Training camp thread...

[Cotton]

Yankees manager gives Cowboys a pep talk

July, 29, 2013

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. – This edition of Cowboys training camp had its first real celebrity sighting when New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi visited Monday.

Girardi, who was a three-time World Series champion as a player and won another as a manager, delivered a Garrett-esque speech to the team after practice.

“Just be the best you can every day,” Girardi said, recalling the gist of his message on a Yankees off day before they begin a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “That’s what you prepare for. We obviously all strive to win championships, but to me, it’s a day-to-day thing that you have to go through.”

At least one prominent Cowboy hung on every word the Yankees skipper said and made sure to shake Girardi’s hand afterward.

“That was a great deal, man,” New Jersey native Miles Austin said. “I was just glad to meet him. He said some great things to us. I’ve been a Yankee fan since he was there [as a player] and since I was born.”

Girardi, who was joined by his son Dante, described his family as football fans who root for the Chicago Bears. He was a high school quarterback in Illinois but wisely figured his lack of size and speed made him a much better prospect as a catcher.

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys practice report: Day 8

July, 29, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- The Cowboys mixed up the depth chart during Monday's practice and worked on some red zone and team drills.

*The Cowboys are increasing the competition at left guard by rotating Nate Livings andRonald Leary at the spot on the first-team. Livings has struggled at the start of camp while Leary has excelled at times.

*With Dez Bryant out with a sore hip, Terrance Williams got some snaps with the first team and Miles Austin picked up snaps with the second-and-third units. Tyron Smith also missed a few snaps with the first-team for Edawn Coughman.

*Williams continues to get better with every practice. He beat Sterling Moore on a double-move for a touchdown during one-on-one drills. Williams also made a nice leaping catch for a score in team drills over Morris Claiborne while catching a Tony Romo pass.

*Monday morning, coach Jason Garrett was praising wide receiver Andre Smith's hands. Well the free agent receiver, dropped two passes, one in the end zone in an individual drill. Smith, however, also caught a touchdown pass from Kyle Orton.

*During the one-on-ones, Brandon Carr did a nice job of knocking a pass away intended forAnthony Amos.

*Austin and Romo have great chemistry. On a back shoulder fade throw, Austin turned around at the perfect time to catch the end zone pass to beat Brandon Carr.

*Bruce Carter picked up an interception during pass coverage drills on a pass intended forPhillip Tanner.

*Sometimes down the field blocking by wide receivers are huge when it comes to big gains.Dwayne Harris made a nice block on Carr as Lance Dunbar picked up big yardage.

*On consecutive plays, the quarterbacks made some poor throws. Romo was picked off byCaleb McSurdy and Orton had a pass tipped by Alex Albright.

*Jason Witten made a nice one-handed catch with Sean Lee draped over him for a touchdown in the back of the end zone. After the catch, Lee dropped an expletive.

*New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and his attended practice on Monday afternoon. He spoke to the team after practice and received a warm applause.

*Friday's practice was changed to 4:45 p.m. PT.

 

[Cotton]

Play of the day: Tyron Smith vs. a cornerback

July, 29, 2013

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

OXNARD, Calif. – Two words ran through Morris Claiborne’s mind as pulling left tackle Tyron Smith approached him with a full head of steam.

“Holy crap,” Claiborne said.

Goliath got the best of this matchup. The 6-foot-5, 318-pound Smith knocked the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Claiborne a few yards out of bounds to spring DeMarco Murray for a big gain on the sweep.

There are precious few 300-plus-pound men on the planet who can cover 40 yards in less than five seconds. Smith is one of them, and that speed opens up a lot of possibilities for the Cowboys perimeter running and screen games.

“When he’s coming with a full head of steam like that on us corners,” Claiborne said, “he’s hard to deal with.”

 

[Cotton]

Camp observations: Gutsy call by Bill Callahan

July, 30, 2013

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- Bill Callahan will be under a lot of scrutiny as the playcaller for the Cowboys this season. Monday’s practice was a good day for him.

He showed some guts.

With the first-team offense trailing 24-20 and facing fourth down from the 2 with less than 10 seconds to play, Callahan called for a DeMarco Murray run, and he was able to score the winning touchdown. The defense was looking for a pass but the line got a good push off the ball and Murray made a good read to cut back to get into the end zone.

• Practice was a little shorter than normal. The third-team offense and defense did not get any situational snaps during the regular workout, only the blue period.

• Tony Romo would like one throw back from the entire day, one on which he was intercepted by LB Caleb McSurdy. With time to throw, Romo attempted to force a pass down the field, but it was not high enough to get over McSurdy. The QB was visibly frustrated by the decision. Romo went 12-for-21 in team and seven-on-seven drills in practice.

