IRVING, Texas - No pads. No tackling. And not even half of the entire roster.
Just helmets and shorts for the 27 first-year veterans and rookies at the Cowboys' mini-camp at Valley Ranch.
While it certainly wasn't anything close to resembling a game, it was the first opportunity for these players to make an impression.
So far, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to like what he saw.
Jones said he was impressed with the quickness of many of the draft picks, and was rather happy to see seventh-rounder Mike Mickens, a cornerback from Cincinnati, having two solid practices on Friday. Mickens needed surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee late in his senior season last November. He later re-injured the knee during the Senior Bowl workouts, the main reason why the once first-day draft pick fell into the seventh round.
"First of all, the speed we hoped would show up this camp," Jones said. ". . . Both with the guys we've got at linebacker and I like the way Mickens is moving and working and running. He didn't have any issues, as far as the morning practice. He was the guy that got hurt at the Senior Bowl and is back out here. I liked the way Stephen McGee threw the ball."
McGee had plenty of crisp throws in practice and clearly had the stronger arm of the two quarterbacks, along with Rudy Carpenter, an undrafted rookie free agent from Arizona State.
But more than just arm strength, Jones again commented on McGee's ability to withstand the adversity he faced as a senior, when he suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to watch most of his senior season from the sideline. And before that, McGee was relegated to Texas A&M's run-first offense that often had the strong-armed passer running the spread option instead of throwing the ball all over the field.
"I talked to Stephen during his visit here (at Valley Ranch) before the draft," Jones said. "I spent 30-40 minutes with him. He's got his feet on the ground. But it hasn't gotten just right for him in any way. But he's been able to keep his chin up and keep going. And I like that about him. It's important for this game and what these guys are facing as rookies."
But even at practice on Friday, Jones said he could see the instincts of McGee that reminded him of Tony Romo.
"When plays broke down, I like the way he improvises," Jones said. "He's has the ability to buy time, be agile and still throw the ball. He's not just looking to run. I just like the way he was able to keep his focus on making a good play, while avoiding pressure. But I really like his arm strength."
Hodge Impresses
One of the biggest questions that surfaced towards the end of last Sunday's draft was just what position TCU's Stephen Hodge would play.
He was a high school quarterback, then a safety in college, but now the Cowboys are trying him at linebacker. In two practices without pads, it was easy to see Hodge's coverage skills.
"He had a shutout this afternoon in practice," head coach Wade Phillips said of Hodge. "I don't think they caught one ball on him in one-on-one. It's really an offensive drill because the receiver can run where they want to and there's no pressure on the quarterback. But they didn't have one completion on him. That showed me a lot. He's talented in coverage."
But he also has a knack for playing close to the line of scrimmage. As a junior, Hodge led the nation in sacks among defensive backs, recording eight.
Hodge is one player the Cowboys are counting on heavily to contribute on special teams.
"If a linebacker can't be a good special teams player, then he needs to be checked anyway," Jerry Jones said. "But (Hodge) had some time at safety. We're going to try him at linebacker a lot. He can be a factor for us."
Live Arms
While the Cowboys drafted just one quarterback this year, there are more than a handful of draft picks who have been under center.
Among the 12 draft picks, six of them played quarterback in high school, including linebackers Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge.
Wide receiver Manuel Johnson was a small-school quarterback, as was safety Michael Hamlin.
Even fifth-round pick DeAngelo Smith was a starting quarterback for his varsity team as a sophomore, before switching to cornerback and wide receiver.
And, of course, the sixth quarterback was McGee, the only one in the bunch that kept his position.
Not Just Rookies
While it's called a "rookie" mini-camp, there were some players out there with a little bit of experience. The NFL allows only first-year veterans to participate in the weekend's practices. For the most part, first-year vets were either on the practice squad for the majority of the season or in a team's training camp the year before.
The Cowboys have seven first-year vets practicing this weekend, including tight end Rodney Hannah, fullback Julius Crosslin, guard Ryan Gibbons and defensive end Marcus Dixon. Other first-year players included center Matt Spanos, running back Keon Lattimore and defensive tackle Casey Tyler.
The two most intriguing names of the bunch should be Hannah and Dixon. Hannah and rookie tight end John Phillips should be competing for the third tight end spot, although don't rule out rookie free agent Jamar Hunt, who has the ability to deep snap.
Dixon is expected to push Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher for a roster spot.
Unfazed By Leach
Jones said he wasn't sure what to make of Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach's quotes earlier this week when he commented on the Cowboys' fourth-round selection of McGee.
On Sunday, Leach said, "I'm happy for Stephen McGee . . . The Dallas Cowboys like him more than the coaches at A&M did."
Leach is obviously referring to the fact that McGee played in a college system that didn't utilize his arm on a consistent basis.
"I really didn't think anything about that," said Jones, who added that Leach is a good friend. "I really didn't know if that was a compliment to us, or what it was."
Leach threw a few media zingers around following the draft, mainly upset with the comments made about Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, and the fact that his quarterback Graham Harrell not only went undrafted, but was not signed by any team as a rookie free agent. Harrell did get invited to the Browns mini-camp on a workout basis.
Playbook Homework
Fourth-round pick Victor Butler will be taking his homework with him when he returns to college after the weekend. Butler is still in classes at Oregon State, which is on the quarter system, meaning classes won't let out until early June. Butler will have to miss some of the OTA practices but vows that he won't be behind the others.
"I can promise you that," Butler said. "I'll be in my playbook every minute of the day. I may not be here, but when I get here, they won't know that I've been gone."
Rookies can report back to Valley Ranch on May 18.
Short Shots
Former Cowboys wide receiver and recent Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin made an appearance at practice on Friday. Irvin spent a few moments talking to some of the young receivers in between practice snaps . . . Irvin's reality show "4th and Long" will air on Spike TV on May 18. The show features 12 hopeful football players trying to win a roster spot with the Cowboys . . . Jerry Jones showed some quick feet during a play in the afternoon practice where he had to elude two players who went out of bounds. Jones, while on his cell phone, quickly avoided the play. "I can tell you one thing, I might not have ever gotten in front of anyone, but I could get out from in front of them," Jones said.
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Nick Eatman - 
