|
CARROLLTON, Texas - Remember all that stuff about upgraded competition been telling you about?
Well, you should have been here Tuesday morning. Things got a tad chippy, the offense and the defense really going at each other in the team portion and seven-on-seven segments of this third of five scheduled mini-camp practices.
Lot of chirping going on, too, You'd have thought the pads were on and something was on the line, other than getting through yet another of these jersey and shorts practices in the scalding Texas sun, still six weeks away from the start of training camp. And we're not talking just the young pups either. There was Leonard Davis, from the sideline with the second offense taking advantage of the first defense, really giving it to the starters during a two-minute drill, sort of payback from earlier in the practice.
Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about. If they care about this stuff, no telling what will take place in a real game. Wade Phillips can only hope this carries over to training camp.
One of the lead chirpers, and growing chirpier by the practice is second-year running back Tashard Choice. By golly you know where he is on the field at all times. Talk, talk, talk.
"I talk a lot and I get the guys excited a lot," Choice said. "I'm not a football player who likes to be quiet. I love doing what I do so when I'm out here talkin' to the guys I like to talk and get them fired up."
Should have heard him after catching a perfect Tony Romo pass on the run down the left hash, screaming as he came trotting back toward the line of scrimmage, "Hey Romo, good throw," and believe me it was loud enough for everyone to hear. The second-year kid telling the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback nice job.
Some chatterbox.
"I don't know, a lot of the guys lead by example," Choice said, "but I probably fire everybody up mostly because I like to talk."
Hey, gets you fired up just listening to him, that infectious enthusiasm for what he's doing one part refreshing, one part inspiring and another part sort of amusing. Should have been there.
But since you weren't, then here, let's bring some of the past three practices from Standridge Stadium to you, sort of your very own Eyes of Texas . . . .
With all the injury problems at wide receiver, and another one dropped out on Tuesday, rookie free agent Kevin Ogletree, the Cowboys appear to have caught a break with Travis Wilson. While fearing the worse, his left knee scope on Tuesday revealed a loose piece of cartilage that was removed, and the young receiver who played some of his high school ball right here at this stadium should be good to go for the start of training camp. That's a good because he was competing hard for that fourth or fifth receiver spot . . . . Same surgery was done on the left knee of rookie linebacker Stephen Hodge, also projected to be ready for the start of training camp . . . .
Couple quick observations: Marion Barber looks a tad slimmer and quicker. Maybe fully participating in the off-season workouts this year is making a difference. Remember, last year, while his agent Drew Rosenhaus was working on a long-term deal for the restricted free agent, Barber decided to work out in Miami on his own until he signed his deal . . . Romo looks better, too . . . You can understand why Mike Jenkins was a first-round pick last year just watching him do some of these individual drills. He's really fluid and quick and fast but has his hands full with Orlando Scandrick competing for the starting right corner job . . . .
More infectious enthusiasm is spreading through the special teams, and you can attribute that to new special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, who continues coaching wearing his neck harness and bullhorn. Should have seen on this one punt coverage drill, gunner Alan Ball going full speed toward the end zone and leaping over the goal line to bat the ball back in play to be killed at the 2. Which was met by a lot of hootin' and hollerin'. And this is just practice . . . .
Speaking of special teams, there is nothing wrong with punter Mat McBriar's repaired foot. In fact, if he keeps booming these 60- and 70-yard punts (OK, with the wind on Monday), someone is going to investigate to see if they placed like titanium on top of his foot where all those little bones were busted in Arizona . . . . While kicker Nick Folk is probably boring himself to death just running these days after surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right hip, he says he'll progress to kicking a volleyball on Monday . . . And noticed when rookie David Buehler was doing some place kicking on Monday, McBriar and Sam Hurd were doing the holding. Also, Matt Stewart, once the backup deep snapper in Atlanta for DeCamillis, was practicing doing so next to L.P. Ladouceur . . . .
This from Romo when asked if tight end Martellus Bennett had matured and is taking the game more seriously than some perceived last year: "There is no set rule you have to be a certain way to win." Just remember this about last year's second-round draft choice. He's been 22 years old now for all of three months. Think back when. On second thought, maybe don't . . . Ball sure continues to break on the ball from the safety position he's learning, seemingly making at least one breakup a practice . . . .
Since he's arrived, first-round pick Bobby Carpenter always has been a guy without a home, er, position, being move from outside linebacker to backup inside, back to outside, then back to the weak inside and now the strong inside. But he's getting his chance to make a home for himself as the other linebacker on the nickel next to Bradie James, the spot Kevin Burnett had been playing. His ability to react to what he sees will determine if he gets that spot or if starter Keith Brooking (second-team nickel) is asked to remain a three-down linebacker . . . There are some questions which don't go away, no matter how many times they've been asked since there is always someone new around to ask again. Take Patrick Crayton. His question of the summer remains "Do you feel like the forgotten receiver," in reference to so much being made about Roy Williams taking over for What's His Name and the expectations surrounding Miles Austin. Says Crayton, "Am I supposed to get mad about that?" Yeah, really. Just do what you did in 2007, like catch another 50 balls for 700 or so yards and seven touchdowns, given the opportunity . . . .
Good to see Greg Ellis catch on with Oakland, and while numbers haven't been announced, there has been talk of a three-year, $15 million deal. All the Cowboys care about is if he is paid at least $1.5 million, because that's the portion of his $4.15 million base salary they had guaranteed. If and when he earns that, the Cowboys would get a rebate on the $1.5 million being charged to their cap. There also was a $1.5 million completion bonus on his base salary, meaning if he completed the season he'd get paid another $1.5 million on top of the $4.15 million base. The Cowboys were being charged that, too. Releasing him did potentially clear $5.61 million, providing he makes at least $1.5 million this year . . . .
Of the young receivers out there, seventh-round pick Manuel Johnson seems to have been overshadowed by free agents Kevin Ogletree and Julian Hawkins. But Tuesday morning he had his best off-season practice of the seven we've been able to watch . . . Saw in one defensive set rookie Michael Hamlin was lined up as a linebacker, sort of in the spot Anthony Henry was playing some last year . . . Here is what I like best about Michael Hamlin, DeAngelo Smith and Mike Mickens. These young kids will compete now . . . .
Some might say he's being defensive, but really he's being somewhat accurate, Romo saying when asked about the offense struggling last year "We struggled from a media and fans standpoint . . . we can score 30 points a game and go 6-10 and we struggled." His point being, during the Great Offensive in 2007, the Cowboys averaged 28.4 points a game. During last year's perceived Great Depression, the Cowboys averaged in the 13 games Romo started - and remember, three of them wearing a cast on his right little finger - 24.7. Once again, scoring six points in the season finale at Philadelphia during the Cowboys' inconceivable, team-wide no-show, clouds the entire picture and lowered what had been a 26.25 scoring average in Romo's first 12 starts of the season . . . .
And lastly this from Phillips on the team's first draft choice, Jason Williams, who has a lot to learn moving to the weak inside backer spot on the 3-4 defense and also taking on one of the linebacker roles on the nickel: "He's taking baby steps . . . It's a lot for a guy who played standup off the guard." He means Williams was lining up at Western Illinois as a stand-up linebacker over one of the offensive guards. And as we've discovered over the years, the further from the ball you play on defense the harder it is. But heard the coaches giving him a few "atta boys" for his coverages on Tuesday . . . .
Now then, let us end with a few Choice words on the spirited workout: "Competition baby, more and more we can make it look like we're out here in a game the better we'll be in certain instances."
You got it, so like I've been saying, competition baby.
| Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS |
|
Mickey Spagnola - 
