FRISCO, Texas – Five Cowboys players made Pro Bowl earlier this week, but perhaps the most discussion centered on linebacker Sean Lee's exclusion from the NFC roster.
Lee made his first Pro Bowl last season and ranks second in the NFL in tackles this season, including 22 team-credited tackles Dec. 11 against the New York Giants -- the most ever by a Cowboys player in a single game.
"I'm a competitive guy, but at the same point, the guys who made it are great players," Lee said Saturday after the Cowboys finished practice in preparation for Monday's game against the Detroit Lions. "It's a hard game to make, and for me, being able to play this time of year – I haven't been able to do that a lot. To be able to play on a team like this is a true blessing."
Lee's teammates and coaches have praised his production and leadership since the Pro Bowl roster was announced Tuesday.
"My opinion and the opinion of our defensive staff and our football team is Sean Lee is playing as well as anybody on our team. He's playing as well as anybody in the National Football League right now," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "Really all you have to do is put the tape on. Just watch him make 12, 15, 18, 22 tackles a week in the National Football League. It's hard to do. He's a leader for us."
Lee and the Cowboys (12-2) have clinched the NFC East title and home-field advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs. It will be Lee's first postseason experience, having missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL in his knee while the Cowboys made the divisional round.
"I'm excited," Lee said. "That's why these next couple weeks, find a way to improve, for me individually and defensively keep improving."
