Cowboys Camping (1 Viewer)

[cobalt_27]

I'll start...

Injury report

A good portion of Wade Phillips' press conference was spent addressing injuries, which obviously isn't good news.

The rundown:

*Terry Glenn hurt his knee when he got tangled up with Terence Newman. All Phillips knew was that there was "soreness in the knee." Asked which knee, he shrugged and said, "You've got a 50-50 chance. Take a shot." I'm putting my money on the right.

*LB Kevin Burnett got "dinged," injuring his head and neck. Not sure whether he'll be able to practice tomorrow, but he probably will be held out of contact drills if he does.

*Phillips diagnosed Aaron Glenn's ailment as "old knee." It's swollen, but there's no structural damage.

*LT Flozell Adams, who had "minor" knee surgery in the spring, might practice tomorrow. He'll still sit out one practice on two-practice days. RT Marc Colombo, who recently underwent a similar operation, will be out a while longer.

*Phillips is optimistic that rookies WR Isaiah Stanback (shin splints) and RB Alonzo Coleman (ankle) will be able to practice for the first time at some point next week.

UPDATE: Todd Archer reports that the MRI on Glenn's right knee was negative. You can exhale now.

 

[The Man With No Name]

Linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni and Greg Ellis had Demarcus Ware in the corner of one end zone working on improving his pass rush moves.

 

[Bob Magaw]

good information here... rafael vela did some consistently outstanding camp reporting last season... he isn't typically prone to hyperbole, so maybe it can be taken as a positive thet romo was reportedly "en fuego"...

http://theboysblog.com/

 

[Jene Bramel]

*Phillips diagnosed Aaron Glenn's ailment as "old knee."

 

[sholditch]

No info on the backs yet?

 

[Urinal Mint]

I think you can expect Julius Jones to be less of a "find the first guy he sees and fall down" runner this season.

No info on the backs yet?

 

[packersfan]

No info on the backs yet?

From RotoWorld:Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips says he doesn't envision the team's running back situation being any different from last season.Last season, Marion Barber was first in line for short-yardage touches and served as Dallas' go-to back on third downs. Julius Jones started and played on early downs. "We're going to have two backs playing," Phillips said Friday.

 

[moleculo]

 

[sholditch]

making both of them decent RB3s depending on your league's scoring. Too bad, I was hoping one would emerge under the new HC.

 

[packersfan]

making both of them decent RB3s depending on your league's scoring.

Yup. Of the two, Jones looks like a strong value pick. I like Barber but he's being over-valued right now in my opinion. Jones is going lower (sometimes much lower) and represents much better value.

 

[Brewzers]

"....it appears Jason Garrett will give Witten a deeper repertoire.." I also read this in the Austin paper this morning that Witten will get deeper patterns ala Antonio Gates & Jay Novacek. It even speculated that we might see him lineup as a wideout.

 

[WhoDat]

7/29

Cowboys Camp Report

While I have a minute, I wanted to thank everyone for their emails and messages the past few months. I had to take a break from all things football right around the time the NFL Draft wrapped up. The Shark Pool’s operating rhythm is equal parts “jacka**-edness,” testosterone weighted checks & balances and the fantasy football think tank. Buried deep below the infinite aliases; sophomoric slanted jokes and casual ego checking backhands, there are a number of good people making it all work. Well, if we consider the aforementioned aliases, it might only be a few guys but I digress. I just wanted to say thank you to those good people for their notes over the past few months and to any new members or readers…hang with the Shark Pool. The collective’s bark is far worse than its bite.

Prior to getting started just let me make it clear. I hate the Cowboys. Despite being a native Texan…if you all could be so lucky…I hate the silver, white, blue and star. Unless those colors are being worn by people in pads hailing from Ford Field I have no use for them. However, I did watch practice and will report with an objective eye. Conversely, after all of these years of hating the Pokes, I found something new to draw my wraith at yesterday’s practice. How have I missed this…him…it…all this time? Who and or what am I talking about? That would be Rowdy.

Rowdy might be…no, he is…the worst mascot in the NFL. He appears to be some demented Disney on acid caricature of the Cowboy from the Village People. Parcells was well within reason to ban Rowdy and his oversized chaps, guns, spurs and ridiculous; customized four-wheeler from practice two years ago. Even my entourage of 7-9 year olds, cotton candy and Coke consuming, native Texan, die-hard Cowboy fans agreed. Too a tiny man they felt Rowdy had to go. Is that not Rowdy’s target audience? Was the judgment of all those children in my charge temporarily impaired by gluttony and glucose? I think not. Those kids heckled Rowdy the entire practice and upon this moment of clarity I let them. All of them…decked out in Poke gear from head to toe…rode Rowdy with the expertise of career minor leaguers.

Highlight of Practice

5 Eagle fans decided to turn up at practice yesterday. Each had on a jersey and was immediately booed upon entering the seating area. 3 guys decided to do what is normal and they had on their respective McNabb, Dawkins and Westbrook jerseys. Of course, 2 of their friends had on personalized jerseys, which is a social sporting function faux pas. You do not do it and you definitely do not order a personalized jersey with the numbers 1 or 69 on it…ever. Neither guilty party had decided to roll with either the 1 or 69 but their offense was just as bad. It goes without saying all 5 guys caught heck…all practice…and, considering I was a mere few rows away, all 5 caught the attention of my Poke Posse. I am not sure those 5 guys had intended on having their tails chewed by sugary high kids all practice but that is what they got. Rowdy was relieved. The responsible thing to do would have been to call them off, as those 5 Eagle fans were outgunned, but…sometimes…you have to let kids be kids and I am a BIG believer of starting them young. Thus, my little guy now knows how to properly speak to and address an Eagle fan in the state of Texas. It was all in good fun.

What I Saw

Keep in mind I had a LARGE number of kids with me so I did my best to pay attention.

Overall, though, the practice tempo was down and that is not the anti-Cowboy in me talking. A few players had fires under their backsides but, as a team, the practice was or felt very sluggish with the exception of the OL vs. DL work. If what I saw was any indicator of the type and amount of emphasis that is being put into that part of the football team, expect the Pokes to stunt more this year and have an offensive line that is a little more aggressive and capable.

Expect to see a number of screens to both the backs and tight ends this year. There were plenty of reps running both types of plays and players 21 (Jones), 24 (Barber), 80 (Fasano) and 82 (Witten). Expect to see 21 and 24 in a split backfield on passing downs this coming year. 32 (Battle) looked decent when his chance came up.

21 is still not the answer at RB. He had a hard time getting inside and was outright stuffed on a few plays. Had it been a game the hypothetical hits would have registered in the ear-hole to “decleater” range. 24, though, looked decent. I never realized how soft his hands were. On two separate occasions 24 took the ball out of the closing hole and hit the backside, leaving a pair of defenders to trip on hash marks in each instance. 32 looked surprisingly efficient when he got some touches.

From what I witnessed 85 (Rector) had the best practice of any offensive player. It was clear he was out there trying to make the team and earn a roster spot. He looked great coming into and out of breaks and he made a few fancy grabs. He spent time rotating out with 17 (Hurd) in what looked to be the 4th receiving slots, which was both in 7 on 7 drills and passing tree work, and he worked in and out with 41 (Newman) at PR.

9 (Romo) looked great getting warm and working the passing tree. However, he looked very indecisive once 7 on 7 got started. The defense is still very far ahead of the offense this time of year but 9 had a hard time getting rid of the ball. Likewise, his arm strength is deceiving. It is much more impressive in person.

