The Dallas Cowboys have selected wide receiver and special teams ace Sam Hurd as their Ed Block Courage Award recipient, according to the organization's website. The players from each NFL team vote on who gets to receive the award for their team.
Here's what the award is all about:
Each year, the Ed Block Courage Awards honors those National Football League players who exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Recipients are selected by their teammates for team effort, as well as individual performance.
The Ed Block Courage Award recipient symbolizes professionalism, great strength and dedication. He is also a community role model. With this honor, he enters into an association which contrasts his fierce profession by becoming a major component of the Courage House National Support Network for Kids. He becomes an Ambassador of Courage for victims of abuse, violence and neglect.
Sam Hurd's was rumored to be on the trade block in the summer, but nothing ever materialized. There was even talk about the Cowboys asking him to take a pay cut as with the addition of Dez Bryant, Hurd had become the odd man out at WR, but his contributions to the team have been more about his special teams play anyway. He had a team high 18 special team tackles last year and is second behind Danny McCray this year with 15 solo tackles and 4 assists.
While this is one of the lesser known awards (at least until Michael Vick won it last year), having your teammates vote for you is always a good thing, so here's to you, Sam Hurd.
Last year's winner was Kyle Kosier. The five before that were Keith Davis, Jay Ratliff, Flozell Adams, Dan Campbell and Julius Jones.