After the draft when the lists of UDFA’s were coming out, there was a name on there, Andrew Brecher, an offensive lineman from Harvard. Not that he stood out or anything, he was just another guy on a list of guys that I expected to be a body. He wasn’t on the level of UDFA’s like Danny Amendola, Darrell Robertson or even Marcus Dixon who has an unreal backstory. But when rookie mini-camp opened I kept hearing we have only one offensive lineman in camp, Brandon Hale from Sam Houston State. I kept wondering what happened to the kid from Harvard. Well, I finally found out. Dallas got in touch with him 10 minutes after the draft and he agreed to become a Cowboy and flew in for the camp and even had a nice conversation with Felix Jones while there. But all these guys had to take a physical and the Cowboys saw something in his X-rays related to a previous back injury he had and decided against signing him at that time. He since has been contacted by the Jets, and the Cowboys have not ruled him out totally if his back situation improves. Anyway, not a big deal, but I just wanted to clear that up in case anybody else was as obsessive compulsive as I am. One disappointing note, he could have been a contender for our all-quote team with Deon Anderson and Martellus Bennett.

"The Cowboys seemed like a good fit," said Brecher, who mentioned the presence of 26-year offensive line coaching veteran Hudson Houck as something that made America’s Team that much more appealing.

"And who wouldn’t want to hang with Pacman Jones?" he joked, referring to the troubled cornerback who was just traded to Dallas from the Tennessee Titans.

Ha! May the Pacman jokes never cease. At least he didn’t talk about Jessica.

Mickey Spags gives his review of the rookie mini-camp. 

The love for Danny Amendola at Valley Ranch. 

"I just can't wait to see him go against the veteran guys and just watch him work," Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman said after just the first day of practice.

In case you missed it, Matt Mosley has a long article on Felix Jones.

With the recent revelation that the Cowboys will be featured on HBO’s "Hard Knocks," a FOX Sports article from a few days ago came to mind. It talks about the pressing needs for teams after the draft. Here’s the Dallas blurb:

Pressing need: Preparing for the onslaught of media that will swarm Cowboys training camp if recently acquired cornerback Pacman Jones is reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Players and coaches will be asked ad nauseum about Jones in the upcoming months. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that distraction is a small price to pay for a player of Jones' talent.

Possible solution: Jones doesn't say or do anything stupid if reinstated and fades into the background a la Tank Johnson. Of course, history indicates that probably won't be the case.

With HBO on board, the media swarm for camp just became much bigger and the spotlight will shine much brighter. Should make for good TV viewing but may not be the best thing for the Cowboys as a football team.

A short article on rookie camp darling Orlando Scandrick. 

"I made some plays," he said. "I tried to have fun and get better every day and I think I did that."

"What will dictate how much I play is how I adapt to the speed of the game," Scandrick said. "The quarterbacks are a lot better. All these receivers are good. It's going to take an extreme amount of film study and discipline."

It’s not often that you have an offense that roars through a regular season setting club records and yet is still questioned in terms of personnel. That is the Dallas Cowboys fate this offseason. One part of the equation was obvious and the Cowboys obviously fixed it. Dallas dispatched their third string running back, Tyson Thompson, early in the offseason while simultaneously displaying no intent at all to bring back one part of its dual running back combo, Julius Jones. This left them with only Marion Barber who was tendered at the highest level as a restricted free agent all but assuring his place on the 2008 roster. Once the RFA deadline passed the Cowboys had the Barbarian for this year and then added Felix Jones and Tashard Choice in the draft giving them a full stable of backs for the 2008 season. Problem solved.

The other part of the equation, the wide receivers, is a little more nebulous than running back and hasn’t been addressed in any meaningful way so far. The question is: Does it need to be addressed? Here is where the paradox comes into place. The Cowboys offense was a high-powered machine for most of the season and the wide receiver position was part of that explosion. So why did almost all the experts list WR as a need in the draft and why did the Cowboys seemingly acknowledge this need by pursuing a veteran through a trade that never came to fruition?

Even today, guys like Pat Kirwan are still referring to this problem.

Lots of people predicted the Cowboys would select a receiver early in the draft, but they never took one even though they had many opportunities to do so. The pressure point(s) in this decision fall in three places: 1. Can Terry Glenn stay healthy? 2. Can Patrick Crayton continue to grow? 3. Will Jerry Jones continue to look for a trade for a marquee player? Wideouts Early Doucet, Earl Bennett and Mario Manningham were still on the board when the Cowboys took tight end Martellus Bennett at the No. 61 spot. One of those players might have been able to help but maybe not enough to skip a player like Bennett, who will play in the Cowboys' two tight end sets. The best thing Dallas can do to relieve the pressure on the receivers is to find a way to make a trade before the season.

