Youth is always a highly valuable commodity in the NFL, but there’s plenty to be said for experience, too.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn knows that as well as any coach in the league. His unit in Dallas is largely led by still-ascending superstars like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, but it also depends on a heavy dose of savvy veteran play from guys like DeMarcus Lawrence and Jayron Kearse.
And now with the team’s first-round draft pick and other promising rookies expected to step up and contribute in their first year, Quinn is thankful to have a growing stable of been-there-done-that mentors in uniform to help show the youngsters the way.
“If I was a young player- Mazi Smith- I would almost pay anything to have Johnathan Hankins mentor me,” Quinn said recently. “If I was Eric Scott, I would almost pay anything to have Steph[on] Gilmore be in the meeting room: talk about it, a technique, something that’s different. For the players who are here to take on that responsibility, knowing that these guys are going to help us play, and help us get them to our standards fast, I think it speaks volumes of the locker room and the culture that Mike [McCarthy]’s created here.”
Hankins and Gilmore bring a combined 21 years of NFL experience to the Cowboys locker room and are among the team’s four longest-tenured pros. Hankins was acquired in a midseason trade last year and made an immediate impact on and off the field; it was quickly clear to Quinn Gilmore would do the same after the club traded for him in March.
“When we did sign him,” Quinn recalled, “I bet I got 10 or 12 calls or texts to say, ‘DQ, this is your kind of guy. You’re going to love this guy.’ That told me a lot about what, and then the first interaction- just knowing how hard he works, seeing the connection with Tre[von] to start and then with some others- that was a big deal for me, to see that. To say, ‘Not only do I have all this knowledge, but I’m willing to share that wisdom.’ And that’s a really important thing for coaches to do, but also for veteran ballplayers to do if they have the ability to share it.”
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Most younger players soak it up, but few seek out that outside tutoring to the degree that Parsons does. The third-year linebacker makes it a point to train and study with other pro players and ex-NFLers at every opportunity to further his craft. He famously spent a portion of this offseason training away from the team in Austin to not only bulk up his frame but to get input from those who have knowledge to share… even if they’ve been out of the game for a while.
“Not only did he do that from the physical standpoint,” Quinn explained, “but he also wanted to talk to guys: “Big Whit” Andrew Whitworth or DeMarcus Ware, who came here a few weeks ago and shared the day with us. It was an awesome day, man. Speaking of sharing wisdom, I learned from DeMarcus that day and was the one taking notes. All those little interactions that happen between ballplayers where they’re ready to share it back to the younger group, that’s their responsibility; I said to Micah, ‘That’s your job in 10 years, to pass that along to somebody else.’ That’s kind of the cool part of the brotherhood of the NFL. When guys want help and assistance, they usually come through for one another, whether they played for that team or not.”
Thankfully for the Cowboys, there’s never a shortage of former players who are always welcomed back to the facility with open arms to sit in as unofficial position coaches for a day.
“For guys around here like Darren Woodson or DeMarcus or Charles [Haley] who want to lend that hand and that help, that’s a really cool resource for us.”
It’s part of what makes the Cowboys a special franchise. And this year, that passing down of knowledge may end up being part of what makes 2023 a special season, for both the young bucks and the veterans wearing the star.
“Think of yourself as that young player,” said Quinn, “knowing if you had that kind of support behind you, with somebody helping you get there, you’d literally pay anything for it because they’ve walked the walk at the highest level. They’re doing a great job starting us off on that.”
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