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By Jon Machota
4h ago
OXNARD, Calif. — The biggest storyline entering Cowboys training camp was supposed to be about the offensive adjustments with head coach Mike McCarthy taking over as play caller. That changed when Zack Martin decided not to attend the start of camp.
In hopes of getting a new contract, the team’s best offensive player has already missed the first five camp practices, which has led to him being fined $50,000 each day. While Martin recently told some of his offensive line teammates that he would be at camp “soon,” it doesn’t sound like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is going to budge on Martin’s contract in the near future.
“It’s not about precedent, it’s about facts,” Jones said before Saturday’s practice. “We need the money to pay (Micah) Parsons. We need the money to pay the players that we got to pay in the future. That’s a fact. It’s not even a philosophy. It’s just a fact. Those dollars are there and we have this at this level, and if you redid all the contracts, then you never could put a roster together.”
What needs to happen for the Martin situation to get resolved?
“Nothing,” Jones responded. “He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp. There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences if he doesn’t. We all know what those are. He’s a great player, he’s had a great career. He’s been at the top of the money all the way through, drafted high and got a lot of money, got a lot of money over the years. It’s just hard to get it all. The bottom line is, nothing needs to happen.”
Martin, a six-time first-team All-Pro, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, remains among the game’s best guards. But seven players at that position make more per year than the $14 million annual salary Martin, 32, is scheduled to make over the last two years of his current deal.
With or without Martin this week, Dallas will be in full pads for the first time, beginning Monday. The focus will largely be on the offensive changes that have been made by McCarthy and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Although there haven’t been many noticeable changes during organized team activities, minicamp and the start of training camp, these following topics have been mentioned most by the coaching staff and players.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy works with Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush during training camp. McCarthy is calling plays for the first time with Dallas. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
Protection in the passing game
“If I was gonna say the biggest area of change of our offense,” McCarthy said last week, “I’d probably put protection in the passing game as the biggest change.” McCarthy never got into specifics, but we’ll likely know more after watching some padded practices and preseason games. Some notable changes in that area in the coaching staff this offseason is that there is a new offensive line coach in Mike Solari and former assistant offensive line coach Jeff Blasko is now coaching the running backs. Solari, who has coached in the NFL for over 30 years, was the Seahawks’ offensive line coach from 2018 through 2021. Before that, he was offensive line coach for the Giants in 2016 and 2017.
With Martin out, Josh Ball has been filling in as the first-team right guard. Why is the 2021 fourth-round pick getting this opportunity?
“That first year was tough (for Ball),” McCarthy said. “I think the newness of trying to play multiple positions. Then he made the switch inside and out. But he’s earned this opportunity. He’s put in the work. Josh is one of the young guys that I’ve been extremely impressed (with) and I say this all the time, because I think it’s important to recognize, they all work hard, don’t get me wrong, but I mean there hasn’t been a weekend in the last three years that I haven’t seen Josh Ball in there on a Saturday or a Sunday. So he’s earned this opportunity and I think he looks very comfortable inside. I think like anything with linemen, it’s good work, don’t get me wrong, but the real work starts on Monday.”
Getting the ball out quicker
Jones mentioned this change at the end of minicamp. Schottenheimer added details over the weekend. “There are always early progressions that he can find,” Schottenheimer said of Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. “Everything in this system, the West Coast, is all tied to the quarterback’s feet. When you see a quarterback playing really well in the West Coast offense, you’ll see his feet are decisive, he’s firm on his back foot. That’s a big part of it. But the design of it is how do you spread people out and get your guys running vertically into the defense and have the quarterback get the ball accurately to them, that’s kind of the genesis, if you would, of the West Coast offense.”
Schottenheimer has said roughly 70 percent of the offense will be similar to what the Cowboys had been running under previous offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
McCarthy made headlines during the NFL’s annual scouting combine when he noted that he would like to run the ball more to rest Dallas’ talented defense. McCarthy has since said that the Cowboys’ rush attempts will be similar to what they have been the last two seasons. After rushing 26.8 times per game in 2020, McCarthy’s first season as Cowboys head coach, they averaged 27.8 rushes per game in 2021 and 31.2 last season, sixth-highest in the NFL.
“I think one way Mike calls the game is aggressive,” Prescott said Saturday on NFL Network. “We’ve got so many playmakers that he wants to get those guys the ball, get it to them fast in open space, get it out quick. I think all of that will allow more points to come. Guys like (KaVontae Turpin) and CeeDee (Lamb), Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Tony Pollard, it’s for me to just distribute the ball and let them go do what they do best.
“Coach has always said it, this is about making the quarterback comfortable. I’ve already discussed some things out there, ‘Hey, what if I got to this? What if I get to that?’ He’s always (saying), ‘Keep a couple of things in your back pocket. Make sure you’re getting to what you want to get to and that you feel great about the play.’”
Everyone being on the same page
This was probably best explained last week by Lamb. He is used to having his head coach as offensive play caller from his time at Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley.
“He believes in players versus plays,” Lamb said of McCarthy. “You can design all of the schemes you want, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to go out there and make it come to life. (Schottenheimer) and those guys, they want to simplify it down and let us be us.
“You’ve got to make it simple for the players, because when you play fast, you get the most out of everybody. They made it simpler, but you get more options off the simple plays. If one play is this and you don’t like it, then you go to this. It’s that simple. It’s knowing your responsibility, knowing your plays and you have that ability to line up wherever you want.
“It’s easy to catch on. It’s not anything complex. There’s things we’ve run before, but as far as, he made it easier to get to something else, depending on the coverage. I feel like you always got to have a Plan A and a Plan B when you’re in this league.”
Was there confusion in the past?
“Not necessarily,” Lamb said. “I mean, we weren’t really always on the same page. Now, it’s a bit different. You understand, put yourself in the quarterback’s shoes. Obviously, everyone can’t play quarterback, but get in the mind of why he’s doing things. I feel they made it much easier for us to understand.”
Personnel changes
This is where the most noticeable changes have happened. Veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalton Schultz are gone. Cooks, RB Ronald Jones, RB Deuce Vaughn and TE Luke Schoonmaker have been added to fill some of those roles. Jalen Tolbert also appears ready to contribute much more than he did during his rookie season.
Cooks’ speed and quickness are what jumped out most at minicamp and during the start of training camp. Gallup is feeling more confident being another year removed from his significant knee injury. While there are questions at tight end and No. 2 running back, the wide receiver group already looks upgraded.
“I was joking the other day, you got to choose one,” Cooks said of lining up alongside Lamb. “If we both (are) on the same side, that safety gotta choose one. No one’s guarding (Lamb) one-on-one. If (the safety) chooses to stay on top of me, then CeeDee is wide open and vice versa. And then you got Gallup on the back. MG is gonna do his thing. (Tolbert) is showing up in camp. We got a corps. We all complement each other in a great way.”
