early in the year had the Cardinals calling Dobler to come back. He returned a changed man.

“I decided to return to my own style of football,” Dobler, who passed away in 2023, recalled in an interview published in Petersen’s 19th Pro Football 1979 Annual. “In college I was a fighter, a scrapper — I didn’t try to finesse anyone, I just tried to beat their heads in. When I got to St. Louis the first time, I changed that…. I was trying to be nice, I didn’t want to make any enemies. Well, that trip home told me a lot. I was out of a job and the others were working. If I got the chance to try again, I wasn’t going to give anyone a break except Conrad Dobler.”

He didn’t give anyone a break over his 10-year career. In 1977, Sports Illustrated named Dobler Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player.

Minnesota Vikings’ defensive tackle Doug Sutherland may have summed Dobler best.

“What you need when you play Dobler is a string of garlic beads and a wooden stake,” Sutherland said in the same article.

Twice a year, from 1972-77, Dallas’ defensive linemen dealt with Dobler.

They got to enjoy his company twice more before he left the game, as a member of the 1978 Saints and 1981 Bills. Most of them agreed with Sutherland’s assessment.

Hoffman Channels Dobler

Hoffman hasn’t quite yet reached the level of nasty Dobler achieved back in the 1970s.

But his style of play is getting there. Hoffman has brought a level of mean and nasty that is translating into a resurgence in the Cowboys’ running attack.

Starting at center while Cooper Beebe recovers from a concussion, Hoffman reportedly nearly lost his voice in Sunday’s win over Carolina.

It wasn’t just from calling signals either. Hoffman has been dishing out the trash talk like the fry cook at McDonald’s during rush hour.

If you’re wondering how Hoffman has gotten this way, you can’t lay all the blame on Dobler’s example.

Hoffman’s mother apparently played a huge role in creating the Hoffman-stein monster, too.

Brock Hoffman has replaced All-Pro Zack Martin and inspired teammates with his “physical and nasty” play style.

That comes from his mother.

As third-grader in Pop Warner, he was called soft by his mother postgame. She used a different word – one you wouldn’t expect from a Mom. pic.twitter.com/EilN4urMVs

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) December 18, 2024

When Mom calls you “soft” at the tender age of 10 you tend to get “mean, physical, and nasty.”

Signs Of Things To Come?

Hoffman’s play, both in lieu of Martin’s season-ending injury and Beebe’s concussion, seems to have lifted the rest of the line.

Dallas’ renewed focus on running the ball has more to do with Dak Prescott being out for almost half the season.

However, the fact is this current line is making room for Rico Dowdle to run.

Dowdle has 392 yards rushing over the last three games. Granted, the level of competition isn’t among the league’s best.

But he’s averaging just under 131 yards a game this month and that’s impressive no matter who is on the other side of the ball.

Last week, Hoffman started at center with T.J. Bass and Tyler Smith at guard. Chuma Edoga and Terence Steele started at tackle.

With Beebe and Guyton also in the rotation, this has the makings of a solid offensive line for a balanced attack in 2025.

If the entire line plays with a little bit of Hoffman and a little bit more Dobler mixed in, they could be the key to a playoff return.

Maybe even a deeper postseason run at that.