Player Info: OT Flozell Adams Bios
Sunday, October 07, 2007 at 07:26:05 pm

PICTURES

Flozell Adams #76
Tackle 6'7" 335 5/18/75
Michigan State
D-2 for '98 (38th overall) NFL: 10th Year
Cowboys: 10th Year

PRO: After missing the final 10 games of the 2005 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, Adams regained his place among the top offensive tackles in the NFL last year by earning his third career Pro Bowl selection. The selection was particularly impressive considering the extensive rehabilitation process required after knee surgery. His perseverance prompted his teammates to select him as last year's winner of the Ed Block Courage Award. Adams has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons in which he has been healthy for the entire year: 2003, 2004 and 2006. He is one of four tackles in club history who has made three or more Pro Bowls, along with Rayfield Wright (6 selections), Pat Donovan (4) and Erik Williams (4). Adams injured his knee in a win over the New York Giants on October 16, 2005, and underwent surgery on October 25. His return in 2006 helped the Cowboys offense enjoy one of the most productive seasons in club history. A picture of durability throughout his career, he started all 16 games at left tackle in 2006. Before the injury, Adams made 107 straight starts, including 102 at left tackle and five at right guard. The streak, which began in 1999, was the longest active streak on the club and, at the time of his injury, the 12th-longest active streak in the NFL. Before last season, Adams was the only Cowboys offensive lineman to start and finish all 16 games at the same position in each of the previous three seasons (2002-2004). He is also an imposing figure on the Cowboys field goal/PAT defensive units, with seven blocked kicks in his career (three field goals and a club-record four extra points). In 2003, Adams led the NFL with a club record-tying three blocked kicks, with all three coming on extra points. Adams' effectiveness as an offensive lineman is evident in the club's rushing production. A Dallas back has rushed for over 100 yards 37 times in Adams' 130 career starts. During the first five years of his career, Adams opened holes for the NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, who rushed for 5,928 yards - the fifth-most in the NFL from 1998-2002. His presence in the lineup will play a major role in the Cowboys' success on offense in 2007.

2006: Adams returned from season-ending right ACL surgery and made his third Pro Bowl in four seasons. He was named an injury replacement for the Saints' Jammal Brown. Adams played a prominent role in one of the Cowboys' most productive and efficient offensive seasons in club history. The Cowboys scored 425 points (26.6 per game), the fourth-most in the NFL and the most by the Cowboys since the Super Bowl season of 1995. It was also the fourth-best scoring output by the Cowboys since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978. Dallas was second in the NFL in third-down efficiency at 48.8%, the club's highest since 1980. Dallas also averaged 360.8 yards per game in total offense, fifth-best in the NFL and the Cowboys' best showing since the 1995 season. Adams' blocking also helped the Cowboys produce two 1,000-yard receivers (Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Julius Jones) for just the second time in team history. His start in the season-opening loss at Jacksonville (9/10) was his first since October 16, 2005. He helped the line allow just two sacks in 35 pass plays. In the home-opening win over Washington (9/17), his blocking helped Dallas rush for 138 yards and a touchdown and allow just one sack. In the win at Tennessee (10/1), he helped Dallas rush for 217 yards and three touchdowns, the team's best running performance since December 14, 2003 (222 yards). Dallas didn't allow a sack against the Titans. In the loss at Philadelphia (10/8), the line helped Julius Jones rush for 100 yards for the second straight game. Jones also topped 100 rushing yards in a win over Houston the following week (10/15), as the Cowboys rushed for 170 yards (4.6 per carry). In the Sunday night win at Carolina (10/29), quarterback Tony Romo was sacked just twice in 38 pass plays and threw for 270 yards in his first career start. The team also rushed for 156 yards (4.1 per carry) against the Panthers. Dallas controlled the ball for a season-best 38:16 and gained 414 total yards, picking up 27 first downs and scoring 35 points. In the last-second loss at Washington (11/5), the line allowed just two sacks in 38 pass plays, and Romo threw for a then season-high 284 yards and two touchdowns. In a win at Arizona the following week (11/12), the offensive line did not allow a sack in 29 pass plays, and Romo threw for 308 yards, his first career 300-yard passing game. Adams lined up across from the Cards' Bertrand Berry, who recorded just one tackle. In the win over previously undefeated Indianapolis (11/19), Adams and his linemates gave Romo the time to complete 19-of-23 passes (82.6%) for 226 yards with just one sack. Adams limited Dwight Freeney to two tackles and one sack. In the Thanksgiving Day victory over Tampa Bay (11/23), the line allowed one sack on 30 pass plays, and the offense gained a season-high 435 total yards - 306 passing and 137 rushing. Dallas also picked up a season-high 27 first downs, including 18 through the air, its most passing first downs since 1998. Romo tied the club record with five passing touchdowns in the game. In the last-minute win at New York (12/3), the Dallas line allowed just one sack in 35 pass plays, and the Cowboys gained 257 passing yards and 110 rushing yards. Adams helped limit the Giants' Osi Umenyiora to no tackles and no sacks. In the Sunday night loss to New Orleans (12/10), Adams helped open the hole that allowed Julius Jones' 77-yard touchdown, which tied the fifth-longest run in club history. In the win at Atlanta (12/16), Adams helped Dallas control the ball for 33:21, gain 352 yards and score 31 offensive points. The line's blocking was the key to the Cowboys' 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, which lasted 6:32 and put the game away. The last six plays of the drive were runs by Barber and covered 35 yards for the touchdown. In the season-ending loss to Detroit (12/31), Dallas' pass protection allowed Romo to throw a season-high 321 yards and two touchdowns.

