DMN Blog: Live from Oxnard IV: T.O. putting on a show
by Tim MacMahon
Sorry about that, folks. We have (hopefully had) some blog server issues.
Nothing exciting has happened yet anyway, unless you count my conversation with Papa Joe Simpson. More on that later today.
Follow the jump and refresh as often as Belo technology will allow ...
5:12 -- Gotta go. Serious action started just as the blog got back up and running. Be back in a bit.
5:13 -- Check that. I'm staying here. Pass game 1-on-1s coming right at me. ... Great separation by Sam Hurd against Anthony Henry on a crossing route. Hurd has been really solid so far. ... Rookie CB Mike Jenkins might have had a pick, but he didn't turn his head in time. The ball clanked off his facemask. ... You won't see this often. Undrafted rookie Mike Bradford beat Terence Newman on a go route. ... You will see this often. T.O. beat Alan Ball on a go route. ... Spectacular pick by Anthony Henry right in front of the fans. He went up over Sam Hurd to snatch the ball out of the air about 40 yards downfield.
5:17 -- Nice jam by Roy Williams on Tony Curtis. Roy deflected the pass. ... Tough session for Terence Newman so far. He got fooled on a double-move by Mike Jefferson and collided with him. Looked like illegal contact. ... Pacman .... er Adam Jones blanketed Danny Amendola on a curl. ... T.O. beat Orlando Scandrick on a post, but he couldn't come up with a one-handed catch on a ball behind him. ... Great adjustment by Patrick Crayton to catch a pass behind him on a go route. ... Nice job by Isaiah Stanback beating Henry on a slant and turning it upfield. .... Miles Austin had a step on Newman on a go route, but Richard Bartel's pass sailed out of bounds.
5:20 -- T.O. toasted Adam Jones on a skinny post, and Tony Romo put the ball on the money. T.O. spiked the ball in the end zone, further whipping the crowd into a frenzy. ... PBU by Dowayne Davis on a curl to Martellus Bennett ... Great comeback route by Patrick Crayton, causing Mike Jenkins to fall to the turf. ... Miles Austin blew by Evan Oglesby with a double-move, but the pass was just past his fingertips. ... Drills over. Hopefully, Archer or Lucky saw what was going on in inside run.
5:26 -- Special teams drills now. ... I've have a full post on this later, but Papa Joe Simpson said Jessica didn't join him on this trip. She'll make a training camp appearance later and plans to go to every game. I'm sure that makes you folks feel better.
5:28 -- Checked in with Archer and Lucky, neither of whom watched inside run. Hey, passing 1-on-1s are a real good show. I'll ask around to see what happened and pay close attention to the big fellas during 11-on-11 stuff.
5:31 -- Working on kick coverage/return. Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback are the first duo back there as returners. Stanback has potential as a kick returner, but that job could go to one of the Jones boys (Felix or Adam). That means Stanback will probably have to earn his roster spot as a receiver, which could mean holding off Danny Amendola.
5:34 -- Adam Jones is taking his turn at kick returner now. He has had some trouble catching punts -- a sign of rust for a guy who established himself as an elite punt returner -- but catching kickoffs isn't as difficult. ... Felix Jones is also getting some reps at kick returner. ... The Cowboys are wearing full pads, but they aren't hitting in this drill. As a result, you can't really evaluate the return guys.
5:37 -- 11-on-11s about to start. They're coming my way, so I don't have to move. ... First play was pretty strange. Romo took forever to throw the ball, and T.O. stopped his route. The ball bounced between the 3 and 8 on a certain safety's chest, right into T.O.'s hands. ... Sam Hurd made a diving catch on an out route.
5:40 -- Diving catch by Jason Witten. Good coverage by Bradie James, so Romo threw it low and away. ... Felix Jones motioned wide right and ran a streak route, sitting down in the soft spot of the Cover 2 zone. He made a leaping grab of Romo's pass in front of FS Pat Watkins. ... First-round pick Mike Jenkins is getting reps with the second team. ... Witten dropped a ball with Kevin Burnett all over him.
5:42 -- TE Martellus Bennett showed his athleticism with a leaping catch on seam route thrown high and to his back shoulder. Believe it or not, the Brad Johnson pass had some zip on it. SS Dowayne Davis was step for step with Bennett. ... Johnson has gone into dumpoff mode now.
