Dallas Cowboys
2005 season
In his
NFL debut against
San Diego Chargers Ware posted three tackles, one for a loss, and a quarterback pressure.
The Cowboys won the game 28-24. In a match against
San Francisco in
Week 3, he recorded his first sack bringing down
Tim Rattay. Ware earned the NFL Defensive
Rookie of the Month award for October after recording 16 tackles, three sacks, and seven quarterback pressures to help
Dallas go 3-2. In Week 16, Ware recorded three sacks and three forced fumbles in a match against the
Carolina Panthers. For that performance, Ware was named
NFC Defensive
Player of the Week and the
Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. He also tied the
Cowboys record for most sacks in a single game, held by
Randy White. He finished with 58 total tackles, 14 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles. He tied
Greg Ellis for a team-best eight sacks and joined
Jimmie Jones as the only rookies to ever lead or tie for the Dallas Cowboys' team lead in sacks. Ware finished tied for
24th in the league in sacks in a year where
Derrick Burgess led the league in sacks with 16.
2006 season
In 2006, Ware ended the regular season with a team-high 11.5 sacks, the most ever by a Cowboys linebacker. This total broke
Anthony Dickerson’s record of
10.5 from
1983. He added 73 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception, both returned for a touchdown. Ware was named a starter on the NFC Pro Bowl team and was also named Second-teamAll-Pro by
The Associated Press. In Week 6 against division rival
Eagles, Ware had a memorable moment with his 69-yard fumble return for his first NFL touchdown. He recorded his first career interception against
Michael Vick in match against
Atlanta Falcons and returned it for a 41-yard touchdown. Ware tied for 9th in the league in total sacks andShawne Merriman led the league with 17 sacks.
2007 season
Ware broke out with his 2007 season, leading new Cowboys'
Head Coach Wade Phillips to call him the best outside linebacker in the league. Ware became the second
Cowboy ever to record at least 14 sacks in a season, since
Jim Jeffcoat in
1986. Ware also led the team in quarterback pressures (27), tackles for losses (8), and forced fumbles (4) while finishing with 80 tackles. Ware made his second straight Pro Bowl along with 12 other teammates. He was also selected to the All-Pro team for the second straight year along with teammates,
Terrell Owens and
Jason Witten. Ware finished tied for 3rd in the league behind
Patrick Kerney (14.5 sacks) and
Jared Allen (15.5 sacks).
2008 season
In the 2008 matchup against the
St. Louis Rams, Ware tied the NFL record of former
Denver Broncos linebacker
Simon Fletcher for recording a sack in ten straight games. Ware was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl after pacing the league, establishing an official club record and tying
Derrick Thomas for sixth in league history with 20 sacks. Ware ended the 2008 season with 84 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 6 forced fumbles, and 2 passes defended. Ware was named NFC
Defensive Player of the Year by
Kansas City Committee as well as
NFL Alumni Pass Rusher of the Year. Ware also became the first recipient of the professional
Butkus Award. Ware finished the season as the league leader in sacks for the first time in his career.
Joey Porter finished second on the list with 17.5 sacks and
John Abraham third with 16.5 sacks.
2009 season
In 2009, Ware was listed as the best
3-4 outside linebacker by
Sporting News In October, Ware signed a six-year, $78 million contract, putting him among the top-five highest paid defenders in the NFL.
Two months later, Ware suffered a neck injury and was taken off the field by a cart while playing against the San Diego Chargers. The injury was diagnosed later as a sprained neck. He was taken to the hospital for further tests, but was released the next day. He came back to play the very next week, against the then-undefeated
New Orleans Saints, and recorded two sack-fumbles, including the one that ended the
Saints' chances at a comeback. For this performance, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He made his fourth consecutive appearance in the Pro Bowl as a starter in 2009, after leading the Cowboys with 11.0 sacks, a career-high 45 pressures, and five forced fumbles. He was also named to the
First All-Pro team.
2010 season
Ware recorded 15.5 sacks and led the NFL in that category for the second time in three seasons. He also made his fifth straight Pro Bowl and garnered another All-Pronomination. By leading the NFL in sacks for the second time, Ware tied the record for most seasons leading the league in sacks with two. He tied
Mark Gastineau, 1983–84;
Reggie White,
1987–88;
Kevin Greene,
1994,
1996;
Michael Strahan,
2001,
2003 and Jared Allen, 2007,
2011
- published: 30 Mar 2016
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