 

Yesterday, I linked to a Peter King article that pushed the same theme. I also linked to Wade Phillips’ press conference response saying that Dallas is just fine for the moment with its wide receiver corps. What gives?

There are a few things in play. One is the idea that the Cowboys main WR’s are aged and hobbled. Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn are both in their mid-30’s. Glenn is coming off a knee injury that effectively wiped-out his 2007 season and no one, including the Cowboys organization, is quite sure what his status for this year will be. Glenn is a good route-runner with good hands, but his bread-and-butter has always been his speed and his ability to separate from defenders. A severe knee injury to an older receiver brings up the very real issue that he may never be the same receiver again even if he does make it back on the field. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens, who it should be noted may be in his mid-30’s on a pure chronological basis, has the body of a much younger receiver and shows no signs of slowing down. But, and this is a big issue, when he went down with an ankle injury late in the season, the Cowboys offense began to sputter and his return in the playoff game against the Giants didn’t exactly fix the problem. It can be debated whether he was 100% but most observers would say he wasn’t and the rest of the receiving corps couldn’t make up for it.

When talking about the Cowboys passing game, the experts rarely point out one thing that plays a major role. The Cowboys #2 receiver is really TE Jason Witten. Even when Glenn was healthy they were probably 2a and 2b after T.O. Witten doesn't have to carry the load like some TE’s who were/are the #1 option on their teams like Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates, but he should be thought of in that class when evaluating the Cowboys passing offense.

Still, the Cowboys receiving corps is perceived as aging at the top with little backup potential and one injury away from real trouble. The truth is probably not that dire but there is some legitimate reason for concern.

The Breakdown:

Terrell Owens – His time in Dallas has been an unmitigated success and he’s proven that he’s among the elite receivers in this league. But he is creeping up their in age even though his mid-30’s appears to be like other receiver’s late-20’s. The Cowboys have a lot of contracts to settle with a lot of top players and T.O. is one of them, he finishes his original 3-year contract this year. Dallas will have to determine how long they want to re-sign him for and also work within the demands of money that T.O. and his agent drew Rosenhaus will surely ask for. Strictly in terms of football, Dallas most assuredly wants him back after this year, but the salary cap and the player’s age will shape the negotiations. He’s no lock for the future.

Terry Glenn – Just one huge question mark. Can he play again? Can he remain healthy if he gets back on the field? Will he be close to the same player he was if he does get back into the lineup? Dallas will be monitoring this situation very closely in the OTA’s and training camp. Glenn’s future in Dallas ranges from a return to the #2 WR spot to not even making on the 53-man roster because of lingering injury issues. Another WR where the future is uncertain, and unlike T.O., it’s uncertain for this season.

Patrick Crayton – An OK #2 option but a better #3 option. With Glenn’s injury he was pressed into service as the #2 (in pure WR terms, Witten actually fills that role) and during the biggest game of his life he failed not once, but twice, in a major way. Can he be counted on to handle the responsibility again this year?

Sam Hurd – A steady backup guy but doesn’t appear to have the potential to go much further.

Miles Austin – Has all the speed you’d want to break into the upper echelon of the receiving corps, yet seems better at drawing pass interference penalties instead of actually catching the ball.

Isaiah Stanback – We really don’t know what he can do since he was hampered by a foot injury last year and is trying to make the transition from QB to WR. A project with all the physical attributes but no one is really sure if he’ll be able to produce at the position in real games.

After that, you have some young veterans and some fresh-faced UDFA’s who will take their shot at muscling in on some playing time in training camp. So far, it looks like Danny Amendola has the early lead in making that happen.

So there’s the paradox. Essentially the same group of receivers returns that led the Cowboys offense to one of the best seasons in the history of the club. But they also proved the fragility of the situation through injury and inexperience rearing its head in the big playoff game last year. Unless Dallas makes a move for a veteran that can contribute in a meaningful way they will be rolling the dice and hoping to hit the big payoff. But with a little bad luck they could just as easily crap-out.

Even though we didn’t get to see it happen, I can assure you that actual Dallas Cowboys players were participating in organized practices at Valley Ranch over the past couple of days. I know this because the Dallas media told me so. It’s one step closer to where we want to be, the 2008 season, and the opportunity to get over the first-round playoff loss – yes Wade Phillips, the first-round loss. It’s not quite training camp, but at least it’s something more than just signing free agents and drafting the college kiddies.

Here are some things I learned, or had re-confirmed, from the past two days of rookie mini-camp, as told to me by the Dallas media with my own free thinking thrown into the mix.

