Do you hear that?
It’s the sound of pads thumping, whistles blowing, and the NFL season getting under way.
The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins were the first two teams to start their 2013 training camps, and both teams will meet in a little less than two weeks in the Hall of Fame game.
The Cowboys of course hired Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator, and therefore switched to the 4-3 defense. Overall the Cowboys should be much better scheme wise, and that new scheme should benefit a couple of defensive players.
One player in particular who feels he’ll benefit from the switch is Cowboys star DeMarcus Ware.
Ware is entering training camp healthy for the first time in a few seasons, after battling neck and shoulder injuries. Ware is happy about the new defensive scheme, and told the Star Telegram that switching to defensive end will “keep him healthier, and around a few more years.”
“It’s a little bit easier transition; now you are putting your hand in the dirt and you are pass rushing 99, we’ll say 94 percent of the time,” Ware said, whose jersey is No. 94.
“At outside linebacker there are lot more moving parts and to me it’s easier to get hurt,” Ware said. “At defensive end, you’re not moving as much. It’s more technique. You’re using savviness to make plays. I think being more fundamentally sound should keep me healthier during the season. I feel like this should extend my career.”
Ware was always a pass rusher, but occasionally would drop back in coverage, or get caught up playing the run game. He will now get the opportunity to focus on strictly being a pass rusher, and that by itself should keep him healthy.