OXNARD, Calif. -- Thanks to Tom Macon, the Smith brothers aren't overly concerned about the new helmet rule NFL officials are working to enforce this season.
Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith and running back Rod Smith credit Macon, their youth football coach in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for teaching them the correct way to play.
"He's a legend in Fort Wayne," Rod said. "He taught me a lot on the field and off the field."
Jaylon added: "He taught us the right way and it just carried on."
Despite refs carefully looking to enforce the new rule during the preseason, no Cowboys player came close to being called for illegal contact with the crown of the helmet in their preseason opener last Thursday.