Cowboys hoping less of Spears means more big plays

[August 07, 2009]  SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- At his peak, Marcus Spears weighed 335 pounds and squeezed into XXXXXL shirts. He never turned down his uncle's fried catfish or any other fried foods. He also liked bedtime snacks.

Why not? Bigger was better, he figured, for his line of work as a defensive end in the Dallas Cowboys' 3-4 scheme.

"I felt I had to be, not to get rolled, braided and killed out there on the football field," Spears said.

Coach Wade Phillips thought otherwise. This offseason, he told Spears to show up at training camp weighing 309 pounds. He came in at 307 and everyone is seeing a, uh, big difference.

Spears discovered he was so nimble that he actually needed a few days to get used to it.

"I had to catch up with my speed," he said. "I was falling a lot."

Now that he's regained his balance, Spears is getting the feedback he wants. Phillips named Spears among the standouts at several practices so far, and teammates have noticed, too, especially right tackle Marc Colombo, who has been lining up against Spears for several years.

"Colombo told me the other day that he really has to push out now when I'm rushing off the edge," Spears said, smiling. "It makes you feel good. It makes you want to stay where you're at."

Spears got in shape by following the basics: working out and watching what he eats.

He hired a chef and a nutritionist, and he learned to follow simple rules like drinking lots of water, dropping the late-night binges and, toughest of all, avoiding his uncle's kitchen.

"I grew up on it. I love it," Spears said. "When I got to Baton Rouge, I told him to stay away from me."

Spears is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, so he's headed toward free agency. He would love to remain with the Cowboys, but they're taking a wait-and-see approach before offering an extension.

Dallas drafted Spears in the first round in 2005, the second of two first-rounders. The other was DeMarcus Ware, who has blossomed into one of the NFL's most-feared players. Spears has been solid, at best.

Two knee operations have slowed him a bit, with all that extra weight possibly to blame. But he's never missed a game and he's coming off a season that included a career-high 65 tackles, one sack and a lot of near-misses -- 16 quarterback pressures after a total of 11 in his previous three seasons.

Phillips is counting on less bulk leading to more disruptive plays. It's already led to a change in how Spears is being coached. He's being used in ways that weren't effective for someone bigger and slower.

"Certain techniques, he'll get up the field a little bit quicker than before," Phillips said.

Spears was drafted by Bill Parcells when the Cowboys were switching to the 3-4. Parcells never told Spears to eat up, but he never discouraged it, either. Spears also tends to pick up weight as a season goes along.

That might not happen this season. The chef and nutritionist are staying on his payroll, and the team's strength and conditioning coach has set up a new plan for Spears' in-season training. If it all goes as hoped, maybe he can persuade the Cowboys to come up with a new contract.

"I'm not putting any added pressure on myself," Spears said. "I just have to go out and play and perform. I think when you get to thinking about money and contract situations, things like that, it takes away from what you really have to do. Hopefully my play already has and will take care of that."

With catfish on hold, his new favorite meal is grilled shrimp salad, although he's been warned to cut down on the toppings. And while Spears is fashion conscious, he hasn't rewarded himself with a new wardrobe. He had some clothes "stowed away, just in case I lost some weight" and he insists they are still in style.

"My wife said, 'I know you think you got a little sexy, but you don't need to go out and buy 10 new suits for this season,'" he said. "I'll just keep the ones I have and, if I need to, I'll get them tailored down."

[Associated Press; By JAIME ARON]

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