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Dallas Cowboys training camp: Practice #3

 

The afternoon practice was punctuated by the arrival of first round draft pick Felix Jones. We kept an eye out for Mike Jenkins but he never showed. (Correction: Shango let me know that he did show in the middle of practice but didn't participate). The Cowboys practiced in shorts and shoulder pads.

In the early session when they were running skeleton offense they practiced some end-arounds to T.O. and Isaiah Stanback. Felix Jones was running with the second string at this point and did for a lot of the practice.

After the standard warm-up drills and stretching, they moved into 7-on-7 drills. BTW, on the opposite end of the field where I couldn’t see, they were running one of my favorite drills, 1-on-1 OL/DL; sorry can’t report on that. Romo started out with a short pass to Martellus Bennett and then hit Witten on a slant in front of Roy. After a bad pass that was incomplete to Cricket, Romo hooked up with Witten on a long pass where Jason had to spin around to make the catch, beating Bradie. He finished with a short pass to Cricket then led Austin a little too much causing a tough chance that Austin couldn’t pull in.

Brad Johnson hit Curtis on a quick slant with Curtis lined up wide then hit Danny Amendola on a crossing pattern followed by Crayton on a crossing pattern. (They ran a lot of crossing patterns today). Johnson finished by dumping one to Witten in the flats. Bartel was up next and hit Lattimore on a short pass then overthrew Daniel Polk.

Romo came back on and threw short to MB3, then hit Witten on a short pass in front of Spencer. He tried to connect with Bennett over the middle but Bradie made a nice play to break up the pass. Then T.O. cooked Anthony Henry on a deep fly pattern but dropped the ball earning jeers from the crowd. Romo then hit Austin on a hitch and he juked Orlando Scandrick. Romo closed with a poor pass intended for Witten.

Brad threw a dump pass to Choice over the middle where the linebackers had totally vacated the zone. Then in what had to be the surprise connection of the day, he hit FB Ronnie Cruz on a fairly deep pass down the sideline. Who would’ve thunk it? Afterwards, he underthrew Mike Jefferson on a deep ball that Evan Oglesby jumped to pick-off. He concluded by hitting Hurd on a short pass near the sideline. Jeff Terrell was next and had a terrible overthrow then Tyler Everett broke up a pass intended for Austin.

They broke for some FG’s with Nick Folk hitting six, missing one just left and hitting the left upright on another. They also practiced punts with AJ, T-New and Crayton doing the catching honors. During this time the o-line was working on blocking down the line, driving the defense to the edges.

Up next was 11-on-11. Romo started with a bad pass, then tried to hit T.O. on a deep pass down the sideline but T.O. fell. Hamlin had the perfect opportunity to pick the ball off but he dropped it so he dropped and gave us 10 pushups. Romo overthrew Hurd who had a step on Ball then they ran an end-around with Austin that but the defense stayed at home. Witten then cooked Justin Rogers on a seam pattern for a big gain. Romo finished by hitting T.O. with a short pass over the middle but Roy came in and dislodged the ball from his hands for an incompletion.

Brad ran a draw to Choice that went for no gain, then threw a quick slant to Jefferson. Bennett beat Burnett on a crossing pattern followed by an attempted Coleman run but Ratliff shut it down. Bartel tried a pass to the sidelines but Bradie tipped it then dumped a short one to Lattimore.

Romo came on and attempted a pass down the sideline to T.O. who had a step on AJ, but AJ ran over T.O. knocking him on his butt in what surely would have been pass interference. Next was an end-around to Stanback that had the defense fooled and would’ve gone for big yards. They tried to run a screen to MB3 but Tank burst through and got in Romo’s face causing an errant throw that hit Kosier in the back and was almost intercepted by Ball. Romo hit Bennett in between the middle linebackers then threw a hitch to Hurd that was low and hit the ground. He finished by hitting Crayton for a catch after he had beat Butler.

Brad started with a draw to Choice but Bradie ate it up. Jefferson caught a short pass in front of Henry, then Amendola dusted Henry on a crossing pattern that was impressive. Brad finished with a draw to Coleman. Bartel started with running play that succeeded because Joe Berger got a nice block on Bowen. He hit Mark Bradford on the sidelines after he beat Oglesby in coverage.

