The Valley Ranch Review: Friday’s Rookie Mini-Camp Update
by Aaron Novinger on May 1, 2009 6:58 PM CDT
in News
39 comments
The DMN reports that S/CB DeAngelo Smith came up limping after covering wideout Kevin Ogletree, but the injury didn't seem serious.
Some other happenings in today's afternoon practice courtesy of the blog:
Sixth-round TE John Phillips isn't a great athlete, but he has a knack for getting open. He's very precise on his cuts and is a clever route runner. Case in point: He got behind third-round ILB Jason Williams on a seam route by lulling him to sleep with a little hesitation. The pass was incomplete after Stephen McGee threw a rope, which Williams was able to deflect, instead of putting over Phillips' shoulder.
Undrafted FB Asaph Schwapp got behind Williams on a wheel route. As LB coach Reggie Herring said this morning, Williams is raw.
[snip]
Sixth-round ILB Stephen Hodge looked much better in coverage during the afternoon practice than he did this morning. He had several deflections on passes to the flat.
TE Rodney Hannah, a two-year practice squad vet, looked good catching the ball again. He made a leaping grab over fifth-round S Mike Hamlin on a post route.
The defensive coaches congratulated fifth-round S/CB DeAngelo Smith after he broke up a pass to Manuel Johnson. But it sure looked like defensive holding. Smith made a nice break on a slant to break up Stephen McGee's pass to undrafted WR Julian Hawkins earlier in the practice.
Quarterback Stephen McGee spoke to DC.com about his first day at camp.
"Well, it's a lot of learning obviously, just trying to get a feel for the new plays, new routes and the new receivers," McGee said. "There's a lot of good coaching out there with Coach Wilson and Coach Garrett. I'm just trying to get into the rhythm. Obviously, everyone is new. There's a new system, new terminology. We're just trying to get adjusted and get the timing down."
QBs Coach Wade Wilson already likes what he sees in McGee.
"I was impressed with him, the way he handled it mentally and took everything from the classroom to the field," Wilson said. "He threw the ball real well. I was very impressed with his mechanics. I was real impressed with his presence in the huddle. He conducts himself very well on the field. He's got an aura about him. You can tell he is very confident and has some fine leadership qualities."
Nick Eatman sums up today's practice here.
Tom Orsborn takes an in-depth look into the Cowboys' crop of rookies, finding no bad character issues.
Orsborn's article on David Buehler sheds some more light on the kicker's athleticism.
The Star-Telegram profiles LB, Brandon Williams, who discusses his work with kids in the south Fort Worth area and his relationship with late Broncos' CB, Darrent Williams.
The Cowboys have even found some backups to long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur. Both linebacker Matt Stewart and rookie free agent TE Jamar Hunt have experience with deep-snapping.
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I like the fact that Phillips (TE)
is a great route runner.
Sometimes that’s the difference between being cut or not.
by BishopWest on May 1, 2009 7:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Im likin Stephen McGee so far
he could probably become the primary backup for the ’10 season.
"Aw Shucks" - Wade Phillips
by MrMinority on May 1, 2009 7:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Im just glad......
to hear about an actual practice. March thru July is absolute hell for me.
by TARHEEL PAUL on May 1, 2009 7:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If Stewart or Hunt make the team
That could be “bye-bye” to Ladouceur.
If keeping two kickers is part of this year’s plan, maybe replacing the LS with another player could make room on the roster.
by BishopWest on May 1, 2009 7:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
yea but
Ladouche is sooooo reliable. I almost forgot he was on the team
by fretman on May 1, 2009 7:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What a great job he has
He barely has to do anything and gets paid some pretty good loot. And you know if we ever release him he’ll get swooped up with the quickness.
by sublimezg on May 1, 2009 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
im going to have two sons
the first son im going to train to be a long snapper
the second a place holder
ill be set for life!
What the French?! Toast!
by thebigham on May 2, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
same reason i wouldn't cut folk
into you see what a guy does in a real nfl game with the pressure on, you don’t know what you got. We absolutely take him for granted.
by foyesboys on May 1, 2009 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ironically
We kept Folk over Grammatica, without ever having seen the rookie play in a real game. I would trust the coaching staff on this one—Folk is good, but hardly irreplaceable.
by kindablue on May 2, 2009 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's an area
they really don’t want to gamble with. We have seen what errant snaps can cause from Gurode. I’ll be happy enough to have a quailfied backup to Ladouceur. In saying that I know that your probably right.
by oldboysfan on May 1, 2009 7:41 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, oldboys--just wish I could be there watching.
Trust them...they know what they're doing.
by Aaron Novinger on May 1, 2009 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Update: the DMN blog says Smith not mickens was the DB hurt
“*Fifth-round S/CB DeAngelo Smith came up limping after undrafted WR Kevin Ogletree beat him on a comeback route late in practice.”
"Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication." --Roger Staubach
by dave33 on May 1, 2009 8:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Good lookin' out, Dave33.
I’ll make the switch up top.
Trust them...they know what they're doing.
by Aaron Novinger on May 1, 2009 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like McGee
He is going to be a starter someday. If Romo doesn’t pan out in the next few years look for this guy to be ready to step in. He is the level headed version of Romo with the physical stats to boot.
by rotovibe on May 1, 2009 11:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Although I like the McGee pickup
You don’t think it might not be a LITTLE too soon to call him level headed?
