Training Camp/OTA's Chatter Thread...

Carl

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I really hope this isn't a sign of Dez having his attitude coached out of him
I think these coaches and this organization have done well with Dez. All things considered, he could have gone off the rails over the last few years; now I am not sure I'd trade him for any other WR.
 

boozeman

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Sat. Practice Recap: Five Injured Players Make Their Return

Posted 14 hours ago

Rowan Kavner

DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

OXNARD, Calif. – The cavalry is on its way back.

Safety Barry Church, linebackers Rolando McClain and Will Smith and cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Sterling Moore returned to practice in some fashion Saturday. All five of those players missed the first preseason game.

They didn’t all participate fully, but they all returned for at least individual drills with the team. Also on the field was Brandon Carr, who got some first-team work, but he wasn’t in full pads and was being eased in. Marinelli hopes the secondary, with the addition of Carr, can help buy time for the pass rush to get there.






“Our strength right now are those corners are really good, and we think we’ve got some good safeties,” said defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. “We can do some things with those guys to help us.”

Safeties Ahmad Dixon (concussion-like symptoms) and Jakar Hamilton (jaw), cornerback Tyler Patmon (hip) and defensive ends Ben Gardner (shoulder) and George Selvie (groin) were among the players out for practice.

Marinelli said Dixon was solid all around in the preseason opener and earned himself more opportunities with the ones and twos when he returns.

“It’s the first time where it was really live where he could really go after it,” Marinelli said. “I think that’s a big part of his game. He’s very, very physical, and he covers some ground. There’s something about competitive speed, and he carries his pads very well. He put out some solid tape.”

In addition, guard/center Ronald Patrick left practice with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury. Defensive tackle Henry Melton also banged knees with Tyrone Crawford and limped off, but he appears to be all right.

Quick Hits:

•Patmon said he’s still day-to-day with a hip flexor injury, but he hopes to be ready before the next preseason game.

•While there has been some talk here lately of Tony Romo struggling at times with the deep pass, including some comments about inconsistency in that area from quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, he did his best to quiet that notion during Saturday’s practice. Romo connected on at least three deep balls of 40 yards or more, including a pair to wide receiver Terrance Williams in team drills. He also threw a strike to tight end Gavin Escobar, who went up over Orlando Scandrick to haul in the pass in traffic.

•Marinelli wants to see what Davon Coleman can do against starters after a strong start to camp. The defensive tackle started the preseason game, and Marinelli said his play wasn’t quite good enough, and he needs to be more consistent.

•The defensive coordinator also shifted some of the blame for a rough defensive effort away from the players.

“It’s not just players,” Marinelli said. “We missed tackles, coaches missed tackles, too. The things we wanted, how hard we wanted to play, we didn’t get that conveyed to them well enough as coaches. It was not good enough, by coaches or players.”

•Marinelli did praise the effort of defensive tackle Ken Bishop for chasing down a running back more than 20 yards downfield in the preseason opener, saying that type of effort is how players get noticed.

•Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker/defensive end Matt Vanderbeek was at Cowboys practice today.

•Actor Connor Paolo from ABC’s Revenge attended Cowboys practice today.

Notable Standouts:
•Gavin Escobar – The second-year tight end had a contender for the play of the day with an impressive catch during full team drills. Escobar ran a deep flag toward the far sideline, and Romo found him roughly 25 yards downfield. Orlando Scandrick and DeVonte Holloman blanketed the tight end in coverage, and Scandrick jumped to get a hand on it. Somehow, Escobar came down with the big gain.


•Tyron Smith – Ho, hum – Tyron Smith spent another practice wiping out defensive ends. The left tackle was strong in his work, both in full team and individual drills. One particular rep stood out, as Smith tossed Martez Wilson to the ground. Jeremy Mincey got past Smith on one occasion, but the coaching staff had the two go again. Smith won the rematch.
•Barry Church – Church returned to practice for the first time since last week’s Blue-White scrimmage, and he got after it. He was all over the field in full team drills, and he laid several sizable pops – on players and non-players. Church was involved in big hits on Cole Beasley and Joseph Randle. Toward the tail end of practice, he and Jason Witten vied for a pass and wound up smashing into Cowboys photographer James Smith on the sideline. Smith was uninjured on the play – as were the players.