53 (Glymph) started opposite 94 (Ware) with the A defense. 53 can play football and, like 85, it was clear he was working to earn a job yesterday. By my count he had what would have been 2 tackles behind the LOS and a sack. That guy has some fire.

Speaking of 94, watch the (blank) out! Seriously, I would not want to be on the business end of one of his tackles.

93 (Spencer) and 97 (Hatcher) were solid. I noticed Spencer is starting to draw some hyperbole and I wanted to be careful with what I report. He had a good practice. It was not Canton worthy. It was, though, better than what you might expect from a rookie. He and Hatcher are each high motor, high energy, nasty disposition types and it was clear yesterday. Conversely, I would temper or recalibrate my IDP expectations, as a number of players got reps and were worked in and out.

There is a chance I make it back out to a few...some...all...of the practices at the back half of this week. I will, if time permits, come back with what I see.

Brewzers notation from the Statesman is true. I did notice Witten being given the ball in a variety of ways yesterday, which would be screens or looks D-O-W-N field. It appears the team is going to make an effort to make better use of his talents.

 

[Routilla]

"....it appears Jason Garrett will give Witten a deeper repertoire.." I also read this in the Austin paper this morning that Witten will get deeper patterns ala Antonio Gates & Jay Novacek. It even speculated that we might see him lineup as a wideout.

I'd like to see it in the red zone especially. Make a CB defend him or force a S/LB to help. Even if the play didn't go to him you would think it would make Romo's job easier by spreading out the DEF.

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

7/29

Cowboys Camp Report

While I have a minute, I wanted to thank everyone for their emails and messages the past few months. I had to take a break from all things football right around the time the NFL Draft wrapped up. The Shark Pool’s operating rhythm is equal parts “jacka**-edness,” testosterone weighted checks & balances and the fantasy football think tank. Buried deep below the infinite aliases; sophomoric slanted jokes and casual ego checking backhands, there are a number of good people making it all work. Well, if we consider the aforementioned aliases, it might only be a few guys but I digress. I just wanted to say thank you to those good people for their notes over the past few months and to any new members or readers…hang with the Shark Pool. The collective’s bark is far worse than its bite.

Prior to getting started just let me make it clear. I hate the Cowboys. Despite being a native Texan…if you all could be so lucky…I hate the silver, white, blue and star. Unless those colors are being worn by people in pads hailing from Ford Field I have no use for them. However, I did watch practice and will report with an objective eye. Conversely, after all of these years of hating the Pokes, I found something new to draw my wraith at yesterday’s practice. How have I missed this…him…it…all this time? Who and or what am I talking about? That would be Rowdy.

Rowdy might be…no, he is…the worst mascot in the NFL. He appears to be some demented Disney on acid caricature of the Cowboy from the Village People. Parcells was well within reason to ban Rowdy and his oversized chaps, guns, spurs and ridiculous; customized four-wheeler from practice two years ago. Even my entourage of 7-9 year olds, cotton candy and Coke consuming, native Texan, die-hard Cowboy fans agreed. Too a tiny man they felt Rowdy had to go. Is that not Rowdy’s target audience? Was the judgment of all those children in my charge temporarily impaired by gluttony and glucose? I think not. Those kids heckled Rowdy the entire practice and upon this moment of clarity I let them. All of them…decked out in Poke gear from head to toe…rode Rowdy with the expertise of career minor leaguers.

Highlight of Practice

5 Eagle fans decided to turn up at practice yesterday. Each had on a jersey and was immediately booed upon entering the seating area. 3 guys decided to do what is normal and they had on their respective McNabb, Dawkins and Westbrook jerseys. Of course, 2 of their friends had on personalized jerseys, which is a social sporting function faux pas. You do not do it and you definitely do not order a personalized jersey with the numbers 1 or 69 on it…ever. Neither guilty party had decided to roll with either the 1 or 69 but their offense was just as bad. It goes without saying all 5 guys caught heck…all practice…and, considering I was a mere few rows away, all 5 caught the attention of my Poke Posse. I am not sure those 5 guys had intended on having their tails chewed by sugary high kids all practice but that is what they got. Rowdy was relieved. The responsible thing to do would have been to call them off, as those 5 Eagle fans were outgunned, but…sometimes…you have to let kids be kids and I am a BIG believer of starting them young. Thus, my little guy now knows how to properly speak to and address an Eagle fan in the state of Texas. It was all in good fun.

What I Saw

Keep in mind I had a LARGE number of kids with me so I did my best to pay attention.

Overall, though, the practice tempo was down and that is not the anti-Cowboy in me talking. A few players had fires under their backsides but, as a team, the practice was or felt very sluggish with the exception of the OL vs. DL work. If what I saw was any indicator of the type and amount of emphasis that is being put into that part of the football team, expect the Pokes to stunt more this year and have an offensive line that is a little more aggressive and capable.

Expect to see a number of screens to both the backs and tight ends this year. There were plenty of reps running both types of plays and players 21 (Jones), 24 (Barber), 80 (Fasano) and 82 (Witten). Expect to see 21 and 24 in a split backfield on passing downs this coming year. 32 (Battle) looked decent when his chance came up.

21 is still not the answer at RB. He had a hard time getting inside and was outright stuffed on a few plays. Had it been a game the hypothetical hits would have registered in the ear-hole to “decleater” range. 24, though, looked decent. I never realized how soft his hands were. On two separate occasions 24 took the ball out of the closing hole and hit the backside, leaving a pair of defenders to trip on hash marks in each instance. 32 looked surprisingly efficient when he got some touches.

From what I witnessed 85 (Rector) had the best practice of any offensive player. It was clear he was out there trying to make the team and earn a roster spot. He looked great coming into and out of breaks and he made a few fancy grabs. He spent time rotating out with 17 (Hurd) in what looked to be the 4th receiving slots, which was both in 7 on 7 drills and passing tree work, and he worked in and out with 41 (Newman) at PR.

9 (Romo) looked great getting warm and working the passing tree. However, he looked very indecisive once 7 on 7 got started. The defense is still very far ahead of the offense this time of year but 9 had a hard time getting rid of the ball. Likewise, his arm strength is deceiving. It is much more impressive in person.

53 (Glymph) started opposite 94 (Ware) with the A defense. 53 can play football and, like 85, it was clear he was working to earn a job yesterday. By my count he had what would have been 2 tackles behind the LOS and a sack. That guy has some fire.

Speaking of 94, watch the (blank) out! Seriously, I would not want to be on the business end of one of his tackles.

93 (Spencer) and 97 (Hatcher) were solid. I noticed Spencer is starting to draw some hyperbole and I wanted to be careful with what I report. He had a good practice. It was not Canton worthy. It was, though, better than what you might expect from a rookie. He and Hatcher are each high motor, high energy, nasty disposition types and it was clear yesterday. Conversely, I would temper or recalibrate my IDP expectations, as a number of players got reps and were worked in and out.

There is a chance I make it back out to a few...some...all...of the practices at the back half of this week. I will, if time permits, come back with what I see.

Brewzers notation from the Statesman is true. I did notice Witten being given the ball in a variety of ways yesterday, which would be screens or looks D-O-W-N field. It appears the team is going to make an effort to make better use of his talents.

Good to have you back in the pool ..... Any chance you were wearing one of your many 'Horn jerseys?

 

[texasheat]

Just spent the last three days at Cow camp. The main thing the stuck out to me is how light these workouts seemed. Very little contact in the three days I was there. I guess that is a Wade Phillips deal...

