Training Camp/OTA's Chatter Thread...

[boozeman]

So if Jerry says this, Lawrence has a broken ankle and McClain has stomach cancer.

 

[Cotton]

So if Jerry says this, Lawrence has a broken ankle and McClain has stomach cancer.

So true it's sickening.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Good, maybe Harris can be used more on offense instead of being held to PR duties.

I'm against that. Harris is more valuable as a PR. He's one of the best in the league. He's ok on offense but we have plenty of weapons.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Good, maybe Harris can be used more on offense instead of being held to PR duties.

I'm against that. Harris is more valuable as a PR. He's one of the best in the league. He's ok on offense but we have plenty of weapons.

 

[boozeman]

I'm against that. Harris is more valuable as a PR. He's one of the best in the league. He's ok on offense but we have plenty of weapons.

You can pick and choose his spots.

Sad thing is, we have Beasley and Escobust, where yeah, we have to pick their spots too.

 

[Cotton]

I'm against that. Harris is more valuable as a PR. He's one of the best in the league. He's ok on offense but we have plenty of weapons.

It's hard to say how he would be on offense since he hasn't been used hardly at all in that capacity.

 

[Cotton]

Day 6 observations from Dallas Cowboys training camp practice: Big day for RBs; WR Jamar Newsome excites Dez Bryant

By Brandon George / Reporter bgeorge@dallasnews.com
9:30 pm on July 29, 2014 | Permalink

DALLAS COWBOYS OBSERVATION DECK:

Here’s what stood out from Day 6 of Dallas Cowboys’ training camp practices Tuesday in Oxnard, Calif.

Following the team’s first day off of training camp, QB Tony Romo didn’t practice Tuesday afternoon. He watched the first part of the evening practice from the sidelines in shorts and a T-shirt before leaving the field after about 30 minutes. Romo did participate in the Cowboys’ morning walk-through practice. That left all the first-team repetitions to QB Brandon Weeden in the evening workout.

The Cowboys worked on their two-minute offense install for the first time in training camp Tuesday.

Early in team drills, TE Jason Witten delivered a big block on LB Justin Durant near the line of scrimmage to spring RB DeMarco Murray for a big gain on the left side.

QB Brandon Weeden hesitated early in team drills after dropping back to pass, eventually handing the ball off to RB DeMarco Murray late who was surrounded by defensive players. Coach Jason Garrett had the offense repeat the play, and Weeden then completed a short pass to the right side on his second attempt at it.

RB DeMarco Murray had a good day. He also had a gain of about 15 yards on a run to the right side in team drills.

Rookie DE DeMarcus Lawrence stopped RB Lance Dunbar for no gain on a run to the left side against the second-team offensive line. Later, Lawrence had to be helped off the field after he appeared to injure his right ankle in a 1-on-1 drills against LT Tyron Smith.

LB Orie Lemon and NT Ken Bishop combined to stuff RB Lance Dunbar on a run wide. Not long afterward, DT Davon Coleman continued his fast start to camp by stopping RB Joseph Randle for no gain on a run up the middle.

LB Joe Windsor was quickly into the backfield to knock down a pass from QB Dustin Vaughan in team drills.

QB Brandon Weeden completed a slant pass to the left side to WR Dez Bryant in a hurry-up situation. Bryant ran away from the defensive backs and down the left sideline. A fan yelled at Bryant, “$15 million a year!” referring to his next contract that’s on the horizon.

RB Lance Dunbar had a gain of more than 10 yards in a two-minute situation. He continues to be impressive.

K Dan Bailey was 6-for-6 on field goal attempts, making two from 50-plus yards.

LB DeVonte Holloman had a pass breakup against TE James Hanna in 7-on-7 drills.

CB Orlando Scandrick came out early before the evening practice to catch passes from the machine. Scandrick has said he wants to make more impact plays this season and really wanted to work on catching the ball better so he could increase his interceptions.

WR Jamar Newsome leaped to catch a deep pass over CB Dashaun Phillips in 1-on-1 drills that had WR Dez Bryant pumped up. On a go route down the right seam, Newsome made a nice catch. Bryant screamed several times, “That’s what I’m talking about” before jumping to bump shoulders with Newsome. Later, Newsome ran a go route down the left side and couldn’t pull in a deep pass from QB Caleb Hanie in 7-on-7 drills. CB Tyler Patmon knocked down the pass.

