Same As It Ever Was
October 21, 2008
- 2006, at this point — 4-3;
- 2008, at this point — 4-3;
- 2006, penalty yards rank: 5th;
- 2008, penalty yards rank: 2nd;
- 2006, net punting - 38.0;
- 2008, net punting - 38.7;
- 2006 KO ret. avg./rank — 23.3/8th
- 2008 KO ret. avg./rank — 23.9/11th;
- 2006 punt ret. avg./rank - 8.4/19th;
- 2008 punt ret. avg./rank - 6.7/27th;
- 2006 opponent avg. start after kickoff — 28 yard line;
- 2008 opponent avg. start after kickoff - 31.5 yard line;
Bill Parcells was known as a disciplinarian. A hardass. He told Jerry when he was hired that he would need to win right away because his act would not wear well over time. Kind of like Jimmy Johnson’s. The Tuna’s teams didn’t take stupid penalties.
Bruce DeHaven had a reputation as one of the league’s better special teams coaches. His Buffalo squads, with Hall-of-Famer Steve Tasker leading, were superb.
Then, both of them came to Dallas. Their last team couldn’t stop committing stupid penalties. It was mediocre on special teams. It’s numbers are about the same as this year’s team.
We can cry for Wade Phillips’ head and Brian Stewart’s head and Bruce Read’s head but lets put the fair share of blame on the players. Hard coach/soft coach. Well known special teams coach/no-name special teams coach. The results are almost identical.
And what has changed on the roster? On defense, there are only two starters who were not here in ‘06 — Ken Hamlin and Zach Thomas. On offense, Leonard Davis is the only member of the starting eleven who wasn’t a starter or key role player two years ago.
You can bring in a Bill Cowher or a Jimmy Johnson but if you don’t give him the saws and scalpels to perform radical roster surgery you have what you have.
Unless the players hearts — and brains — grow three sizes, Grinch style, it’s the same as it ever was.
Specializing In Special Teams: Cowboys Early Report, August 4th
August 4, 2008
The Cowboys continued their preparations in shorts and shirts this morning, bypassing hitting and stressing game speed, coordination and substitutions. There were lots of 11-on-11 drills, but no tackling.
On offense, the team worked on moving out of its own red zone, with Tony Romo and Brad Johnson leading drives that started inside the two. The team also worked on sequencing scripted plays; a chain crew was on the sideline for every series and the players were advised to know the down and distance every time they stepped onto the field.
It’s a bit difficult to discuss coverage, or one-on-one matchups when the defense was advised not to intercept any passes, but I can add these points from the practice:
– the Marcus Spears/Jay Ratliff rotation continues, with Ratliff back at DE and Spears at NT just a day after they had practiced back at their original positions.
– The defense had a mix of zone blitzes and press coverage packages in their half of the practice today. I don’t know how this will translate into games but the mix looked about 50/50 in the drills.
– If you’ve worried about Terence Newman, stop. He’s doing agility drills with a large bungee cable, which lets a trainer create resistance. He’s also running long, slow sprints at about half speed. I also saw him tossing the ball with a staffer and he turned and caught the ball with ease. His groin strain may have been “significant” but so is the pace of his recovery.
– James Marten is working up and down the line. I saw him take several reps at left tackle today.
– the kickoff return unit pairs this morning:
- Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback;
- Danny Amendola and Felix Jones;
- Adam Jones and Mike Jenkins.
I spoke to special teams coach Bruce Read today about his special teams leaders and the improved options in the return game. You can hear his responses below:
Seeing Stars — Afternoon Report, July 26th
July 26, 2008
After their intense full pads morning workout the Cowboys scaled back to helmets, shoulder pads and shorts for their afternoon session. The practice focused on special teams, fun and caution.
After the extended stretching session that opens every practice the team broke into individual units, who also spent a lot of time working on stretches, all targeting the hamstrings and other leg muscles which can so often pull after intense exertion.
Bruce Read’s guys again worked on punt coverage and blocking on the far field.
Later in the practice the teams worked on punt returns, with Adam Jones and Terence Newman alternating as returner. Jones showed the breathtaking shake that made him such a return weapon in ’05 and ’06. The man can change direction multiple times at high speed. That warp drive lateral movement recalls Deion Sanders, who had the same ability to lose the first gunner up the field.
The offensive and defensive lines squared off in man-on-man drills, which drew lots of ooohs from the crowd, especially when Jason Hatcher poleaxed Leonard Davis. Hatcher’s teammates were jumping up and down after Bigg Leonard got his comeuppance.
The team engaged in 7-on-7 drills but I was occupied on the far field interviewing one of the great Cowboys personalities. Duane Thomas appeared at today’s practice, honored for scoring the first touchdown at Texas Stadium. Thomas stood with Calvin Hill, Larry Lacewell and team announcer Brad Sham recalling the glory years of ’70 and ’71 when the team made its first two Super Bowl appearances and won its first title.
Thomas agreed to take questions and held court for more than half an hour, discussing psychology, the relationship of theology and football, personal development and how he viewed playing football as art, among other topics. I’ll give a much fuller write-up on his comments later, since trying to encapsulate them here could not do them justice.