It was very clear to me that Barber and Jones will be used in very similar capacity as last season. Barber was working with the first team during their goaline and 3rd down offensive drills while Jones worked with the first team on 1st and 2nd downs.

T.O. didn't practice Tuesday or Wednesday, unsure why.

I heard on the radio Glenn is set to undergo a scope on his knee and will be out a minimum of 2 weeks.

I was most impressed with the Cowboys talent and depth at WR. Sam Hurd, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin were all making plays repeatedly against the starters on the Cowboys D.

Look for rookie kicker Nick Folk to win that job as his kickoffs were higher and 8-10 yds deeper than Gramattica. I didnt see him miss a FG while I was there either.

That's all I can think of right now.

 

[Routilla]

Just spent the last three days at Cow camp. The main thing the stuck out to me is how light these workouts seemed. Very little contact in the three days I was there. I guess that is a Wade Phillips deal...It was very clear to me that Barber and Jones will be used in very similar capacity as last season. Barber was working with the first team during their goaline and 3rd down offensive drills while Jones worked with the first team on 1st and 2nd downs. T.O. didn't practice Tuesday or Wednesday, unsure why. I heard on the radio Glenn is set to undergo a scope on his knee and will be out a minimum of 2 weeks. I was most impressed with the Cowboys talent and depth at WR. Sam Hurd, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin were all making plays repeatedly against the starters on the Cowboys D. Look for rookie kicker Nick Folk to win that job as his kickoffs were higher and 8-10 yds deeper than Gramattica. I didnt see him miss a FG while I was there either. That's all I can think of right now.

 

[Rig24]

Look for rookie kicker Nick Folk to win that job as his kickoffs were higher and 8-10 yds deeper than Gramattica. I didnt see him miss a FG while I was there either.

Think it is a little early to call that one. Most likely the kicking job will be won in the pre season games, not camp (baring one player totally falling apart). From what I have seen reported Folk is 12 for 12 so far while Grammy is 10 of 12.

 

[Rig24]

Early WR depth:

Owens

Glenn

Crayton

Hurd

Austin

Rector

Stanback has still yet to practice. Lots of raves coming for Hurd.

 

[Bankerguy]

Early WR depth:OwensGlennCraytonHurdAustinRectorStanback has still yet to practice. Lots of raves coming for Hurd.

Bang on....

 

[RebelINS]

Thanks for all the updates guys. I enjoy hearing everything Cowboy related.

 

[texasheat]

Look for rookie kicker Nick Folk to win that job as his kickoffs were higher and 8-10 yds deeper than Gramattica. I didnt see him miss a FG while I was there either.

Think it is a little early to call that one. Most likely the kicking job will be won in the pre season games, not camp (baring one player totally falling apart). From what I have seen reported Folk is 12 for 12 so far while Grammy is 10 of 12.

I wasn't saying it was a done deal... I was giving my opinion based on my three days of observation. Obviously if Folk is a choke artist in the pre-season games, things would change.

 

[BigTex]

