Sean Lee injury hits teammates hard

IRVING, Texas -- Jeremy Mincey has only been friends with Sean Lee for just a few months, but it's safe to say the Dallas Cowboys linebacker has already made quite an impression on his new teammate as the two have already become good friends.

Mincey and Lee, who sustained a left knee injury during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Tuesday at Valley Ranch, became friends through Paul Posluszny, a product of Penn State like Lee who was teammates with Mincey the past few seasons in Jacksonville.

So, when Lee had to be helped off the practice field on Tuesday, Mincey was understandably dismayed at what he had just seen.

"That's tough. That's tough, man. Sean texted me the day I signed. He knew me through his friend, Paul Posluzny. Me and him grew a real close relationship, talking every day in practice on what we could do to put the spirit in this team to get it where it needs to go," Mincey said.

Fellow Cowboy newcomer Henry Melton has also known Lee for a short time, but the talented defensive tackle knows how tough it is to lose a teammate the caliber of Lee, not just for what he brings between the lines, but also for the numerous intangibles he brings off the field.

"It didn't look too great, but I've known him for a little bit and he's a great guy. We've already tried to build some chemistry together," Melton said. "I went in there and said a prayer with him and hope it wasn't as bad as it looked. I honestly hurt for him."

Veteran cornerback Brandon Carr has been teammates with Lee for the past few seasons and like the rest of the defense, Lee is someone he not only quickly developed an immense amount of respect for, but he's also someone he's proud to line up with each and every week in practice as well as on game day.

Carr has seen teammates fall prey to injury before, but that doesn't make seeing Lee injured again any easier for him and his teammates to stomach.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious. It's very unfortunate that it had to happen. Sean is a competitor. He worked his butt off to get back on the field. He's just as excited as all of us to get out there and lead the way for us. That's our main signal caller," Carr said.

But the Dallas players weren't the only ones asked to comment on Lee's injury. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett admitted during his Tuesday afternoon presser that he didn't have enough information to yet offer an update on his star linebacker, but fielded several questions about him anyway.

"He's being evaluated. It's his left knee. He went down on the play," Garrett said.

Lee was injured during a play with 2014 first-round pick Zack Martin, a play Garrett admitted he didn't have a great view of, but one he would review once the practice film was ready later in the day.

"I know he was chasing a play out to the side. He went down. So we'll evaluate it. I haven't had a chance to see the film yet," Garrett said.

And while his teammates and head coach were clearly disheartened to see Lee leave the field injured again, they also know that such is life in the NFL, where an injury can sometimes quickly end one player's season while in the process creating an opportunity for someone else to step right in.

Of course, there is no official news as of yet on Lee, but if he is sidelined yet again, his teammates know that they will find a way to cope with his latest absence.

"But on the flipside, the name of the game is next man up, the mentality you must have. We went through this situation before, so it's important for the next guy to step up and not miss a beat," Carr said. "We should just all come together a little bit more to become that much stronger on defense."

Mincey agrees. "It's definitely a great loss. It'll be a hurtful loss, but the game's got to go on. We've got to find somebody to step in that spot, next man up and find some kind of way to bounce back. That's a tough loss. That hurt. I can't lie to you."

Garrett too talked about the next man up mentality that the Cowboys as well as every other member of the NFL has to have to be able to deal with injuries. However, the now veteran head coach also took an opportunity to talk about one aspect of Lee's personality that all who come in contact with him have incredible respect for, his ability to bounce back from whatever sort of adversity is thrown his way.

"Yeah, Sean's had to deal with injuries through college and also here in the NFL. He really does everything he can to get himself ready to play. Unfortunately, he's had to deal with a few of these things, but he's as mentally tough an individual as I've ever been around," Garrett said. "So whatever the circumstances are, he always puts his best foot forward and strives to be his best. I don't anticipate this is going to be any different."