• TE Jason Witten continues to excel in the red zone. He plucked a pass from Romo offSean Lee’s helmet, pulled it into his body and was able to hang on as he slammed to the ground.

• LB Bruce Carter had the most athletic play of the day. In one-on-one drills, he was able to leap, spin in midair and reach up for a one-handed interception on a Nick Stephens throw to RB Phillip Tanner. Even his teammates were stunned at the smooth play.

• You want to see rookies improve. After beating LB Alex Albright out of the backfield, RBJoseph Randle dropped a perfectly floated ball down the middle that caused RB coach Gary Brown to shake his head. On Randle’s next route, he beat LB Ernie Sims on the same route and made the catch.

• On the second series of situational work after Murray’s touchdown, Sims made sure it was a short drive by forcing a Murray fumble with a solid thump right on the ball. DEDeMarcus Ware recovered the loose ball for the turnover.

• DE Kyle Wilber blew up RB Lance Dunbar on a toss to the left but was aided by the fact that LT Darrion Weems chose not to block him. As soon as Dunbar took the pitch, Wilber hit him.

• S Eric Frampton came up with a deflection of a seam throw to TE Gavin Escobar, firing out his left hand across the tight end’s arms to make the play. Later Escobar was able to shake off a similar play from S Matt Johnson to come down with the reception.

• TE Andre Smith was off to a good start to camp in large part because the blocking tight end was catching every pass thrown his way. It was brought to Jason Garrett’s attention at his news conference, and then Smith dropped two passes in the afternoon session.

 

[Cotton]

5 Wonders: Rookie class looks good

July, 30, 2013

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- After eight practices, Five Wonders is back for its second training camp installment.

Away we go:

I wonder whether we’re seeing a rookie class that could be a lot more productive than last season's. The 2012 class was hurt by injuries (Kyle Wilber, Matt Johnson, Danny Coale,Caleb McSurdy) with only Morris Claiborne and Tyrone Crawford playing big roles for a full season. Two weeks into camp, Travis Frederick is a starter, Gavin Escobar and Terrance Williams have big offensive roles, and J.J. Wilcox could be a starter and a main special-teams guy. B.W. Webb and Joseph Randle could develop into role players as well. The Cowboys needed an infusion of young talent, and so far so good with the draft picks. Before you (or I) get carried away, let’s see them in games, but this is a good start.


I wonder whether I underestimated linebacker Ernie Sims. On my final 53-man roster projection leading up to training camp, I did not have Sims on the final list. I thought he would lose out to Brandon Magee. Sims has gotten off to a really good start. He did a nice job filling in last season after Sean Lee got hurt, all the while playing a foreign 3-4 defense. He started six of his 10 games, and finished with 42 tackles and a sack. Now back to his more comfortable 4-3, Sims has been hitting everything that moves. He’s done a nice job in pass coverage and he can play special teams. More important, he will not cost a lot against the cap. Sims is moving better than he did last year, which is probably a product of having a complete offseason of training.


I wonder why the Cowboys didn’t go to the wristband play sheet for their quarterbacks sooner. Getting the play called and to the offense seemed like a struggle at times, and led to things being hurried. With Tony Romo wearing a wristband now, the process should be streamlined, even with Bill Callahan in the coaches booth. The coaches are not relaying plays to Romo, but rather numbers for him to read the play call. It will help with the time and it will help Romo getting the plays out. Jason Garrett’s system is quarterback-friendly in that regard. It’s not that verbose. I remember Brad Johnson telling me that one Jon Gruden play was 30-plus words long. How do you memorize something like that and spit it out with a 40-second play clock?


Undrafted rookie wide receiver Eric Rogers has been one of the early stories of training camp. He played at Cal-Lutheran and was something of an afterthought when the Cowboys picked him up. But then he caught everything that was thrown his way in the offseason, which piqued the curiosity more. In Oxnard, Rogers has continued to catch everything. But I wonder whether he can win a spot on the 53-man roster. He does not run well. He doesn’t offer up wide receiver flexibility in terms of finding a role, either. Cole Beasley has a role as a slot receiver. Dwayne Harris has a role as a backup at both receiver spots and can return punts. Rogers will have a chance to continue to make his way, but right now I’d say he is more of a practice squad candidate than a player on the final roster.


Let’s continue to wonder about the makeup of the 53-man roster. I believe it’s a near certainty that the Cowboys will keep four tight ends, but I wonder whether they could keep a fifth. Seriously. Andre Smith could put himself into the mix. He is a true blocking tight end at 270 pounds, but he has caught the ball surprisingly well. Now it should come down to him playing some special teams, and his lack of speed could catch up to him there. I believe one of the final spots will come down to a running back (Phillip Tanner), a tight end, a wide receiver (Anthony Armstrong) or possibly a 10th offensive lineman.

