ARLINGTON, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their annual luncheon today at AT&T Stadium, provided by Flowserve benefiting the Cowboys’ Courage House “Happy Hill Farm.” Each year is an opportunity for young athletes to meet and take pictures with current Cowboy players, to inspire and lay a foundation for their futures.
At today’s event, several awards were given out for outstanding achievement in 2017:
Ed Block Courage Award- Jaylon Smith
For the second year in a row, Smith took home this award. The Cowboys took a chance on Smith in the 2016 Draft, after Smith suffered a major knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl while playing for Notre Dame. He was projected to be a top five pick in the draft, but many teams passed on the middle linebacker. The Cowboys took a chance and drafted him, in the hopes that his knee would rejuvenate after doctors said he may never play football again. He is back to full health without his brace heading into the 2018 season, and Smith had an incredible training camp and offseason with his instincts at the line of scrimmage and getting around the football. He has learned a great deal from teammate Sean Lee, and in 2017 he amassed 81 combined tackles, 50 total, one sack, and two pass defends. His story and “clear eye view” are inspiring.
Special Teams MVP- Chris Jones
Jones is one of the oldest veterans on the team. He has been with Dallas since 2011. The position of punter is often underestimated, until a bad one gives the opposing team good field position on the next set of drives. Jones has been consistent for the Cowboys for many years, and this is his third year winning this award. Over his career he has had a total of 349 punts, longest being 66 yards, and a 45.0 average. In 2017, he had 66 punts with a 44.1 average. He is a prominent face in the Cowboys special teams division.
Today after he was given the award he stated, “I am excited to go to work boys!”
Offensive MVP- Zack Martin
Martin is as durable as they come. He is the highest paid guard in the league for a reason. He is a dominant force in the Cowboys’ offensive line. He has been with the Cowboys since 2014, and he has been nominated to the pro-bowl each of those years. Martin has started in all 16 games since he joined the team, totaling 64 game starts in four years. He has been elected by his peers to the NFL’s Top 100 list in 2017 at No. 58, and in 2018 at No. 71. Martin has a hyperextended left knee, but is expected to play in the season opener against Carolina. The Cowboys need him in the lineup!
Defensive MVP- DeMarcus Lawrence
D-Law “Tank” is a power edge rusher in the Cowboys’ defensive line and is feared by quarterbacks around the league. In 2017, Lawrence had a career high 58 combined tackles, 23 assists, and 14.5 sacks. He was elected to the pro-bowl in 2017, and was the league’s second leader in sacks with 14.5. In 2018 he was named to the NFL’s Top 100 list at No. 34, and he remarked on twitter “ 33 spots to go!” Lawrence is an impact player on the field and is the standard of excellence for the Cowboys.
Tom Landry Legend Award- Babe Laufenberg
Laufenburg is a former NFL quarterback for several teams including the Dallas Cowboys (1989-1990). In college at Indiana he set several school records including single-season passing yards (2,468), career pass completions (361), single-season pass completions (217), single-season attempts (364), and career completion percentage (.586). He was selected for the award for his contribution in the broadcast booth and his fight during his son Luke’s battle with rare and fast growing disease: Burkitt’s Leukemia. The disease affected 95 percent of Luke’s bone marrow, but after a long process and month after month of chemotherapy, his son is cancer free! Laufenberg is most importantly a husband and a father who has dealt firsthand with the pain of a loved one going through the dreaded ‘c’ word. There is no one more deserving than Babe. He has embodied Landry’s mantra “Faith, Family, Football.”
The honorary Chairman of the luncheon was former Cowboy’s defensive tackle Tony Casillas. During the event, he remarked to D210 on his excitement surrounding the addition of Kris Richard to the coaching staff “ I love the guy. Puts that brand of being concise. Just the passion and sometimes you need guys like that to really connect with the players. If you just go off preseason, he has already put his thumbprint on it and is getting in guys faces. We saw him on the sidelines. “
He also remarked on the scary rotation the Cowboys have at defensive end and the opportunity to be really good with Gregory and Lawrence. The Cowboys close out their last preseason game on Thursday vs. the Houston Texans, as they gear up for regular season. This off-season and training camp period has been one full of changes and transitions for the Cowboys from the assistant coaches to the added depth at several positions including wide receiver and defensive end, but this young Cowboys team is fired up!
