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By Jon Machota 1h ago
Mike McCarthy approves of Amari Cooper’s expectations. The Cowboys’ new coach doesn’t have a problem with his star wide receiver saying the goal is for Dallas to have three 1,000-yard receivers this season.
But McCarthy is quick to add that he isn’t forgetting about the team’s Pro Bowl running back, Ezekiel Elliott.
“The most important thing is I love the way he thinks,” McCarthy said of Cooper’s comment during a Friday conference call. “I think you want Zeke to feel the same way. … Zeke is a primary target for us as far as him touching the football. That will not change.”
It’s possible for the trio of Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb to each catch enough passes to exceed 1,000 yards, all while Elliott potentially posts his fourth 1,000-yard rushing season. It has happened twice in NFL history.
How close has a team coached by McCarthy come to reaching that rare accomplishment?
During his 13 years in Green Bay, the Packers came closest to a 1,000-yard running back and three 1,000-yard receivers in 2009 when Ryan Grant rushed for 1,253 yards, and Greg Jennings (1,113) and Donald Driver (1,061) each went over 1,000-yards receiving. Green Bay’s third-leading receiver that year was tight end Jermichael Finley (676).
During the 2014 season, Eddie Lacy rushed for 1,139 yards while Jordy Nelson had 1,519 receiving yards and Randall Cobb added 1,287. Davante Adams was the team’s third-leading receiver at 446 yards.
This year’s Cowboys trio might end up being the most talented that McCarthy has coached, but there’s no questioning the talent he had catching the football in Green Bay. He went from having Driver, Jennings and James Jones early on to eventually developing Pro Bowl wide receivers like Nelson, Cobb and Adams. McCarthy found ways to get them all involved, and the expectation is he’ll be able to do the same in Dallas.
Here are some other highlights from McCarthy’s most recent conference call with local reporters.
COVID-19 changes around the facility. Last week technically marked the first week of training camp. Strength and conditioning was the focus. The players were not in helmets or pads. They will gradually progress to adding helmets and shoulder pads in sessions leading up to Aug. 17, the first day teams can be in full pads. Like all NFL teams, the Cowboys have made adjustments around The Star to meet the new safety protocols. Players are wearing contact tracking devices on their wrists, plexiglass barriers have been added between lockers and stations in the training room, meeting rooms have been altered, and instead of conducting team meetings in their large indoor room (similar to a movie theater), they have moved to the lower bowl of the Ford Center.
As of Sunday, the Cowboys did not have any new positive tests, and the only players on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list (WR Jon’Vea Johnson and CB Saivion Smith) were moved back to the active roster.
“It’s gone really smooth,” McCarthy said. “I can’t say enough about our whole football operations staff as far as the cleaning, the scrub-down that goes on every evening after we leave. We stay totally detailed and disciplined in the protocols as far as the spacing. We’re so fortunate to have the Ford Center. We’ve been able to spread the team and the staff out in there and created a stage-like atmosphere for the presentation of all our installs and team meetings and so forth. That part has gone very smoothly. It’s become part of our everyday regimen. Our guys are doing a good job with it.”
Linebacker changes. Leighton Vander Esch is making the move to middle linebacker while Jaylon Smith is switching over to the weak side.
“I don’t think that’s a huge position change,” McCarthy said. “The biggest thing we want to emphasize from a defensive philosophy is the ability to play matchup football, the focus on utilizing our players and letting them do the things they do best. I think with that, with Leighton and Jaylon, they’re impact-style players, and we’ve got to make sure we’re giving those guys those opportunities.”
While both are athletic for the position, Vander Esch is better in space and Smith is better moving in one direction. This move only makes sense if it gives Smith more opportunities to play downhill while Vander Esch is working side to side. For example, Vander Esch is the player you want defending in the passing game and making tackles all over the field. Smith is the one you want blitzing, trying to get tackles for loss and not having to get off as many blocks.
McCarthy did not mention any other potential position changes when asked specifically during the conference call. When asked about the possibility of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie moving to safety, McCarthy did not say a move was being made. Instead, he talked about the flexibility he wants to have from all of their defensive backs.
QB/coach relationship. Last week was the first time McCarthy had a chance to be around Dak Prescott. There have been a lot of positive interactions, according to McCarthy. McCarthy’s responses about the franchise QB should not surprise anyone.
“With us being around each other for the first time, I’ve really enjoyed his personality,” McCarthy said. “He’s very upbeat, very driven. I would say he’s kind of picked up where he left off based on what I’ve been told about him as far as how he operates. Very detailed in his preparation. He’s a lot of fun to be around.”
Installing the offense. When McCarthy was hired in January, he said what Prescott had done in Dallas’ offense was so important that McCarthy would be adjusting to the language the Cowboys had been using. “This is the first language change that I’ve had to go through since 1989,” he said. “But this will be good for me, and frankly, it’s not about me.”
But on Friday, McCarthy said Prescott’s biggest adjustment would be the new offensive language.
“It feels very normal as we go through the installation,” McCarthy said. “The biggest adjustment for Dak is the language, which has been an adjustment for all of us. But he’s looked very good in the throwing segments of the strength and conditioning phase we’re in right now. And I’m very pleased where he is and very impressed.”
