DMN Blog: Live from Oxnard II: First day of full pads (Updates in progress)
by Tim MacMahon
Weather: 71 degrees and sunny
The Cowboys are wearing full pads in front of a full house. Yesterday's attendance was announced at 3,800, and there at least that many fans lining the field today.
The first-round picks signed last night, but they're still in transit, so we won't see RB Felix Jones and CB Mike Jenkins until this afternoon.
Follow the jump and refresh every few minutes to read what we do see. Feel free to fire off questions ...
11:00 -- T.O.'s having fun with the crowd, getting big roars by waving upon request. .... For the guy who asked a few times yesterday, no, Tyler Everett is not related to ex-Cowboy S Thomas Everett.
11:07 -- The stretching today isn't any more exciting than it was yesterday.
11:09 -- The Hard Knocks crew seems to be more interested in stretching than me. There are at least four cameramen embedded in the stretching lines. One lens is about 10 inches from T.O.'s face.
11:11 -- Ch. 11's Steve Dennis wanted me to say hello to the masses for him. I obliged, just so he'd get the heck out of the way. ... Stretching over, non-contact position drills have started.
11:13 -- Interesting item from Calvin "Lucky" Watkins in today's notebook: Second-year LB Justin Rogers of SMU has moved inside to back up Bradie James. With Kevin Burnett as Zach Thomas' backup, where does that leave Bobby Carpenter? Fighting for a roster spot? We'll try to get Wade's thoughts on that today, and I'll keep an eye on Rogers to see how he handles the adjustment to playing inside. ... And to answer Jim Morris' question, sixth-round pick Erik Walden is now behind Ware. Of course, if Ware went down, Anthony Spencer would be the starter.
11:18 -- Still doing position drills, basically warming up. No pads popping yet.
11:21 -- Reckon that, while we're waiting for some action, I should mention that I missed an impressive interception by Anthony Henry yesterday. I'm told he made a nice break on the ball to set up a leaping grab. (Couldn't see it on the far sideline.)
11:23 -- You can hear Dave Campo hollering about takeaways from here. The DBs are doing a drill where they run side-by-side toward the passer, and one of them accelerates to catch the ball. You'd think the combo of pass-rushers and Pro Bowl-caliber DBs would put the Cowboys near the top of the league in turnovers forced.
11:29 -- I'm experiencing some technical difficulties (spotty wireless), and Isaiah Stanback is experiencing from fundamental difficulties. A pass clanked off his chest. ... QBs and WRs are working against air. DBs are working on zone techniques. DL are doing agility drills. OLBs are working on hand technique. ILBs are working on pass drops. OL and DL are doing big boy stuff.
11:33 -- Crowd groaned when rookie TE Drew Atchison dropped a pass. While I don't think the Hard Knocks cameras affect the vets, I'd imagine they add a bit to the nerves of an undrafted kid from William & Mary.
11:36 -- Big roars from the crowd when Isaiah Stanback caught a deep ball from Richard Bartel. The pass hit Stanback in stride about 50 yards downfield. Bartel is far from a polished product, but he has the strongest arm of the team's QBs. Patrick Crayton might have the strongest arm on the team.
11:38 -- ESPN's Ed Werder is signing autographs and getting heckled by a dude. ... Oh, here we go. DB-WR one-on-ones. ... Great coverage by Adam Jones vs. T.O. on an out route.
11:41 -- I regret to report that I can't see anything happening in inside run drills. Hopefully, one of my cohorts on the field will have a better view. ... Danny Amendola isn't a blazer, but he makes sharp cuts and gets separation. He just caught a ball across the middle with Alan Ball trailing by a few yards. ... Mike Jefferson beat Anthony Henry on a similar route. ... Should be noted that WRs have a huge advantage in 1-on-1 drills with no pass rush or safeties/LBs lurking over the middle. ... Nice, subtle push-off by Sam Hurd to get wide-open vs. Terence Newman on an out route.
