Deep Depth Thursday: Cowboys Camp, July 31st
July 31, 2008
The Cowboys built on some of yesterday’s camp themes, working more on their offensive and defensive packages when the ball is inside the opponents’ 30, 20 and 10 yard lines.
Dallas also continued to work on the change on the defensive line, where Marcus Spears took all the snaps at nose tackle and Jay Ratliff took all his reps with the defensive ends.
I asked DL coach Todd Grantham if these were permanent moves, since Spears spent every session and scrimmage rep at the nose and Ratliff spent every session and scrimmage rep at end. He told me no, that these moves had been discussed for quite some time and that the time was right in camp to roll out the changes. These are supplementary changes: Ratliff will continue to work inside at nose tackle but also get reps outside. The same is true for Spears who will get nose work in addition to his normal spots at end.
The moves were prompted by each man’s relative strengths. Ratliff is Dallas’ fastest D-lineman and the move gives him more space in which to work.
Spears has more strength and “his stoutness comes into play.” Indeed, when you look at them they seem miscast in their current starting roles. Spears is shorter and has a thicker midsection. Ratliff is what scouts call “high cut” with longer legs and a shorter torso.
Wade Phillips said in his presser today that both lineman asked to get more reps at their new positions and this is why they they got so much time at their new spots today.
Grantham said he was eager to see how rookie Marcus Dixon plays in next week’s game. Dixon had his best day, according to his coach and may be getting the hang of the pro game. “He’s starting to learn how to play with his hands. The hardest part of adjusting to the pro game is learning to play with your hands.
Watch Dixon, number 95, when the Cowboys play the Chargers next Saturday. His coaches will be eyeing him closely. If the light goes one for him he may push the coaches to consider keeping seven linemen. I asked Grantham if the team would keep six or seven and he told me it’s too early to tell. Right now, Dixon has to be considered one of the bubble boys, with Spears, Ratliff, Chris Canty, Jason Hatcher, Tank Johnson and Stephen Bowen holding the six golden tickets at the moment.
Better to Get This Mistakes Out Now
The Cowboys brought in referees to oversee their scrimmages and the yellow flags were abundant. The Cowboys corners have been playing very tight coverage the first week of camp and today they were flagged several times for playing too closely. Wade Phillips said the referees would be available to the players to clarify rules and rules changes.
Notes:
Alonzo Coleman put a nifty ole move on a closing Anthony Henry in the last scrimmage. He and Keon Lattimore are pushing to be the kept as a 5th running back, though I’d put Coleman in the lead. He seems to make a play every day, though both guys face long odds.
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Anthony Spencer made the best of his time in Demarcus Ware’s role. He got consistent pressure looping inside on a blitz and later crashing from the edge. The offense later tried running a bootleg at him. Spencer ignored the fake and blew up the play. He’s looked strong against the run and shows more pressure as a rusher.
Ware was held out as a precaution for after having his bell rung in yesterday’s morning practice.
The team held a one-on-one drill with linebackers and backs and Phillips said his younger backs did a solid job against the blitzers.
Camp Cowboys: Compare and Contrast, ‘07 vs. ‘08
July 28, 2008
It’s hard to get a definite read on anything after three days of camp. Hudson Houck laughed when I asked him on Saturday what, if anything he could tell me after one day in pads? “That I still have 22 practices to go,” was his reply.
Still, Cowboys fans hate deferred gratification. Especially after 12 years without a playoff victory. With that in mind, I went back one year to see where the team was at the same stage in their Phillips Over San Antonio ‘07 Tour. This year’s tour is already looking much better. Consider:
– At quarterback, Tony Romo was looking sharp but everybody was wondering if his dropped ball in Seattle would harm his development. Now, he’s trying to stay out of the tabloids. Call this one a wash.
