Mailbag: Practice studs vs. true players?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

How does the coaching staff navigate players who are training camp heroes but during preseason games they don't deliver? I can't imagine having to decipher if a player is just a practice stud or someone who can actually translate that level of play to the field. – Ethan Canady/Iowa

Patrik: I don't know that there is a way to discern this. All a coach and front office can ever do is go by both the history of the player and/or what they're doing right now, in real time. It's impossible to know if an unknown training camp superstar (Cinderella story) will or will not translate onto the playing field during the regular season, because the latter hasn't arrived yet.

It does become a part of the roster cutdown conversation, however, especially when it turns to figuring out who you want on your practice squad and, as such, who you're willing to risk to waivers to get them there. If someone is having a damn good camp, you can't presume they won't translate that onto the field. Instead, you have to hope they can, even if it means putting them on the practice squad to buy more time to figure out if they can.

Nick: Let's not forget ... it's a two-way street. Your starting quarterback was the exact opposite of that. His rookie year - which is exactly 10 years ago - Dak was just average at best during the practices. He looked lost at times and didn't seem ready for the opportunity  in front of them. And then, the lights came on and he went to LA and played amazing against the Rams. From there, a star was born.

So I say that to remind us all that players are different and sometimes they shine more in game and sometimes it's practice. A lot of it has to do with the opposition they are facing.

Another thing to remember, coaches also see these players more than just with the pads on. They study them in walk-throughs and meetings as well. So they have a good understanding of what the player is, what he knows, what he's thinking and what he is mentally prepared for.

So if a player makes the team, doesn't make it, ends up on the practice squad or whatever his fate is, it's because of an overall evaluation from the coaches and staff.