Other tid bits:
I spoke to much of the Cowboys’ receiving corps today. Terrell Owens, Partrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Isaiah Stanback all shared their thoughts, along with WR coach Ray Sherman. The unit is tight and they believe they can carry on despite Terry Glenn’s departure. They all noted that the receivers – and the offense – were were all very successful last year and feel they can continue to improve.
Coach Sherman and the other receivers were all complimentary of Stanbach. Hurd and Crayton depict him as a player on the cusp, who has the skills to stretch a defense if he can take the next step in his learning curve.
Note: Keyshawn Johnson also spent some time on the sidelines, adding to the Cowboys Alumni star power.
Building Blocks — Camp Report, Morning, July 26th
July 26, 2008
The morning was surprising hot and so was the pace of the Cowboys first practice in full pads. The structure of the practice showed the emphasis on building units upon sound fundamentals.
Perhaps the best way to understand the work underway is to compare it to the structure and pace of Bill Parcells’ Oxnard camps, since this is the first session here for Wade Phillips.
The first and most noticeable difference is in tone. Camp Bill was fast paced and intense. It also had the shadow of paranoia about it. A high school coach who was spotted charting plays one year was brought before The Tuna by security and interrogated. The electronic press had their video access limited in year one.
And the practices were hard to view for the fans. There are two fields at Oxnard, one near the fans stands and another set behind it. Parcells always kept his offensive players on the far field and at the left end, where they were hardest to view.
Camp Wade, by comparison is an open city. The offense works out right in front of the fan stands, giving them what they want – the maximum chances to ooh and aah over a Tony Romo pass and a T.O. or Jason Witten catch.
Security is still tight – two bragged to me this morning of spotting and evicting a “reporter” with a counterfeit press pass, but everything sits in plain sight. HBO has brought “Hard Knocks” here, after all, and their cameras are everywhere, on the sidelines and in the bleachers. Players linger much longer after practice, working in small groups and signing autographs. At Camp Wade, openness and progress are not seen as enemies.
With that atmosphere surrounding them, the players jumped immediately into work. On defense, the initial drills emphasized chaos – for opposing offenses. Each position coach took a unit and stressed stripping the football, handing the football properly after an interception or fumble recovery and knocking down passes. After two minutes, the groups rotated to the next station, where they learned another way of disrupting an offense.
At this point, the offensive and defensive units returned to their respective coaches and worked from individual drills to unit drills. For instance, the quarterbacks and receivers worked together on routes and route combinations, with nobody opposing them. Then, the tight ends and running backs were summoned from the far end of the field, where those units were working with the offensive linemen on run blocking.
The QBs, RBs, TEs and WRs, then worked on integrated patterns. Later, they joined with their linemen and squared off against the defense.
The initial pairing saw the offensive and defense square off on running plays. The group then broke up and special teams coach Bruce Read took over, working today on punt coverage. He, like his coaching peers, broke the act down into discrete units: gunners worked in units on their releases, while the core group worked on blocking inside charges. The units later merged and worked on covering together.
Later, the team returned to 11 on 11 drills, with new units being run in on every play. The result was hard to track. The first offensive line, for example, would stay in for several plays while a new QB, RB, TE and WR set would enter on each play. The constant churn made it hard to get a feel for who looks good and who looks bad, since players didn’t have extended runs today. Nonetheless, here are some observations of scattered plays:
Sam Hurd’s route running looks very crisp. He got consistent separation on all CBs I saw in 1-on-1 drills and turned Terence Newman around on a comeback route.
Terrell Owens could start the season now. He torched Newman on a deep fade where T.O. started in the slot. He left Adam Jones in his wake a couple of times. I’ve watched enough camps now to get a feel for whether a player is doing well or the corners are stumbling. It’s only day two, and day one in pads, but don’t worry about T.O. slowing down.
– WR coach Ray Sherman and WRs Sam Hurd and Patrick Crayton all commented on Isaiah Stanback’s deep speed. He got behind Adam Jones with ease on a fly pattern but could not snatch a pass that was short and outside. He lined up exclusively as the flanker this morning.
– Anthony Spencer can’t be blocked by running backs or fullbacks on blitzes, at least not the ones I saw try to block him today.
– The defensive line, or at least the first unit, got the better of the offensive line in the 11-on-11 drills, which is no surprise on day two. The rushers put steady pressure on Tony Romo and Jason Hatcher batted down one of his passes.
Dallas is practicing a lot more press coverage. On one play the offense lined up in a slot formation and Anthony Henry and Terence Newman both took a man, lining up just two to three yards off the ball. Newman told me he has asked DC Brian Stewart to let the defense play more press. “I know they want to zone blitz, that’s what [Stuart and Phillips] did in San Diego, but with the players we have here, I think you have to let them play to their abilities.” Based on this morning’s work, the defensive coaches may have paid attention.
Other Notes:
– Felix Jones was not at the morning practice, but is expected to play this afternoon.
– Terence Newman and Adam Jones alternated returning punts. I asked Newman if he was going to return more kicks this year and he smiled, shook his head and said, “we’ll see when the first game comes…”
– The special teams punt coverage session was an ensemble production today: While ST coach Read focused on the inside blockers, Dat Nguyen coordinated the rotation of rushers. On the outside, TE coach John Garrett worked with the gunners on their releases.
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