 

[Simpleton]

I read that tidbit about calling a run to Murray from a spread formation on 4th down from the 2 and liked it. With the team that we have I like running out of spread formations down by the goal-line, it'd be a really ballsy call on 4th down with 10 seconds left in a real game but I like the idea and hope we see more of it in red zone situations.

 

[Jiggyfly]

Shutup JiggyHos

 

[Cotton]

Tony Romo talks his way into practicing

July, 30, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- Tuesday was a scheduled day off for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo but it turned into business as usual. Romo talked his way onto the practice fields and didn't miss any time during a short yardage and red zone practice.

With Wednesday being a day off for the Cowboys, coach Jason Garrett said there was a chance Romo would sit, therefore giving him consecutive off days.

Not so.

"We're trying to be real smart with him and he knows that," quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said. "He didn't over do anything today and he gets a full dayoff tomorrow. He is an aggressive personality when it comes to doing his part though."

Romo declined to talk about the off day when approached by a reporter.

The Cowboys insist their quarterback is in good shape conditioning wise, after he missed the entire offseason because of surgery to remove a cyst. Team officials said the surgery was minor but they would monitor the amount of times Romo throws passes.

Romo is moving well in the pocket and getting a feel for his receivers and new center Travis Frederick.

"I think he's gotten better every day," Wilson said. "I think initially there was a little bit of rust and dealing with the speed, but he missed the whole spring but now he's playing well."

Wilson said no decision has been made regarding Romo's playing status for the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins in the Hall of Fame game.

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys lose guard Kevin Kowalski to leg problem mid-practice, continuing the OL injury shuffle

The Cowboys got two offensive linemen healthy this week, but they may have lost one.

Guard Kevin Kowalski left Tuesday’s practice with a leg injury.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan said after practice he didn’t know how bad the injury was. It’s another challenge for a line that began training camp without last year’s starting guards, Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, and a reserve guard, Ron Leary, because of injury.

Kowalksi had worked with David Arkin on the first team until Livings and Leary returned this week. Callahan said Bernadeau, who had offseason shoulder surgery, might be able to go next week.

The Cowboys worked out a guard before Tuesday's practice.

Callahan credited Arkin’s progress for bringing some stability to the line. Arkin has not missed any practice.

“I like the progress that he’s made since he arrived in camp,” Callahan said. “He makes incremental progress. It’s good to see him focus on one technique and get better on a daily basis. I’m really proud of him. He’s worked hard.”

-- Carlos Mendez

 

[Cotton]

Play of the day: DeMarcus Ware's amazing burst

July, 30, 2013

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. – If DeMarcus Ware didn’t shave his head, he might have a gray hair or two.

Ware is getting up there in the years. He’ll celebrate his 31st birthday Wednesday.

But if you think Ware is slowing down, you’re a fool who hasn’t watched one second of the Cowboys’ training camp. Listed at 258 pounds as he makes the transition from outside linebacker to defensive end, Ware appears to be as explosive as ever.

“It’s not slowing down,” said Ware, whose 111 sacks are the most by any player since he entered the league in 2005. “The train is coming.”

Case in point: His stop of Dwayne Harris during Tuesday’s practice. It wasn’t a pass-rushing situation, but it was a display of ridiculous athleticism for a man Ware’s size.

It didn’t look like Ware had a great angle when Harris got the ball on an end-around. However, Ware didn’t let Harris turn the corner, sprinting out near the sideline to make the tackle for a loss.

Remember that Harris proved himself as an elite punt returner last season, ranking second in the NFL with a franchise-record 16.1 yards a pop. He’s a dynamic playmaker when he gets the ball in space. And he got run down by a defensive end who has shown no signs of slowing down.

 

[Clay_Allison]

31 is not that old for a great athlete. Ware probably has 5 more years left in him.

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys practice report: Day 9

July, 30, 2013

​

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- The Cowboys worked on short yardage, two-minute and goal line situations in addition to the individual drills during Tuesday's practice.

*Quarterback Tony Romo participated in the session after convincing the coaches he didn't want a day off. Romo looked good at moving around the pocket and was throwing tight spirals. Romo showed good movement when flushed out of the pocket by Kyle Wilber in the goal line drills. Romo scrambled to his right and threw a hard pass into the end zone.

*Without a fullback on the roster the Cowboys used Dante Rosario as the H-back on goal line plays. The first score of the drill came with Rosario blocking for running back Phillip Tanner. Tanner followed that up with a good block on defensive tackle Monte Taylor. Tanner's block allowed Kyle Orton's time to throw a touchdown pass to Rosario in the back of the end zone.

