Eisenhower High School's Butler Cowboys Up

Eisenhower High School's own Victor Butler, a Dallas Cowboy by way of Oregon State, made a case to become a regular in pass-rushing situations with his Monday night performance.

The results of the rookie fourth-round pick's five snaps in Dallas' 21-7 win over Carolina last night: 2 sacks, 1 game-clinching forced fumble.

Think that's enough to earn some more playing time?

"I think so, yeah," Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips told the Dallas Morning News. "It's the number of plays those guys [Anthony Spencer, DeMarcus Ware] are playing, but again, like I say, when you have 30-something passes or 40 passes a game, you really need somebody to come in and help some. He did an outstanding job."

The situation at strong side linebacker is shaping up nicely for Butler with the longtime occupant of that position, Greg Ellis, departed for Oakland. Starter Anthony Spencer, a former first-round pick, is a formidable run stuffer but hasn't shown the ability to rush the passer with any consistency. Butler, whose 12 sacks last season ranked second in the Pac-10, couldn't ask for a much better situation to sneak in the rotation as a pass-rushing specialist. He does, after all, have two thirds of the Cowboys' sacks this season.