IRVING, Texas -- Having missed the past three games with a quadriceps strain, Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware finds himself in a strange spot.
With seven games left in the season, Ware is tied for 37th in the NFL in sacks with four.
Not since his rookie year in 2005 has Ware finished outside the top 10 in sacks for a season. He led the NFL in sacks in 2010 and ’08. He was second in 2011. Last year he was tied for ninth with 11.5 sacks after playing most of the second half with a badly damaged shoulder that needed reconstructive surgery and an elbow injury.
Ware knows where he stands.
“I’m behind so I guess I’ve got to hop on the saddle and start riding a little bit,” Ware said.
Ware will make his return Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
He has four sacks off of Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Two came in the memorable 2009 meeting in which Ware sacked Brees twice and forced two fumbles.
“It’s hard to get him down,” Ware said. “He’s very elusive. He actually can throw with his left hand and flip it with his right. He finds a way to get the ball off. He has a lot of weapons on his offense, so you’ve got to find some way, first of all, to stop the run and you have to get pressure on him. That’s the key. You have to get pressure on him.”
Ware was unsure he would play when the Cowboys made their way to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 2009. Six days earlier he was strapped to a board and carted off the field with a neck injury and taken to the hospital.
“I didn’t think I was going to play for a long time,” Ware said. “Sometimes when you go in certain places you get certain vibes or you feel a certain way that you can do it. Getting the confidence from your teammates to get out there and play. That’s the way I felt, not letting them down.”