11:43 -- Danny Amendola continues to impress. Terence Newman couldn't get a jam on him. Amendola got open enough to catch an out route on the sideline. ... Miles Austin isn't getting great separation on crossing routes, but he's doing a nice job of using his 6-3, 216-pound frame to shield defenders.
11:47 -- T.O. vs. Terence Newman on a deep ball. It was incomplete, but I don't know exactly what happened. Tent blocked view. ... Sam Hurd really runs sharp routes. He just caught a ball in front of Adam James after sticking a dig route. ... Back into position drills.
11:50 -- Todd Archer reports that nothing spectacular happened in inside run drill. The biggest hit was a lead block by FB Deon "Cricket" Anderson that knocked LB Kevin Burnett back a few steps. ... OLB Anthony Spencer got the first-team reps the second time through.
11:53 -- The crowd booed ESPN's Ed Werder a while back. A fan asked him to give one good reason the Cowboys won't win the Super Bowl. "New England," he replied.
11:55 -- They're working on punt returns now. Adam Jones, Terence Newman and Patrick Crayton are back there catching them. This is Jones' job. There's a possibility that he could also return kicks, although that's one of Felix Jones' strengths, too.
11:59 -- Time for some 11-on-11. ... No tackling, but other than that, full contact.
12:01 -- Catch by Jason Witten over the middle. Believe he was the checkdown. ... Tashard Choice is getting the first-team reps that would be Felix Jones'. ... Adam Jones just had either a pick or PBU. Can't see that sideline through wall of players.
12:04 -- James Marten continues to work at LG on the second-team offense. Pat McQuistan is Marc Colombo's backup at RT. ... Nice move by Alonzo Coleman on Orlando Scandrick in the open field. Dave Campo used it as a teaching point about keeping contain.
12:07 -- DE Marcus Dixon pursued down the line of scrimmage and unloaded on RB Keon Lattimore. ... Romo to T.O. on drag route across the middle. ... Haven't see Jay Ratliff get any reps at DE.
12:09 -- Just as I typed that, Ratliff moved to DE and Tank Johnson came in at NT. Ratliff immediately got in a miniscrap with RT Marc Colombo. Ratliff frustrated Colombo, who slammed his helmet to the ground when the second-team O came on the field. ... Last first-team rep was Jason Witten catching a pass over the middle from Tony Romo.
12:12 -- I'm not sure if Kevin Burnett will ever be a three-down LB, but he's very good in pass coverage. He just blanketed Tony Curtis on play-action designed to go to the TE, forcing Brad Johnson to throw the ball away. It'll be interesting to see what the Cowboys do with Burnett in nickel and dime packages, because Zach Thomas excels in coverage, too, despite unimpressive size and athleticism.
12:16 -- First injury of camp: OLB Tearrius George limping, favoring his right knee. "Walk it off, walk it off," LB coach Reggie Herring said. ... 11-on-11 stuff over. Think I'll leave the laptop to watch from now on. I'd rather be able to see everything and report when it's over then blog live with an obstructed view. You folks won't mind me leaving for 15 minutes or so from time to time, right?
12:21 -- More punt coverage/return work. Same trio back there as return men.
12:24 -- Some more 11-on-11 observations from Calvin Watkins: Adam Jones would have had a pick, but Mike Jefferson prevented it by holding Jones' shoulder pads. Great break by Jones. ... DE Chris Canty was very active. ... LBs DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Erik Walden all would have had sacks. ... Martellus Bennett and Tony Curtis are splitting reps at No. 2 TE.
12:27 -- 11-on-11 .... Be back in a bit.
12:46 -- Marcus Spears had another good 11-on-11 session. Very active vs. run and pass. ... Jay Ratliff blew by Andre Gurode for a TFL. ... Zach Thomas also had a TFL. ... Tank, too, vs. second team. ... Romo hit T.O. on a bomb over Terence Newman, but Spears would have had a shot on Romo. ... Jason Hatcher batted down a Romo pass. ... Sliding catch over middle by Sam Hurd. ... Jason Witten caught everything thrown his way, including an out route in front of Roy Williams. ... More to come. Gotta go. Practice over.
