George: Cowboys' Hatcher (three sacks) off to stellar start in his contract year

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George: Cowboys' Hatcher (three sacks) off to stellar start in his contract year

BRANDON GEORGE Staff writer bgeorge@dallasnews.com
Published: 25 September 2013 11:35 PM
Updated: 25 September 2013 11:35 PM

IRVING — Jason Hatcher added a new wrinkle to his sack celebration Sunday against St. Louis.

Hatcher held his hands up and repeatedly rubbed his thumbs and the tips of his index and middle fingers together, a gesture that is common for signifying money.
Asked what the gesture meant Wednesday, Hatcher was coy. He smiled and said, “I can’t tell you that.”

Hatcher has excelled in the Cowboys’ new 4-3 scheme at an optimal time. He’s in the final year of his three-year, $6 million contract. And every sack he gets adds value to his résumé. Hatcher is peaking at a perfect time.

The Cowboys learned Tuesday that defensive end Anthony Spencer will miss the rest of the season. Defensive tackle Jay Ratliff is out at least the first six games.
That leaves Hatcher and defensive end DeMarcus Ware to carry the load.

“He’s playing the best of his career right now,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Hatcher.

That raises the question: Why not sign Hatcher to a contract extension?

“I certainly would hope that we have Hatcher in the future because he is playing at a high level,” Jones said.

Just last week, Hatcher addressed the team after practice and delivered an emotional speech that called on every player to perform well every game so the Cowboys can break out of their mediocre state of win one, lose one. The Cowboys responded with a 31-7 rout of the Rams to move to 2-1.

As Cowboys coach Jason Garrett likes to say, Hatcher is the “right kind of guy.” He’s steadily risen as a team leader the last few seasons.
Hatcher said Wednesday he’ll be fine whether the Cowboys sign him to a contract extension or not.

“I’m planning on the worst-case scenario,” Hatcher said. “I talked to my family about it and maybe after eight years we’ve got to go move somewhere else. At the end of the day, I’m not worried about that.”
Told about Jones saying he hopes to have him on the team in the future, Hatcher responded, “That’s awesome. That means a lot to me when it comes to the big dog. That makes me feel good about it.”
The catch: No NFL team rushes to sign an aging defensive lineman to a contract extension. Hatcher turned 31 in mid-July, but he’s peaking at an age when most linemen start to regress.
Hatcher’s agent, Jordan Woy, met with Cowboys executives before the season to discuss Hatcher’s contract status. At the time, the Cowboys wanted to see what position Hatcher ended up playing in the new Tampa 2 scheme and how well he adjusted to the new defense.

Woy plans on meeting with Cowboys executives again during the season. The Cowboys, however, seem OK with letting Hatcher play the year out and going from there.

“In season, we really don’t do a lot of contracts,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “But we love him. It’s coming together for him. He’s just playing lights out.”

And he’s gaining leverage in the process. With Spencer facing season-ending microfracture (knee) surgery and Ratliff’s future with the club uncertain, the Cowboys can’t really afford to sit on their hands and possibly watch three-fourths of their defensive line disappear.

Hatcher made it clear last April that he wants to remain in Dallas.

“I want to be back. But you can’t make guys want you. You have to go out there and perform,” Hatcher said then. “Sometimes it’s a number thing and sometimes it’s a money thing. Hopefully I’ll be back.”
According to ProFootballFocus.com, Hatcher has been the NFL’s third-best defensive tackle through three games. Hatcher is tied for ninth in the league with three sacks. This is the first time he’s had sacks in three consecutive games. His career high in a season is 41/2 in 2011.

Kansas City nose tackle Dontari Poe is the only interior defensive lineman who has more sacks (31/2) than Hatcher.

“It’s a good time for him to go out there and play like he’s playing for sure,” Woy said. “He’s outplayed his contract.”

Hatcher is a late bloomer because he’s received more opportunities to shine over the last few seasons. The Cowboys’ 2006 third-round pick out of Grambling is in his eighth season, but he didn’t play many snaps early in his career as a backup. Hatcher didn’t become a full-time starter until 2011.

“Hatcher hasn’t beaten his body up,” Woy said. “He hasn’t had the bumps and bruises some other players his age would have. He still has very good football in front of him.”
Hatcher isn’t letting his contract status distract him.

“I told Hatcher that all you can do is control what you’re doing,” Woy said. “Hopefully Dallas will compensate him for it fairly and if they don’t, he’ll have to look elsewhere and figure out what’s best for him.”
Hatcher was asked Wednesday if Jerry Jones should put his money where his mouth is.

“I’m not saying nothing,” Hatcher said, smiling.

He doesn’t have to. His sack celebration said it all.
 
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