CARROLLTON, Texas - Whether it's providing nicknames for everyone on the team, trying to distract a teammate getting interviewed or pulling some other kind of friendly prank or simply coming up with a unique dance or handshake, leave it to Terence Newman to get the job done.
Always smiling and looking for his next culprit, it's not easy to dampen his spirits.
Apparently, talking about his injuries does the trick.
See, Newman doesn't have to be reminded that nagging injuries have not only hampered him at the start of each of the last two years, but limited his action last year and forced him to have mid-season surgery and miss a total of six games.
While he is hoping to avoid the "injury-prone" label, Newman knows the perception is out there. Whether or not it's a fair assessment just yet, the cornerback isn't so easy about discussing that aspect of his career.
Newman had a "next question" response when asked about the two setbacks - a foot injury in 2007 and then the nagging abdominal strain that forced him out for more than a month last season. However, just as he is with teammates, Newman likes to have some fun with the media as well.
He danced around the subject when asked last week at the end of the three-day mini-camp, but finally obliged. When he did, Newman revealed just how frustrating and annoying the injuries were, particularly last year when he had to miss four games after undergoing surgery in North Carolina with an abdominal specialist.
In all, Newman missed a total of six games in 2008, but he said the injury affected him all year, even after he returned to action.
"It set me back a while," Newman said, rather bluntly. "The fact that I had to get cut by my groin hurt. I had a tear above my pelvic bone, so he had to go in and stitch the muscle back together."
Newman's surgery came after he tried to fight through the injury earlier in the season. In the Cowboys' first loss, a 26-24 home defeat to Washington, Newman gave up a big play to Santana Moss and a touchdown later in the game. He called his performance one of the worst of his career.
Newman was out until the rematch in Washington when he might have had his best game ever, shutting down Moss and picking off a pass in the Cowboys' clutch victory.
"The fact that I was out for a while, tried to play with it . . . played terrible," Newman said. "I came back and played better but I was never fully healthy last year. January I had some bone spurs that I've had for a while, and I finally decided to address that. Right now my body has felt (the best) it's felt in a while.
"With the injuries, you start to walk different and your body starts to adapt to that for the compensation. Now I have to re-teach my body certain things. It's been a work in progress but it's coming along."
The Cowboys need Newman to be healthy as ever this year, especially with so many young cornerbacks on the roster. Newman doesn't consider himself "old" by any means. But with six years of experience, that's more than the next three cornerbacks combined in Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins, Alan Ball, followed by other rookies and young vets.
With the club deciding to part ways with Anthony Henry - traded in March to Detroit for Jon Kitna - and Pacman Jones, who was outright released, Newman knows the focus is firmly placed on his shoulders to anchor this position.
"I don't really think about that stuff," he said. "I've always wanted to be a leader like that, so it's really no different. You want to be able to lead by example and that's what you try to do. I try to go out there and every time and give something to the younger guys to maybe learn from."
Newman also said continuity in Wade Phillips' defense is helping not only himself, but other players at all positions.
"We've been doing the same thing for three years," Newman said. "I think guys are starting to get the whole scheme and understand that when one guy is out of place, the whole scheme is messed up. The guys are starting to understand the whole scheme now. We've been executing now here in practice lately."
Although this defense will be led by players such as Newman, linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James and nose tackle Jay Ratliff, there has to be contributions by the young players, particularly in the secondary.
Newman knows that, but he's encouraged by what he saw in the summer workouts from the OTA practices and this week's mini-camp.
"Everybody we have back there does different things great," Newman said of the young defensive backs. "Some of them are playing safety and corner. Just the information to keep on the brain, that alone says a lot for them. I think Mike Hamlin is definitely one of the standouts for sure. He's a smart guy and he understands the defense already.
"So I think we're going to be in good shape. We'll see what happens when we get (to training camp.)"
And camp is where injuries have plagued Newman the past two years. Whether or he wants to talk about it or not.
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