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Why are the Cowboys offensive linemen always traveling in a pack?
Jon Machota
OXNARD, Calif. – It’s easy to find the offensive linemen at Cowboys training camp. They’re always together.
As players make their way onto the field to start each practice, they’re usually in groups no larger than two or three. Most walk or run out by themselves.
The offensive line? Always in a pack.
After practice? Same thing.
Before Sunday’s practice, each player walked onto the field with a child holding their helmet. It was part of the helmet carriers program sponsored by Albertsons. After each player posed for a picture, they jogged to the opposite field to stretch and warm up.
But not the offensive line. Each member, from Tyron Smith to R.J. Dill waited for the entire group to finish before heading to the other field.
“I think one of the things you’re always trying to emphasize is the bonds that guys develop and you hear me talk about and our team hears me talk about is shared commitment,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “If you think about that in life, when you have a shared commitment to something, guys work hard together at something, those bonds are strong and those guys work hard really each and every day.
“They’re the heartbeat of our football team. They’re the guys in the weight room earliest in the offseason. They spend lot of time together watching tape, doing extra stuff after practice and I think the bonds that they have are really strong and probably no more important position than offensive line to have strong bonds because the communication those guys need to have both verbally and instinctively is really, really important. I think the closer they are the better they’re going to be at that.”
All-Pro right guard Zack Martin said it’s something he’s been doing since his days at Notre Dame.
“We know how the offensive line works and how it’s a position that you have to have five guys together all the time,” Martin said. “If one of us screws up, we all screw up. We just try to do everything together as much as possible.
“No one has ever said, ‘hey, wait for everyone.’ It just kind of happens. I just think it goes with the importance of doing things together.”
Jon Machota
OXNARD, Calif. – It’s easy to find the offensive linemen at Cowboys training camp. They’re always together.
As players make their way onto the field to start each practice, they’re usually in groups no larger than two or three. Most walk or run out by themselves.
The offensive line? Always in a pack.
After practice? Same thing.
Before Sunday’s practice, each player walked onto the field with a child holding their helmet. It was part of the helmet carriers program sponsored by Albertsons. After each player posed for a picture, they jogged to the opposite field to stretch and warm up.
But not the offensive line. Each member, from Tyron Smith to R.J. Dill waited for the entire group to finish before heading to the other field.
“I think one of the things you’re always trying to emphasize is the bonds that guys develop and you hear me talk about and our team hears me talk about is shared commitment,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “If you think about that in life, when you have a shared commitment to something, guys work hard together at something, those bonds are strong and those guys work hard really each and every day.
“They’re the heartbeat of our football team. They’re the guys in the weight room earliest in the offseason. They spend lot of time together watching tape, doing extra stuff after practice and I think the bonds that they have are really strong and probably no more important position than offensive line to have strong bonds because the communication those guys need to have both verbally and instinctively is really, really important. I think the closer they are the better they’re going to be at that.”
All-Pro right guard Zack Martin said it’s something he’s been doing since his days at Notre Dame.
“We know how the offensive line works and how it’s a position that you have to have five guys together all the time,” Martin said. “If one of us screws up, we all screw up. We just try to do everything together as much as possible.
“No one has ever said, ‘hey, wait for everyone.’ It just kind of happens. I just think it goes with the importance of doing things together.”