*Safety Matt Johnson is technically a rookie. He missed all of last season with a hamstring injury and the time away shows. On a short pass to Rosario, Johnson came up fast to make the tackle, but the tight end side-stepped him and ran down field. Johnson is anxious to make plays but if he slowed down he would have made the tackle for a loss.

*Cole Beasley (quad) returned to practice after missing two days of work and dropped two passes. After his last drop, a player on the sidelines yelled at him to take his gloves off.

*DeMarcus Ware is such an explosive force on defense where he makes plays all over the field. During an end around with receiver Dwayne Harris, Ware came from the other side of the field and yanked him down from the shoulder pads after a short gain. You could blameGavin Escobar for missing the block or Ware being to fast to stop. During pass rush drills, Ware worked on both the left and right sides and while Tyron Smith and Doug Free held their own at times, Ware's speed allowed him to beat Free quickly for a sack. Taylor also beat Free during the pass rush.

*Linebackers Alex Albright and Ernie Sims got some first team snaps with Justin Durantgetting an off day.

*Wide receiver Terrance Williams displayed his speed after catching a hitch and getting down field. Williams got off the line of scrimmage quickly, displayed patience by catching the pass and quickly got up field.

*Gossip Girl and Revenge TV star Connor Paolo was in attendance.

 

[Bluestar71]

*Safety Matt Johnson is technically a rookie. He missed all of last season with a hamstring injury and the time away shows. On a short pass to Rosario, Johnson came up fast to make the tackle, but the tight end side-stepped him and ran down field. Johnson is anxious to make plays but if he slowed down he would have made the tackle for a loss.

Watkins is such a moron. Johnson is not "technically" a rookie. He's effectively a rookie since he didn't do anything last season. He's technically exactly what he is -- a second year player.

 

[boozeman]

The only celeb that has shown up is some nobody from "Gossip Girl"?

Damn Teh J's A-list has taken a dive.

 

[Lotuseater]

Watkins is such a moron. Johnson is not "technically" a rookie. He's effectively a rookie since he didn't do anything last season. He's technically exactly what he is -- a second year player.

Matt Johnson sucks.

 

[Deuce]

Matt Johnson sucks.

I bet he can take JJ Wilcox in a fist fight.

 

[Cotton]

Ernie Sims is a hit

July, 31, 2013

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- With Justin Durant getting a day off from practice Tuesday, Ernie Sims took some snaps at strongside linebacker and continued to make plays.

He stopped running back DeMarco Murray on a first-down run and later was able to affect a screen pass to Lance Dunbar by getting pressure on quarterback Kyle Orton.

So far through camp, Sims has been impressive, coming up with a big hit every day.

“That’s the name of the game,” Sims said. “The position I play is to hit people. That’s what I like doing. I like to run. I like to hit. That’s what you should expect from me.”

Sims is back in a more familiar 4-3 scheme after joining the Cowboys last year to play in the 3-4 when Sean Lee went down for the season with a toe injury. He started six of 10 games and made 42 tackles. Undersized for the 3-4, the 6-foot-0, 233-pound Sims is just fine in the 4-3.

While he tested the free-agent market, he returned to the Cowboys on a one-year deal in part to be reunited with defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who was his head coach in Detroit.

“I wanted to be with a lot of different teams and a lot of different teams that run a Cover 2 scheme,” Sims said. “I just felt it was a good fit, especially with Coach Marinelli. Coming back here and what I accomplished last year, I felt it was a good situation for me.”

 

[Cotton]

Key Stat: Rod Marinelli demands disruptive front

July, 31, 2013

By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com


The new Tampa 2 defense is designed to reduce the number of big plays the Dallas Cowboys give up in passing game because the safeties play so deep.

Defensive line coach Rod Marinell also hopes it also creates more negative plays in the running game.

The Cowboys had only 35 tackles for loss against the run last season, 31st in the NFL. Tampa Bay led the league with 89.

Wow.

Marinelli believes defensive tackle Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff, if he can ever get healthy, can be disruptive players in the scheme.

"This defense is all about speed, quickness and up-the-field pressure," Marinelli said. "We want to be disruptive every play."

If his defensive line can create more negative plays, then the Cowboys will force more teams into third and long where the Tampa 2 scheme works best.

 

[Simpleton]

Sims was drafted by the Lions in the top 10 to play the Derrick Brooks role in their Tampa-2, he's a perfect fit in this scheme and should be our primary backup LB.

 

[boozeman]

Sims was drafted by the Lions in the top 10 to play the Derrick Brooks role in their Tampa-2, he's a perfect fit in this scheme and should be our primary backup LB.

Yeah they keep propping Magee because he us this year's Leary.

I would absolutely keep him and have Magee on the PS.