Dallas Cowboys' sophomore safety Mike Hamlin suffered a fractured wrist in his rookie season, joining a slew of 2009 draft picks who earned the nickname "the redshirt class" for the widespread injuries that seemingly wiped their impact (David Buehler not withstanding) from the question completely.
Now, Hamlin is ready to make an impression. The wrist is healed and, after the release of another safety named Hamlin, the Clemson product will look to compete with Alan Ball for the starting job. Whether he can do it, we really don't know; according to secondary coach Dave Campo (per the Dallas Morning News), Hamlin didn't play a defensive snap last season.
But Hamlin is confident he can make an impact in his second year.
"I know I'm going to make my mark," Hamlin said. "I want to make as many plays as possible and show the coaches the things I've got and let them make a decision. I want to be a guy they can depend on."
While hurt in 2009, Hamlin says he watched the veterans of the team in order to learn by example how to do things the right way.
"When you're hurt you don't feel like you're part of the team," Hamlin said. "You try to just stay involved and do the same things as everybody else does. You've got to keep your mind focused on everything ... Last year was learning the game even though I wasn't on the field. I watched and learned and saw how the veterans carried themselves and how to handle situations."
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