2005: After making the Pro Bowl the two previous seasons, Adams continued to show the form that made him one of the NFL's top left tackles. He tore his right ACL in the win over the Giants (10/19), ending his season after six games and leaving a void at one of the game's most integral positions. Before his injury, the Cowboys were 4-2, ranked seventh in total offense (373.2 yards per game) and had allowed 13 sacks in six games (2.2 per game). Dallas finished the year ranked 13th in total offense (325.1 yards per game) and allowed 36 sacks in the games that followed the injury (3.6 per game). Adams started his seventh consecutive season opener at left tackle in the win at San Diego (9/11). He helped the Dallas offense score 28 points and gain 301 yards of total offense. In a Monday night loss to Washington the following week (9/19), he was part of a Dallas line that did not allow a sack in 36 pass plays, the first time the Cowboys hadn't allowed a sack since Dec. 8, 2002, against San Francisco. In the next week's win at San Francisco (9/25), the line allowed just two sacks in 40 pass plays, and the Cowboys gained 443 yards of total offense. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe's 363 passing yards - with two touchdowns - was the eighth-best performance in club history. In a key division win over Philadelphia (10/9) at Texas Stadium, the line did not allow a sack of Bledsoe and helped the Cowboys gain a season-high 456 yards of total offense, the most since they gained 541 yards at Washington on Sept. 12, 1999. The Cowboys also gained 167 rushing yards against the Eagles. Adams suffered his season-ending injury in the third quarter of an overtime win against the New York Giants (10/16) at Texas Stadium. He underwent successful surgery to repair the right ACL on October 25.

2004: Adams followed the most productive year of his career with another solid performance and earned a reserve spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster. Over the final seven games of the season, the offensive line helped rookie Julius Jones rush for 803 yards (114.7 yards per game). The Cowboys gained 423 total yards in the season opener at Minnesota (9/12), including 352 passing yards by Vinny Testaverde. The line also allowed only one sack in 52 pass plays. The following week against Cleveland (9/19), Dallas gained a season-high 441 total yards, including 322 passing yards from Testaverde, who was sacked only once in 36 pass plays. Testaverde became just the second Cowboys quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games. Against the N.Y. Giants (10/10), Adams and Co. paved the way for 166 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry). Testaverde threw for 284 yards against Pittsburgh (10/17), a defense that finished the year as the league's top ranked defense. At Green Bay (10/24), Testaverde threw for 308 yards, his club record-tying third 300-yard game of the season. The Dallas offensive line helped Eddie George rush for 99 yards against Detroit (10/31) and allowed just one sack in 25 pass plays. Testaverde completed 19-of-24 passes (79.2%). Adams held Justin Smith without a sack at Cincinnati (11/7), then limited Jevon Kearse to one tackle against Philadelphia (11/15). The line allowed just one sack to the Eagles, who finished the year third in the league in sacks per pass play. Against Chicago (11/25) on Thanksgiving Day, Adams was part of an offensive line that helped Jones rush for 150 yards, tying what was then the second-best mark ever by a Cowboys rookie running back. Adams also recovered a third-quarter fumble by R.W. McQuarters following an interception. In a Monday Night Football battle at Seattle (12/6), the line helped Jones rush for 198 yards, the third-best rushing day in club history and the second-best by a Cowboy rookie. Jones also became the first Dallas running back to record back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since December 2001. Jones scored three touchdowns in Dallas' 43-39 come-from-behind victory over the Seahawks, the most by a Dallas back since Emmitt Smith did it against Minnesota on November 26, 1998. In the last game of the season, at the New York Giants (1/2/05), the offensive line helped Jones rush for 149 yards on 29 carries (5.1 yards per carry) and helped Testaverde record a season-high 109.2 quarterback rating after completing 23 of 30 passes (76.7%).