It's the usual routine -- follow the jump, repeat and refresh.2:36 -- The Inspiring Body of Christ guys are still belting out songs and chants. They were hollering, "WAAAAADE!!!" and got a wave from the head coach.2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.2:40 -- Just wondering if Bill Parcells ever saw the light.2:44 -- Offense is working hurry-up stuff. They're going against air, so there wasn't much of a celebration when the starters scored. Just getting used to the QBs running the show on the go.2:47 -- Proud papa Kyle Kosier is back at left guard. ... Greg Ellis, Alonzo Coleman and Isaiah Stanback are working out on the side again. ... IBOC folks are chanting, "Start thinking Super Bowl!!"2:50 -- Tyson Thompson and Miles Austin could definitely both make the team. In fact, if the cuts happened today, I bet both would. ... Will keep an eye on T.O. and Aaron Glenn this afternoon. They're not going full speed now, so can't really say how they look. ... I predict 15 TDs for T.O., but I could be talked into 16. ... Defense usually looks better than offense early in camp, but don't think that's been the case here. ... I'm ignoring the question from the Quincy Carter impersonator. ... Matt Moore's decision making must have been pretty good when he went 182 passes without a pick as an Oregon State senior. We won't really know how that translates to the NFL until we see a couple preseason games.2:59 -- Breaking news!!! Damarius Bilbo has been moved from safety to receiver. For the vast majority of you not familiar with Bilbo, he's a former Georgia Tech QB. His biggest contribution as a Cowboy so far is serving as the scout-team QB the week they played Mike Vick.3:05 -- Still doing position drills, so I'll answer more questions. ... Glenn Carano is no longer a Cowboy, but his daughter is apparently one of the toughest Ultimate Fighting League ladies. I'm not making that up. ... I just can't see the Cowboys cutting a fourth-round pick two straight years, especially since they drafted Isaiah Stanback as a project and knew his injury situation at the time. Think Jamaica Rector would have a better shot than Jamel Richardson, but Rector has been sitting out with a sore knee this week. ... Count on Ken Hamlin being an upgrade over the Pat Watkins/Keith Davis combo, but it's way too early to say whether he's the long-term solution. The Cowboys obviously weren't sure, or they would have signed him to a deal longer than one season. He'll have to prove that during the season, not the first week of camp. ... Marcus Spears has been active the last few days, but I was more impressed with Jason Hatcher before his controversial hamstring injury. Chris Canty has been a consistent beast. ... Jason Garrett is a pretty hands-on guy, especially with his positions of expertise (QB/WR/TE). Wade Phillips' involvement with the offense consists of general direction stuff, such as saying we want to control the clock this week or so-and-so needs to get the ball more often. Garrett's running the offense with a lot of help from veteran assistants like Tony Sparano and Ray Sherman, who both have play-calling experience.3:13 -- Team drills started. Roy Williams avoided a block by Bigg Davis and met Marion Barber about three yards from the line of scrimmage on a counter play. ... Williams made another nice play on the second snap. They tried an end-around to T.O., but Williams wasn't fooled and would have made the tackle at the line.3:16 -- Bobby Carpenter put the refs to work, jumping offsides on a blitz up the middle.3:17 -- Working on third-and-1 stuff now at what Wade Phillips calls "teaching speed," which is about three-quarters speed with no tackling.3:19 -- Ken "The Hammer" Hamlin might have missed the memo about no tackling. He put a pretty good shot on TE Andy Thorn to send him flying out of bounds. ... Hamlin flew into the backfield on the next play to blow up a sweep to Marion Barber. He didn't lay out Barber.3:21 -- I've been asked a lot about how big a role Anthony Fasano will have. It will be significant. They're working on two-tight end stuff now, and they put him in the slot on the last snap. They also want to see how well he handles fullback/H-back duty. If he does well, they might only keep one true fullback.3:26 -- Working on punt coverage now. Aaron Glenn looks a little rusty, muffingg a punt. Terence Newman is also back there, but he's chatting with a couple refs. Remind me to tell you about Newman's role in the NFL rules video later. ... About to look at some questions.3:28 -- Bigg Davis, who probably has the lowest body fat percentage of any Cowboy OL, is extremely explosive for a giant. His quickness out of his stance allows him to get to LBs on running plays. His lateral quickness ain't so hot, and that gets him in trouble as a pass blocker. ... Nose tackle is your biggest concern as far as depth goes. Think the O-line is fine, because Pat McQuistan and Cory Procter can play multiple positions. CB depth is OK, depending on what you think of Lancaster's Jacques Reeves. ... Roy Williams is essentially playing linebacker in their dime package. He'll be in the box more than recent season in other situations, but it's not like they can cheat him up every play. ... Looks like we've got 7-on-7 and pass-rush drills coming up ... Will try to get to more questions later.3:33 -- Working on two-TE stuff in 7-on-7. After a lot of shifting, Anthony Fasano split wide left and Jason Witten lined up at the regular right TE spot. T.O. was wide right with Patrick Crayton in the right slot. ... All that moving around, and they ran a 6-yard hook to T.O.3:35 -- 7-on-7 is working in the red zone. Romo just hit Jason Witten on a hook route to the 1, eerily similar to the one right before the Seattle Slip. ... I've been bragging on Anthony Fasano, but a TD pass clanked off his hands a second ago. ... Proud papa Kyle Kosier muttered to himself after Chris Canty blew by him. Marcus Spears did the same thing to Bigg Davis moments earlier.3:37 -- I'm guessing No. 62 is training camp newcomer Pete Lougheed. Not impressed with his work against Stephen Bowen. ... Anthony Henry broke up a fade route to undrafted rookie Mike Jefferson, who had a great practice yesterday. ... Undrafted rookie Jerard Rabb caught one on Terence Newman the next play. Matt Moore threw a nice pass -- hard and high to his back shoulder.3:40 -- Looked like a little miscommunication between Tony Romo and Patrick Crayton when Romo tried to hit him between a few defenders in the end zone. Looked to me like Jason Witten was open on the play, which I'm sure Witten will tell his pal. ... Romo hit Witten on a quick hook for a TD the next play.3:42 -- Big boys are doing stunt drills now. Undrafted rookie Marcus Smith slipped under Bigg Davis on an inside stunt when Marcus Spears looped around. ... Kyle Kosier did a nice job picking up Chris Canty on a similar stunt.3:44 -- False start, Bigg Davis. Refs were on the other end of the field, but you didn't need stripes on your shirt to see that one. ... Horn blew, so those drills are over.3:49 -- More fun special teams work, so I'll answer some questions. ... Kevin Burnett is not practicing. ... Not sure if Bilbo has spent any time at WR here or not. Judging by the fact that he was left out of the media guide, I don't like his chances to make the team at any position. ... Don't think Anthony Fasano will catch much more than the 14 passes he snagged last season. He's just too far down on the pecking order of Tony Romo's receivers to get many more chances. ... I'm not aware of Greg Ellis pantsing Jerry, but it'd be about as successful as the other negotiating tactics Ellis has tried. ... I've uppped the over-under on DeMarcus Ware's sack total from 13.5 to 14.5.3:54 -- Patrick Crayton has joined the punt returners. If I had to guess, he'll end up splitting those duties with Terence Newman, who is faster than T.O. and would whup him in a fight. ... 11-on-11 stuff about to start.3:56 -- Tony Romo hit Patrick Crayton on an 18-yard out to the 7, but he probably would have been sacked. DeMarcus Ware and Chris Canty were in his face.3:58 -- They tried bringing Terence Newman on a blitz, but Flozell Adams didn't let the little fella slip past him.3:59 -- Tony Romo hit Jason Witten for a TD on a third-and-goal out route. I saw Witten push off on Terence Newman, but the ref standing right there missed it.4:03 -- Ken Hamlin denied Witten another TD. Witten caught a pass from Brad Johnson at the 1, but Hamlin hit him before he could turn upfield.4:06 -- T.O. hasn't done a whole lot of note this practice. Watched him on the last couple plays, and he looks slow out of his breaks. That's to be expected of a guy that's been out with a sore hammy.4:08 -- Andy Thorn is no Jason Witten, that's for sure. Thorn dropped a would-be TD pass from Tony Romo that hit him between the numbers.4:11 -- Matt Moore, who is getting more reps than Richard Bartel again, hit Jerheme Urban on a short crossing route for a TD. Akin Ayodele got beat on the play.4:12 -- Nice touch by Moore on a 1-yard TD pass to TE Adam Bergen. It was a bootleg left, and Moore lofted the ball high and away from CB Anthony Henry.4:15 -- Starting O starts a two-minute drill at the minus-40. ... Romo looks sharp, hitting T.O. on a quick hook and Jason Witten on a curl, then Witten on a seam route.4:17 -- Crowd is fired up after Joey Thomas made a nice break to break up a curl to T.O. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is pretty excited, too, pumping his fist and hollering at Thomas.4:18 -- Romo extends the drive with a fourth-down hook to Patrick Crayton. ... Incomplete to T.O. on first down from 12. Ball went off his hands, but it was a tough catch on a ball behind him.4:20 -- Scattered boos to T.O. after a ball goes through his hands. Romo tried the Marinoesque fake-spike, quick throw. Looked like T.O. went for the fake.4:22 -- Doug Free is having all kinds of trouble with DeMarcus Ware. ... Funny moment: Brad Johnson gets Chris Canty and Anthony Spencer to jump with a hard count, pulls a penalty flag out of his britches and fires it way up into the air. His arm might be stronger than I thought.4:25 -- Aaron Glenn almost had a pick when Johnson tried to force an out route to Miles Austin. The ball went off Glenn's chest. ... Glenn, by the way, is lined up at right CB in the dime package. They put Terence Newman in the slot.4:27 -- Let's see if the first-string Dime D can get a stop against the backup O. Second-and-10 from the 12 after an Anthony Spencer hurry. ... So much for that. Johnson hit Jamel Richardson on a slant for a TD. Anthony Spencer and Ken Hamlin (kinda) had the coverage.4:28 -- Grapevine's Richard Bartel is getting a shot now. Almost threw a pick after scrambling on third down.4:30 -- Bartel extended the drive with a fourth-down scramble. He had his next pass batted down by rookie DE Marcus Smith.4:32 -- That didn't go so well for the Grapevine guy. Bartel threw up a prayer that was picked off by Courtney Brown in the end zone. ... Practice is ending, so gotta go. ... Sorry I didn't get to many questions. Feel free to answer each other. ... Back with much, much more after another exciting Wade Phillips press conference.Tim MacMahon

 

[Routilla]