Play of the Day:
Terrance Williams has looked impressive throughout training camp, so it’s a big statement that he had his best catch to date on Saturday. In full team drills, Williams tore off down the right sideline against B.W. Webb. Romo, who threw far more deep balls than usual this practice, uncorked a deep ball toward the pair. Williams had two steps on Webb, but the ball was slightly overthrown. The second-year receiver tracked the ball down, found it in flight and extended for a phenomenal diving catch.
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boozeman

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Scout's Notebook: Fullbacks Failing To Impress

Posted 20 hours ago



Bryan Broaddus

Football Analyst/Scout

OXNARD, Calif. – Here are some leftover tidbits from the Cowboys’ Saturday night practice, highlighted by Tyrone Crawford’s progress at defensive end – and the fullback battle.

•If you are looking for a clue in the running back battle of which guy might have an advantage between Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams, Randle lined up as the personal protector on the second punt team and made a tackle. Putting him in that spot is a pretty big responsibility because that position identifies the front and sets the blocking protection.


2014 Training Camp: 8/9 Practice

•I have always been a big fan of Tyrone Crawford and his overall ability as a player. If there is an area of his game that I would like to see him improve in, it would be in his technique as a pass rusher. I watch him snap after snap, just waiting for him to throw a combination move with his hands to free himself as he is going up the field. Instead, he takes those hands and tries to plant them in the middle of the tackle’s chest and bull rush him with power. When he chooses this route, he does have the strength to get that push -- but there are also some snaps where he gets stuck on the block and doesn’t get to the quarterback. This bothers me, because I know there is more there but we just are not seeing it now.

•In the side of his game that needed the most improvement, Gavin Escobar did a better job at the point of attack, blocking, than at any point of last season. He still has a ways to go, but he was in better position and his sustain during the block has improved which is a good sign.



•Uche Nwaneri is a much better player than I was willing to give him credit for. My initial thought of him was a veteran player that you could put in these preseason games and not get someone hurt. With him, you could evaluate the younger players because he wouldn’t make a mistake. What I have seen from him at this point, is that there is still some gas left in the tank. The way that he is performing, he is giving this front office and coaches a serious reason to keep him around.

•In the fullback battle, I have yet to see anything that makes me absolutely want to keep one of them on this roster. I was hopeful that, from our time here in camp and the first preseason game, that Tyler Clutts or J.C. Copeland would have separated themselves -- but that hasn’t been the case. If you asked me right now, I am leaning in favor of carrying that extra running back, receiver or third quarterback at that spot.
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If FB is a big deal, Vonta Leach is still out there, just sayin'.
 

jsmith6919

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LeRon McClain is available too
 

p1_

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LeRon McClain is available too
I was at the last game at Texas Stadium where he ripped a gash in our defense for about 80 yds. Then Willis McGahee did it two plays later. So fucking pathetic. :budd

Goodbye Texas Stadium.
 

jsmith6919

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I was at the last game at Texas Stadium where he ripped a gash in our defense for about 80 yds. Then Willis McGahee did it two plays later. So fucking pathetic. :budd

Goodbye Texas Stadium.
Think McGahee got his first then McClain(remember some interview he did boasting about he got last td in Texas Stadium) but yea that was a depressing game
 
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junk

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I have really high hopes for Terrance Williams this year.

Escobar needs to turn into something with that high of a pick spent on him.
 

boozeman

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I have really high hopes for Terrance Williams this year.

Escobar needs to turn into something with that high of a pick spent on him.
And at the end of the day, each could blossom into what you expect and it still wouldn't matter.

Very few teams have ever been as bad as we are on defense and been able to outscore everyone. Eventually, even if successful to secure a playoff berth, it does not pay off.
 

p1_

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And at the end of the day, each could blossom into what you expect and it still wouldn't matter.

Very few teams have ever been as bad as we are on defense and been able to outscore everyone. Eventually, even if successful to secure a playoff berth, it does not pay off.
It's hard to imagine the defense could be as bad as last year. It has to improve, even if slightly. Right?
 

Cotton

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Carp

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NFL Concussions has it's own Twitter...only a matter of time before NFL Groins gets an account.
 

Cotton

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NFL Concussions has it's own Twitter...only a matter of time before NFL Groins gets an account.
Yeah, I thought that was kinda weird, too.
 

jsmith6919

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It's hard to imagine the defense could be as bad as last year. It has to improve, even if slightly. Right?
Not necessarily, we were last in yards allowed but not points allowed, also we did fairly well in takeaways especially in the first half of the season
 

Cotton

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Not necessarily, we were last in yards allowed but not points allowed, also we did fairly well in takeaways especially in the first half of the season
I'm pretty sure there are still a few FAIL records we didn't break last year, too.
 

jsmith6919

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Cotton

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Sun. Practice Recap: Scandrick Leads Big Day For Defense
Posted 14 hours ago

Rowan Kavner
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

OXNARD, Calif. – It wasn’t only the defenders who noticed the maligned Cowboys defense played better at Sunday’s practice than it had at any point in camp.

