Cowboys' Ron Leary looking to make La'El Collins better

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys left guard Ron Leary took the challenge from rookie offensive lineman La'el Collins head-on. Instead of withdrawing from the 21-year-old out of LSU, who has taken first-team reps at left guard, Leary has embraced and mentored Collins.

"I think when you're at this level, you always going to talk to a guy that's younger than you," Leary said Friday at Dirk Nowitzki's Heroes Celebrity Baseball practice. "I talk to Collins."

Both Leary and Collins are from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which helps fortify the lines of communication between the fourth-year veteran and the undrafted rookie.

Even though the two interior linemen are from the same part of Louisiana, both have disparate backgrounds. Leary attended Southern University Lab High School while Collins graduated from Baton Rouge Redemptorist. Collins attended LSU while Leary left the state to attend Memphis University.

Some of those differences even comes out in how they see the game.

"I know he asks me questions about things, and we see things differently," said Leary. "But it's all about getting everybody better."

Leary is impressed with Collins and can't wait to beat the Texas heat and open training camp in Oxnard, California on July 30, even though he has enjoyed his off-season.

"It's been good. You got this little time off, but I miss it. It's pretty much a couple weeks out until training camp. So, that's pretty much time to get into that mode."