OXNARD, Calif. – Distraction? Blah.
Anyone who has a major problem with what occurred here at practice on Sunday is crazy. Anyone who has a major problem with where they saw the video, just doesn't understand what we do. Can't worry about anyone who is about 15 years late to a party.
But the latter isn't really something to address here on this site, where the majority of our regulars don't just appreciate the work we do, but expect it. If we would've ignored the No. 1 national sports story, now that would be "silly." We play to win the game, too.
So let's shift it back to the field. This is exactly what the Cowboys expected out of Dez when they made sure to get a deal done in time to avoid a possible camp holdout.
You can't praise a player for the passion he brings and be upset when it boils over into a fight.
You also can't hand out T-shirts and sweatshirts to every player with the word "Fight" on it and expect them to be friends all the time. Let's not forget this message is delivered at the start of camp, not the end. So if any fighting is going to take place, it'll most likely be against each other.
It happens, we all know that.
Now, if this becomes Round 1 of a daily CB vs. WR punch-off, then maybe this will become a deterrent of what Jason Garrett is trying to do here.
The best part of the Dez-Patmon match was how it ended. The two guys who both hail from Oklahoma State, shook hands and hugged at the middle of the field after Sunday's practice and squashed it. That's how it should be.
I seriously doubt those two will have an episode like that again, but, don't rule out anything.
Patmon is trying to make this team again. He's fighting for his roster spot. Dez Bryant just loves to compete. Throw in that, combined with some pretty warm temps out here in Cali, and things can get … heated, if you will.
[embeddedad0]
The only real issue with what happened is how long Dez kept it going. At some point, we all had that "all right, Dez let it go" mentality because it was festering for way too long. Then again, if any of the onlookers had purchased the UFC fight two nights earlier, seeing a lengthy scrap might have been a welcomed sight.
In fact, we all somewhat forget what really happened on that play. It was a Jason Witten touchdown catch where the Pro Bowl tight end split two defenders to make a catch and took off down the middle of the field, before all eyes shifted back to the slugfest.
Even though Jerry Jones called the fight a "throwback" to the 90's and appreciated the passion of both players – and Jason Garrett will probably endorse it as well, harping on the T-shirt message again.
But both Jones and Garrett, and everyone else, will probably not view this the same if it becomes a regular event. Or if, any of the players get hurt in the process.
Imagine how this gets view if Dez fractured his hand taking a swing. But that didn't happen. It was just a good scrap that ended with a hug.
Plus it gave us something different to talk about it … until the next skirmish, of course.
