Lee's Woes

Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Sean Lee tore the ACL in his left knee last Tuesday. It was during a "non-contact" scrimmage at the Cowboys OTAs. Replays showed that Lee was somewhat engaged with an offensive lineman when he went down. While there was some contact it didn't look like that contact was the cause of the injury. It was one of those fluky sorts of injuries that just happen in football. Lee has experienced far more than his share of injuries. Fluky or not.

Sean Lee was drafted by the Cowboys out of Penn St. in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He might have been selected in the first round if it weren't for a torn ACL in his right knee in 2008 and partial tear in his left knee in 2009. His knees had held up great until last Tuesday. It's been injuries to various other parts of his body that have hindered his first four years in the league. As a rookie, Lee played behind Keith Brooking and Bradie James in the Cowboys' 3-4 defense. It was obvious from the start that Lee was going to be a strong presence in the middle of the defense for a long time. If he could stay on the field. A hamstring kept him out of two games in 2010. He became a starter and the quarterback of the defense in 2011. He missed one game that season due to a dislocated wrist. He played with a cast on the injured wrist for much of the season. He still excelled and paced the team in tackles. In 2012, toe surgery forced Lee to miss ten games. Last year, a sprained neck forced him to miss five games. Lee has missed 15 of the last 32 games. He's been a difference-making defensive football player in the other 17 games.

It is getting quite depressing to see Sean Lee on the sideline so much. When he's on the field, he's one of the best defensive players in the game. Carolina's Luke Kuechly is considered by many to be the best middle linebacker in the game today. When Lee is on the field, he's better. He just needs to stay on the field. He needs to get over this dreadful run of injuries. About twenty years ago the Minnesota Vikings drafted Ohio St. running back Robert Smith in the first round. He was expected to make an explosive impact immediately. For four years he couldn't stay on the field. As with Lee, it was a variety of things that chased Smith to the sideline. He even missed a game due to chicken pox. Finally, in 1997, Smith's run of injuries seemed to fade. They didn't fade away completely as he still missed two games in 1997, another two in 1998, and three in 1999 but he was on the field enough to finally make an impact. He was on the field enough to show that game-breaking speed. He gained 1,000 yards each season for the remainder of his career. That career ended early when Smith suddenly called it quits after the 2000 season. He was on the field enough that final season to gain 1521 yards. Robert Smith and Sean Lee were each hit by an incredible run of injuries during their first four years in the league. For Smith, those injuries mostly went away when he hit his fifth season. Unfortunately, Lee will likely miss his entire fifth season. Hopefully, his latest knee injury will be end of his terrible run of injuries. The NFL is a better league when a talent like Sean Lee is on the football field.