Productive debut gives Hardy an ‘invincible’ feel

Greg Hardy had two sacks, a forced fumble and five tackles in his Cowboys debut last Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Not too bad for a guy who hadn’t played since the 2014 season opener when he was with the Carolina Panthers. Hardy was sidelined the final 15 games of the ’14 season after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, and was suspended the first four games this season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy related to a May 2014 domestic violence incident.

How did Hardy feel physically after his debut?

“I’m invincible, so I always try to feel the same,” Hardy said. “Awesome and funny.”

Hardy played 41 of 59 defensive snaps against the Patriots, tying him for most among Cowboys defensive linemen. The bye week seems to come at an inopportune time for Hardy, right when he is trying to get back in the swing of things.

But Hardy isn’t viewing it like that.

“Like coach says, things change, we don’t change,” Hardy said. “We’re not a product of our circumstance. I’m glad to be in a situation where I can ball out with my guys. I think it’s awesome.”

Hardy, despite all of his off-field issues, brings energy and force to a pass rush that needs it. This is a unit that had only 28 sacks a year ago, and three through the first thee weeks.

The pass rush got better in Week 4 against New Orleans without Hardy, registering three sacks. Then, when Hardy returned last week against New England, they became the first team to sack Tom Brady five teams in the first half.

It should only improve from there with the expected return of rookie Randy Gregory, who took part in practice for the first time Wednesday since leaving the season opener with a high ankle sprain.

“I’m just glad that we’re getting guys back so we can get to work,” Hardy said. “We had a great time in camp. We had a period where we came together as brothers and we were working harder than we’ve ever worked before. That’s a great feeling. That’s something I’m excited to get back to as a player.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Productive debut gives Hardy an ‘invincible’ feel."