QB Caleb Hanie struggled Tuesday. Several passes were off target. Late in team drills, rookie CB Terrance Mitchell intercepted a pass from Hanie intended for WR Dwayne Harris.

DE Martez Wilson would have sacked QB Dustin Vaughan late in team drills.

CB Morris Claiborne broke up a pass intended for WR Terrance Williams in 1-on-1 drills. Williams cut inside from the left side of the field, and Claiborne arrived just after the ball did to break up the pass.

Several Cowboys defensive backs were called for penalties in 1-on-1 drills with receivers, including rookie CB Terrance Mitchell being flagged for defensive holding against rookie WR Devin Street.

Injured LG Ron Leary and DE Anthony Spencer worked on the resistance cords with an athletic trainer.

Rookie LB Anthony Hitchens had arguably the biggest hit of the day in a LBs vs. RBs tackling drill, putting a lick on RB Joseph Randle.

Coach Jason Garrett circled the team around in the middle of the field as LB Bruce Carter went 1-on-1 with RB DeMarco Murray in a hitting drill. Garrett was probably standing too close. The two nearly knocked him over.

Even though they’re not supposed to be tackling, S J.J. Wilcox put a nice hit on RB DeMarco Murray during team drills, knocking the running back to the ground. Afterward, Murray gave Wilcox a fist-bump.

LB DeVonte Holloman dropped an interception in 7-on-7 drills. LBs coach Matt Eberflus yelled, “Holloman, make the play now! Come on!”
Rookie RB Ben Malena (Texas A&M/Cedar Hill) fumbled during team drills.

QB Brandon Weeden was 6-of-8 during two-minute team drills. WR Dez Bryant couldn’t pull down a possible touchdown in the end zone. Bryant wasn’t pleased as the first-team was forced to settle for a field goal. Bryant: “I know I should’ve made that one-handed catch. I was close to being out of bounds. If I tried to get it with two [hands], I would’ve been out.”

Dallas-based agent Jordan Woy was at Cowboys practice. He visited with his clients after the afternoon practice, including DT Henry Melton and K Dan Bailey.
The Cowboys practiced in front of 1,794 fans Tuesday, bringing the five-day total attendance to 12,796.

Former Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel Gil Brandt was at practice. Former NFL and Texas QB Chris Simms and Chris Harrison from ABC’s The Bachelor were also in attendance.

 

[Jiggyfly]

QUICK HITS FROM OUR DALLAS COWBOYS TRAINING CAMP COVERAGE
Nicholas Welp | July 29, 2014


http://cowboysnation.com/2014/07/quick-hits-from-our-dallas-cowboys-training-camp-coverage.html

Lance Dunbar, DeMarco Murray and Tony Romo make a formidable backfield. Attendees to the camp have talked about Dunbar’s amazing speed being on full display, accelerating through traffic. He shoots through holes that no one else can see, using his size to his advantage. CowboysNation.com writer Rafael Vela had predicted Linehan importing a dual RB tactic in his May piece, here. In some formations the Cowboys resemble the venerable Wing T, an enduring offense that lends itself to the Spread and many West Coast offensive plays.

Gavin Escobar has been excellent in camp so far. Our writers on the podcast have commented on his superior blocking, route running, and strength. He’s been exceptional in the slot, giving Dallas a reason to stick to a conventional offense. Dez Bryant has also seen time in the slot. With other players fighting, and all eyes on the defense, it’s easy to overlook Dez Bryant having another outstanding camp.

Orlando Scandrick is the best cornerback in camp so far. Brandon Carr is still away, and it will be tough to catch up to Scandrick’s inertia when he comes back. Morris Claiborne has played very well, with a lot of passion, but Scandrick’s steady play has him in the lead. It’s very unusual to watch a player improve as steadily over his career as Scandrick has done. He’s told media his personal goal is the Pro Bowl. He’s been working on his hands, to get the picks that get the Pro Bowl votes. Marinelli teams regularly lead the NFL in take aways, so if picking the ball is a skill that can be learned he’s got one of the best coaches to teach him.

The Tight Ends have over matched the Linebackers so far. Bruce Carter improved his coverage over the last couple practices, and Witten is a difficult match up, but elite tight ends may be a match up problem whenever they come to Dallas. Rolando McClain gets a little winded later in practice, but his conditioning doesn’t look too far off. He’s been running with the second team defense. The odds seem pretty good to see him starting on Aug 7, for Dallas’s pre-season game VS San Diego.