5:44 -- Greg Ellis lined up like a cornerback, because of a funky formation that split TE Tony Curtis wide left and put the two WRs on the opposite side. Curtis couldn't take advantage of the mismatch, as Ellis jammed him almost to the fence separating the fans from the field. ... T.O. caught a short crossing route that might have turned into a TD. Jason Witten cleared out the safeties by running a skinny post.
5:48 -- Dime secondary: LCB Mike Jenkins, slot Terence Newman, SS Ken Hamlin, FS Pat Watkins, RCB Adam Jones, dimeback/LB Anthony Henry. Kevin Burnett is the linebacker. .... Sam Hurd got between Henry and Hamlin to make a catch across the middle. ... T.O. got wide open behind Watkins for a touchdown. He shook Mike Jenkins with a double-move on the post route.
5:50 -- Isaiah Stanback couldn't come up with a pass that hit him in both hands after a curl route. CB Quincy Butler might have tipped it, but Stanback needs to show that he can make tough catches in traffic. ... Touchdown Tony Curtis caught an out route after Evan Oglesby gambled for a deflection. Curtis would have had one man between him and paydirt. ... Sam Hurd continues to catch everything thrown his way. This was a hook route in front of Mike Jenkins. Hurd is mad that he went down instead of turning upfield after the catch. ... Danny Amendola caught an out route in front of Adam Jones. Nice zip on the on-target pass from Richard Bartel.
5:54 -- Terence Newman had a big lick on RB Keon Lattimore on the last play of 7-on-7s, which aren't supposed to be full contact. Lattimore couldn't come up with a pass behind him on a crossing route, and Newman got a shoulder under the undrafted rookie's pads and put him on his backside. Might be a case of Newman releasing some frustration during a rough practice for him. He better hope Lattimore's big bro (Ray Lewis) doesn't come after him.
5:59 -- They're doing special teams teaching drills now. Nothing competitive. ... The D-line is off on the other field working on technique. I'll have much, much more on the Cowboys' least heralded position group late tonight or early tomorrow. I really like what I've seen from those dudes.
6:07 -- 11-on-11s about to start. They'll be going away from my blog station, so I need to hit the field. I'll update with all the highlights after the post-practice interviews are done. Feel free to discuss any and all Cowboys-related matters amongst yourselves while I'm gone.
Sorry about that, folks. We have (hopefully had) some blog server issues.
Nothing exciting has happened yet anyway, unless you count my conversation with Papa Joe Simpson. More on that later today.
Follow the jump and refresh as often as Belo technology will allow ...
5:12 -- Gotta go. Serious action started just as the blog got back up and running. Be back in a bit.
5:13 -- Check that. I'm staying here. Pass game 1-on-1s coming right at me. ... Great separation by Sam Hurd against Anthony Henry on a crossing route. Hurd has been really solid so far. ... Rookie CB Mike Jenkins might have had a pick, but he didn't turn his head in time. The ball clanked off his facemask. ... You won't see this often. Undrafted rookie Mike Bradford beat Terence Newman on a go route. ... You will see this often. T.O. beat Alan Ball on a go route. ... Spectacular pick by Anthony Henry right in front of the fans. He went up over Sam Hurd to snatch the ball out of the air about 40 yards downfield.
5:17 -- Nice jam by Roy Williams on Tony Curtis. Roy deflected the pass. ... Tough session for Terence Newman so far. He got fooled on a double-move by Mike Jefferson and collided with him. Looked like illegal contact. ... Pacman .... er Adam Jones blanketed Danny Amendola on a curl. ... T.O. beat Orlando Scandrick on a post, but he couldn't come up with a one-handed catch on a ball behind him. ... Great adjustment by Patrick Crayton to catch a pass behind him on a go route. ... Nice job by Isaiah Stanback beating Henry on a slant and turning it upfield. .... Miles Austin had a step on Newman on a go route, but Richard Bartel's pass sailed out of bounds.
5:20 -- T.O. toasted Adam Jones on a skinny post, and Tony Romo put the ball on the money. T.O. spiked the ball in the end zone, further whipping the crowd into a frenzy. ... PBU by Dowayne Davis on a curl to Martellus Bennett ... Great comeback route by Patrick Crayton, causing Mike Jenkins to fall to the turf. ... Miles Austin blew by Evan Oglesby with a double-move, but the pass was just past his fingertips. ... Drills over. Hopefully, Archer or Lucky saw what was going on in inside run.
