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Dallas Cowboys training camp overview
Twitter: @MattMosley
COWBOYS MAKE THEIR 2011 DEBUT
ARLINGTON, Texas – It only took new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a couple days of training camp to fire a shot at the Philadelphia Eagles. He'd heard enough about the 2011 champions on paper and vowed to kick their rears at the first opportunity.
Ryan has brought swagger to a defense that all but quit on head coach/defensive coordinator Wade Phillips last season. He is the anti-Phillips in terms of demeanor and overall approach. And though it's too early to detect some huge transformation, players seem to be feeding off Ryan's confident approach. Sean Lee, who's on the verge of becoming a starter at inside linebacker, said in San Antonio that he "loved" what his defensive coordinator said about the Eagles. Lee said players desperately want to back up Ryan's bravado.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, a man always on the verge of slipping into a tweed jacket, is the polar opposite of Ryan in terms of presentation. When he speaks to the team after practice, players line up like they're in a gospel choir. Every day was casual Friday when Phillips was running the show, but Garrett believes in accountability and the "process" of preparing for a season. Quarterback Tony Romo parrots a lot of Garrett's phrases, and it appears the two are in lock step. Garrett didn't renew the contract of former Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman, in part because he was too chummy with the players. Now, former Packers wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson, fresh off a Super Bowl win, is much more of a taskmaster.
His mandate is to make sure the freakishly talented Dez Bryant is ready to become a full-time starter. Once the lockout was lifted, the Cowboys quickly released the boondoggle known as Roy Williams. Owner Jerry Jones all but admitted the trade for Williams was a bust when he moved up to select Bryant in the first round of the 2010 draft. Bryant had some brilliant moments as a rookie, but he racked up big fines by repeatedly being late to team meetings.
He followed that up with an embarrassing offseason, which included an incident at a local mall and lawsuits centering on his expensive taste in charm bracelets. Through the first couple weeks of training camp, though, Bryant has said all the right things. He credits someone from his circle of friends/employees named Ben Rogers for getting through to him.
"He kept telling me, 'This is your job!'" said Bryant. "And you need to cherish it. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."
Of course, the Cowboys' best hope of bouncing back from a disastrous 6-10 season rests on the shoulders of newlywed quarterback Tony Romo. In 2009, Romo appeared to turn the corner with a dramatic reduction in turnovers. He learned to pick his spots and put the team ahead of his desire to produce big plays. Last season, Romo had seven interceptions in the first five games before suffering a broken collarbone and missing the final 10 games. He watched from the sideline as players rallied around veteran Jon Kitna, and Garrett believes that experience proved valuable to Romo.
While some players across the league (see the Eagles) scoffed at the notion of unsupervised workouts this past offseason, Romo sent out the word that he expected teammates to show up at a local high school. Veterans Keith Brooking and Jason Witten said that Romo ran those practices like a coach, constantly demanding a faster tempo. There have been times that Romo came across as somewhat aloof to his teammates, but that no longer appears to be the case. Fans have often complained Romo doesn't show enough fire on the field, but that wasn't an issue when he lit into his offensive line after a play broke down in Thursday's first preseason game against the Broncos.
This has a chance to be an explosive passing attack with Miles Austin, Bryant and Witten. And in his limited playing time Thursday, a slimmed-down Felix Jones showed the same type burst that he had two seasons ago. Marion Barber had become a drain on this offense, what with his wild celebrations after 2-yard gains. He was a short-yardage back on every down. If third-round pick DeMarco Murray can be the same type of threat he was catching the ball out of the backfield at Oklahoma, the Cowboys could have a nice 1-2 punch.
On defense, the Cowboys have done a nice job creating depth on the defensive line. New defensive line coach Brian Baker told FOXSportsSouthwest.com that he believes All-Pro nose tackle Jay Ratliff can become a more consistent pass-rushing threat. His backup, Josh Brent, would start for a lot of teams in the league. Ryan and Baker want defensive linemen who have the versatility to play inside and outside. The Cowboys lost defensive end Stephen Bowen to the Washington Redskins in free agency, but that created an opportunity for former first-round pick Marcus Spears to continue his career in Dallas. Former seventh-round pick Sean Lissemore and one of Ryan's old players from Cleveland, Kenyon Coleman, should provide excellent depth.