DeMarcus Lawrence has looked good against everyone except Tyron Smith, who has been a wall. Jeremy Mincey is the only player who’s managed to make Tyron Smith budge, when he got him with a wiley bull rush move in one on ones. It was only once, but it’s an impressive cue that Mincey will offer some good play in 2014. His first days at camp were pretty abysmal but he’s showed he’s just shaking off the rust. Martez Wilson has also showed he’s an amazing athlete, he’s been well documented since High School for his DE potential, but he’s never put it together before. Marinelli should be able to get the most out of him.

Henry Melton has looked the best out of all the defensive linemen. His athleticism has been a show, and he’s been getting sharper as practices go on. Ben Bass has been running behind him, and after a boring off season he’s now back on the radar. Tyrone Crawford has been playing with the second team at strong side DE. This camp Dallas seems determined to give players one position to focus on. Crawford and Bass are not getting moved around much.

The safeties have been disappointing. It’s a grinding frustration, wondering what Dallas will get from their safeties. Someone needs to take their positional play up a notch. Last year at camp DeMarcus Ware made Tyron Smith look bad, but that didn’t pan out. Ergo the safety position is unknown. Matt Johnson is not practicing, and for the most part they are struggling with man coverage. Dallas has some good offensive players but so do the better NFL offensive teams. Before camp gets too long, look for coaches to jostle the position up to get some more inspired play. Jakar Hamilton, J.J. Wilcox, and even the illusive Matt Johnson flash the potential to be very good. But the dreaded p-word means they’ve not done it yet.tony-romo-poster-largedemarco-murray-x

Tony Romo has looked very good in his limited reps. Brandon Weeden has looked competent in his limited reps as well. Dustin Vaughn has not impressed observers and now doubts are creeping in about his Practice Squad viability. QB’s can look night and day different based on their learning, so he still has a chance this camp. Caleb Hanie has stuck out as a competent QB, and the drop off after him is large. Dallas will need extra arms all season, as resting Romo regularly looks like the plan for the rest of his career. This may motivate Dallas to keep Hanie, keeping him around for practice, if it’s not possible to stick him on the practice squad.



Zack Martin is already safely an anonymous guard. He looks good, but we’ll learn much more about him with more hitting down the line. The rookie offensive linemen are undistinguished so far, but the real grind of blocking hasn’t revealed if any of the UDFA’s are hidden gems. The consensus from observers is that the entrenched top four offensive linemen are obviously elite, and the leading competitors for the fifth spot are competent.

Devin Street has impressed observers. He’s seems comfortably ahead as the 5th receiver, and he looks like he could develop in to a starter in the NFL. The battle for the back up RB is taking on new dimensions as Joseph Randle has looked good, faster and more decisive, while questions about Ryan Williams’ vision and decisiveness have crept up. With the decent depth that the Cowboys have on the offensive line, the RB competition should sort itself out in the pre season games. All of the back up WR’s have shown something impressive so far. Players like LaRon Byrd and Chris Boyd may end on other NFL team’s rosters and not on the Cowboys practice squad.

What camp developments have intrigued you the most so far at the Cowboys Training Camp? A camp fight, frustrating potential, or a paced out Romo? For myself the running game is the most fun, and seeing a guy like Lance Dunbar use his discredited size to his advantage is eye opening. Training Camp is still ongoing.

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys camp report: Day 7

July, 29, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- A daily review of the hot topics coming out of Dallas Cowboys training camp:

• With Tony Romo sitting out of the afternoon workout Brandon Weedentook the first-team full-pad reps for the first time in camp. He completed 13 of 18 passes in team and seven-on-seven drills. In the two-minute drills he directed the offense to a game-tying 41-yard field goal by Dan Bailey at the end of regulation. Weeden completed six of eight passes on the drive, and his best throw might have been one of his incompletions.

• With nine seconds left, Weeden looked in the end zone for Dez Bryant, but Morris Claiborne was in good position.
  
  “In that situation you have three points,” Weeden said. “We have a great kicker so you can’t turn the ball over. You’ve got a chance to make a play and put it where he can catch it or nobody else ... I knew the DB wasn’t going to catch it. That’s the main thing.”
  
  Weeden took all of the first-team reps in the spring but noticed a difference in running it with pads on for the first time.
  
