OXNARD, Calif. — It's as if Malik Hooker just stepped off of the plane from Ohio State. The veteran safety looks downright refreshed heading into his ninth year in the NFL, his fifth with the Dallas Cowboys, as he reunites with Matt Eberflus — his former defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.
Hooker spoke of his dominance in this year's training camp, following practice on Monday, and attributed his rejuvenation to the Cowboys' decision to reunite with Eberflus, only this time as a Dallas' defensive coordinator.
"I'll just say I'm comfortable," said Hooker. "Comfortable. Obviously, I played 'Flus already when I was in Indianapolis. I'm very fond of his game."
It's also a testament, however, to how the starting free safety approached the last several months following a disappointing 7-10 finish to the 2024 season.
"Mixed with that, I just say the confidence of the work that I put in this offseason," he said. "I know I put the work in to be able to come out here and compete at the highest level, and continuously compete at the highest level, so I can say I'm confident. And [going] out there and doing what I'm used to."
He then circled back to praising Eberflus' scheme.
"Thankfully, I was able to get back into the system that I was already in," said Hooker. "So I was able to pick up on a lot of the stuff that we were already taught named, and just bring it over."
The next step for Eberflus' defense is to be tested in a scrimmage against the talented Los Angeles Rams, an offensive symphony orchestrated by Sean McVay, in what will mark the first time the Cowboys will square off against an opposing team — ahead of the preseason matchup between the two clubs on Saturday.
There's a solid chance Hooker won't take the field in the latter, so he's going to make the most of his reps on Tuesday.
"[It's about] being able to play against somebody new," he said. "I mean, obviously, you still get a lot of physicality against your own team, but there's only [so] much that you can do without crossing the line. So, you know, to get somebody else to hear a different opponent, a different team, to come in here and not only work their techniques and their fundamentals, but for us to finally go live before this preseason game. It's special."
You can bet head coach Brian Schottenheimer will have his head on a swivel for any of his players who might try to play "beyond the edge", as in to say anyone who might let their chippiness spill over into a fight — something that's been known to happen when the Cowboys and Rams line up for a scrimmage in Oxnard.
And considering there have already been several skirmishes amongst teammates to this point in camp, resulting in a ratcheted up approach from a fiery Schottenheimer to curb the behavior, again, it'll be something to keep an eye on.
For his part, Hooker sees the ability to play on the razor's edge as exactly what the Cowboys need, and have been missing.
"That's just guys competing, man," he explained. "At the end of the day, we've got a lot of hungry guys. Obviously, we weren't satisfied with the results we had last year, so that's just what comes with a lot of guys that's hungry and all want to win. That's stuff that tends to happen, but the good thing about it is we ain't the type of team that have guys who are gonna take it off the field.
"It is what it is when it happens out here, then right back after, we're back to the great camaraderie, and stuff like that, with the guys. That's something that's necessary for you to build a winning culture and a winning team. So if that's what it takes for us to cross that next step we need, and the next speed bump for us to get to the next level, so be it."
In the immortal words of Cool Breeze and The Dungeon Family: watch for the Hook'.