From executive vice president Stephen Jones to wide receiver Dez Bryant, it seemed like a consensus that Sunday, in the last practice before the Cowboys scrimmage with the Raiders on Tuesday and Wednesday, was the defense’s best practice of training camp.

“I told the defensive backs as we were breaking down, ‘I’m mad we didn’t get the best of y’all today,’” Bryant said. “Now, we’ve got to take it over to Oakland. I was really praising them, letting them know, ‘Y’all got us today.’”

The defense can thank Orlando Scandrick for the majority of that praise.

Everyone’s accustomed to seeing Bryant come down with just about every 1-on-1 opportunity he’s given. But when head coach Jason Garrett gathered the team for a red zone 1-on-1 battle between Bryant and Scandrick, it was the corner that swatted the ball away.

In the same drill, Scandrick’s tight coverage led to a rare drop from Cole Beasley, and the corner delivered a pop on a reverse to Dwayne Harris later in the practice.

“It got in our head,” Bryant said. “Like I told Scandrick yesterday, we’re talking back, it’s got to be a good sign you’re doing something to us. On the offensive side of the ball, we have a high standard. We want to be the best. That’s what it’s going to be. That’s the kind of mindset that we have. We go out there with that each and every day. Scandrick really got under our skin today.”

He got under it enough during team drills later in the day that Bryant had some choice words for the corner, but Bryant didn’t want to say he let his emotions get the best of him.

“It’s just like any other training camp,” Bryant said. “You see it on T.V. You battle, you get under each other’s skin, and at the end of the day, we’re shaking hands, joking around laughing about some goofy stuff.”

But it wasn’t just Scandrick’s performance that made the day noticeable for the defense. Scandrick’s pop on Harris was sandwiched between a smack on Terrance Williams from Barry Church and an impressive hit on DeMarco Murray by Rolando McClain, who’s now back at practice and covered significant ground on the play.

McClain, who missed the preseason opener, said he’s not yet where he wants to be physically, but he felt better at practice Sunday than he has in a while.

“I wish I could have played, wish I could have been at practice,” McClain said. “The most important thing is getting healthy, as healthy as I can get, but I felt a little out not just being in practice. It didn’t matter how I felt, I wanted to go out there and practice today.”

McClain’s expected to practice against his former Raiders squad when the teams meet this upcoming week. He said he’s looking forward to being able to hit someone that’s not on his teams.

“I still know a few guys on that team, so it’ll be good,” McClain said. “But it’ll also be good to put my pads on a few of those guys.”

Quick Hits:

While McClain returned and did more work than he had in the past, defensive tackle Henry Melton left the field. He was visibly upset, but it was his groin and not his surgically repaired knee, that forced him out.

Williams was in an extremely awkward position when he took the hit from Church across the middle of the field. A pass from Tony Romo was high and the receiver crumpled to the ground after taking the shot, but he was back on the field and running full speed soon after.

The offense ended the day with some strong red zone work against the defense, but there were other miscues throughout the day. Early in team drills, there were two false starts and issues with alignment.

Speaking of flags, the corners got a lot of them during goal line 1-on-1 drills in the back of the end zone for holding receivers. Bryant said he’s not sure if the emphasis on defensive holding is particularly fair for the corners, but he loves any advantage a receiver can get.
Notable Standouts:

J.J. Wilcox – He’s a second-year player, but Wilcox sure seems to have assumed a leadership role on the defense. He laid all the same hits as usual, popping running backs and receivers repeatedly. What stands out about the safety mostly is the authoritative tone he takes with the rest of the defense. Wilcox has roasted B.W. Webb for practice miscues before, and on Sunday it was Terrance Mitchell who bore the brunt of that. Mitchell missed an assignment during full-team drills, and Wilcox laid into him as if he were a receiver.

Justin Durant – When Durant lined up against Lance Dunbar in 1-on-1 pass coverage drills, people were joking all along the sideline about how badly the veteran linebacker would be beat by the speedster. Dunbar came out of the backfield and cut up the field for the ball. To Dunbar’s credit he hauled in the reception, but he couldn’t maneuver away from Durant, who brought him down for a minimal gain.
DeMarco Murray – It’s hard to fairly evaluate running backs during training camp practices, because the contact isn’t live. But Murray looked strong Sunday evening, especially toward the tail end of practice. It says a lot about the offense’s faith in their ball carrier that they turned to Murray on multiple occasions during two-minute drill. The first time, Murray ripped through the line for a long gain. Even bigger than that was toward the end of the drill, on the goal line. A Beasley reception took the offense to the one-yard line, and with time winding down on the clock Romo handed off to Murray for an easy touchdown.

