(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
Do you see Brian Schottenheimer dialing up the physicality at training camp? Or will he maybe take a more conservative approach? I know the days of beating the heck out of each other during camp are over, but with that said, I don't ever want to see another Camp Cupcake again. Is there a happy medium? – Brian Dales/Kingsland, TX
Patrik: I don't know that there is a happy medium in today's world of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Many coaches would love to fully unleash their players in OTAs, minicamp and training camp, but they simply can't. There will be no "pickle juice" practices or guys wearing trash bags beneath their shoulder pads (if you know, you know) or three-a-days or Oklahoma drills. The CBA is extremely strict in what it allows even in padded practices to come, and I'm sure that, for a young coach with an old-school mind stemming from the teachings of his father, Marty, it'll be a stick in the craw of Brian Schottenheimer, but it's a standard held across all 32 teams. The only thing he can do is demand his players go hard on every rep, play through the whistle, and know their GPS movements (speed, power, etc.) are also being tracked as a scouting/coaching measure. Bottom line: this ain't your grandfather's, or even your father's, NFL anymore.
Tommy: There probably can be a happy medium, but I think it's difficult to find out how to get there. If he does want to hit a little bit more, it could be something they ramp up into, but at the same time nobody is going to overdo it or but any players at serious risk of getting injured because it's just not smart. With how physical Brian Schottenheimer has said he's wanted to play, it wouldn't shock me at all if the Cowboys are hitting a little bit harder and faster than they have in the past. Schottenheimer has been around the league and football long enough to know where he needs to draw the line in the sand in order to have his team both healthy and prepared for the task at hand in 2025.
Mailbag
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