It's the usual routine -- follow the jump, repeat and refresh.2:36 -- The Inspiring Body of Christ guys are still belting out songs and chants. They were hollering, "WAAAAADE!!!" and got a wave from the head coach.2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.2:40 -- Just wondering if Bill Parcells ever saw the light.2:44 -- Offense is working hurry-up stuff. They're going against air, so there wasn't much of a celebration when the starters scored. Just getting used to the QBs running the show on the go.2:47 -- Proud papa Kyle Kosier is back at left guard. ... Greg Ellis, Alonzo Coleman and Isaiah Stanback are working out on the side again. ... IBOC folks are chanting, "Start thinking Super Bowl!!"2:50 -- Tyson Thompson and Miles Austin could definitely both make the team. In fact, if the cuts happened today, I bet both would. ... Will keep an eye on T.O. and Aaron Glenn this afternoon. They're not going full speed now, so can't really say how they look. ... I predict 15 TDs for T.O., but I could be talked into 16. ... Defense usually looks better than offense early in camp, but don't think that's been the case here. ... I'm ignoring the question from the Quincy Carter impersonator. ... Matt Moore's decision making must have been pretty good when he went 182 passes without a pick as an Oregon State senior. We won't really know how that translates to the NFL until we see a couple preseason games.2:59 -- Breaking news!!! Damarius Bilbo has been moved from safety to receiver. For the vast majority of you not familiar with Bilbo, he's a former Georgia Tech QB. His biggest contribution as a Cowboy so far is serving as the scout-team QB the week they played Mike Vick.3:05 -- Still doing position drills, so I'll answer more questions. ... Glenn Carano is no longer a Cowboy, but his daughter is apparently one of the toughest Ultimate Fighting League ladies. I'm not making that up. ... I just can't see the Cowboys cutting a fourth-round pick two straight years, especially since they drafted Isaiah Stanback as a project and knew his injury situation at the time. Think Jamaica Rector would have a better shot than Jamel Richardson, but Rector has been sitting out with a sore knee this week. ... Count on Ken Hamlin being an upgrade over the Pat Watkins/Keith Davis combo, but it's way too early to say whether he's the long-term solution. The Cowboys obviously weren't sure, or they would have signed him to a deal longer than one season. He'll have to prove that during the season, not the first week of camp. ... Marcus Spears has been active the last few days, but I was more impressed with Jason Hatcher before his controversial hamstring injury. Chris Canty has been a consistent beast. ... Jason Garrett is a pretty hands-on guy, especially with his positions of expertise (QB/WR/TE). Wade Phillips' involvement with the offense consists of general direction stuff, such as saying we want to control the clock this week or so-and-so needs to get the ball more often. Garrett's running the offense with a lot of help from veteran assistants like Tony Sparano and Ray Sherman, who both have play-calling experience.3:13 -- Team drills started. Roy Williams avoided a block by Bigg Davis and met Marion Barber about three yards from the line of scrimmage on a counter play. ... Williams made another nice play on the second snap. They tried an end-around to T.O., but Williams wasn't fooled and would have made the tackle at the line.3:16 -- Bobby Carpenter put the refs to work, jumping offsides on a blitz up the middle.3:17 -- Working on third-and-1 stuff now at what Wade Phillips calls "teaching speed," which is about three-quarters speed with no tackling.3:19 -- Ken "The Hammer" Hamlin might have missed the memo about no tackling. He put a pretty good shot on TE Andy Thorn to send him flying out of bounds. ... Hamlin flew into the backfield on the next play to blow up a sweep to Marion Barber. He didn't lay out Barber.3:21 -- I've been asked a lot about how big a role Anthony Fasano will have. It will be significant. They're working on two-tight end stuff now, and they put him in the slot on the last snap. They also want to see how well he handles fullback/H-back duty. If he does well, they might only keep one true fullback.3:26 -- Working on punt coverage now. Aaron Glenn looks a little rusty, muffingg a punt. Terence Newman is also back there, but he's chatting with a couple refs. Remind me to tell you about Newman's role in the NFL rules video later. ... About to look at some questions.3:28 -- Bigg Davis, who probably has the lowest body fat percentage of any Cowboy OL, is extremely explosive for a giant. His quickness out of his stance allows him to get to LBs on running plays. His lateral quickness ain't so hot, and that gets him in trouble as a pass blocker. ... Nose tackle is your biggest concern as far as depth goes. Think the O-line is fine, because Pat McQuistan and Cory Procter can play multiple positions. CB depth is OK, depending on what you think of Lancaster's Jacques Reeves. ... Roy Williams is essentially playing linebacker in their dime package. He'll be in the box more than recent season in other situations, but it's not like they can cheat him up every play. ... Looks like we've got 7-on-7 and pass-rush drills coming up ... Will try to get to more questions later.3:33 -- Working on two-TE stuff in 7-on-7. After a lot of shifting, Anthony Fasano split wide left and Jason Witten lined up at the regular right TE spot. T.O. was wide right with Patrick Crayton in the right slot. ... All that moving around, and they ran a 6-yard hook to T.O.3:35 -- 7-on-7 is working in the red zone. Romo just hit Jason Witten on a hook route to the 1, eerily similar to the one right before the Seattle Slip. ... I've been bragging on Anthony Fasano, but a TD pass clanked off his hands a second ago. ... Proud papa Kyle Kosier muttered to himself after Chris Canty blew by him. Marcus Spears did the same thing to Bigg Davis moments earlier.3:37 -- I'm guessing No. 62 is training camp newcomer Pete Lougheed. Not impressed with his work against Stephen Bowen. ... Anthony Henry broke up a fade route to undrafted rookie Mike Jefferson, who had a great practice yesterday. ... Undrafted rookie Jerard Rabb caught one on Terence Newman the next play. Matt Moore threw a nice pass -- hard and high to his back shoulder.3:40 -- Looked like a little miscommunication between Tony Romo and Patrick Crayton when Romo tried to hit him between a few defenders in the end zone. Looked to me like Jason Witten was open on the play, which I'm sure Witten will tell his pal. ... Romo hit Witten on a quick hook for a TD the next play.3:42 -- Big boys are doing stunt drills now. Undrafted rookie Marcus Smith slipped under Bigg Davis on an inside stunt when Marcus Spears looped around. ... Kyle Kosier did a nice job picking up Chris Canty on a similar stunt.3:44 -- False start, Bigg Davis. Refs were on the other end of the field, but you didn't need stripes on your shirt to see that one. ... Horn blew, so those drills are over.3:49 -- More fun special teams work, so I'll answer some questions. ... Kevin Burnett is not practicing. ... Not sure if Bilbo has spent any time at WR here or not. Judging by the fact that he was left out of the media guide, I don't like his chances to make the team at any position. ... Don't think Anthony Fasano will catch much more than the 14 passes he snagged last season. He's just too far down on the pecking order of Tony Romo's receivers to get many more chances. ... I'm not aware of Greg Ellis pantsing Jerry, but it'd be about as successful as the other negotiating tactics Ellis has tried. ... I've uppped the over-under on DeMarcus Ware's sack total from 13.5 to 14.5.3:54 -- Patrick Crayton has joined the punt returners. If I had to guess, he'll end up splitting those duties with Terence Newman, who is faster than T.O. and would whup him in a fight. ... 11-on-11 stuff about to start.3:56 -- Tony Romo hit Patrick Crayton on an 18-yard out to the 7, but he probably would have been sacked. DeMarcus Ware and Chris Canty were in his face.3:58 -- They tried bringing Terence Newman on a blitz, but Flozell Adams didn't let the little fella slip past him.3:59 -- Tony Romo hit Jason Witten for a TD on a third-and-goal out route. I saw Witten push off on Terence Newman, but the ref standing right there missed it.4:03 -- Ken Hamlin denied Witten another TD. Witten caught a pass from Brad Johnson at the 1, but Hamlin hit him before he could turn upfield.4:06 -- T.O. hasn't done a whole lot of note this practice. Watched him on the last couple plays, and he looks slow out of his breaks. That's to be expected of a guy that's been out with a sore hammy.4:08 -- Andy Thorn is no Jason Witten, that's for sure. Thorn dropped a would-be TD pass from Tony Romo that hit him between the numbers.4:11 -- Matt Moore, who is getting more reps than Richard Bartel again, hit Jerheme Urban on a short crossing route for a TD. Akin Ayodele got beat on the play.4:12 -- Nice touch by Moore on a 1-yard TD pass to TE Adam Bergen. It was a bootleg left, and Moore lofted the ball high and away from CB Anthony Henry.4:15 -- Starting O starts a two-minute drill at the minus-40. ... Romo looks sharp, hitting T.O. on a quick hook and Jason Witten on a curl, then Witten on a seam route.4:17 -- Crowd is fired up after Joey Thomas made a nice break to break up a curl to T.O. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is pretty excited, too, pumping his fist and hollering at Thomas.4:18 -- Romo extends the drive with a fourth-down hook to Patrick Crayton. ... Incomplete to T.O. on first down from 12. Ball went off his hands, but it was a tough catch on a ball behind him.4:20 -- Scattered boos to T.O. after a ball goes through his hands. Romo tried the Marinoesque fake-spike, quick throw. Looked like T.O. went for the fake.4:22 -- Doug Free is having all kinds of trouble with DeMarcus Ware. ... Funny moment: Brad Johnson gets Chris Canty and Anthony Spencer to jump with a hard count, pulls a penalty flag out of his britches and fires it way up into the air. His arm might be stronger than I thought.4:25 -- Aaron Glenn almost had a pick when Johnson tried to force an out route to Miles Austin. The ball went off Glenn's chest. ... Glenn, by the way, is lined up at right CB in the dime package. They put Terence Newman in the slot.4:27 -- Let's see if the first-string Dime D can get a stop against the backup O. Second-and-10 from the 12 after an Anthony Spencer hurry. ... So much for that. Johnson hit Jamel Richardson on a slant for a TD. Anthony Spencer and Ken Hamlin (kinda) had the coverage.4:28 -- Grapevine's Richard Bartel is getting a shot now. Almost threw a pick after scrambling on third down.4:30 -- Bartel extended the drive with a fourth-down scramble. He had his next pass batted down by rookie DE Marcus Smith.4:32 -- That didn't go so well for the Grapevine guy. Bartel threw up a prayer that was picked off by Courtney Brown in the end zone. ... Practice is ending, so gotta go. ... Sorry I didn't get to many questions. Feel free to answer each other. ... Back with much, much more after another exciting Wade Phillips press conference.Tim MacMahon

