Watkins: Doug Free ready to prove his worth

[Cotton]

Doug Free ready to prove his worth
June, 4, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys right tackle Doug Free said Tuesday that he's happy to remain with the Cowboys and welcomed the competition of last season, where he shared playing time with Jermey Parnell. Free, however, wouldn't comment if he would accept sharing playing time with Parnell in 2013.

Listen "Anytime you get competition, you gotta prove that your worthy of starting," Free said. "Nobody is given a job, so you have to go out and play."

Free accepted a reduction in base salary, going from $7 million to $3.5 million, and will compete to start at right tackle.

The Cowboys kept Free for a variety of reasons: Experience, his ability to improve and money were the major factors. The business side of the NFL is always tricky, and Free has mainly stayed away from sharing his thoughts regarding the pay cut.

"I don't look into everything all that much," he said. "I don't want to look into the business part, the money part of it. I just like playing football, and that's what I like to do."

 

[ravidubey]

One way of looking at this is it would be hard for him to be worse than he was last year, so he can only get better, right? I see you shaking your heads, but please somebody humor me.

 

[Cotton]

Free says he, Cowboys both got what they wanted, that he's happy, and that competition from Parnell improved him

Doug Free took a pay cut to stay with the Cowboys, but he said, “I think both sides got what they wanted out of it.”

The veteran lineman accepted a two-year deal worth half his former salary when he re-signed with the Cowboys last month. But he said he is happy and striving to improve.

“I’m happy, yeah,” he told reporters Tuesday after an OTA practice at Valley Ranch. “Got to be. Got to stay positive and keep working hard. ... I don’t want to look at the business part and the money part. I just like playing football, and that’s what I like to do.”

Free said he expects competition for his job at right tackle again this year, and he credited it for helping him improve late last season when he split snaps with Jermey Parnell.

“I think any time you get challenged by something, one way or another, you’re either going to get stronger and play better or get weaker and play worse,” he said. “I think last year, the competition definitely improved my game and kind of helped me focus.”

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan said he and Free have worked on improving the angles he takes in pass protection and in studying opponents more closely.

“We’ve studied a great deal of rushers on film and what they’ve done and the type of moves they’ve given to him and that he’s seen,” Callahan said. “So we’ve done a considerable study of all the repertoire of things that have broken down his game. We’ve also shown him some of the highlights and some of the positives that he’s done, too, cause he’s done a lot of great things.

“Obviously there’s some mistakes that we’re working hard to improve. But he does have talent. He’s a good foot athlete. He’s a smart guy. He’s a strong guy. If we can just minimize some of those errors and help him out a little bit better as a coaching staff, I think we’ll be a better offensive unit all the way around.”

-- Carlos Mendez

 

[ravidubey]

“I think any time you get challenged by something, one way or another, you’re either going to get stronger and play better or get weaker and play worse,” he said. “I think last year, the competition definitely improved my game and kind of helped me focus.”

The prospect of losing your job tends to do that.

 

[Genghis Khan]

This is ridiculous on so many levels.