2003: The 2003 season was a coming-out party for Adams. After signing a five-year contract in the off-season, Adams had the most productive year of his career and became the only first-time starter on the offensive line for the NFC Pro Bowl team. He helped Dallas' total offense jump from 30th in 2002 to 15th in 2003, with an increase of almost 50 yards per game. That improvement helped the club post a 10-6 record after three straight 5-11 seasons. The Cowboys gained 403 yards of total offense in each of their first two games - against Atlanta (9/7) and at the New York Giants (9/15). The games marked the first back-to-back 400-yard games for Dallas since 1998. The pass blocking against the Giants gave Quincy Carter time to throw for a career-high 321 yards. Run blocking was the key at the New York Jets (9/28), against whom Dallas rushed 41 times for 202 yards (4.9 per carry) and a touchdown. The offensive line allowed just one sack in 32 pass plays against Arizona (10/5), and the Cowboys gained 365 yards of total offense and controlled the clock for 36:28. The line allowed just one sack and helped Dallas control the clock for 37:21 at Detroit (10/19). At Tampa Bay (10/26), Adams limited Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice to two tackles and no sacks. The club gained 400 yards of total offense, including 208 on the ground, against Washington (11/2). The line allowed just one sack in 34 pass plays. Adams blocked his second career extra point when he batted down the Redskins' first attempt. He blocked his second extra point of the season at New England (11/16) when he batted Adam Vinatieri's attempt in the second quarter. That block made Adams the first player in club history with two blocked PATs in the same season. The line allowed just one sack for no yards in 45 pass plays against Carolina (11/23). The Panthers' defensive front had just nine tackles. Against Miami (11/27), Adams blocked his third extra point of the season. At Washington (12/14), he was part of a line that helped Troy Hambrick rush for 189 yards, at the time the third-best single-game performance in club history.

2002: In a season plagued by injuries on the offensive line, Adams was the only Cowboys offensive lineman to start and finish every game. He missed most of training camp with a hyperextended right knee (Aug. 6) but returned to the starting lineup for the opener at Houston (9/8) and helped Dallas rush for 155 yards. After reshuffling the line at St. Louis (9/29), the defending NFC champion, Adams anchored a unit that allowed two sacks in 38 pass plays in a last-second victory. He was the only Dallas offensive lineman to start and play the entire game against Carolina (10/13), and the Cowboys had 148 yards and 14 points in the fourth quarter to nab a 14-13 win. In the loss to Seattle (10/27), Adams played a key role in NFL history; Emmitt Smith ran for 109 yards on 24 carries (4.5 yards per carry) and became the league's all-time leading rusher with an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was Smith's first 100-yard game of the season, and his record-breaking run came on Adams' side of the line (left). In the win over Jacksonville (11/24), the Dallas line provided time for Chad Hutchinson to throw for 301 yards. The team gained a season-high 405 yards of total offense. In the Thanksgiving Day victory over Washington (11/28), Adams helped lead the way for a season-high 211 rushing yards, including a season-best 144 yards by Smith, who went over 17,000 career rushing yards and recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard day against the Redskins. Adams sprained his left ankle early in the second quarter but returned in the second half. He also blocked his fourth career kick when he batted James Tuthill's field goal attempt in the second quarter. In the loss to San Francisco (12/8), he helped the line allow no sacks in 28 pass plays, the first time in 2002 that the Dallas line did not allow a sack.