That's beautiful man, thanks!

 

[Tyrion]

It's the usual routine -- follow the jump, repeat and refresh.

2:36 -- The Inspiring Body of Christ guys are still belting out songs and chants. They were hollering, "WAAAAADE!!!" and got a wave from the head coach.

2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.

2:38 -- Wade Phillips is having fun. He just jogged over to the IBOC folks, pointed to the roof and yelled, "I saw the light!" They granted the request and belted out the catchy church song.

2:40 -- Just wondering if Bill Parcells ever saw the light.

2:44 -- Offense is working hurry-up stuff. They're going against air, so there wasn't much of a celebration when the starters scored. Just getting used to the QBs running the show on the go.

2:47 -- Proud papa Kyle Kosier is back at left guard. ... Greg Ellis, Alonzo Coleman and Isaiah Stanback are working out on the side again. ... IBOC folks are chanting, "Start thinking Super Bowl!!"

2:50 -- Tyson Thompson and Miles Austin could definitely both make the team. In fact, if the cuts happened today, I bet both would. ... Will keep an eye on T.O. and Aaron Glenn this afternoon. They're not going full speed now, so can't really say how they look. ... I predict 15 TDs for T.O., but I could be talked into 16. ... Defense usually looks better than offense early in camp, but don't think that's been the case here. ... I'm ignoring the question from the Quincy Carter impersonator. ... Matt Moore's decision making must have been pretty good when he went 182 passes without a pick as an Oregon State senior. We won't really know how that translates to the NFL until we see a couple preseason games.

2:59 -- Breaking news!!! Damarius Bilbo has been moved from safety to receiver. For the vast majority of you not familiar with Bilbo, he's a former Georgia Tech QB. His biggest contribution as a Cowboy so far is serving as the scout-team QB the week they played Mike Vick.

3:05 -- Still doing position drills, so I'll answer more questions. ... Glenn Carano is no longer a Cowboy, but his daughter is apparently one of the toughest Ultimate Fighting League ladies. I'm not making that up. ... I just can't see the Cowboys cutting a fourth-round pick two straight years, especially since they drafted Isaiah Stanback as a project and knew his injury situation at the time. Think Jamaica Rector would have a better shot than Jamel Richardson, but Rector has been sitting out with a sore knee this week. ... Count on Ken Hamlin being an upgrade over the Pat Watkins/Keith Davis combo, but it's way too early to say whether he's the long-term solution. The Cowboys obviously weren't sure, or they would have signed him to a deal longer than one season. He'll have to prove that during the season, not the first week of camp. ... Marcus Spears has been active the last few days, but I was more impressed with Jason Hatcher before his controversial hamstring injury. Chris Canty has been a consistent beast. ... Jason Garrett is a pretty hands-on guy, especially with his positions of expertise (QB/WR/TE). Wade Phillips' involvement with the offense consists of general direction stuff, such as saying we want to control the clock this week or so-and-so needs to get the ball more often. Garrett's running the offense with a lot of help from veteran assistants like Tony Sparano and Ray Sherman, who both have play-calling experience.

3:13 -- Team drills started. Roy Williams avoided a block by Bigg Davis and met Marion Barber about three yards from the line of scrimmage on a counter play. ... Williams made another nice play on the second snap. They tried an end-around to T.O., but Williams wasn't fooled and would have made the tackle at the line.

3:16 -- Bobby Carpenter put the refs to work, jumping offsides on a blitz up the middle.

3:17 -- Working on third-and-1 stuff now at what Wade Phillips calls "teaching speed," which is about three-quarters speed with no tackling.

3:19 -- Ken "The Hammer" Hamlin might have missed the memo about no tackling. He put a pretty good shot on TE Andy Thorn to send him flying out of bounds. ... Hamlin flew into the backfield on the next play to blow up a sweep to Marion Barber. He didn't lay out Barber.

3:21 -- I've been asked a lot about how big a role Anthony Fasano will have. It will be significant. They're working on two-tight end stuff now, and they put him in the slot on the last snap. They also want to see how well he handles fullback/H-back duty. If he does well, they might only keep one true fullback.

3:26 -- Working on punt coverage now. Aaron Glenn looks a little rusty, muffingg a punt. Terence Newman is also back there, but he's chatting with a couple refs. Remind me to tell you about Newman's role in the NFL rules video later. ... About to look at some questions.

3:28 -- Bigg Davis, who probably has the lowest body fat percentage of any Cowboy OL, is extremely explosive for a giant. His quickness out of his stance allows him to get to LBs on running plays. His lateral quickness ain't so hot, and that gets him in trouble as a pass blocker. ... Nose tackle is your biggest concern as far as depth goes. Think the O-line is fine, because Pat McQuistan and Cory Procter can play multiple positions. CB depth is OK, depending on what you think of Lancaster's Jacques Reeves. ... Roy Williams is essentially playing linebacker in their dime package. He'll be in the box more than recent season in other situations, but it's not like they can cheat him up every play. ... Looks like we've got 7-on-7 and pass-rush drills coming up ... Will try to get to more questions later.

3:33 -- Working on two-TE stuff in 7-on-7. After a lot of shifting, Anthony Fasano split wide left and Jason Witten lined up at the regular right TE spot. T.O. was wide right with Patrick Crayton in the right slot. ... All that moving around, and they ran a 6-yard hook to T.O.

3:35 -- 7-on-7 is working in the red zone. Romo just hit Jason Witten on a hook route to the 1, eerily similar to the one right before the Seattle Slip. ... I've been bragging on Anthony Fasano, but a TD pass clanked off his hands a second ago. ... Proud papa Kyle Kosier muttered to himself after Chris Canty blew by him. Marcus Spears did the same thing to Bigg Davis moments earlier.