– At running back, Dallas was staying with the status quo, starting Julius Jones and rotating Marion Barber into the lineup. This year, the unit looks faster and deeper. Felix Jones and Tashard Choice have not played pro games yet, but I can already say with confidence that Felix will be a better receiver than Julius and I’ll take Choice already over Tyson Thompson. Score: plus one for the ‘08 squad.
– On the offensive line, the Cowboys were waiting for starters Flozell Adams and Marc Columbo to return from knee scopes. Jim Molinaro and Pat McQuistan were manning the tackle spots. This year, McQuistan is at right tackle and second year man Doug Free is at the left tackle spot. The starting lineup looks set. Score: plus one for the ‘08 squad, based on health and continuity.
– At wide receiver, Terry Glenn was about to drop off the roster with a knee injury, not to return until January. Isaiah Stanback was in a walking boot. This year, Glenn is gone again, perhaps for good. Stanback is playing, though he’s still far from polished. Sam Hurd looks better, but if he’s not displacing Patrick Crayton, he’s risen to his level. That’s a step down from ‘06, when T.O., Glenn and Crayton were the trio, but a minor step up from last year, when Hurd was an unknown. Score: a wash
– At tight end, Jason Witten was a sure thing and Anthony Fasano was the clear backup. Tony Curtis was a promising backup. This year, Curtis is the number two. Martellus Bennett has replaced Fasano, who’s now a Dolphin. He’s a big, talented player, but nobody knows how Bennett will play this year. Score: minus one, because of inexperience.
– On the defensive line, Jason Hatcher’s promising start was wiped out by a hamstring injury. Jason Ferguson was the starting nose tackle. Chris Canty and Marcus Spears were eager to wipe out underachiever labels. This year, Canty and Jay Ratliff are set at RE and NT, after stepping up their respective games last year. Tank Johnson replaces the departed Ferguson. He shows some explosion in drills, but I’ll wait until I see him in some real games before I rate him against Ferguson. Score: plus one for ‘08, because there is far less uncertainty this year.
– At linebacker in ‘07 it was Demarcus Ware and a lot of questions. Greg Ellis was rehabbing a torn Achilles and was grumpy about his contract. Anthony Spencer was an unknown rookie. Inside, Bradie James was claiming his poor ‘06 was due to playing overweight in Bill Parcells’ scheme. Kevin Burnett was an injury prone enigma and Bobby Carpenter had the eau de bust about him.
This year, many experts are touting the Cowboys’ LB corps as the league’s best. Ware and Ellis both had double digit sacks last year. Spencer looked good in a backup role. James bounced back with a steady season. Burnett found a home in the nickel, where he excelled in coverage. And the Cowboys added Zack Thomas to replace Ayodele, who’s also joined Parcells and Tony Sparano in Miami. Score: plus one for the ‘08 guys.
– In the secondary, the Cowboys were hoping for better health and play at several positions. Anthony Henry was trying to come back from a knee injury that hobbled him in ‘06. Terence Newman was days away from a plantar fascia tear. Ken Hamlin was a low budget signing from Seattle but hardly a sure thing. He had a so-so ‘06 after missing ten games in ‘05 with a severe head injury. It was far from clear if he could regain his outstanding ‘04 form. One year ago, Roy Williams was the surest bet in the secondary.
Today, he’s the most maligned. Hamlin earned his first Pro Bowl berth in ‘07. Newman overcame his heel injury and earned his first trip to Honolulu. Henry was leading the league in picks when he suffered a high ankle sprain that cost him six starts.
In addition, the Cowboys have Adam Jones and first rounder Mike Jenkins replacing Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones. Score: plus two for the ‘08 team, based on better health, and much greater depth.
Overall, the ‘08 team looks much deeper and has far fewer question marks than Wade 1.0. The injury questions at offensive tackle, outside linebacker and cornerback are gone. You could pencil in the entire starting 22 for Dallas today, where you could not do so for several positions last year.
It’s far too early to hit the giddy button, but there’s clearly far less reason to even consider locating the panic button this time around. Let’s hope things stay this way.
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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