2001: Adams was part of a line that helped Dallas finish third in the NFL in rushing with 136.5 yards per game. Dallas gained 2,184 rushing yards, the second-best total by the Cowboys in the last 20 years (2,201 yards in 1995). The line allowed just 34 sacks in 447 pass plays and held opponents to two sacks or less in 10 games. Against the vaunted Tampa Bay defense in Week 1 (9/9), the line allowed just two sacks and helped Dallas rush 23 times for 99 yards (4.3 yards per carry). The following game against San Diego (9/23), the line helped Emmitt Smith gain 85 yards on 17 carries (5.0 yards per carry) and move past Barry Sanders for second on the NFL's all-time rushing list. Adams excelled on special teams at Philadelphia (9/30), blocking his first career PAT. Against Washington (10/15), Adams helped lead Smith to his first 100-yard rushing game of the season (107 yards) and helped Dallas gain 211 rushing yards. He was also part of an offensive line that helped the team rush for 207 yards (6.3 yards per carry) at Atlanta (11/11), including 127 yards from Troy Hambrick and 85 yards from Michael Wiley. Against Philadelphia (11/18), Adams worked against Hugh Douglas most of the day and limited him to one tackle. He helped Dallas gain 215 yards on 44 carries at Washington (12/2), including 102 yards from Smith. It was the third game in which the Cowboys gained over 200 rushing yards in 2001. Smith gained a season-high 128 yards at Arizona (12/23), and the offensive line allowed just one sack in 30 pass plays. In the Cowboys' upset win over San Francisco (12/30), Adams and the line led the way to 186 rushing yards, including 126 by Smith, and limited the 49ers to one sack. Quincy Carter threw for a season-high 241 yards. In the final game of the season, the Cowboys offensive line didn't allow a sack at Detroit (1/6/02) and helped Smith gain 77 rushing yards, putting him over 1,000 yards for the 11th consecutive season, an NFL record.

2000: In his second season as the Cowboys' starting left tackle, Adams was part of an offensive line that allowed 35 sacks in 480 pass plays. In six games, opponents were held to one sack or less. During Troy Aikman's final 172 pass attempts of the season, the Dallas line allowed just four sacks, or one every 43 attempts. In addition to pass protection, Adams helped Emmitt Smith rush for 1,203 yards and surpass 1,000 yards for the 10th consecutive season. Adams' work also allowed the Cowboys to average 4.2 rushing yards per carry for the year, a mark the club has topped just twice in the past 12 seasons. Only four NFC clubs rushed for more yards per carry in 2000. Adams' blocking at Arizona (9/10) helped limit the Cardinals to one sack in 35 pass plays. Randall Cunningham threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns. Adams helped lead Smith to his first 100-yard rushing game of the season at Carolina (10/1) when Smith gained 132 yards on 24 carries (5.5 yards per carry). In the rematch against Arizona (10/22), the Cowboys rushed for 200 yards, including 112 by Smith, and allowed just one sack. Smith gained 102 yards on 24 carries against Jacksonville (10/29), and Adams helped Smith top 100 rushing yards for the third consecutive week at Philadelphia (11/5). Dallas rushed for 204 yards against the Eagles, whose defense ranked ninth in the league entering the game. Adams and the offensive line held Cincinnati (11/12) without a sack in 37 pass attempts, and then held Minnesota (11/23) without a sack in 43 pass attempts. The line's work against the Vikings also helped Smith rush for 100 yards on 12 carries before he left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. Against Washington (12/10), Smith topped 100 yards for the sixth time during the season when he rushed for 150 yards. The Cowboys rushed for 242 yards that day, the most rushing yards by Dallas since it had 271 yards at Philadelphia on Oct. 31, 1993.

1999: Adams was the only Dallas offensive lineman to start all 16 regular-season games, and he played like a veteran in his first season at left tackle. He was a key part of an offensive line that allowed just 24 sacks in 531 pass plays, the second-fewest sacks allowed in the NFL. The Dallas line also allowed one sack or less in nine regular-season games, including five of the last six games. Adams helped Emmitt Smith record 1,397 rushing yards, his most since 1995, and nine 100-yard rushing games, the second-most of his career in one season. In Adams' first NFL start at left tackle, at Washington (9/12), he helped the Cowboys gain 541 yards of total offense, their most since Sept. 15, 1985, when they gained 554 yards against Detroit. Aikman was sacked once in 50 pass plays in an overtime win. The following week, Smith gained 109 yards in a win over Atlanta (9/20), just the third time in 29 games that the Falcons allowed a 100-yard rusher. In the win over Green Bay (11/14), Adams and Co. helped Dallas rush for 149 yards on 34 carries even though Smith missed the game with an injury. On special teams, Adams blocked a Ryan Longwell field goal, the first Dallas offensive player to block a field goal since Doug Cosbie did it on Oct. 21, 1979, against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the Thanksgiving Day win over Miami (11/25), Adams blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt by Olindo Mare in the second quarter, tying the club record of two blocked field goals in a season. Adams became the 11th player in club history to accomplish that feat and the first since Leon Lett in 1994. The Cowboys offensive line also allowed just one sack in 30 passing plays and helped lead Smith to 103 rushing yards against a defense that was ranked sixth in the NFL going into the game. Dallas finished the season as the NFL's sixth-ranked rushing offense, averaging 128.2 yards per game.

