Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Sean Lee: Bleacher Report Exclusive Interview

The Dallas Cowboys ended the 2010 season on a high note as they finished the season off by beating their arch rival the Philadelphia Eagles, removed the interim tag from Jason Garrett, and drafted ninth in draft this offseason. The team has a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan and the Super Bowl was just played at the world famous Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

The Cowboys used to hang their hat on how great their defense was but last season the hat rack broke and they slipped to 26th against the pass. However, there were a few bright spots as linebacker DeMarcus Ware led the league in sacks and rookie linebacker Sean Lee had a break out performance against the Colts with two interceptions.

Last week I got the chance to sit down and talk with Sean about the Super Bowl, his involvement with Pepsi Max, the Cowboys, and new head coach Jason Garrett.

Jason: Sean how is your Super Bowl week going? With this being your first year in the NFL how has this experience been for you?

Sean Lee: It’s been fun. I’ve been down here with the NFL experience a lot, you know doing different things like working with kids, so it’s been fun. I have some family in town so I won’t be doing as many parties as I would like. But seeing all of the people coming to Dallas and the excitement around it just shows you how big the Super Bowl has really gotten and how important it is for our city.

Jason: Indeed. Tell me about your involvement with the Pepsi Max campaign?

SL: Well we’re here basically setting up a mock combine similar to the commercial with the Pepsi driver. There are different things like push ups, (inaudible). To be honest with you I’m out of shape a little and I’m trying to get back in shape here but it’s a lot of fun, it’s really interactive, and it’s like the commercial brought to life here; so it’s been a blast.

Jason: That’s good to hear. Let me ask you about your rookie season. You had 32 tackles, you had that huge game against the Indianapolis Colts where you picked off future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning twice and you were named rookie of the week. You also transitioned over to a 3-4 playing under Wade Phillips and then under Jason Garrett. How was your rookie season? Was it difficult to make that transition and how do you feel now compared to when you first came into the league?

SL: This year was invaluable when it came to experience. Just, how to prepare for an NFL game, how you need to practice. I’ve been blessed with two guys to work with in Brady James and Keith Brooking, two professionals who have really helped me. I really felt that working with them each week and getting used to the NFL I got better each week. Our team finished the season off better and I’m kind of looking to build off of that and take that into next season and hopefully start a lot better than we did this year.

Jason: Switching gears to head coaches. You played under legendary football coach Joe Paterno at Penn State where he’s been the patriarch for the Penn State football program for almost 45 years. You’re drafted by the Cowboys and you start the season with Wade Phillips as your head coach and you end it with Jason Garrett as head man. How did that shape your play on the field?

SL: Well I feel like no matter which coach you have, you have to play a certain way. You have to be ready to get on the field and play your heart out every single play. You have to come to practice like a professional and practice extremely hard and get better each day. That’s the attitude I adopted, especially after I got injured, that really helped me get through the season and that’s the attitude our team will take into next season, which we need to if we want to be in the position that Green Bay and the Steelers are in.

Jason: Right, right. How difficult was that transition when Wade was let go and Jason Garrett was promoted to head coach. How tough was that going from one head coach to another?

SL: We were all devastated when Coach Phillips was fired because it was us who let him down. Coach Garrett proved his worth because he made the transition almost seamless. The way he helped us prepare and the way he got a hold of us, he said hey listen we started the season a certain way and that’s not the Cowboys I know. Then we started working like we needed to work. Because of him that transition was a lot easier than it could have been.

Jason: Staying on Jason Garrett, how different is his style compared to Wade?

SL: Well, I mean, they are both football coaches. There are some similarities that they have and coach Garrett is a guy where he’s going to expect certain things out of you and he’s going to get after you if you don’t show up on time but at the same time being able to balance getting on you and at the same time not being to much of a coach that’s going to embarrass you. I think he’s walked that line really well and Coach Garrett is really smart. But players can be accountable for him but they will also be able to relate to him.

Jason: Sean early in training camp you stated that your main goal for this season was to get better everyday, what are your goals headed into the 2011 season?

SL: For me it starts with us winning, starting the season right and putting ourselves in a position for the playoffs and making a run at the Super Bowl. I think that’s everybody’s goal because last year wasn’t expected and last year wasn’t acceptable. So a lot of us feel like we need to put together a better season. For me hopefully I can move into a bigger part of the defense, you know, hopefully get more playing time and becoming more of a leader on defense.

Jason: Cool man. Lastly Sean, who influences you as a player? Is there a particular linebacker or defensive mind out there that you try to model your game after?

SL: I’ve been trying to watch as much film as I can in the offseason. You know I played with a couple of guys at Penn State who are in the NFL, Paul Posluszny and Dan Conner. Those are guys who are blue collar; hard nosed football players. Just watching the Super Bowl, just look at all of the Steelers linebackers, Farrior, Timmons, James Harrison, those are guys I grew up watching just how hard and blue collar they play the game. You look on the other side of the ball and really I watched Clay Matthews early in the season and I think he’s one of the best defensive players in the game and it’s only his second year. He can pretty much do anything, rush the passer, play the run, play man to man coverage, and drop in the zone so the guy is extremely athletic. So those are guys I’ve all been looking at to try and take bits and pieces from them to improve my game.

Jason: Well, Sean, listen man, thank you so much for taking out of your busy afternoon to speak with me about yourself, the Cowboys, and some of the goals that you have. I wish you much success in 2011 and to the Dallas Cowboys as well sir.

SL: You know that’s great, anytime you need to talk to me just let me know.

Jason: Hey, thanks man, I appreciate it.

SL: Anytime.