Minicamp about more than T.O.
Dallas Morning News
08:20 PM CDT on Thursday, May 25, 2006
Todd Archer
IRVING - The Cowboys will hold their one and only veterans minicamp next week, and all eyes, of course, will be on Terrell Owens.
Since signing with the Cowboys, Owens has been the story of the off-season, so much so that the first 35 questions of Bill Parcells' post-draft news conference were about Owens.
On June 2, the Cowboys finally get their first on-field look at Owens. He has spent the week getting accustomed to the Cowboys' offense and will remain for the four days of on-field training activities that follow the minicamp.
But there's more to the Cowboys than Owens, and the minicamp should provide a glimpse of things to come in July when training camp begins in Oxnard, Calif.
Here's a sampling of things to look for:
How does Flozell Adams look?
The veteran left tackle is expected to take part in the minicamp after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last October. Parcells said in February that Adams' rehab was going nicely and that having Adams back should make the offensive line a lot better in 2006.
Remember, Rob Petitti's work was not scrutinized until Adams went out because the Cowboys could no longer slide help to Petitti at right tackle. It will also be interesting to see Adams work without Larry Allen next to him for the first time.
Who is Kyle Kosier?
He will replace Allen and was given a $5 million signing bonus to do so. He can play guard or tackle, but the Cowboys need Kosier to be a player because most of Drew Beldsoe's issues come from up the middle.
A minicamp aside: Do not rush to judgment on reports of a lineman, offensive or defensive, doing well or poorly in a minicamp. It's almost impossible to judge without the pads.
That being said, you can see things like athleticism and footwork, which are supposed to be some of Kosier's strengths.
Akin Ayodele to inside linebacker
The Irving native will take over Dat Nguyen's spot, playing inside linebacker for the first time in his career. He has the athletic ability to handle the spot, but it's also an instinct-based position, flowing to spots and making plays. This will be on-the-job training of sorts, but Ayodele was at the rookie camp as a spectator, so that was good to see.
Mike Vanderjagt
We know he can kick, even if his last miss vs. Pittsburgh in the playoffs was a bad one. But he needs to prove he can kick off. He did a decent job of it in 2003, and he says Indy general manager Bill Polian was bent on finding a kickoff specialist the past two years. Never will a kicker's kickoff work in minicamp be so studied.
The rookies getting adjusted
Jason Hatcher, a third-round pick, was the talk of the rookie minicamp, but now he will get to go against veterans. Can he come close to duplicating what he did earlier in the month? If he can, then the Cowboys have a real find. If not, it's not the end of the world either.
The rookies will notice a new tempo and feel for the game early on. They all go through it. Those who adjust quicker, like Patrick Crayton did in 2004, will earn Parcells' praise.
Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning
We know Parcells wanted Montavious Stanley and Skyler Green to lose weight after the rookie camp. Now we get to see what kind of shape they came back to town in, as well as some veterans who have battled the bulge, like Andre Gurode, Petitti and Marcus Spears.
DeMarcus Ware was asked to gain 10 pounds in the off-season. Can he remain as explosive at 260 pounds as he was a year ago at 250?
And the free safety is ...
Keith Davis started there a year ago, and the Cowboys matched an offer from New Orleans to keep him in the fold. Marcus Coleman, a Parcells favorite from the Jets, is with the club on a one-year deal. Justin Beriault is coming back after missing his rookie season with a knee injury. And rookie Pat Watkins is a possibility. And there's Willie Pile, too.
Coleman has the best ball skills, but Davis is the best hitter. Beriault showed flashes in training camp last year of being around the ball.
This should be a battle that heats up in Oxnard.
08:20 PM CDT on Thursday, May 25, 2006
Todd Archer
IRVING - The Cowboys will hold their one and only veterans minicamp next week, and all eyes, of course, will be on Terrell Owens.
Since signing with the Cowboys, Owens has been the story of the off-season, so much so that the first 35 questions of Bill Parcells' post-draft news conference were about Owens.
On June 2, the Cowboys finally get their first on-field look at Owens. He has spent the week getting accustomed to the Cowboys' offense and will remain for the four days of on-field training activities that follow the minicamp.
But there's more to the Cowboys than Owens, and the minicamp should provide a glimpse of things to come in July when training camp begins in Oxnard, Calif.
Here's a sampling of things to look for:
How does Flozell Adams look?
The veteran left tackle is expected to take part in the minicamp after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last October. Parcells said in February that Adams' rehab was going nicely and that having Adams back should make the offensive line a lot better in 2006.
Remember, Rob Petitti's work was not scrutinized until Adams went out because the Cowboys could no longer slide help to Petitti at right tackle. It will also be interesting to see Adams work without Larry Allen next to him for the first time.
Who is Kyle Kosier?
He will replace Allen and was given a $5 million signing bonus to do so. He can play guard or tackle, but the Cowboys need Kosier to be a player because most of Drew Beldsoe's issues come from up the middle.
A minicamp aside: Do not rush to judgment on reports of a lineman, offensive or defensive, doing well or poorly in a minicamp. It's almost impossible to judge without the pads.
That being said, you can see things like athleticism and footwork, which are supposed to be some of Kosier's strengths.
Akin Ayodele to inside linebacker
The Irving native will take over Dat Nguyen's spot, playing inside linebacker for the first time in his career. He has the athletic ability to handle the spot, but it's also an instinct-based position, flowing to spots and making plays. This will be on-the-job training of sorts, but Ayodele was at the rookie camp as a spectator, so that was good to see.
Mike Vanderjagt
We know he can kick, even if his last miss vs. Pittsburgh in the playoffs was a bad one. But he needs to prove he can kick off. He did a decent job of it in 2003, and he says Indy general manager Bill Polian was bent on finding a kickoff specialist the past two years. Never will a kicker's kickoff work in minicamp be so studied.
The rookies getting adjusted
Jason Hatcher, a third-round pick, was the talk of the rookie minicamp, but now he will get to go against veterans. Can he come close to duplicating what he did earlier in the month? If he can, then the Cowboys have a real find. If not, it's not the end of the world either.
The rookies will notice a new tempo and feel for the game early on. They all go through it. Those who adjust quicker, like Patrick Crayton did in 2004, will earn Parcells' praise.
Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning
We know Parcells wanted Montavious Stanley and Skyler Green to lose weight after the rookie camp. Now we get to see what kind of shape they came back to town in, as well as some veterans who have battled the bulge, like Andre Gurode, Petitti and Marcus Spears.
DeMarcus Ware was asked to gain 10 pounds in the off-season. Can he remain as explosive at 260 pounds as he was a year ago at 250?
And the free safety is ...
Keith Davis started there a year ago, and the Cowboys matched an offer from New Orleans to keep him in the fold. Marcus Coleman, a Parcells favorite from the Jets, is with the club on a one-year deal. Justin Beriault is coming back after missing his rookie season with a knee injury. And rookie Pat Watkins is a possibility. And there's Willie Pile, too.
Coleman has the best ball skills, but Davis is the best hitter. Beriault showed flashes in training camp last year of being around the ball.
This should be a battle that heats up in Oxnard.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:48 PM
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