CARROLLTON, Texas - If you watch Montrae Holland at the end of a Cowboys OTA practice here at Standridge Stadium, it appears the team is preparing him to become a versatile backup at two positions.
But watching him during the actual practice, it looks like Holland has a real shot to win the starting left guard spot this season.
That's because last year's projected starter - Kyle Kosier - still hasn't returned to practice, hampered by last year's foot injury that caused him to miss 13 games.
Holland, who only had two starts last season, has been running with the first-team offense all summer long and it doesn't look like he has any thoughts of giving that up.
However, the Cowboys are all about contingency plans. And that's why Holland has spent time after practices working at center, a position he admits is not just somewhat new, but brand new to him.
"Never," he said when asked the last time he snapped the ball. "I've never done it before. Not in high school or anything. Nope."
But that hasn't stopped the Cowboys from letting Holland get a turn. The idea isn't for him to unseat three-time Pro Bowler Andre Gurode, but instead be a viable backup at the position. If Holland can at least make the transition enough to be the backup, that would increase his chances of making the roster, should Kosier return in time to win his starting job back.
Because as it stands currently, Cory Procter is the more versatile interior player for the Cowboys. He has started games at both center and guard, including 11 starts last season at left guard.
However, should something happen to Kosier like it did last year, the Cowboys seemingly want Holland to be ready to step in, if not the other way around. But to do that, the backup has to be able to play two positions.
"This is just part of the job," Holland said after a hot OTA practice on Tuesday that included an additional 15 minutes of work at center. "If you're going to play on the interior, you have to play both spots. Really, I'm just doing whatever they ask me to do."
When asked to name the hardest part of playing center, Holland was rather blunt.
"Snapping . . . just getting it back there," he said. "Just making sure that you've got the ball back into the quarterback's hands every play, and then you can go ahead and block your guy. That's the toughest part for me, is getting used to snapping and blocking someone at the same time. But I think with a little more work, I'll continue to get better."
Holland is getting a few pointers from Gurode, who knows a thing or two about playing both positions. Gurode came to the Cowboys in 2002 and started the first half of the season at center before switching to guard. It wasn't until four seasons later did Gurode go back to center, and now he's developed into a Pro Bowl regular.
"Yeah, I've worked with him some. We talked about some things and how to be comfortable with the position," Gurode said of Holland. "We've gone over a few technique things. He told me he had a newfound respect for the center position now that he's doing it a little more."
Then again, Holland doesn't exactly want to spend all of his time becoming a center. That's because he still feels there is a good shot for him to win the left guard spot.
"I think the coaches liked what they saw last year in those few games I played" said Holland. "I really didn't know if I was going to be back this year. But right before I got hurt, I thought I had a couple of good games and I got the feeling they wanted me back."
Holland started against Seattle on Thanksgiving Day and had a solid performance and followed that with another impressive first half against Pittsburgh. But that's when his season came to an end, suffering a bone bruise on his right foot that kept him out of action for the rest of the season.
Still, with the Cowboys looking for an upgrade to Procter and not sure about Kosier's status, the club decided to keep Holland in the off-season, which meant paying him a $500,000 roster bonus.
Obviously, the Cowboys have Holland in their plans this season, but at what position and where on the depth chart remains to be seen.
"Montrae is working at guard right now and that's what we have," head coach Wade Phillips said. "Kosier is not back and we'll have to wait and see on that. Montrae is working in there and he's working hard at it."
When Kosier does return, which will probably be for the start of training camp in San Antonio, Holland said he's not sure and hasn't been told what will happen.
"I really don't know. Kyle has been here for a while," Holland said. "I think once camp starts, we'll just see what happens. You always want to start. Of course (guard is) where I'm the most comfortable. But I think they really want me to be able to play center also. So I'm just going to work on both."
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