FRISCO, Texas – Dontari Poe knows exactly what a healthy Gerald McCoy would have brought to the Cowboys' defense.
Both defensive linemen played together in Carolina last season, and both were high-profile signings by Dallas in the spring.
McCoy has been released via injury waiver after tearing his right quadriceps in practice last week. But Poe, who has been working back from a similar injury suffered in Carolina last November, is still excited about the current defensive line group that includes two-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence and newcomers Everson Griffen and Aldon Smith.
"I think it will be great. I think it's going to be amazing," said Poe, who increased his practice work Sunday after coming off the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list a few days ago. "You named those guys who have a history of making a lot of plays. But guys like Ty Crawford and Antwaun Woods, those guys have been helping me a lot get acclimated to how we're doing things.
I think they will be making a lot of plays. I think we are going to have waves of D-Linemen coming at you and trying to make plays.
"I like the defense. I like the scheme. I like the direction that the team is heading, as was explained to me before I got here, and when I did get here it all fit the same. I figured it was the best fit and it's turned out to be so far."
Poe was also asked about the national anthem and his July comments to Bleacher Report that he was leaning toward kneeling this season. Poe has kneeled in the past to peacefully protest social injustice in the U.S. He said he looks forward to speaking with Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones about the subject.
"I do still plan on kneeling, but we haven't had the conversation yet," Poe said. "But we did have a team meeting where he kind of expressed a couple of feelings and he always told us that he has an open door for us to talk to him at any time, so I look forward to taking advantage of that and just getting in his ear and seeing how he's feeling about it."