I didn’t think he was a bad dude, don’t get me wrong, but this is the same guy who lost his cool in the Texas game this year and started talking crap to the defensive players when he was getting throttled. That’s not what I would call level headed.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 1, 2009 11:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i like McGee and hope he becomes a great player
but before that………I’m hoping Romo has a long and prosperous career in Big D, winning a couple of Super Bowls before he retires as a Cowboy about 8 or 10 years from now
Actually, he has already “panned out”, in my opinion, and as long as he doesn’t screw up big time, he’ll remain our QB for quite a while.
by BishopWest on May 1, 2009 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah...
What is pan out exactly?
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 2, 2009 8:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
best case scenario for Cowboys
is for McGee not to take a meaningful regular snap until about 2017 or 2018.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on May 2, 2009 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty sure that's the worst case scenario
The only reason McGee would still be on the team at that age is as a back-up because he would have been an URFA by that time and either he wouldn’t be good enough to be a starting QB or the Cowboys pay him enough money to sit on the bench for several more years (Until McGee is 32/33). Hopefully the Cowboys would have a different franchise QB in place by that time.
Therefore: the scenario you proposed is not the best case scenario. :]
by hiafex on May 2, 2009 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually.....
The best case scenario would be for him to be a backup for 3 seasons. Look all world in training camp and pre-season games, and look like a real leader in 2-3 blowouts/fill in games.
Then we flip him for a high 1st and some later round picks in season 4.
by Rocky1013 on May 2, 2009 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha
yeah that would be the best scenario, realistically I would think second would be good.. but I like your style.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 2, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just like Hasselbeck
brought the Packers when they shipped him off to Seattle.
Unlike a Cowboys' season, in life, there may not be a next year.
by Reno Cowboy on May 2, 2009 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep
That’s what I was thinking too. Get him up to speed as an NFL QB and flip him for a 1st and whatever. Flip this QB.
Training Camp '09 = Mega Thunder Dome....80 men enter, 53 men leave.
by APerfectStar on May 2, 2009 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He isn't taking over Romo's spot anytime soon...guaranteed.
But grooming QBs like this is just good for the team – if not for the league. When teams realize that they don’t have to spend rediculous money to get a good player, I think the draft market will adjust a little to more realistic numbers.
Way too early to tell what happens – but you gotta like this pick.
by rotovibe on May 4, 2009 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What Wade Wilson said sounds just like what I said in my Fanpost a few days ago.
Wilson after spending a day with him;
"I was real impressed with his presence in the huddle. He conducts himself very well on the field. He’s got an aura about him."
My observation after listening to a Stephen McGee interview;
"He seriously sounded a little Aikmanesque in that sense of "if you want to f##k around, get off the damn field" type of attitude but not in a forced way or over the top way, it sounded very natural. As in, he’s not trying to be a no-nonsense leader type, he just is one."
Seems like this guy could have some special intangible qualities that really stand out.
I know that doesn’t mean McGee’s going to be great but hey, it can’t hurt his chances.
by Luke. on May 2, 2009 2:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
sounds good
he sounds like a confident kid. Its way early to tell but at least he doesnt seem to have that “deer in the headlights” thing going.
by fretman on May 2, 2009 6:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah - I hope he has a great career in Big D
by BishopWest on May 2, 2009 7:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he will...as Romo's caddie
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on May 2, 2009 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh he's definitly a tough dude.
For sure.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 2, 2009 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The local news/sports did a piece on McGee last night.....
I really like this kid. He said that he has wanted to be a Cowboy his whole life. He grew up dreaming about it. They showed Garrett working with him one on one making the throws. Looked pretty good-bigger than Romo and seemed to have good footwork. I know that it’s just off-season but I wouldn’t just write him off as “Romo’s caddie” or a career back-up because I think this kid could have some intangibles like toughness, intelligence, and perserverance. Just a thought
by texstar on May 2, 2009 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's cool.
I just think that the brakes should be applied a bit.
He might not be JUST a career backup, but if you look at the just the percentage of QB’s that are successful in the league alone, its an uphill battle.
AND I’m huge on intangibles, but he isn’t going to push anyone on the roster until a couple of years are under his belt. He’s not going to push Kitna this year, even with all of his athletic ability, he is still a raw product. I’m not saying he won’t eventually, but not now.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 2, 2009 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you Airforce.....
I always tend to go for the underdog even if he is an “gulp” Aggie. There, I said it-haha. I don’t expect him to challenge or get overly excited about him. I just get tired of some-not you btw. that don’t think that anyone has the capacity to be a good QB except for Romo. It’s total nonsense to me. Too many people have forgotten that Romo didn’t exactly come into the league all polished either. It takes a while and for some to say that he will never be more than a backup or be ready in the year 2018 is unfair. The same could have been said about Romo when he was a rookie too.
by texstar on May 2, 2009 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
hodge is going to be a cowboy fan favorite for years to come
This kid is tough and plays with no fear….He is going to be a huge help on special teams and will end up being a very good linebacker as well…I am very excited about hodge !!!!
by scandrick32 on May 2, 2009 2:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
+1
I went from a WTF response when he was drafted, to really getting excited about what he can do for the Cowboys this year. ST ace, in the box intimidater with coverage skills, blitz weapon? All of the above?
Training Camp '09 = Mega Thunder Dome....80 men enter, 53 men leave.
by APerfectStar on May 2, 2009 10:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
In May
every team is heading to the Super Bowl.
Unlike a Cowboys' season, in life, there may not be a next year.
by Reno Cowboy on May 2, 2009 3:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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