  More than anything it’s in the run game and the pass rush,” Weeden said. “You’re banging. It’s more of a bomb went off back there. That’s what a game will be like ... With the pads on it’s easier to do that stuff. Without pads, you can’t really do a lot of that stuff we’re trying to do now. It was good. It feels like real football.”

• The hit of the day might have belonged to rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens in one-on-one pass rush drills with running backs. Hitchens flattened Joseph Randle in the drill and immediately had fellow linebacker Justin Durant jumping on his back in celebration. To Randle’s credit, he responded in his next two reps, including a good standstill withOrie Lemon. All of the running backs not named DeMarco Murray struggled in the pass-protection drill. When coach Jason Garrett had Murray go up against Bruce Carter in the daily offense vs. defense matchup, Murray won the matchup.
• Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Callahan is considered a very technical coach. During individual drills, the offensive line worked on the proper way to throw a forearm shiver as they moved up on combination blocks. Callahan explained that the move has to be short and quick and the lineman cannot wind up or get his arm outside the framework of his body. The work paid off later in running drills with some good combination blocks from the line.
• Caleb Hanie had his first extended work of camp with Romo sitting, moving up to the second team. He was late on a throw to tight end James Hanna, who beat linebackerDeVonte Holloman, allowing Holloman the chance to recover and make the pass deflection. He was short on a deep throw to Jamar Newsome that gave Tyler Patmonthe ability to make the break up.
• After DeMarcus Lawrence went down with an ankle/foot injury, Martez Wilson seemed to kick in. Wilson had two sakcs in team drills (one of Hanie, one of Dustin Vaughan). He also added a pressure of Vaughan.

 

[Jiggyfly]

 

[Jiggyfly]

 

[Smitty]

Seems like people are already chalking up Street as quite a bit. I think some are penciling him in as a future three at worst.

 

[2233boys]

Charean Williams ‏@NFLCharean 5m
Cowboys fear DE DeMarcus Lawrence has a broken right foot.

 

[DLK150]

Charean Williams ‏@NFLCharean 5m
Cowboys fear DE DeMarcus Lawrence has a broken right foot.

I read 8-10 weeks. Freaking sucks but it's par for the course.

DeMarcus Lawrence fractured his right foot in Tuesday’s practice and is projected to miss the next two to three months, a source said.

Lawrence suffered the injury while going against Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith in individual drills. The rookie defensive end put himself in an awkward position during the drill and was slammed to the turf by Smith. He immediately grabbed his right leg and was taken off the practice field in a cart.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/cowboys-rookie-de-demarcus-lawrence-expected-to-miss-next-8-12-weeks-with-a-fractured-foot.html/

 

[boozeman]

Whew. Glad we got Mincey. Definitely got Mincey.

 

[Cotton]

Previewing Day 7 of Dallas Cowboys training camp: What’s the plan now with DE DeMarcus Lawrence out 8 to 12 weeks?
By Brandon George / Reporter bgeorge@dallasnews.com
8:00 am on July 30, 2014 | Permalink

OXNARD, Calif. — Day 6 of Dallas Cowboys training camp ended with a thud. The club learned that rookie defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence would miss the next eight to 12 weeks after fracturing his right foot in practice Tuesday.

So now what?

The Cowboys used 21 different defensive linemen last year as injuries depleted their depth. Dallas drafted Lawrence in the second round, counting on the former Boise State standout to start and help replace the production lost when the club decided to release all-time sacks leader DeMarcus Ware.

If Lawrence is out the next three months, he’d miss the first half of the season. That’s eight games gone. The Cowboys could put Lawrence on the reserve/injured list beginning Sept. 4, and that would ensure he’d miss the first six weeks of practice and be out the first eight games of the season.

The Cowboys have to form a plan now of how they’ll replace Lawrence at right defensive end, which is the more pass-rushing defensive end in their 4-3 Tampa 2 scheme.

The first week of practices free agent addition Jeremy Mincey has been taking first-team repetitions at right defensive end with Lawrence taking the second-team reps. The Cowboys will need immediate impact from Mincey. George Selvie has been the club’s first-team left defensive end. The Cowboys will need defensive ends Martez Wilson and rookie Ben Gardner to step up as well. Gardner has missed the last couple of days with a strained shoulder.

The Cowboys could push DL Tyrone Crawford to the first-team. They expect big things from Crawford this year, so why not give him the chance to start now? Crawford, another Boise State product, missed all of last season after he tore his Achilles on the first day of training camp practice last year.