Brad came back on and hit Austin on a crossing pattern then Felix Jones tried a middle run to no avail. After a short pass to Curtis they tried a run to Choice but Zach filled the hole. Jeff Terrell closed the practice with roll-out but everybody was covered and Ware ran him down. The final play was a dropped slant by Bradford.

That’s all for today, I’ll be back at you tomorrow with another report. Shango and I are doing the DCFanatic show tonight at 8 PST/11 EST.

0 recs  |  Comment 32 comments

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Thanks for all of the hard work Grizz!

"So you can’t stiff arm at all? What about the throat?"- Marion "Barbarian" Barber

by DC_fan on Jul 26, 2008 8:44 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Great reporting Grizz

Me thinks the powers that be better find a roster spot for this Amendola kid, he seems like a player.

by Billito on Jul 26, 2008 8:55 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

i wonder why

the words “AJ” and “pass interference” came up together a few times.. lil rusty maybe? btw this is great stuff Grizz im eatin it up.. its about time TC came around. cant get enough!! GO COWBOYS!!!

The last time the Gmen won the Superbowl.. Dallas won three of the next 5

by eMBe3 on Jul 26, 2008 9:28 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Sounds like

The left FA qb isn’t getting any reps ?

Great job grizz..

I agree Amendola appears to be making plays and AJ continues to work through the rust.. Sounds good!

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Jul 26, 2008 9:57 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

all good

i almost think im in the stands.
keep up the good work!

by bleedn blu on Jul 26, 2008 10:59 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

run defense

sounds to me like the defense is doing a consistently good job of shutting down the run. Like the other things, if the opposite were true we could be stoked about how good the RBs are doing, but we can also be stoked that the run defense is showing signs at this very initiate stage of being very solid.

by scottmaui on Jul 26, 2008 11:00 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Cricket's diary

Deon Anderson has a diary at DMN blog that he’ll post to every Saturday throughout the season. His first post is pretty hilarious, talking about his hair.

by scottmaui on Jul 26, 2008 11:05 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Romo..

I know it is early..real early..but I sure hear a lot of Romo/bad pass..

by bevomav on Jul 26, 2008 11:41 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I thought that too, but I saw

this on DMN’s site under Notes from the Weekend. I’m feeling better.

Also, Tony Romo and Jason Witten look great.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 27, 2008 2:36 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Is there anywhere online...

To get some pictures from the practices and stuff?

by N41D on Jul 27, 2008 12:07 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

go to cbssportsline.com

Down at the very bottom there is a link for photos, then go to NFL….and voila!

by Brandon Worley on Jul 27, 2008 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

great job Grizz

can’t wait til tomorrow. so far i’m liking what i’m hearing and seeing. let’s get it boys!

by Tuna Helper on Jul 27, 2008 12:42 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Can't help but notice

Romo is over or under in almost every play you’ve reviewed. Whaddup widdat?
The reports on the defense are surprisingly good. I am optomistic about that.

sidenote: Lovin’ your new look with the long hair Grizz! (caught a glimpse on camera at Shango’s place Friday night)

by TiffLovesTheBoys on Jul 27, 2008 7:46 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Thanks!

Thanks for the great, play-by-play reports. I’m going to Oxnard in a few days, and these recaps have me chomping at the bit to get there! Keep up the good work!

by rrb on Jul 27, 2008 8:05 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Guys...

Its the third practice in Camp. Lets not read too much into things ok?

i hope vujacic gets hit by a truck hauling stray cats that claw his eyes out before using his skull as a brood den.--kalone

by JamesR on Jul 27, 2008 9:07 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

seriously

Romo
1. Exicted, you know he is competitor, so he is going to be a little jacked up.
2. 1st Time this off-season playing with Pads on, different feel.
3. Adjusting to the speed of the game, impossible to simulate.

This is what TC is all about knocking fixing all the small details..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Jul 27, 2008 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

not to mention Romo is trying

to work on a different release this year and probably needs a few more weeks to work out the kinks.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 27, 2008 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

GOOD POINT..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Jul 27, 2008 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I didn't read about that, do you (or anybody) have a link Terry?

