Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins excited to face his hometown team
Growing up in Kansas City, Maliek Collins really had no choice but to be a Chiefs fan.
Much like the Dallas Cowboys are to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Chiefs are to KC.
both All Pro running backs. He remembers watching the likes of Eddie Kennison,
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” Collins said,
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Holmes and the rest of his childhood heroes are long gone for the Chiefs now,
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Instead of Holmes, the Chiefs boast another elite running back in rookie Kareem Hunt. Hunt leads the league in rushing.
Collins knows it’s his duty to be an interior force keyed on stopping the run. Collins started the season as the under tackle in Rod Marinelli’s Tampa 2 defensive scheme,
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Collins views himself long-term as a three-technique, but has embraced his new role.
but it’s whatever is best for the D-line right now,
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Collins is dealing with a foot injury and didn’t practice Friday, but the expectation is that he plays Sunday. Team owner Jerry Jones said the same thing on his 105.3 The Fan radio show on Friday.
Collins has had quite a journey from KC to the NFL.
going to Center High School,He grew up in a more urban area of Kansas City, a school that had never produced a Division-I football player.
He excelled there in helping his school make the playoffs two times in four years, and was a standout defensive tackle and right offensive tackle. He was also a state champion wrestler.
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Bryan DeLong,His high school coach,
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“Maliek was a grinder,
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even though Collins’ athleticism and potential jumped off the page to DeLong,
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once Nebraska got interested,
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coaches stood us up,“I can’t believe how hard it was to get schools to look at him at first. I mean,
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and has developed into a starting defensive tackle for the Cowboys,Collins has carried that mentality into the NFL, who drafted him in the third round in 2016. He has impressed in his first two seasons.
Collins ranks fourth on the team with 2.5 sacks and has been credited with 12 tackles and 11 quarterback pressures by the coaches. The 11 quarterback pressures are third-most on the team.
a town known for its barbecue. For what it’s worth,That production surprises no one who knows Collins’ roots in KC, Collins says he has yet to find a Texas barbecue joint on par with Kansas City.
“It’s not a question,” Collins said.
And there’s no question that the Cowboys are pleased with what Collins has done early on in his time with them. That makes his hometown crowd proud.
“It’s real special to turn on the TV and see 96 on there playing for America’s Team,” DeLong said. “My daughters now love the Cowboys. I’ve become a Cowboys fan in a big way. They do things the right way. They’re about playing good ball.”
