‘A lifetime of commitment’ has former Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware on Canton’s doorstep
You can have a winning mindset, attitude, work ethic and pedigree without having won anything.
Once more, You can have a winning mindset, attitude, work ethic and pedigree without having won anything.
But, in the NFL, it often takes a title to get the recognition one truly deserves.
So as DeMarcus Ware stands on the doorstep of immortality as one of 15 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 — those to be enshrined will be announced during the NFL Honors Awards Show Thursday night — just know that his path to greatness was forged during nine spectacular seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
The star defender was selected for the Pro Bowl nine times, won two league sack titles and was named the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s during his career with the Cowboys from 2005 to 2013.
But his Hall of Famecredentials were cemented during a final three-year stint with the Denver Broncos that included a Super Bowl title in 2015.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed for a first-ballot finalist.
“It took a lifetime of commitment to get to this point,” Ware said recently. “A lifetime of commitment and sacrifice. It would mean a lifetime of sacrifice is finally getting heard and the work you put in isn’t going unheard.”
The work began long before he was picked 11th overall by the Cowboys in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He had to not only overcome his small school pedigree as a product of Troy University, but also the fact that Bill Parcells, the Cowboys coach at the time,wanted to go with either Maryland pass rusher Shawne Merriman or LSU defensive end Marcus Spears but was overruled by team owner Jerry Jones.
While on the clock at the draft, Parcells then made a bet with Jones.
“We’re sitting there and I see him take this legal pad and, man, is he carefully writing out a contract-looking document,” Jones recalled. “As a matter of fact, he even put signature lines down.”
“And he put on there: ‘Should player not average 10 sacks a year in his first five years in the NFL, Mr. Jones agrees that Mr. Parcells and his significant other will get five trips a year on his G5.’ And he put signature lines down there.”
Ware more than delivered on the bet.
Through his five seasons with the Cowboys, Ware averaged 12.9 sacks annually, including a league leading 20 in 2008, en route to seven straight seasons with 11 sacks or more. When he left the Cowboys following the 2013 season due to salary cap concerns, he was the team’s all-time sack leader with 117.
But only after he arrived in Denver was Ware’s championship work ethic and Hall of Fame career truly evident for all to see.
Ware might have had only one playoff victory in just four postseason trips with the Cowboys, but the Broncos general manager saw the aging star as a Hall of Fame player with a chip on his shoulder,who could be the final piece for Denver’s title run.
The Broncos also hoped Ware would provide leadership and serve as a role model for their young superstar pass rusher Von Miller.
Miller, who grew up in the Dallas area idolizing Ware, had struggled with off-the-field issues early in his career and was coming off a torn ACL when Ware arrived in 2014.
Miller, who is preparing to play in Super Bowl 56 with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, can write a book on how Ware helped guide him.
“DeMarcus, man, he came at a vital point of my life,” Miller said. “I thought I knew what it took to be a superstar in this league. I thought I knew what it took to be successful in this league. But I was wrong. I was wrong.
“He’s my idol. I look up to DeMarcus. In high school, I wrapped my tape and my hands, I did everything to try to be like DeMarcus to try to capture some of the energy that he had. And I’m really just a product of DeMarcus. I come from the DeMarcus Ware tree — probably one of the last ones that come from the DeMarcus Ware tree — on and off the football field.”
But Ware’s presence in Denver wasn’t just about boosting his teammates. Ware came to play.
Ware recorded 10 sacks (yet again) and made the Pro Bowl after the 2014 season, his first with the Broncos.
During their run to the Super Bowl title the following season, he produced 7.5 sacks for the league’s No. 1 defense. He capped the season with five tackles and two sacks in their Super Bowl 50 victory against the Carolina Panthers. And Miller was named MVP.
Ware retired after the 2016 season and ranks ninth all-time in sacks with 138.5. He was also a seven-time All-Pro, which includes four first-team selections.
“He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Miller said. “He is definitely deserving.”
And that honor should be bestowed upon Ware Thursday night.