The biggest issue with this defense, though, continues to be cornerback. Jones made a play for Nnamdi Asomugha, but it now appears the Eagles had him all the way. That forced an awkward situation with veteran Terence Newman, who promptly suffered a groin injury that could cause him to miss the regular-season opener against the New York Jets. If the season started today, the Cowboys would go with Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick and Bryan McCann as the top three cornerbacks. Rookie Josh Thomas out of Buffalo is talented, but extremely raw. And the other option is Alan Ball, who couldn't cut as a starting safety last season. This is not an inspiring group, and it's shocking the Cowboys are once again leaving themselves thin at such an important position.
The Cowboys are much better off at safety, where veterans Gerald Sensabaugh and Abe Elam will start. Bill Parcells brought Elam to the Cowboys, but Phillips released him. He became a very dependable player for Ryan in Cleveland and he should be a stabilizing force for the Cowboys. Sensabaugh spent way too much time trying to explain things to Ball last season. Now, he's actually picking Elam's brain. Second-year safety Barry Church has looked strong in training camp, so he'll give Ryan another option in subpackages.
The Cowboys have a huge question mark at kicker, where the erratic David Buehler is battling rookie Dan Bailey out of Oklahoma State. Bailey had the edge after two weeks in San Antonio, but Buehler has been more consistent in recent days. This position has undermined the Cowboys for the past three seasons, so it bears watching.
The Cowboys have the look of an eight or nine-win team, but the schedule offers a great opportunity to stack some wins in the first two months of the season. If Romo looks more like the guy who showed up in '09, then the Cowboys have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
For once, the Cowboys could be considered a dark horse in the NFC. It's not a familiar role, but it's one they're starting to embrace
Twitter: @MattMosley
COWBOYS MAKE THEIR 2011 DEBUT
ARLINGTON, Texas – It only took new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a couple days of training camp to fire a shot at the Philadelphia Eagles. He'd heard enough about the 2011 champions on paper and vowed to kick their rears at the first opportunity.
Ryan has brought swagger to a defense that all but quit on head coach/defensive coordinator Wade Phillips last season. He is the anti-Phillips in terms of demeanor and overall approach. And though it's too early to detect some huge transformation, players seem to be feeding off Ryan's confident approach. Sean Lee, who's on the verge of becoming a starter at inside linebacker, said in San Antonio that he "loved" what his defensive coordinator said about the Eagles. Lee said players desperately want to back up Ryan's bravado.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, a man always on the verge of slipping into a tweed jacket, is the polar opposite of Ryan in terms of presentation. When he speaks to the team after practice, players line up like they're in a gospel choir. Every day was casual Friday when Phillips was running the show, but Garrett believes in accountability and the "process" of preparing for a season. Quarterback Tony Romo parrots a lot of Garrett's phrases, and it appears the two are in lock step. Garrett didn't renew the contract of former Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman, in part because he was too chummy with the players. Now, former Packers wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson, fresh off a Super Bowl win, is much more of a taskmaster.
His mandate is to make sure the freakishly talented Dez Bryant is ready to become a full-time starter. Once the lockout was lifted, the Cowboys quickly released the boondoggle known as Roy Williams. Owner Jerry Jones all but admitted the trade for Williams was a bust when he moved up to select Bryant in the first round of the 2010 draft. Bryant had some brilliant moments as a rookie, but he racked up big fines by repeatedly being late to team meetings.
He followed that up with an embarrassing offseason, which included an incident at a local mall and lawsuits centering on his expensive taste in charm bracelets. Through the first couple weeks of training camp, though, Bryant has said all the right things. He credits someone from his circle of friends/employees named Ben Rogers for getting through to him.