5:26 -- Special teams drills now. ... I've have a full post on this later, but Papa Joe Simpson said Jessica didn't join him on this trip. She'll make a training camp appearance later and plans to go to every game. I'm sure that makes you folks feel better.
5:28 -- Checked in with Archer and Lucky, neither of whom watched inside run. Hey, passing 1-on-1s are a real good show. I'll ask around to see what happened and pay close attention to the big fellas during 11-on-11 stuff.
5:31 -- Working on kick coverage/return. Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback are the first duo back there as returners. Stanback has potential as a kick returner, but that job could go to one of the Jones boys (Felix or Adam). That means Stanback will probably have to earn his roster spot as a receiver, which could mean holding off Danny Amendola.
5:34 -- Adam Jones is taking his turn at kick returner now. He has had some trouble catching punts -- a sign of rust for a guy who established himself as an elite punt returner -- but catching kickoffs isn't as difficult. ... Felix Jones is also getting some reps at kick returner. ... The Cowboys are wearing full pads, but they aren't hitting in this drill. As a result, you can't really evaluate the return guys.
5:37 -- 11-on-11s about to start. They're coming my way, so I don't have to move. ... First play was pretty strange. Romo took forever to throw the ball, and T.O. stopped his route. The ball bounced between the 3 and 8 on a certain safety's chest, right into T.O.'s hands. ... Sam Hurd made a diving catch on an out route.
5:40 -- Diving catch by Jason Witten. Good coverage by Bradie James, so Romo threw it low and away. ... Felix Jones motioned wide right and ran a streak route, sitting down in the soft spot of the Cover 2 zone. He made a leaping grab of Romo's pass in front of FS Pat Watkins. ... First-round pick Mike Jenkins is getting reps with the second team. ... Witten dropped a ball with Kevin Burnett all over him.
5:42 -- TE Martellus Bennett showed his athleticism with a leaping catch on seam route thrown high and to his back shoulder. Believe it or not, the Brad Johnson pass had some zip on it. SS Dowayne Davis was step for step with Bennett. ... Johnson has gone into dumpoff mode now.
5:44 -- Greg Ellis lined up like a cornerback, because of a funky formation that split TE Tony Curtis wide left and put the two WRs on the opposite side. Curtis couldn't take advantage of the mismatch, as Ellis jammed him almost to the fence separating the fans from the field. ... T.O. caught a short crossing route that might have turned into a TD. Jason Witten cleared out the safeties by running a skinny post.
5:48 -- Dime secondary: LCB Mike Jenkins, slot Terence Newman, SS Ken Hamlin, FS Pat Watkins, RCB Adam Jones, dimeback/LB Anthony Henry. Kevin Burnett is the linebacker. .... Sam Hurd got between Henry and Hamlin to make a catch across the middle. ... T.O. got wide open behind Watkins for a touchdown. He shook Mike Jenkins with a double-move on the post route.
5:50 -- Isaiah Stanback couldn't come up with a pass that hit him in both hands after a curl route. CB Quincy Butler might have tipped it, but Stanback needs to show that he can make tough catches in traffic. ... Touchdown Tony Curtis caught an out route after Evan Oglesby gambled for a deflection. Curtis would have had one man between him and paydirt. ... Sam Hurd continues to catch everything thrown his way. This was a hook route in front of Mike Jenkins. Hurd is mad that he went down instead of turning upfield after the catch. ... Danny Amendola caught an out route in front of Adam Jones. Nice zip on the on-target pass from Richard Bartel.
5:54 -- Terence Newman had a big lick on RB Keon Lattimore on the last play of 7-on-7s, which aren't supposed to be full contact. Lattimore couldn't come up with a pass behind him on a crossing route, and Newman got a shoulder under the undrafted rookie's pads and put him on his backside. Might be a case of Newman releasing some frustration during a rough practice for him. He better hope Lattimore's big bro (Ray Lewis) doesn't come after him.
5:59 -- They're doing special teams teaching drills now. Nothing competitive. ... The D-line is off on the other field working on technique. I'll have much, much more on the Cowboys' least heralded position group late tonight or early tomorrow. I really like what I've seen from those dudes.
6:07 -- 11-on-11s about to start. They'll be going away from my blog station, so I need to hit the field. I'll update with all the highlights after the post-practice interviews are done. Feel free to discuss any and all Cowboys-related matters amongst yourselves while I'm gone.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:26 PM
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