IRVING, Texas (AP) - Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears returned home this summer and back to a proven method to get ready for the season.
The player ran up and down levees in the hot Louisiana sun.
The former first-round pick came back trimmer, quicker and ready
to prove himself in a restructured 3-4 scheme similar to the one he
mastered in college.
Spears had 83 tackles and 2½ sacks in his first two seasons.
The new coach Wade Phillips version of the 3-4 is similar to
what Spears played when he won a national championship at LSU.
He'll have more flexibility to get after quarterbacks and ball
carriers.
Beside running up and down the hills in Baton Rouge, Spears also
changed his diet, meaning he had to avoid much of the Cajun food he
loves so much.
He lost 24 pounds - down to 301 - and wants to drop at least six
more pounds before the season opener September 9th.