1998: The Cowboys' second-round choice (38th overall), Adams was forced into extended work as a rookie because of injuries to right guard Everett McIver. He started 10 games in place of McIver, who suffered serious injuries to both knees. Adams' 12 starts were the most ever by a Dallas rookie offensive lineman. Despite being inexperienced and playing a new position, he earned All-Rookie honors and played a key role in a Dallas line that allowed just 19 sacks, the fewest in the NFL. Adams was marked ready for duty in the Dallas opener against Arizona (9/6). He was used as a third tight end on short yardage situations and played the final three quarters of the game at right tackle after starter Erik Williams was ejected. Adams helped Dallas gain 444 yards of total offense against the Cardinals, including 188 rushing yards; both totals were the team's highest since 1996. In addition, the offensive line did not allow a sack of Aikman in 32 pass plays. The next three weeks, Adams saw considerable action at tight end as a short-yardage blocker and started against Oakland (9/27) when the team opened the game in a two-tight end set. After McIver went down with his first knee injury at Washington (10/4), Adams made his first start at right guard against Carolina (10/11). Against the Panthers, Dallas gained 428 yards of total offense. In his first five starts at right guard, Adams helped Emmitt Smith record four 100-yard rushing games, including a season-high 163 yards on 29 carries (5.6 yards per carry) against the New York Giants (11/8). The Dallas offensive line allowed no sacks against the Giants, who led the NFL in sacks during the 1998 season. Adams did not start against Seattle (11/22), but he entered the game when McIver tore his left anterior cruciate ligament. Adams started the remaining five regular-season games at right guard and made his first postseason start against Arizona (1/2/99) in the playoff loss at Texas Stadium.

COLLEGE: Adams spent three years in the starting lineup for Michigan State, and the Spartans went to three straight bowl games for only the second time in school history. They also had a running back rush for more than 1,000 yards each season. Adams started the final 28 games of his career at tackle. In 34 career starts, he helped a Spartan running back rush for at least 100 yards 21 times. As a senior, Adams moved from right tackle to left tackle and picked up All-America honors. He was also named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year by the conference's head coaches. One of four offensive linemen who were semifinalists for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, Adams earned postseason invitations to the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection at right tackle following his sophomore and junior seasons.

PERSONAL: Adams was a two-year starter on the offensive line at Proviso West High School in Maywood, Ill., where he was an All-American and all-state selection. He also lettered three times in wrestling and four times in track (shot put). He advanced to the state heavyweight wrestling finals as a junior. Adams earned his degree in criminal justice at Michigan State and is a cousin of former NBA guard Hersey Hawkins. Since joining the Cowboys, Adams has participated in the offensive line's support of The Rise School of Dallas with the "First Downs for Down Syndrome" project. In the fall of 2001, the entire offensive line helped paint a Dallas Cowboys Pegasus with the children from The Rise School. The Pegasus, a project to promote the City of Dallas, was donated to the school for a charitable fundraiser. Adams also served as a guest speaker for the Coppell, Texas, High School football team as part of the NFL High School Tuesday program. The program encourages NFL teams to visit a local high school to speak about the importance of education and the benefits of sports. During the 2003 season, Adams joined a group of his teammates and participated in the Cowboys' annual Hometown Huddle in support of the NFL United Way relationship. Adams and his teammates played bingo with the 100-plus senior citizens at the Brady Center/Catholic Charities. Adams hosted his first Make-A-Wish Foundation child during the 2006 season. The pair joined by teammates Julius Jones and Drew Bledsoe chatted one-on-one during a private meet & greet and the day before the "wish" child attended a Cowboys game at Texas Stadium During the 2007 off season, Adams served as a celebrity escort for a child suffering from cancer at the Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show and Luncheon. The annual event, hosted by former Cowboys quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, raises $500,000 for pediatric oncology research.