[pull_quote_right]“Bless his heart he has to be the sickest man in America”[/pull_quote_right]
That’s what Verne Lundquist said about tight end Jackie Smith, who dropped a potential tying touchdown in Super Bowl 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That was my first thought when I heard the news about Sean Lee. Bless his heart, he has to be the sickest man in America. And you know he is. As bad as Dallas Cowboys fans feel about Lee’s injury, I would bet the house he feels worse than anybody else.
Lee’s knee gave out during the team’s first OTA practice and, according to sources, an MRI has confirmed he tore his ACL. There is also conflicting reports on the severity of the knee injury; some outlets are reporting he not only tore his ACL, but his MCL and meniscus as well.
Lee has battled injuries since his rookie year, and has missed 15 games in the last two seasons. However, his injuries aren’t from a lack of getting his body ready. Lee has gained the reputation as one the hardest working players in the NFL during the offseason and when he’s on the field, you can see that work ethic carry over because he’s one of the best linebackers in the game.
Sean Lee isn’t just one of the best linebackers in the league, he’s a leader on this team.
If you want to see how much he meant to his team, go check out the video of his injury on Tuesday and watch the initial reactions of the player’s right after he went down. Also, check out the video on what some of the players had to say in the locker room. The guy is one of, if not the most respected people in that organization.
But I guarantee this: Lee will go up to every single player, look them in the eye and tell them they have to keep grinding, keep working hard and never stop because this is their chance to step up and take over. As fans, we should do the same thing.
As I was reading reactions on Facebook and Twitter I kept seeing people giving up on the Cowboy’s season since hearing the news about Lee. And you know what? That’s just wrong. Sean Lee wouldn’t want his teammates to give up or lose hope; Lee wouldn’t want Cowboys fans to give up hope either.
So the Cowboys will suck it up and keep grinding, taking the next man up philosophy, and Cowboys fans should suck it up and keep grinding as well. Which means not giving up hope and to continue pulling for America’s team.
Because I promise you this – Sean Lee would tell Cowboys fans the same thing.
CowboysNation have we drafted a new tight end or a quarterback? We need to go to the supper bowl we are due. GO BOYS
After seeing some of the stats from the last two years, when Lee missed 15 games and played in 17, it was something like 8-7 vs 8-9 records. We had the worst defense last year with him for most of the year and Ware and Hatcher. With or without Lee, we can only get better.
I agree, I don’t know how much worse it could get