3:37 -- I'm guessing No. 62 is training camp newcomer Pete Lougheed. Not impressed with his work against Stephen Bowen. ... Anthony Henry broke up a fade route to undrafted rookie Mike Jefferson, who had a great practice yesterday. ... Undrafted rookie Jerard Rabb caught one on Terence Newman the next play. Matt Moore threw a nice pass -- hard and high to his back shoulder.

3:40 -- Looked like a little miscommunication between Tony Romo and Patrick Crayton when Romo tried to hit him between a few defenders in the end zone. Looked to me like Jason Witten was open on the play, which I'm sure Witten will tell his pal. ... Romo hit Witten on a quick hook for a TD the next play.

3:42 -- Big boys are doing stunt drills now. Undrafted rookie Marcus Smith slipped under Bigg Davis on an inside stunt when Marcus Spears looped around. ... Kyle Kosier did a nice job picking up Chris Canty on a similar stunt.

3:44 -- False start, Bigg Davis. Refs were on the other end of the field, but you didn't need stripes on your shirt to see that one. ... Horn blew, so those drills are over.

3:49 -- More fun special teams work, so I'll answer some questions. ... Kevin Burnett is not practicing. ... Not sure if Bilbo has spent any time at WR here or not. Judging by the fact that he was left out of the media guide, I don't like his chances to make the team at any position. ... Don't think Anthony Fasano will catch much more than the 14 passes he snagged last season. He's just too far down on the pecking order of Tony Romo's receivers to get many more chances. ... I'm not aware of Greg Ellis pantsing Jerry, but it'd be about as successful as the other negotiating tactics Ellis has tried. ... I've uppped the over-under on DeMarcus Ware's sack total from 13.5 to 14.5.

3:54 -- Patrick Crayton has joined the punt returners. If I had to guess, he'll end up splitting those duties with Terence Newman, who is faster than T.O. and would whup him in a fight. ... 11-on-11 stuff about to start.

3:56 -- Tony Romo hit Patrick Crayton on an 18-yard out to the 7, but he probably would have been sacked. DeMarcus Ware and Chris Canty were in his face.

3:58 -- They tried bringing Terence Newman on a blitz, but Flozell Adams didn't let the little fella slip past him.

3:59 -- Tony Romo hit Jason Witten for a TD on a third-and-goal out route. I saw Witten push off on Terence Newman, but the ref standing right there missed it.

4:03 -- Ken Hamlin denied Witten another TD. Witten caught a pass from Brad Johnson at the 1, but Hamlin hit him before he could turn upfield.

4:06 -- T.O. hasn't done a whole lot of note this practice. Watched him on the last couple plays, and he looks slow out of his breaks. That's to be expected of a guy that's been out with a sore hammy.

4:08 -- Andy Thorn is no Jason Witten, that's for sure. Thorn dropped a would-be TD pass from Tony Romo that hit him between the numbers.

4:11 -- Matt Moore, who is getting more reps than Richard Bartel again, hit Jerheme Urban on a short crossing route for a TD. Akin Ayodele got beat on the play.

4:12 -- Nice touch by Moore on a 1-yard TD pass to TE Adam Bergen. It was a bootleg left, and Moore lofted the ball high and away from CB Anthony Henry.

4:15 -- Starting O starts a two-minute drill at the minus-40. ... Romo looks sharp, hitting T.O. on a quick hook and Jason Witten on a curl, then Witten on a seam route.

4:17 -- Crowd is fired up after Joey Thomas made a nice break to break up a curl to T.O. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is pretty excited, too, pumping his fist and hollering at Thomas.

4:18 -- Romo extends the drive with a fourth-down hook to Patrick Crayton. ... Incomplete to T.O. on first down from 12. Ball went off his hands, but it was a tough catch on a ball behind him.

4:20 -- Scattered boos to T.O. after a ball goes through his hands. Romo tried the Marinoesque fake-spike, quick throw. Looked like T.O. went for the fake.

4:22 -- Doug Free is having all kinds of trouble with DeMarcus Ware. ... Funny moment: Brad Johnson gets Chris Canty and Anthony Spencer to jump with a hard count, pulls a penalty flag out of his britches and fires it way up into the air. His arm might be stronger than I thought.

4:25 -- Aaron Glenn almost had a pick when Johnson tried to force an out route to Miles Austin. The ball went off Glenn's chest. ... Glenn, by the way, is lined up at right CB in the dime package. They put Terence Newman in the slot.

4:27 -- Let's see if the first-string Dime D can get a stop against the backup O. Second-and-10 from the 12 after an Anthony Spencer hurry. ... So much for that. Johnson hit Jamel Richardson on a slant for a TD. Anthony Spencer and Ken Hamlin (kinda) had the coverage.

4:28 -- Grapevine's Richard Bartel is getting a shot now. Almost threw a pick after scrambling on third down.

4:30 -- Bartel extended the drive with a fourth-down scramble. He had his next pass batted down by rookie DE Marcus Smith.

4:32 -- That didn't go so well for the Grapevine guy. Bartel threw up a prayer that was picked off by Courtney Brown in the end zone. ... Practice is ending, so gotta go. ... Sorry I didn't get to many questions. Feel free to answer each other. ... Back with much, much more after another exciting Wade Phillips press conference.

Tim MacMahon

That's beautiful man, thanks!

Yeah Tim MacMahon does a great job with the Cowboys blog for the Dallas Morning News. He does one of these on his blog for every practice. You just keep refreshing and he answers questions during the special team drills.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/

 

[Bears_Man2]

Yeah Tim MacMahon does a great job with the Cowboys blog for the Dallas Morning News. He does one of these on his blog for every practice. You just keep refreshing and he answers questions during the special team drills.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/

Enjoy reading it everyday.

 

[BigTex]

