OXNARD, Calif. – The courtship of Stephen Paea did not take very long for the Dallas Cowboys. Not only did they seek him out, the defensive tackle sought them out.
Why? Rod Marinelli.
“Same old Rod, man,” Paea said. “Coming out here, if you have a good day, nobody cares -- do it again the next day. So it’s all about consistency.”
Paea was the Chicago Bears’ second-round pick in 2011 when Marinelli was the defensive coordinator. His best year in Chicago came in 2013, after Marinelli had left to join the Cowboys, but he was in the same system.