Communication Lines Open At Cowboys Training Camp
(AP) SAN ANTONIO When the Dallas Cowboys line up on defense these days, there's all sorts of chatter going on.
"We're telling each other, 'Hey, I'm gone.' Or, 'You've got to come to me,"' cornerback Terence Newman said.
The noise isn't caused by guys trying to figure out what to do and where to be in the scheme being implemented by new coach Wade Phillips. It's by design, a simple thing called communication.
And not only was it lacking under coach Bill Parcells, it was basically forbidden.
"Last year, it was really one guy speaking. Me," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "A lot of pressure was on me to make the calls. Really, my whole job was to manage the game. But now, we have a lot of guys talking. Communication is definitely big. You have to have communication on the back end and the front end so everyone knows what's going on.
"If you don't communicate well, you don't have a chance. It only takes one bad play to ruin a game. So now everyone is speaking up. It's not just on one guy. It's on everybody to make sure they know what's going on, from down and distance to what formation is in and what to expect."
Newman said that although he has experience playing with fellow defensive backs Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn and Roy Williams, it's somewhat meaningless because of the new system and the new emphasis on communication.
"It's kind of like we're all being together for the first time," Newman said. "In this defense, everybody has to talk. If you watch practice, and you pay attention, you can hear everybody talking because everyone has to know exactly where the other person is at. ... If everyone is on the same page and you still mess up, it's better than half the side knowing the defense and half the side playing something else."
So is that part of what went wrong down the stretch last year?
"We don't even want to talk about last year," James said. "This year, it's totally different. Everyone is communicating, stepping up to the plate and doing what they're supposed to do."
New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is so enthused that he's gone on record saying Dallas could have the best defensive in the league.
"That's good," Newman said. "If your D-coordinator doesn't think you can be the best in the NFL, that's bad. ... We definitely have the talent. We've got to take that to heart and take it over to the game."
"We're telling each other, 'Hey, I'm gone.' Or, 'You've got to come to me,"' cornerback Terence Newman said.
The noise isn't caused by guys trying to figure out what to do and where to be in the scheme being implemented by new coach Wade Phillips. It's by design, a simple thing called communication.
And not only was it lacking under coach Bill Parcells, it was basically forbidden.
"Last year, it was really one guy speaking. Me," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "A lot of pressure was on me to make the calls. Really, my whole job was to manage the game. But now, we have a lot of guys talking. Communication is definitely big. You have to have communication on the back end and the front end so everyone knows what's going on.
"If you don't communicate well, you don't have a chance. It only takes one bad play to ruin a game. So now everyone is speaking up. It's not just on one guy. It's on everybody to make sure they know what's going on, from down and distance to what formation is in and what to expect."
Newman said that although he has experience playing with fellow defensive backs Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn and Roy Williams, it's somewhat meaningless because of the new system and the new emphasis on communication.
"It's kind of like we're all being together for the first time," Newman said. "In this defense, everybody has to talk. If you watch practice, and you pay attention, you can hear everybody talking because everyone has to know exactly where the other person is at. ... If everyone is on the same page and you still mess up, it's better than half the side knowing the defense and half the side playing something else."
So is that part of what went wrong down the stretch last year?
"We don't even want to talk about last year," James said. "This year, it's totally different. Everyone is communicating, stepping up to the plate and doing what they're supposed to do."
New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is so enthused that he's gone on record saying Dallas could have the best defensive in the league.
"That's good," Newman said. "If your D-coordinator doesn't think you can be the best in the NFL, that's bad. ... We definitely have the talent. We've got to take that to heart and take it over to the game."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:05 PM
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