Pro football: Cowboys Camp ReportWeb Posted: 08/07/2007 10:17 PM CDTSan Antonio Express-News Notebook Owens shakes pain, expected to play Terrell Owens returned to practice Tuesday free of back pain. The 33-year-old receiver missed practice Sunday and Monday with spasms in his lower back. He's expected to play in the preseason opener against Indianapolis on Thursday in Irving. "There's no reason for me not to," Owens said. "It's going to be Coach's decision. We'll be smart with it." Owens said the spasms were the first of his career. "It kind of just tightened up on me, so I just had to shut it down," Owens said. "I can't really pinpoint the cause, but I felt good today. I was able to run around at full speed." Heating up: With the Cowboys scheduled to break camp this afternoon and return to Irving, team trainers are encouraging the players to drink more water in preparation for working outdoors again. "The weather is going to be an issue," Owens said. "It would have been great to have gotten outside to experience some of the humidity we're going to face Thursday, but that's why we have coaches. We're going to start hydrating and try to adapt to the weather come Thursday." Special visitors: Coach Wade Phillips was thrilled to see legendary Texas and Houston Oilers running back Earl Campbell at practice. Phillips was an assistant coach with the Oilers during the late 1970s when Campbell was one of the NFL's top backs. "My little brother was here," Phillips said. "He always calls himself my little brother, although he was pretty big. We got to reminisce a little bit. It was great to see him. He's a special guy in my life." Mayor Phil Hardberger, who teamed with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to orchestrate the team's return to San Antonio for training camp, also took in the workout. Quick hits: Safety Ken Hamlin missed practice with a head injury. Phillips said Pat Watkins will start Thursday if Hamlin can't play ... Phillips said tackles Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo, both of whom had offseason knee surgery, will sit out Thursday's game. – Tom Orsborn Observation deck • Working as the backup punter, Cowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton threw passes Tuesday that simulated punts. He threw one pass, flatfooted, more than 60 yards. • Linebacker Bobby Carpenter and cornerback Courtney Brown intercepted Richard Bartel on consecutive plays. Brown also intercepted Brad Johnson. • Former safety Damarius Bilbo made yet another impressive grab as a receiver, this time plucking the ball out of the air on a deep pass down the right sideline. – Chad Peters Camp report TUESDAY'S ATTENDANCE One session: 6,417 Camp total: 147,054 INJURY REPORT CB Alan Ball (knee, day-to-day); CB Quincy Butler (hamstring; day-to-day); RB Alonzo Coleman (ankle sprain, day-to-day); LB Greg Ellis (bursitis, day-to-day); G Steve Franklin (calf, out indefinitely); WR Terry Glenn (knee, out two weeks); FS Ken Hamlin (head, day-to-day); DE Jason Hatcher (hamstring, out several more days); WR Jamaica Rector (knee, day-to-day); WR Isaiah Stanback (foot, day-to-day). PRESEASON OPENER Thursday vs. Colts, 7 p.m. (FOX)REGULAR-SEASON OPENER Sunday, Sept. 9, vs. Giants, 7:15 p.m. (NBC) Stock chart Buy: Linebacker Greg Ellis not returning to full form this season. Ellis said Tuesday he has "up and down days" concerning his repaired Achilles' and that he doesn't know when he will return to practice. Ellis likely will get back on the field at some point early this season, if not in time for the regular-season opener. But it could take a while for his production to reach the level he's shown in the past. Sell: The Cowboys winning with quarterback Brad Johnson. Though Johnson provides the team a heady backup, his performance at camp didn't inspire much confidence in his ability to carry the team for an extended period of time. Johnson, who has the weakest arm of the four quarterbacks on the roster, rarely attacked deep. And when he did, his passes often fluttered and failed to reach their intended target.– Chad Peters Romo Radar After a light practice Tuesday, Tony Romo and the other quarterbacks headed to the far corner of the field for a little target practice. The passers took turns trying to hit the dot of an "i" in the word Tostitos" on a large inflated promotional sign.– Chad Peters You don't say “When I'm on I-35 North, I'm going to be excited. I told (Tony) Romo, our car is going to be sitting here in the tunnel waiting for us. I'm going to ask one of the equipment managers to make sure they'll have it started up for us so we can leave right away.” —Tight end Jason Witten on his eagerness to break camp today and get back to Dallas – Tom Orsborn

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

hoping to make it to Valley Ranch next week for the Broncos/Cowboys joint practices, including some audio for the audible. stay tuned...

 

[BigTex]

hoping to make it to Valley Ranch next week for the Broncos/Cowboys joint practices, including some audio for the audible. stay tuned...

Cool, I've been thinking of making the trip but haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[Rig24]

Cowboys and Broncos combined practices.

Broncos Invade Valley Ranch IIt appears there might have already been a miscommunication between the two teams. The Cowboys, perhaps trying to shed their suddenly soft image, are in full pads. The Broncos are wearing shorts and shoulder pads.We've got a pretty good media contingent here for a 9 a.m. practice. Our Denver brethren made the trip, and ESPN and FOX has cameras out here.I'll start the updates once the Broncos and Cowboys begin competing with each other. Excuse me for a few minutes while I track down a Broncos roster.9:26 -- Have some horrible news to report. Broncos OT Jacob Rogers, the biggest draft bust in the Tuna's tenure here, is not practicing because of a right knee injury. ... Teams still doing position drills on separate fields.9:30 -- Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo aren't out here. Wade Phillips doesn't want the starting tackles, who both missed some of training camp while recovering from knee surgery, to practice twice in a day.9:33 -- We've got inside run drills and WR vs. DB 1-on-1 on both fields. Will file occasional reports and come back with meatier stuff after practice. ... Julius Jones didn't went untouched into the secondary on the first snap. ... Javon Walker caught a crossing route in front of Terence Newman.9:44 -- Didn't watch much of inside run drills, which were on other end of field behind a wall of players, but saw Bigg Davis pancake LB Ian Gold on a counter. Seemed like Julius Jones had room to run every time I looked down there. ... Couldn't see much at all of Cowboys' D vs. Broncos' O inside run. ... A couple young Cowboys WRs had the highlights of the one-on-one stuff. Miles Austin beat Domonique Foxworthy bad on a double-move to catch a deep ball from Tony Romo. Damarius Bilbo made a spectacular, leaping, one-handed catch on a deep ball over a spare CB who won't make the Broncos roster. ... Aaron Glenn bit on a double-move against David Kircus and got beat deep. ... Javon Walker was a handful for the Cowboys' DBs, but Nate Jones did break up a pass to Walker on a comeback route. ... Only saw one rep for T.O. He ran an out route, and Richard Bartel's pass was picked off by Foxworth.9:50 -- Clearing up some confusion: Broncos still in shorts, Cowboys remain in full pads. All contact is above the waist, with no tackling. ... Now working on punt, with nothing happening on the other field. .... Jerheme Urban, working as a gunner in an attempt to do anything he can to make the team, got knocked about five yards out of bounds.9:55 -- Isaiah Stanback, also working as a gunner, never got more than 10 yards downfield. He got knocked into the ground by Domonique Foxworthy when Stanback tried to release inside. ... Stanback also had trouble beating a Foxworthy jam in 1-on-1 drills. Matt Moore just had to throw the hook route to a spot and hope Stanback would be there. It sailed incomplete.10:11 -- Just had 7-on-7 work. Tony Romo didn't throw the ball downfield, opting to dink and dunk instead. T.O. caught a drag and Witten a slant on which they would have had room to run. ... Only saw T.O. line up against Champ Bailey once. T.O. ran a skinny post. Bailey had pretty good coverage, and Romo threw a check-down to Lousaka Polite. T.O. might have been able to use his body to shield Bailey if Romo threw it inside. That might have been what T.O. told Romo afterward. ... Back with more in a few minutes.10:17 -- Calvin "Lucky" Watkins reports that T.O. did torch Champ Bailey with a double-move during 1-on-1s. Bailey's knees buckled, letting T.O. get behind him on a deep ball from Tony Romo. ... Anthony Henry got beat bad by a WR named Brian Clark on a post route. ... FS Pat Watkins had a pass go through his hands, off his helmet and into the hands of a Bronco WR. "Gimme 20, Pat!" somebody hollered, doubling the number of pushups DBs usually do after dropping a pick.10:20 -- Got scrimmage action on both fields, but I can't see Cowboys D vs. Broncos O because of a wall of players. ... Bigg Davis is beating up DT Sam Adams in a battle of behemoth UT and A&M alums. ... TE Tony Curtis made a nice catch in traffic on a seam route from Brad Johnson. ... Patrick Crayton got good separation to catch a flag route from Tony Romo. Great touch on the pass. ... Will try to get Todd Archer to fill me in on the action on the other field later.10:25 -- T.O. snatched a ball that looked like Domonique Foxworth might pick off. (I'll stop confusing the Broncos CB with the redneck comic now.) ... I got a glimpse of Travis Henry sprinting through a crease off left-tackle. Bradie James might have made the tackle after about 4 yards, but he didn't have a good angle to make a hit.10:31 -- Practice over. Will huddle up with Todd Archer and Calvin "Lucky" Watkins to hear what they saw and get back to you in a while.Posted by Tim MacMahon at 10:30 AM (E-mail this entry)