"He kept telling me, 'This is your job!'" said Bryant. "And you need to cherish it. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."
Of course, the Cowboys' best hope of bouncing back from a disastrous 6-10 season rests on the shoulders of newlywed quarterback Tony Romo. In 2009, Romo appeared to turn the corner with a dramatic reduction in turnovers. He learned to pick his spots and put the team ahead of his desire to produce big plays. Last season, Romo had seven interceptions in the first five games before suffering a broken collarbone and missing the final 10 games. He watched from the sideline as players rallied around veteran Jon Kitna, and Garrett believes that experience proved valuable to Romo.
While some players across the league (see the Eagles) scoffed at the notion of unsupervised workouts this past offseason, Romo sent out the word that he expected teammates to show up at a local high school. Veterans Keith Brooking and Jason Witten said that Romo ran those practices like a coach, constantly demanding a faster tempo. There have been times that Romo came across as somewhat aloof to his teammates, but that no longer appears to be the case. Fans have often complained Romo doesn't show enough fire on the field, but that wasn't an issue when he lit into his offensive line after a play broke down in Thursday's first preseason game against the Broncos.
This has a chance to be an explosive passing attack with Miles Austin, Bryant and Witten. And in his limited playing time Thursday, a slimmed-down Felix Jones showed the same type burst that he had two seasons ago. Marion Barber had become a drain on this offense, what with his wild celebrations after 2-yard gains. He was a short-yardage back on every down. If third-round pick DeMarco Murray can be the same type of threat he was catching the ball out of the backfield at Oklahoma, the Cowboys could have a nice 1-2 punch.
On defense, the Cowboys have done a nice job creating depth on the defensive line. New defensive line coach Brian Baker told FOXSportsSouthwest.com that he believes All-Pro nose tackle Jay Ratliff can become a more consistent pass-rushing threat. His backup, Josh Brent, would start for a lot of teams in the league. Ryan and Baker want defensive linemen who have the versatility to play inside and outside. The Cowboys lost defensive end Stephen Bowen to the Washington Redskins in free agency, but that created an opportunity for former first-round pick Marcus Spears to continue his career in Dallas. Former seventh-round pick Sean Lissemore and one of Ryan's old players from Cleveland, Kenyon Coleman, should provide excellent depth.
The biggest issue with this defense, though, continues to be cornerback. Jones made a play for Nnamdi Asomugha, but it now appears the Eagles had him all the way. That forced an awkward situation with veteran Terence Newman, who promptly suffered a groin injury that could cause him to miss the regular-season opener against the New York Jets. If the season started today, the Cowboys would go with Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick and Bryan McCann as the top three cornerbacks. Rookie Josh Thomas out of Buffalo is talented, but extremely raw. And the other option is Alan Ball, who couldn't cut as a starting safety last season. This is not an inspiring group, and it's shocking the Cowboys are once again leaving themselves thin at such an important position.
The Cowboys are much better off at safety, where veterans Gerald Sensabaugh and Abe Elam will start. Bill Parcells brought Elam to the Cowboys, but Phillips released him. He became a very dependable player for Ryan in Cleveland and he should be a stabilizing force for the Cowboys. Sensabaugh spent way too much time trying to explain things to Ball last season. Now, he's actually picking Elam's brain. Second-year safety Barry Church has looked strong in training camp, so he'll give Ryan another option in subpackages.
The Cowboys have a huge question mark at kicker, where the erratic David Buehler is battling rookie Dan Bailey out of Oklahoma State. Bailey had the edge after two weeks in San Antonio, but Buehler has been more consistent in recent days. This position has undermined the Cowboys for the past three seasons, so it bears watching.
The Cowboys have the look of an eight or nine-win team, but the schedule offers a great opportunity to stack some wins in the first two months of the season. If Romo looks more like the guy who showed up in '09, then the Cowboys have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
For once, the Cowboys could be considered a dark horse in the NFC. It's not a familiar role, but it's one they're starting to embrace