Weather: 71 degrees and sunny
The Cowboys are wearing full pads in front of a full house. Yesterday's attendance was announced at 3,800, and there at least that many fans lining the field today.
The first-round picks signed last night, but they're still in transit, so we won't see RB Felix Jones and CB Mike Jenkins until this afternoon.
Follow the jump and refresh every few minutes to read what we do see. Feel free to fire off questions ...
11:00 -- T.O.'s having fun with the crowd, getting big roars by waving upon request. .... For the guy who asked a few times yesterday, no, Tyler Everett is not related to ex-Cowboy S Thomas Everett.
11:07 -- The stretching today isn't any more exciting than it was yesterday.
11:09 -- The Hard Knocks crew seems to be more interested in stretching than me. There are at least four cameramen embedded in the stretching lines. One lens is about 10 inches from T.O.'s face.
11:11 -- Ch. 11's Steve Dennis wanted me to say hello to the masses for him. I obliged, just so he'd get the heck out of the way. ... Stretching over, non-contact position drills have started.
11:13 -- Interesting item from Calvin "Lucky" Watkins in today's notebook: Second-year LB Justin Rogers of SMU has moved inside to back up Bradie James. With Kevin Burnett as Zach Thomas' backup, where does that leave Bobby Carpenter? Fighting for a roster spot? We'll try to get Wade's thoughts on that today, and I'll keep an eye on Rogers to see how he handles the adjustment to playing inside. ... And to answer Jim Morris' question, sixth-round pick Erik Walden is now behind Ware. Of course, if Ware went down, Anthony Spencer would be the starter.
11:18 -- Still doing position drills, basically warming up. No pads popping yet.
11:21 -- Reckon that, while we're waiting for some action, I should mention that I missed an impressive interception by Anthony Henry yesterday. I'm told he made a nice break on the ball to set up a leaping grab. (Couldn't see it on the far sideline.)
11:23 -- You can hear Dave Campo hollering about takeaways from here. The DBs are doing a drill where they run side-by-side toward the passer, and one of them accelerates to catch the ball. You'd think the combo of pass-rushers and Pro Bowl-caliber DBs would put the Cowboys near the top of the league in turnovers forced.
11:29 -- I'm experiencing some technical difficulties (spotty wireless), and Isaiah Stanback is experiencing from fundamental difficulties. A pass clanked off his chest. ... QBs and WRs are working against air. DBs are working on zone techniques. DL are doing agility drills. OLBs are working on hand technique. ILBs are working on pass drops. OL and DL are doing big boy stuff.
11:33 -- Crowd groaned when rookie TE Drew Atchison dropped a pass. While I don't think the Hard Knocks cameras affect the vets, I'd imagine they add a bit to the nerves of an undrafted kid from William & Mary.
11:36 -- Big roars from the crowd when Isaiah Stanback caught a deep ball from Richard Bartel. The pass hit Stanback in stride about 50 yards downfield. Bartel is far from a polished product, but he has the strongest arm of the team's QBs. Patrick Crayton might have the strongest arm on the team.
11:38 -- ESPN's Ed Werder is signing autographs and getting heckled by a dude. ... Oh, here we go. DB-WR one-on-ones. ... Great coverage by Adam Jones vs. T.O. on an out route.
11:41 -- I regret to report that I can't see anything happening in inside run drills. Hopefully, one of my cohorts on the field will have a better view. ... Danny Amendola isn't a blazer, but he makes sharp cuts and gets separation. He just caught a ball across the middle with Alan Ball trailing by a few yards. ... Mike Jefferson beat Anthony Henry on a similar route. ... Should be noted that WRs have a huge advantage in 1-on-1 drills with no pass rush or safeties/LBs lurking over the middle. ... Nice, subtle push-off by Sam Hurd to get wide-open vs. Terence Newman on an out route.
11:43 -- Danny Amendola continues to impress. Terence Newman couldn't get a jam on him. Amendola got open enough to catch an out route on the sideline. ... Miles Austin isn't getting great separation on crossing routes, but he's doing a nice job of using his 6-3, 216-pound frame to shield defenders.
