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George: Just 24, Tyron Smith already a mentor to Cowboys 'kids' Gregory, Collins
BRANDON GEORGE Follow @DMN_George.
Staff Writer
Published: 01 June 2015 12:26 PM
IRVING – Pull back the curtain and walk inside the Cowboys locker room. From corner to corner, Tyron Smith has left his mark.
From the moment Smith first stepped into the Valley Ranch facility he’s had a maturity that was beyond his age. It didn’t take the then-20-year-old long to gain the respect of his teammates.
A player who has a tireless work ethic, doesn’t say much and performs at a high level is the perfect formula for what coach Jason Garrett seeks in the “right kind of guys.”
Now a two-time Pro Bowl selection at left tackle, Smith is quickly becoming a mentor for a pair of Cowboys’ rookies: defensive end Randy Gregory and offensive lineman La’el Collins. Smith is so comfortable in his new role that last week he referred to Gregory and Collins as kids.
It’s easy to forget that Smith is only 24, not far ahead of 22-year-old Gregory and 21-year-old Collins.
Take a stroll within the broad shadow of Smith and you quickly learn that it isn’t only the rookies who admire him.
After finishing a rare group media interview, Smith parted the curtains that lead to the athletic training room, just a few steps away from his locker near one of the three exits.
Smith, wearing a shirt that fully exposed his hulking shoulders and biceps, caught the attention of Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy.
Hardy: “Why you always looking all swole?”
Smith, smiling: “Look at you.”
As soon as Smith got the words out, along came five-time Super Bowl-winning defensive end Charles Haley, a 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Haley greeted Smith with a bear hug.
Minutes earlier, Collins was surrounded in one corner of the locker room and lauded Smith.
The Cowboys have Collins, the undrafted standout from LSU, working at right tackle to start. That’s the same position that Smith started at as a rookie before transitioning to left tackle.
“Just being able to watch a guy like Tyron go through his sets and his footwork and his hand placement, pretty much his whole body, and you see him out there going through drills, you kind of get the feel for it and you’re able to kind of reflect that,” Collins said. “It’s incredible because I know how hard it is. It’s not easy at all, so a guy like that you can tell he’s done his thing a thousand times over and over and over, and I just feel like if I continue to work the same way that he’s working, the time that he’s put in and everybody on the offensive line, it’s going to help us out a whole lot.”
Smith said he’s willing to help Collins and Gregory – the second-round pick out of Nebraska – any way he can.
“For me, just kind of helping [Collins] out on his footwork,” Smith said, “and taking any questions he has to help him out and get better quicker.”
Smith also had a Pro Bowl mentor when he came to the Cowboys. Smith credits some of his quick development to former Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware.
Ware often stayed late after practices to work one-on-one with Smith, offering advice about how to keep elite NFL pass-rushers from punishing a quarterback. Smith still looks up to Ware, who is now with Denver. The two traded their Pro Bowl helmets after the game this year, and Smith has Ware’s helmet displayed in his home.
Now Smith has the opportunity to mentor another No. 94 in Gregory.
That took full stage last week during organized team activities.
Gregory was all smiles in an opposite corner of the locker room from Collins after he said he beat Smith in team drills a few times.
“The important thing is he made me better,” Gregory said. “Hopefully I’m helping him out and when it’s all said and done we can both help out the team.”
Smith also smiled when asked about it, but quickly clarified that Gregory only “got me once.”
“He’s a swift kid, pretty quick,” Smith added. “He’s a different type of rusher. He got me by surprise. I didn’t think he had that much speed. He’s a physical player, long. He’s going to be pretty good.”
And Smith said he’s prepared to help Gregory get “pretty good” quickly, just as Ware did for him when Smith was the ninth overall pick in 2011 out of USC.
“I just know how important it is to get help from older guys,” Smith said, “so any kind of questions or extra work he needs I’m always there for any kind of question he has or anything I can help him out with. The kid coming in the way he is now, he seems like he’s pretty good already. He seems like he’s going to be a guy who fits into our program.”
