Roundly heralded as the standout of training camp, Cowboys receiver Sam Hurd carried his strong play over to the preseason-opener in Oakland.
Now he may be earning himself a bigger role on the offense. Hurd was the Cowboys' best player statistically Thursday, hauling in five passes for 79 yards in the second quarter alone.
"We're going to give him more and more playing time because he deserves it," Wade Phillips said Saturday. All of Hurd's damage was done against Oakland's second-string defense. The Cowboys want to see what he can do against better competition the rest of the preseason. "We'll play him more with our first three receivers, certainly."
Hurd's biggest gain against the Raiders was a 30-yard jump ball he caught while shielding the pass from a defender. When the Cowboys arrived at camp much of the receiver talk was focused on whether Miles Austin could unseat Patrick Crayton as the No. 2 receiver. Hurd has injected his name in that discussion by running crisp routes and routinely coming up with miracle catches.
"Sam had been making them in practice, he made circus catches every day," Phillips said. "We talked about it every day in our meetings and he did the same thing in the ballgame and played outstanding in the ballgame."
Quick Shots:
As was decided before camp the Cowboys had two light practices today, the first of which was a simple walkthrough, which included corrections from Thursday night's game. Some of the players came out to the afternoon practice wearing shoulder pads, but those were taken up before the workout started. There were several competitive periods, though the offensive and defensive lines didn't seem to be going full speed.
Team vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys would not move to add a fullback to the roster despite starter Deon Anderson undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday in Dallas. The club does have a roster spot open after releasing defensive tackle Tim Anderson Saturday morning, but Jones said they are pleased with Julius Crosslin, who spent all of last season on the Cowboys practice squad.
Wade Phillips said he was pleased with the performance of linebacker Bobby Carpenter in the first preseason game, though the backup linebacking unit as a whole could have played better. "He made plays all over the field," Phillips said. "And he played like he's been practicing. I think he hit the quarterback at least two times where he had to cover a guy in the backfield and the guy blocked, and then he came and made the play."
Cowboys players and coaches ended Saturday's afternoon practice by spending time with a group from the Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation. The San Antonio-based non-profit was started in 2003 to provide support and resources to high school athletes who suffered debilitating spinal injuries on the football field.
You Should've Seen:
Continued dominance in this category for Hurd. During 7-on-7 drills he ran an eight-yard comeback near the right sideline and hauled in a low bullet from Tony Romo, diving back diagonally toward the sideline to catch it with Alan Ball breathing down his neck.
Who's Hot:
Wide receiver Roy Williams and quarterback Tony Romo had one of their better combined practices of camp Saturday afternoon, hooking up several times. Romo is showing he is becoming more comfortable throwing to Williams, and the receiver has been using his size along the sideline to protect Romo's passes from defenders. He has impressively strong hands and rarely drops a ball, something Romo's hasn't been able to count on his No. 1 receiver for these last three years.
Who's Not:
After an impressive showing the first week of camp or so, the play of defensive end Marcus Dixon has leveled off a bit. While his off-season conditioning work has obviously made him a better player, he wasn't able to get much done against the Raiders on Thursday. He was officially credited with no tackles, and didn't get much of a push when Oakland's quarterbacks dropped back to throw.
Injury Update:
FB Deon Anderson, knee surgery - out a month (8/13)
LB Steve Octavien, groin - expected back Monday (8/8)
CB Terence Newman, slight groin strain - expected back Monday (8/8)
CB Mike Jenkins, right ankle - expected back Monday (8/8)
CB Michael Hawkins, knee bruise - TBD (7/31)
RB Alonzo Coleman, slight quad tear - day-to-day (8/1)
OT Robert Brewster, torn pectoral - likely season-ending (7/27)
Missed Practice:
OT Robert Brewster (pectoral)
LB Steve Octavien (groin)
CB Michael Hawkins (knee)
RB Alonzo Coleman (quad)
CB Terence Newman (groin)
CB Mike Jenkins (ankle)
RB Deon Anderson (knee)
LB Brandon Williams (shoulder)
Returned to Practice:
(None.)
Transactions:
LB Stephen Hodge, placed on PUP (7/28)
DT Tim Anderson, placed on PUP (7/28)
OT Michael Turkovich, placed on Injured/Waived (8/3)
OT Andre Douglas, signed (8/3)
S Jerome Carter, waived (8/4)
OT Robert Brewster, signed (8/4)
LB Stephen Hodge, activated from PUP (8/4)
DT Tim Anderson, activated from PUP (8/5)
DT Tim Anderson, waived (8/15)
Wade's Best:
"I tell them they're going to give me gray hairs one of these days." - The frosty-topped Phillips on rookie linebackers Jason Williams and Victor Butler.
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