11:47 -- T.O. vs. Terence Newman on a deep ball. It was incomplete, but I don't know exactly what happened. Tent blocked view. ... Sam Hurd really runs sharp routes. He just caught a ball in front of Adam James after sticking a dig route. ... Back into position drills.
11:50 -- Todd Archer reports that nothing spectacular happened in inside run drill. The biggest hit was a lead block by FB Deon "Cricket" Anderson that knocked LB Kevin Burnett back a few steps. ... OLB Anthony Spencer got the first-team reps the second time through.
11:53 -- The crowd booed ESPN's Ed Werder a while back. A fan asked him to give one good reason the Cowboys won't win the Super Bowl. "New England," he replied.
11:55 -- They're working on punt returns now. Adam Jones, Terence Newman and Patrick Crayton are back there catching them. This is Jones' job. There's a possibility that he could also return kicks, although that's one of Felix Jones' strengths, too.
11:59 -- Time for some 11-on-11. ... No tackling, but other than that, full contact.
12:01 -- Catch by Jason Witten over the middle. Believe he was the checkdown. ... Tashard Choice is getting the first-team reps that would be Felix Jones'. ... Adam Jones just had either a pick or PBU. Can't see that sideline through wall of players.
12:04 -- James Marten continues to work at LG on the second-team offense. Pat McQuistan is Marc Colombo's backup at RT. ... Nice move by Alonzo Coleman on Orlando Scandrick in the open field. Dave Campo used it as a teaching point about keeping contain.
12:07 -- DE Marcus Dixon pursued down the line of scrimmage and unloaded on RB Keon Lattimore. ... Romo to T.O. on drag route across the middle. ... Haven't see Jay Ratliff get any reps at DE.
12:09 -- Just as I typed that, Ratliff moved to DE and Tank Johnson came in at NT. Ratliff immediately got in a miniscrap with RT Marc Colombo. Ratliff frustrated Colombo, who slammed his helmet to the ground when the second-team O came on the field. ... Last first-team rep was Jason Witten catching a pass over the middle from Tony Romo.
12:12 -- I'm not sure if Kevin Burnett will ever be a three-down LB, but he's very good in pass coverage. He just blanketed Tony Curtis on play-action designed to go to the TE, forcing Brad Johnson to throw the ball away. It'll be interesting to see what the Cowboys do with Burnett in nickel and dime packages, because Zach Thomas excels in coverage, too, despite unimpressive size and athleticism.
12:16 -- First injury of camp: OLB Tearrius George limping, favoring his right knee. "Walk it off, walk it off," LB coach Reggie Herring said. ... 11-on-11 stuff over. Think I'll leave the laptop to watch from now on. I'd rather be able to see everything and report when it's over then blog live with an obstructed view. You folks won't mind me leaving for 15 minutes or so from time to time, right?
12:21 -- More punt coverage/return work. Same trio back there as return men.
12:24 -- Some more 11-on-11 observations from Calvin Watkins: Adam Jones would have had a pick, but Mike Jefferson prevented it by holding Jones' shoulder pads. Great break by Jones. ... DE Chris Canty was very active. ... LBs DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Erik Walden all would have had sacks. ... Martellus Bennett and Tony Curtis are splitting reps at No. 2 TE.
12:27 -- 11-on-11 .... Be back in a bit.
12:46 -- Marcus Spears had another good 11-on-11 session. Very active vs. run and pass. ... Jay Ratliff blew by Andre Gurode for a TFL. ... Zach Thomas also had a TFL. ... Tank, too, vs. second team. ... Romo hit T.O. on a bomb over Terence Newman, but Spears would have had a shot on Romo. ... Jason Hatcher batted down a Romo pass. ... Sliding catch over middle by Sam Hurd. ... Jason Witten caught everything thrown his way, including an out route in front of Roy Williams. ... More to come. Gotta go. Practice over.
posted by The Gryphon at 12:07 PM
<< Home