Cowboys: Receiver battle should be one to watch
Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
Receiver battle should be one to watch
Judging from their play this week, receivers Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback should be involved in a fierce competition at training camp for increased snaps.
While former Brackenridge standout Hurd stole the show at minicamp, Austin and Stanback also had their moments.
“Miles seems to have gotten more and more confident,” coach Wade Phillips said. “That's made him better, because he's really talented. He seems to feel like nobody can cover him, and that's the way he needs to be. I don't know if he felt that way before.”
The Cowboys basically redshirted Stanback as a rookie last season while he recovered from injuries and made the transition to receiver after playing quarterback at Washington.
“He had 100 percent attendance in the offseason stuff, which has helped him,” Phillips said. “He's like those guys (Hurd and Austin) in that he shows flashes. He makes some plays and you say, ‘Wow.' Then every once in awhile he doesn't run a route exactly the way you want it.”
Quarterback Tony Romo says he has confidence in Hurd and Austin, a pair of third-year players who combined for 24 receptions last season.
“They have been out there and they have done it,” Romo said. “It's not like they are coming into uncharted territories.”
Quick learners: Rookie running backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice haven't stumbled at all when it comes to absorbing what they've been told on the field and in the classroom, their position coach said.
“Some guys you tell them once, and they don't actually get it,” Skip Peete said of the two draft picks. “Then finally the second or third time they get it. With Tashard and Felix, you tell them what they did wrong, explain how they're supposed to do it, and the next time they go out and perform it the way you want it done.”
Practice canceled: The Cowboys ended their three-day mandatory minicamp Thursday with a team lunch/family day rather than the scheduled 1:30 p.m. practice.
The team won't be together again until July 24, when it arrives in Oxnard, Calif., for training camp. Practices begin the next day.
Roster trimmed: The Cowboys cut five players Thursday to reduce the roster to 79, one below the league's training camp limit. Released were cornerbacks Jerron Wishom and Justin Phinisee, guard Brandon Hale, linebacker Alain Karatepeyan and receiver Joe West.
torsborn@express-news.net
Receiver battle should be one to watch
Judging from their play this week, receivers Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback should be involved in a fierce competition at training camp for increased snaps.
While former Brackenridge standout Hurd stole the show at minicamp, Austin and Stanback also had their moments.
“Miles seems to have gotten more and more confident,” coach Wade Phillips said. “That's made him better, because he's really talented. He seems to feel like nobody can cover him, and that's the way he needs to be. I don't know if he felt that way before.”
The Cowboys basically redshirted Stanback as a rookie last season while he recovered from injuries and made the transition to receiver after playing quarterback at Washington.
“He had 100 percent attendance in the offseason stuff, which has helped him,” Phillips said. “He's like those guys (Hurd and Austin) in that he shows flashes. He makes some plays and you say, ‘Wow.' Then every once in awhile he doesn't run a route exactly the way you want it.”
Quarterback Tony Romo says he has confidence in Hurd and Austin, a pair of third-year players who combined for 24 receptions last season.
“They have been out there and they have done it,” Romo said. “It's not like they are coming into uncharted territories.”
Quick learners: Rookie running backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice haven't stumbled at all when it comes to absorbing what they've been told on the field and in the classroom, their position coach said.
“Some guys you tell them once, and they don't actually get it,” Skip Peete said of the two draft picks. “Then finally the second or third time they get it. With Tashard and Felix, you tell them what they did wrong, explain how they're supposed to do it, and the next time they go out and perform it the way you want it done.”
Practice canceled: The Cowboys ended their three-day mandatory minicamp Thursday with a team lunch/family day rather than the scheduled 1:30 p.m. practice.
The team won't be together again until July 24, when it arrives in Oxnard, Calif., for training camp. Practices begin the next day.
Roster trimmed: The Cowboys cut five players Thursday to reduce the roster to 79, one below the league's training camp limit. Released were cornerbacks Jerron Wishom and Justin Phinisee, guard Brandon Hale, linebacker Alain Karatepeyan and receiver Joe West.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:00 PM
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