Pro Bowl trip validates the work Sean Lee, others put into his return
8:22 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
MOBILE, Ala. -- Sean Lee was in mid-sentence when he had to stop talking on the telephone the other day.
“Sorry, I’m getting hit by a wave right here,” the Dallas Cowboys linebacker said.
He was enjoying the beach in Hawaii, two days into the first Pro Bowl trip of his career. Lee was added as an injury replacement for the NFL all-star game because of a knee injury to Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The first call that he was added to the Pro Bowl roster came from owner and general manager Jerry Jones. The second came from head coach Jason Garrett, who said he was a little emotional in speaking with Lee. The linebacker was also a little emotional.
Sean Lee said his conversation with Cowboys coach Jason Garrett about his call to the Pro Bowl was an emotional one. Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
“Think about where he came from and what he went through this past year and really some of the injuries that he’s had in the past,” Garrett said. “He’s been that caliber of player throughout his career. He’s dealt with some injuries and some adversities that haven’t allowed him to show that to everybody, and I think he showed that to everybody this year and he just should have a hell of a week out there and really soak it all up.”
A year ago at this time, Lee was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that knocked him out of the 2014 season before it even began. The rehab process was long and tedious, just as it was when he tore an ACL while at Penn State, costing him a season.
Lee’s emotion stemmed from the work he put into his return and the people who helped him get there, from the Jones family to Garrett to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli to linebackers coach Matt Eberflus to athletic trainers Jim Maurer and Britt Brown and his teammates.
“You look at the season and first off I wished we would’ve found a way to get more wins, played better in general,” Lee said. “That’s where you really look for the validation, but knowing that I’ve been out for a while and it was a long road in coming back from this knee and it was nice to be recognized at the end of the year, especially with all the people helping me coming back. It wasn’t just me.”
In 14 games, the coaches credited Lee with 156 tackles. He had the first 2.5 sacks of his career. He had 11 tackles for loss and five pass deflections. He intercepted one pass.
One of Lee’s biggest goals remains to play in every game in a season. He missed one game because of a concussion even though he was cleared to play. He took himself out of the season finale because of a hamstring strain and cost himself a $2 million escalator based on a season-long playing-time percentage.
“It was great to be able to play more and be more consistently on the football field,” Lee said. “First of all I wish it would’ve turned into more wins for all of us, but it was nice to be out there and be able to play a lot the whole year. Hopefully it’s a building block to next year where I’ll play at a high level, be healthy, play 16 games hopefully and we’re back competing in the playoffs and for a championship.”
Lee said the hamstring is fine now but he needed some trips to Valley Ranch to get back in shape once he got the call he was heading to the Pro Bowl. He is looking forward to talking to the other players, particularly the linebackers, to pick their brains in an effort to improve himself.
But as much as he liked the waves crashing all around him and the reward of being in the all-star game, Lee said hopes he does not get to go back for the contest that falls on the Sunday between conference title games and the Super Bowl.
“That’s the goal, to not be at this game because we’re playing for a championship,” Lee said. “That’s the ultimate goal. It’s nice. It’s relaxing out here. But as fun as this is to be with the other players, be with your family, at the same point you’re restless because you want to be able to play for a championship.”
------------
Feh.
When approximately 7% of NFL rosters can make the "Pro Bowl" due to guys turning it down and injuries, Lee can get all choked up and it proves he's a loser.
He might as well have been invited to a beach volleyball competition in Maui for his troubles.
The correct way to handle this is to accept the Hawaii trip and move on like you expect it to happen again.