The starting left tackle is the key to stopping Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Chris Samuels, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, is an above-average tackle who struggles at times with a bull rush. He has started every game since the 2004 season. He is part of a line that has allowed five sacks and opens holes for a running game averaging 123.0 yards per game.

Samuels is good at the fundamentals, and he's very athletic for a player who has been in the league since 2000. His long arms give him the ability to push oncoming rushers farther from the line of scrimmage. That upper-body strength is vital in holding off speed rushers such as Ware.

Speed and power. If you attack Samuels with power he can get pushed into the quarterback because he lacks lower-body strength. He plays too high and sometimes gets bowled over by power guys. Speed rushers can move past Samuels because he doesn't have fast enough footwork to keep up sometimes.

He was the third overall selection in the 2000 draft. ... He won the Outland Trophy in his senior season at Alabama. ... He played offense and defense at John Shaw High School in Mobile, Ala. ... His brother Lawrence is a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League.