Just like Smith has fit in from Day 1. That’s never been more evident than now.
BRANDON GEORGE Follow @DMN_George.
Staff Writer
Published: 01 June 2015 12:26 PM
IRVING – Pull back the curtain and walk inside the Cowboys locker room. From corner to corner, Tyron Smith has left his mark.
From the moment Smith first stepped into the Valley Ranch facility he’s had a maturity that was beyond his age. It didn’t take the then-20-year-old long to gain the respect of his teammates.
A player who has a tireless work ethic, doesn’t say much and performs at a high level is the perfect formula for what coach Jason Garrett seeks in the “right kind of guys.”
Now a two-time Pro Bowl selection at left tackle, Smith is quickly becoming a mentor for a pair of Cowboys’ rookies: defensive end Randy Gregory and offensive lineman La’el Collins. Smith is so comfortable in his new role that last week he referred to Gregory and Collins as kids.
It’s easy to forget that Smith is only 24, not far ahead of 22-year-old Gregory and 21-year-old Collins.
Take a stroll within the broad shadow of Smith and you quickly learn that it isn’t only the rookies who admire him.
After finishing a rare group media interview, Smith parted the curtains that lead to the athletic training room, just a few steps away from his locker near one of the three exits.
Smith, wearing a shirt that fully exposed his hulking shoulders and biceps, caught the attention of Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy.
Hardy: “Why you always looking all swole?”
Smith, smiling: “Look at you.”
As soon as Smith got the words out, along came five-time Super Bowl-winning defensive end Charles Haley, a 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Haley greeted Smith with a bear hug.
Minutes earlier, Collins was surrounded in one corner of the locker room and lauded Smith.
The Cowboys have Collins, the undrafted standout from LSU, working at right tackle to start. That’s the same position that Smith started at as a rookie before transitioning to left tackle.
“Just being able to watch a guy like Tyron go through his sets and his footwork and his hand placement, pretty much his whole body, and you see him out there going through drills, you kind of get the feel for it and you’re able to kind of reflect that,” Collins said. “It’s incredible because I know how hard it is. It’s not easy at all, so a guy like that you can tell he’s done his thing a thousand times over and over and over, and I just feel like if I continue to work the same way that he’s working, the time that he’s put in and everybody on the offensive line, it’s going to help us out a whole lot.”
Smith said he’s willing to help Collins and Gregory – the second-round pick out of Nebraska – any way he can.
“For me, just kind of helping [Collins] out on his footwork,” Smith said, “and taking any questions he has to help him out and get better quicker.”
Smith also had a Pro Bowl mentor when he came to the Cowboys. Smith credits some of his quick development to former Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware.
Ware often stayed late after practices to work one-on-one with Smith, offering advice about how to keep elite NFL pass-rushers from punishing a quarterback. Smith still looks up to Ware, who is now with Denver. The two traded their Pro Bowl helmets after the game this year, and Smith has Ware’s helmet displayed in his home.
Now Smith has the opportunity to mentor another No. 94 in Gregory.
That took full stage last week during organized team activities.
Gregory was all smiles in an opposite corner of the locker room from Collins after he said he beat Smith in team drills a few times.
“The important thing is he made me better,” Gregory said. “Hopefully I’m helping him out and when it’s all said and done we can both help out the team.”
Smith also smiled when asked about it, but quickly clarified that Gregory only “got me once.”
“He’s a swift kid, pretty quick,” Smith added. “He’s a different type of rusher. He got me by surprise. I didn’t think he had that much speed. He’s a physical player, long. He’s going to be pretty good.”
And Smith said he’s prepared to help Gregory get “pretty good” quickly, just as Ware did for him when Smith was the ninth overall pick in 2011 out of USC.
“I just know how important it is to get help from older guys,” Smith said, “so any kind of questions or extra work he needs I’m always there for any kind of question he has or anything I can help him out with. The kid coming in the way he is now, he seems like he’s pretty good already. He seems like he’s going to be a guy who fits into our program.”
Just like Smith has fit in from Day 1. That’s never been more evident than now.