Play of the Day:
Scandrick’s deflection on the pass in the end zone to Bryant as Garrett brought the team together was the most indicative of the defense’s solid day of work. Bryant’s used to hauling in all types of passes when the ball gets near the goal line. He made a move and went up the sideline, going toward the back left pylon when Scandrick timed the jump and swatted the ball away. It set the tone for the rest of the day for the defense.



Transactions:

August 9 – The Dallas Cowboys waived rookie free agent punter Cody Mandell (Alabama) and Waived/Injured rookie free agent running back Ben Malena (Texas A&M) on Saturday. The club also signed rookie running back D.J. Adams (Portland State).

Injury Report:

Left Practice:

DT Henry Melton (groin)

Returned To Practice:

S Jakar Hamilton (jaw)

Missed Practice:

CB Tyler Patmon (hip flexor)
DE Ben Gardner (shoulder)
TE Jordan Najvar (ribs, oblique; limited)
WR Dezmon Briscoe (concussion)
DE George Selvie (groin)
DE DeMarcus Lawrence (ankle)
DE Anthony Spencer (knee)
DT Amobi Okoye (illness)
DT Terrell McClain (ankle)


Upcoming Schedule:

Monday, August 11

No availability Player’s day off

Tuesday, August 12

10:30 a.m. (PDT) Walkthrough (Oakland Raiders)
12:00 p.m. (PDT) Coach Garrett press conference
3:45 p.m. (PDT) Practice (Oakland Raiders)

Wednesday August 13

10:30 a.m. (PDT) Practice (Oakland Raiders)
12:00 p.m. (PDT) Coach Garrett press conference
3:45 p.m. (PDT) Walkthrough
 

Cotton

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Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant emphasizing his blocking during training camp
By Brandon George / Reporter bgeorge@dallasnews.com
12:26 pm on August 11, 2014 | Permalink

OXNARD, Calif. — Dez Bryant has developed into one of the NFL’s top receivers. Over the last three seasons, he had 34 touchdown catches.

But Bryant wants to be a complete receiver and knows how important it is for him to also excel at blocking. Bryant has no problems with getting physical with his blocking. He said it’s “very important” to him.

“That’s one of my focus points coming into this training camp, getting there, blocking, finding that guy on the backside,” Bryant said. “Playing with [running back] DeMarco [Murray], the ball is supposed to be going left and he’ll end up coming back right. So you got to be aware. I think I’ve took a step forward, not only me, but the rest of the guys have took a step forward by taking a different approach with our blocking.”

Wide receivers coach Derek Dooley has had the Cowboys receivers working on the blocking sleds during training camp. Bryant said he’s done some of that before, “but not as much.”

“I love Coach Dooley,” Bryant added. “Coach Dooley is one of the best that’s ever been around me. He’s made the game so simple and easy. He’s great.”
 

mcnuttz

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“I love Coach Dooley,” Bryant added. “Coach Dooley is one of the best that’s ever been around me. He’s made the game so simple and easy. He’s great.”
Hiring Dooley was kinda strange, but it's good to see him click with Dez the way he has.
 

Cotton

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Jerry Jones: Tackling must improve
August, 11, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

OXNARD, Calif. – Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was on radio silence before and after his team played the San Diego Chargers last week until Sunday.

While the defensive performance was disconcerting -- 395 yards allowed, 152 rushing yards, Chargers quarterbacks completed all but two passes -- Jones did not believe it was a flashback of what plagued the Cowboys' defense in 2013 when it finished last in the league.

Jones mentioned two rookie draft picks that caught his eye in cornerback Terrance Mitchell and linebacker Anthony Hitchens, but the fundamentals bothered him most.

“I don’t know that it brought back bad memories but I’m sure glad it was in the preseason rather than in some of those last three or four ballgames that we had,” Jones said after Sunday’s practice. “If we’re going to gap … then when it’s your time to make the tackle, you’ve got to make the tackle. To me the other night was all about not tackling and not making the tackle when you had the chance to make it. Tackling can be worked on, will be worked on. We’ll get better tackling and we’ve got players out here that can execute the system.”
 
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