So is the language changing or is it staying the same?
“I’ll just say that the individual that’s had to learn the most has been myself,” McCarthy said. “It’s a brand-new language, particularly with the run game for everybody. The protection language is very similar and then the passing game, as much as we could carry over we did.
“I can’t say enough about the job (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore has done. I’ve been extremely impressed with the way he’s pulled everything together. We’ve had the time, particularly in the early months, February and March, to get through the philosophy approach and the management of how we game plan and how it all fits together, the quarterback position, all the above. Kellen’s doing a great job.”
Outdoors or indoors for camp? McCarthy would prefer to have the team outside as much as possible.
“My personal goal is to be on the grass,” he said. “That’s just personal preference. But really, the weather and those types of things will factor into it. We’re prepared to go outside every morning. That’s the plan. But I’m sure there will be days or a day or two that we may come inside the Ford Center. It’s very beneficial to have that flexibility, but my goal is to be on the grass as much as we can to start camp.”
The Cowboys have two outdoor fields at The Star. One is grass and the other is turf. The field inside the Ford Center is also turf. It makes a ton of sense to be outside in Green Bay this time of year when it doesn’t get above 85. But in North Texas, where it doesn’t drop down to 85 until the middle of the night, that might be difficult. The high temperatures this week in Frisco, Texas are expected to be around 100.
Going over potential COVID-19 scenarios. McCarthy said he and his staff have discussed many different scenarios, from coaching contingencies to separating a player from the rest of the group to make sure the coronavirus can’t potentially wipe out an entire position group.
“I think you have to look at everything with COVID-19 with your eyes wide open,” McCarthy said. “Yes, there’s a plan for pretty much everything. It’s definitely something we’ve been aware of now for a couple months, and we’ll be ready if we get in that situation.”
What about, for example, keeping Prescott away from backup QB Andy Dalton?
“We’ve had that conversation,” McCarthy said. “But I think you also look at it too from a pre-training camp phase, how you’re going to handle the training camp phase and then what you’re going to do in the regular season. We’re talking through those things. The most important thing for all of us, even in the quarterback room, is every classroom we have has the proper social distancing and obviously the emphasis on wearing a mask and all the other protocol points of emphasis is really what we’re doing right now.”
What’s going on at fullback? McCarthy has made fullbacks a part of his offenses during his time in Green Bay, from John Kuhn (2007-2015) to Aaron Ripkowski (2015-2017). Jamize Olawale, the Cowboys’ fullback the last two seasons, recently opted out for the upcoming season.
“The fullback position and tight end position is something that I’ve always kind of lumped together when you’re building your schematic menu,” McCarthy said. “Because that’s the adjustment you have to make in game weeks, so that’s no different than our thinking right now as far as we’re into training camp. The ability to play multiple positions, both at the fullback and tight end position, will give us what we need schematically.”
Blake Jarwin, Blake Bell and Dalton Schultz, the top three tight ends on the roster, don’t seem like great options to fill in at fullback. Oklahoma did use Bell as a dual-threat QB, particularly in short-yardage situations. He rushed 181 times and scored 24 rushing touchdowns with the Sooners. But he has never taken an NFL carry, has dealt with shoulder issues and his 6’6 frame is far taller than just about any fullback in the NFL. I haven’t found a fullback taller than 6’3 Patrick Ricard of the Ravens on any NFL roster.
Perhaps the Cowboys will look to one of the undrafted rookie free agents they signed at the position, Charlie Taumoepeau or Sean McKeon. Dallas also signed undrafted rookie free agent fullback Sewo Olonilua.
Injury update. Veteran defensive linemen Tyrone Crawford (hip) and Dontari Poe (quad) were placed on the active physically unable to perform list on July 28. Both are working their way back from surgeries.
“They’re making progress,” McCarthy said. “I know the training staff feels very good about the progress that they’re making. I don’t have a timetable for you right now.”
McCarthy also did not have an update on Randy Gregory’s attempt to get reinstated from his latest suspension.
What kind of conversations have the Cowboys had about racial equality and the protests that have happened in other sports?
“I think those conversations as far as social justice, whether it’s the national anthem, whether it’s COVID-19, these are everyday-type focuses for us,” McCarthy said. “I think we all are touched by everything that’s going on personally. I know for me personally, it’s made me take a hard look at the blind spots that I may have in my life from my experiences. One thing I do know, and we continue to echo to everybody involved in football operations, is to take a step back and listen. I think we all need to listen more. How can we really be part of the progress? I think the organization’s statement of protest through progress is right on the money. So that’s really where our focus will be. We’ll definitely support players every way we can.”
McCarthy was also asked about the possibility of players kneeling during the national anthem this season. The Cowboys have not had a player protest during the national anthem.
“These are conversations that we’ll continue to have,” he said. “It is Aug. 7, and in fairness to us, this is the first time we have been in the building together. But all those things will be talked about. My particular stance is it’s a time to step back and listen and make sure we are in the right place, and we’ll definitely support our players.”