Minicamp/OTAs Thread...

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
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No wonder our DBs suck. I could have told them this.
 

dallen

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No More.
 

Texas Ace

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:lol

2 injury prone RBs are already hurt.

And this is what we're counting on to get the job done this year?
 

Cotton

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Tony Romo-to-Cole Beasley TD an OTA high

Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas -- It might only be June but there was no denying the excitement Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had when he connected for a touchdown pass to Cole Beasley to end a two-minute drill in Wednesday’s organized team activity.

Trailing 23-20, Romo completed all six passes in the scoring drive, but his throw to Beasley was a perfectly placed pass down the seam over cornerback Orlando Scandrick and in front of safety J.J. Wilcox.

"We have compete periods and that was the one to win," Romo said. "... It's a great feeling. I've always loved competition and just each day I want to get that sensation of whether you've won or lost."

Here are some more OTA observations:

Sean Lee took his first 7-on-7 snaps of the offseason as he works his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Lee was limited to individual drills the first two weeks of OTAs but was allowed to increase his workload this week. In the three days of work, he took 14 snaps in 7-on-7 drills. He hopes to be able to do more next week at the minicamp.

Corey White was taking the dime package snaps with the first-team defense after that role went to rookie Byron Jones last week.

In addition to his touchdown in the two-minute drill Beasley added as touchdown in tight red-zone work in 7-on-7 drills, sneaking across the back line of the end zone away from Scandrick and Wilcox to give Romo an angle for the bullet throw. Beasley caught five passes from Romo in team and 7-on-7 work.

Ronald Leary worked with the first team at left guard, with rookie La'el Collins taking the second-team snaps. Last week Collins took some first-team reps at left guard. Since the Cowboys have kept him at guard for the last two weeks it seems to reason he and Leary will be in a competition at training camp. Rookie tackles Chaz Green and Laurence Gibson did not practice.

The Cowboys have the makings of a versatile defensive line. With DeMarcus Lawrence not practicing, Jeremy Mincey lined up at defensive end in the nickel package with Randy Gregory. Greg Hardy and Tyron Crawford took over the tackle spots in the pass-rushing situations.

Rookie receiver Deontay Greenberry had a good day. He made a tough grab on a back-shoulder throw from Dustin Vaughan over Joel Ross for a touchdown that had the defensive backs saying it should have been overturned like Dez Bryant's catch in the playoffs. He also caught a go route from Brandon Weeden in the second team's two-minute drill work. Another undrafted receiver, Nick Harwell, used a quick shoulder fake on cornerback Jason Wilson to get inside for a touchdown pass from Weeden.

In the second two-minute drill work for the first teams, linebacker Anthony Hitchens was able to break up a Romo pass to Jason Witten.
 

Jiggyfly

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Scout’s Eye: Obada Shows Up, Hitchens Shows Out & 10 Other Notes From OTAs
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 5:12 PM CDT

By Bryan Broaddus
Football Analyst/Scout
@BryanBroaddus



IRVING, Texas – Just as suddenly as they arrived, the Cowboys’ OTAs have concluded at Valley Ranch. The team had its final day of open practices for the media to observe, and now we have a one-week wait for the start of minicamp.
Having gotten to watch my third full session from the practice fields, here are my top impressions from Wednesday’s action.
1) I continue to be impressed by the growth of Byron Jones as a player and how he has responded to every challenge these coaches have put in front of him. In three weeks, Jones has lined up at every position in the secondary. He has played both corners, slot and now safety. On Wednesday, he lined up deep and then two plays later moved down in the box as a linebacker in coverage. What I really liked about Jones' day is that when he was lined up deep you saw that confidence in his communication and reactions -- which you don’t always find from a rookie in the secondary.
2) This was the first practice where I noticed Jeremy Mincey lining up on the left side at end instead of his normal spot on the right. Mincey was paired with Tyrone Crawford, Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory. I expect that we could see this rotation more in the future, but the most likely combination would be DeMarcus Lawrence rushing from the left end.
3) I wrote last week about my visit with Derek Dooley and how he is working with Terrance Williams to catch the ball in his hands instead of trapping it along his body. Williams had an outstanding hands catch where he was able to get separation from Brandon Carr on an "In" cut and Tony Romo was able to put the ball between Carr and a breaking J.J. Wilcox. There would have most likely been a big collision between Williams and Wilcox at the point of the catch, but Williams showed nice concentration and hauled the ball in.
4) We’re starting to see more snaps where Gavin Escobar is lined up along the line of scrimmage and being used as a point-of-attack blocker. Escobar will never make you forget Jason Witten or James Hanna, but the fact that the offensive coaches are putting him in those situations makes me feel like their confidence level in him has improved in that area. We will see if this carries over to training camp.
5) Cole Beasley had a nice red zone touchdown working up the seam against Orlando Scandrick and J.J. Wilcox. What I really liked about the play was the way that Romo was able to hold Wilcox in the middle of the field with his eyes. In watching the play, you get the sense that Romo knew exactly where he was going with the ball. Romo shot Beasley a quick look then came off him until the last moment when Beasley was in position to receive the ball.
6) This was the first time that we were able to see Sean Lee work in a group period since coming back from his knee injury. The coaches and trainers have been very cautious up until this point with how much Lee practices. Just watching him move on the field, it appears that Lee has full confidence in his repaired knee with the way that he is stop-starting on it as well as the cuts he is making driving on the ball which is a great sign.