Also, the Cowboys can hope to get back veteran defensive end Anthony Spencer. He’s on the active/physically unable to perform list now while still recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee Oct. 1 of last year that knocked him out but one game in 2013. Spencer and his agent, Jordan Woy, who was at Cowboys practice Tuesday, said over the last two days they believe Spencer has a chance to be ready to play by Week 1. If so, how much could they expect from Spencer early in the season as he gets his feet under him again?

Another option could be signing a player from the outside. On Thursday, the Cowboys visited with Larry English, the 16th pick in the 2009 draft, a few days after he was cut by the San Diego Chargers. English played outside linebacker in the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme but would fit as a defensive end in the Cowboys’ scheme. He had 11 sacks in five years. English is still recovering from a torn biceps he suffered last season.

What about strong-side linebacker Kyle Wilber? Could the Cowboys possibly move him again? Wilber played defensive end in this scheme the first 10 games of last season before moving him to strong-side linebacker. Wilber has performed well at strong-side linebacker and appears to have found a home. So moving him yet again wouldn’t be the most logical choice. But Wilber excels as an outside pass-rusher. That fits his skill set, so it’s something the Cowboys will have to consider as an option again.

 

[Cotton]

Crawford will be next... you watch.

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys wake-up call: Day 8

July, 30, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- Every day of Dallas Cowboys training camp we'll offer up a wake-up call that offers a quick review of the previous day and a preview of the current day.

Today's schedule: The Cowboys practice at 6:45 p.m. ET. Jason Garrett will have his press conference at 3 p.m. ET.

Observations from Tuesday's practice:

• Tyrone Crawford had a good day in one-on-one pass-rush drills. He was able to use his power off the edge against right tackle Doug Free and do it later from inside against guard Zack Martin. In the offense vs. defense matchup before team drills, Crawford was able to beat Free around the corner for a would-be sack and a win for the defense.

• Sometimes the early camp communication between linemen does not go smoothly, but so far Tyron Smith and Mackenzy Bernadeau have done a nice job of passing off twists and stunts from the defense. They swallowed up Jeremy Mincey and Nick Hayden in a two-man game with ease and then were solid later against Mincey (at tackle) andDeMarcus Lawrence.

• The first-team offense kicked a game-tying field goal in 2-minute work, but they might have gotten some help from Jason Garrett. It looked like DeMarco Murray was stopped on a third-and-1 rush by Garrett who overruled the officials.

• Rookie cornerback Terrance Mitchell is handsy. The officials were on his case in practice. He appeared to shove Dwayne Harris as he went up in the air to take downCaleb Hanie's pass.

• Cole Beasley is a tough receiver to defend for quick cornerbacks. He's even more difficult for linebackers. After catching a check down, his quickness surprised rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who was left in space. The same thing happened to safety J.J. Wilcox as he attempted to slow down running back Lance Dunbar. He underestimated Dunbar's speed to the edge and took a poor angle.

What I'm watching: The Cowboys' top two running backs are set in DeMarco Murray andLance Dunbar. The question is the third back and the battle is between Joseph Randle andRyan Williams. There seems to be a little back-and-forth with the coaches in how Randle and Ryan are splitting the work in order for both of them to get quality work.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Tony Romo bears watching as usual. He's coming back from two days off and should be fresh. In his first two days of full-padded workouts Romo has completed 22 of 29 passes in team and seven-on-seven drills with one interception. The offense has been efficient with him running the show.

It's too early to be too concerned, but backup tackles Jermey Parnell and Darrion Weemsneed to do a better job. Tuesday's work was a little better, but it still needs improvement.

They said it: "The communication part of it is huge. That's the hard part -- not hard -- but one thing about being the backup quarterback you've got to try to sound like the starter. You've got to do everything to kind of emulate him that way so the procedure penalties and stuff like that (don't happen). There's a lot you've got to work on. When you do it with the ones, you're expected to come in there and not miss a beat.” -- Brandon Weeden on taking snaps with the first-team offense in Romo's absence.

 

[p1_]

Whew. Glad we got Mincey. Definitely got Mincey.

There's also this to be excited about:

After DeMarcus Lawrence went down with an ankle/foot injury, Martez Wilson seemed to kick in. Wilson had two sakcs in team drills (one of Hanie, one of Dustin Vaughan). He also added a pressure of Vaughan.

 

[p1_]

Crawford will be next... you watch.

Dude, please. This shit is hard enough to read as it is....