Outside of Cowboys Nation, Sean Lee doesn’t receive the kind of recognition that he deserves. He is one of the best linebackers in the entire NFL, but unfortunately doesn’t have the Pro Bowl credentials as others because of the position he plays. He is technically an OLB and has to contend with players like Von Miller for votes. But, that doesn’t stop him from absolutely dominating on the field.
That is exactly what he did Sunday night in the Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants. The stats will say that he finished with eight tackles, one of which was a tackle for loss, but stats don’t always tell the entire story. In my honest opinion, I think Sean Lee was largely responsible for how well the entire defense performed against Eli Manning and the Giants offense.
Since Sean Lee doesn’t receive the kind of recognition he deserves, I thought I would share a few of his top plays against the Giants and prove to everyone once and for all just how good he is. Fortunately, Marcus Mosher posted the exact plays I was going to use of Sean Lee on twitter, which lessened my workload.
Continue reading below to witness for yourself exactly how impressive Sean Lee was against the Giants. I believe it will prove that he is already in mid-season form and that is great news for the Cowboys defense, but bad news for Dallas’ upcoming opponents.
Sean Lee is so good at limiting yards after the catch. pic.twitter.com/E62P9vL9WS
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 11, 2017
This pass by QB Eli Manning was just a step away from being a pick six by Sean Lee. If Lee were to have been a step or even half a step faster, he could’ve undercut this route and walked into the end zone for a TD.
Lee was a thorn in Manning’s side the entire game and you can see why. The play was designed so that Engram could catch the ball on the run and pick up the first down, but Lee was there to make a sure tackle and force the Giants offense into yet another third-down situation. Like Marcus said, Lee is so good at limiting yards after the catch and the Cowboys defense is better for it.
Sean Lee is incredible. I don't know what else to say. pic.twitter.com/wW4bk1kB0a
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 11, 2017
Incredible. Outstanding. Phenomenal. There are just so many words fitting to use here to describe Sean Lee’s tackle for a loss. I would argue that Lee is the most prepared LB the entire NFL week after week. It looked as if he knew exactly what the Giants offense was planning to do here and beat them to the punch. That shows his dedication to film breakdown and knowing the tendencies of his opponent. I think his game preparedness is unmatched and hopefully rubs off on his young counterpart, Jaylon Smith.
Look at this play by Sean Lee. pic.twitter.com/oyj5Q11WsC
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 11, 2017
The recognition by Sean Lee on this play was simply outstanding. The Giants offense was trying to vacate the zone underneath for Sterling Shepard by releasing TE Evan Engram up the field. Lee recognizes what the Giants are trying to do here and comes off of Engram to ensure Shepard doesn’t pick up the first down. This would have been an easy first down pick up if not for Sean Lee’s play, but the Giants were forced to punt instead.
I thought Al and Chris totally missed this story on the telecast Sunday evening. I didn’t!
I guess it’s only natural considering all the hype there was for Jaylon Smith’s NFL debut. Everything else just seemed to lesson in importance.
Lee was/is exceptional. Good article Brian. Quick question – How long b4 Hitch returns? Rumor was he could be back sooner than 8 weeks. I so want to see the Trio of Lee, Hitch and Jaylon.
Thanks for the compliment. Your guess is as good as mine as to when Hitchens returns. I would imagine it would be sometime after their bye week. So… Maybe Week 7 or 8.