Thanks in advance.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 27, 2008 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Romo is a bad ass

To hear Garrett’s take on his work habits makes me even more confident about his career trajectory. Thanks again Terry, I totally missed that article.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 27, 2008 9:51 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Cut the 4th QB

1) He sucks
2) He’s left handed, seems like if he’s only in there to help keep arms fresh and help the young WR’s maintain reps, shouldn’t Dallas get someone who throw right handed like Romo? Might sound like nothing but it is a different spin on the passes, why make it harder on the WR’s than it needs to be.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 27, 2008 5:06 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I guess we should of cut Romo after his second practice too

since he didn’t look that great either.

It doesn’t matter whether a Qb is left or right handed, the spin is irrelevent, nothing more than an excuse ususally by receivers. it might have more to do to the fact that when Terrell is throwing, its third string receivers he’s throwing too. Give the kid a chance, he was just signed a couple of days ago.

by Deke on Jul 27, 2008 5:15 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

There is relevance

some receivers claim spin matters, but mostly it’s the offensive line and various protections that change and can mess up a team. It’s not a killer, but it does change.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 27, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Give me a break

Terrell is a camp QB only, and it does matter to the WR’s the direction of the spin on the pass. I’m more concerned with wasting plays on a QB who’s not helping the WR’s, because he can’t even get the ball to them. That has nothing to do with what string they are.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 27, 2008 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

qb

I agree he should be capable, but we need a 4th qb. They say 4 QB’s is a must in TC, too keep the reps of the starter down..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Jul 27, 2008 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yep

I think they need to cut him a pick up a righty. It doesn’t sound like anyone could be worse than Terrell. Just seems like a waste to have him run plays.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 27, 2008 9:45 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, it was such a burden for jerry Rice

His numbers really dropped off having the left handed Steve Young throwing him the ball instead of the right handed Joe Montana. I guess he’ll be lucky to get into the hall of fame.

It’s nonsense created by a reporter trying to use a baseball pitcher left handed/right handed anology with regards to football, but they never bring up the fact the reason why left handed pitchers are sought after is the fact there isn’t alot of them, especially good ones and having a left hander in your lineup facing a team that just faced five days of right handers, screws the hitters up for the reason the ball breaks down and in to left handed batter where the right hander pitcher breaks away for the most part. I never heard a catcher complain that it’s tougher to catch a left handed pitcher. This is along the same line as for years the other myth was that you dont see alot of black quarterbacks because they’re not as smart as white quarterbacks, just pure nonsense.

If you had a right arm Qb and a receiver on the right side running a ten yard out, the balls rotation is spinning and the laces are away from the receiver, if that same receiver runs a ten yard out on the left side, the balls rotation and the laces is towards him, and it’s just vise vera for a left handed quarterback. The notion that a receiver has more problems catching the ball from a left quarterback because of the rotation doesn’t hold water. When a receiver has a bad day catching th ball and the quarterback is left handed, he’s got a built in excuse, all this left handed/right handed stuff started in the mid eighties, I never heard this nonsense in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

I’m sure if Roy Williams has a good year, his reason will be that he changed numbers from 31 to 38.

by Deke on Jul 28, 2008 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

The fact that Rice worked with Young during

offseasons and TC, and that Young was a great QB had nothing to do with it. Great example…

I’ve never heard a WR use it as an excuse for a bad day. But I know from experience that the spin, the movement, all that happens between the release and the catch is a little different. I’ve also heard the same from commentators (usually QB’s) about the spin. I’m saying the guy sucks, and they should cut him early enough to bring in a different camp arm, and while they at might as well make it a right handed QB since Romo throws right handed.

I don’t think you know what your talking about, and your comment on Roy was out of left field.

Sorry if Terrell is you pet cat…

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 28, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Jerry said himself it was something he had to get used 2..

Either way the 4th QB stinks..

Can Jerry convince D.culpepper that backing up for us for a year is the best thing for him?

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Jul 28, 2008 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

He's an arm

they have to spare Tony’s and Brad really has nothing left…

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 28, 2008 9:15 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

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