7) I noticed Devin Street and Terrance Williams blocking on the edge on Wednesday. There were two or three snaps where the ball got to the edge and Street was mixing it up with Brandon Carr, which allowed the ball to get further down the field. There was a snap where Williams was brought across the formation and did a real nice job of tying up the corner at the point of attack. This is something that is a carryover from what we saw with this group all season.
8) There was a nice red zone battle between rookies Antwan Goodley and Jason Wilson on Wednesday. Wilson was banging on Goodley at the line and up the field on both snaps, but to Goodley's credit he was able to fight his way off the line the first time -- though the ball was too far for his reach. On the second one, Wilson was all over Goodley to the point where the official got him for defensive holding, but to be honest -- the play could have gone either way. I really thought that Wilson was in good position to deny the ball but it wasn’t called that way.
9) I have yet to see Anthony Hitchens blocked on a running play while lined up as the middle linebacker. His nose and movement to the ball is impressive. He and Sean Lee were also paired together on the field as nickel linebackers, which gives this defense two guys that can find that ball and go.

10) I wish Chaz Green and Laurence Gibson were not injured and missing these reps during practice. I just don’t want to see these guys getting behind and struggling when we get to training camp. La'el Collins is getting better each day just getting work with the second and third offense by practicing. There have been times where he has not been perfect, but there have been more positive snaps than negative ones. It’s a shame I can't say that about Green and Gibson.
11) Efe Obada is showing me that he is paying attention to his coaches and what they are teaching him. Obada was lined up at left end when Brandon Weeden took the snap and the line went full flow to Obada's right. Weeden then took the ball and made a perfect fake on the stretch play and spun back toward Obada. Instead of flying down inside and chasing the ball, Obada held his ground and forced Weeden to throw the ball wider than he wanted to an open James Hanna. When you talk about instinctive plays, it’s usually from a guy like Sean Lee, but in this case it was from a player that has not played much football.
12) Thursday is Cowboys U Day with the local high school kids. I can't tell you how pumped I am to be covering Jason Witten's team in these touch football games. He is just as intense as a coach as he is a player. Full report on DallasCowboys.com of how the day went.
 

Cotton

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Anthony Hitchens should keep up push at Cowboys minicamp

Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys will end their official offseason program this week with their three-day minicamp that begins on Tuesday.

This is the only mandatory event of the offseason. Mandatory if you are under contract, so don’t expect Dez Bryant to show up since he has yet to sign the franchise tag tender or agree to a long-term deal. The status of linebacker Rolando McClain, who is rehabbing from knee surgery in Alabama, is murky as well. He could be subject to a fine if he doesn’t show.

The Cowboys finished three weeks of organized team activities last week.

So what’s different about a minicamp? Very little, according to coach Jason Garrett.

“We don’t meet after practice with the players [after OTAs],” Garrett said. “We will meet after practice in the minicamp setting. But it’s going to be a one-practice day, so we’ll get a little more time in the meeting room after practice, but for the most part, it’s a pretty similar structure, pretty similar practice.”

So what will be worth watching on Tuesday?

Anthony Hitchens – His offseason took a little bit to get going as he continued to rehab from a sore ankle, but he was highly involved in last week’s OTA that was open to the media. He is penciled into the starting lineup – mine anyway – as the strongside linebacker, but I think he can stay on the field in the sub packages as well. Hitchens made a nice breakup of a Tony Romo throw to Jason Witten down the seam last week.

La'el Collins – He seems to have found a home at left guard now that the offseason has rolled on. During the OTA open to the media last week he did not take a snap with the first team with Ronald Leary holding the fort. While the coaches made Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin Day 1 starters, they will make Collins, a first-round talent but undrafted, earn the job.

Darrion Weems – He didn’t play last year because of shoulder surgery but with Doug Free not practicing this spring because of foot surgery, he has taken the first-team snaps at right tackle. I have rookie Chaz Green penciled in as the swing tackle currently,but Weems has done some nice things in the offseason that could make the Cowboys stick with him again.

Corey White – When he was claimed off waivers from the New Orleans Saints it was mostly ignored in part because he had a down season in 2014. While I haven’t seen him intercept a pass in the three OTAs open to the media, he has been noticeable and in a good way. He can play inside and outside and he’s big enough to take some safety snaps.

George Farmer – The wide receiver got the largest guarantee ($55,000) of any of the undrafted players, but he has yet to stand out. Fellow undrafted receivers Nick Harwell, Lucky Whitehead and Deontay Greenberry have made more plays. Farmer is a smooth athlete and does not look out of place, but I want to see him more involved. There is a spot or two open for a receiver.
 

Cotton

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