Felix Jones is smooth. That word came up over and over about our new running back and I think it’s a good description. Watching him play for Arkansas and the highlights collected later on YouTube showed a kid who has a natural feel for the game. Wade Phillips chalks it up to athletic ability and vision. Ah, vision, that nebulous definer for running backs. We’re not talking about 20/20 vision; we’re talking about the ability to see the hole, to see defensive players making their attack, the angles they are taking and the wherewithal to get out of the way. Vision was something I thought Julius Jones lacked, for all his quickness and agility, he never seemed to use it correctly on the field. We haven’t seen Felix in pads yet, taking slobber-knocker hits from pro level defenders, but I can’t wait for that time to come.

Mike Jenkins has to learn a new style of coverage. A bump-and-run guy in college, he was at a disadvantage in this camp because he had to play a new style of coverage and the lack of pads limited his ability to get physical with a receiver. It might take time for him to round into form so the preseason games and training camp practices will be huge for him.

Martellus Bennett could join Tony Romo and T.O. in the starting lineup of a Dallas Cowboys basketball team. He also earned praise for his ability to catch the ball and use his body to shield defenders at rookie camp. He’s another player who will face a big test when the pads go on so we can see what kind of blocker he is and how he handles the rough-and-tumble world of getting knocked around by linebackers.

Orlando Scandrick is fast. He’s also adept at playing off receivers which gives him a nice head-start fitting in with the Cowboys coverage schemes. Can he do it when the pads come on and the physical nature of the game increases 100-fold? That’s what training camp is all about but from what we heard he has the technique and speed to be an effective cornerback. He might just be a steal in the 5^th-round.

Danny Amendola will be compared to Wes Welker forever, or so it appears. That’s not a bad thing as long as he can hold up his end of the bargain. Slot receivers need to be quick and they need to be good route runners who can get open quickly, they need to be able to put the defense in a bind on who to cover. It’s easy to get excited about an UDFA who comes in to rookie camp and shines – and by all accounts Amendola shined – but I go back to a constant theme, can they do it when the pads come on?

Tearrius George is a guy no one was talking about. The OLB was signed from the CFL at the beginning of the offseason and the only mention I’ve made of him prior to rookie camp was this short blurb in my post-playoff loss roster reviews done in February of this year.

The Cowboys recently signed George from the CFL. He played his college ball at Kansas State and was with the Jets briefly before heading north to the CFL. Here’s a mini-scouting report on him before the draft last year and here’s his bio with the Calgary Stampeders.

We haven’t talked about it much but OLB is actually a position that could use an upgrade at the back-end of the roster. We never really discuss it because DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis and Anthony Spencer represent a real strength on the roster. But behind them we have Justin Rogers who looks to be nothing more than a special teams guy. Tearrius George will be battling it out with Rogers, 6^th-round pick Erik Walden (unless they move him inside) and UDFA Darrell Robertson for that spot. (Yes, Robertson is a pet cat of mine since he’s from Georgia Tech).  The reason I bring all this up is because George got some rave reviews from the media and Wade Phillips specifically mentioned him in the press conference. Keep an eye on the kid.

Wade Phillips likes the current WR crew even though they admit they wanted a veteran upgrade. The odds of a trade for a frontline caliber WR seem slim now so it looks like we’ll go to battle with the guys we got. Terry Glenn is a question mark, even Wade Phillips admitted as much, although WR’s coach Ray Sherman says he expects Glenn to fully participate in the first camp with veterans in June. Isaiah Stanback is another mystery man at the position that could influence the makeup of the roster and Danny Amendola is making his play to shake up the receiving corps. The spots behind Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton (and Glenn if healthy) should be one of the best camp battles we have.

Bobby Carpenter is going to be given another opportunity to claim a role that actually gets him on the field on defense, this time backing up “Mo” linebacker Zach Thomas. The former first-round pick has moved around among all the linebacker positions on the roster and this could be his final chance to make his mark as a Cowboys. The hope is that he can utilize his ability to run and chase down the ball to better effect playing the "Mo".

Dave Campo might not have been a favorite as a Cowboys head coach but he is receiving solid reviews for his work with the secondary so far. His upbeat, hands-on teaching style is going over well and might just be part of the remedy for a secondary that has picked on frequently over the last couple of years. Of course, adding talent like Pacman Jones, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick doesn’t hurt, but let’s hope that Campo can “coach ‘em up” as the saying goes.

Richard Bartel could be the guy who turns into the long-term backup for Tony Romo. There was plenty of chatter about drafting a QB in the late rounds or signing a vet that has been cut from another team but the Cowboys staff seems to be satisfied with the progress Bartel has made. My lasting impression of Bartel comes from training camp last year where the strong-armed QB was determined to show off that arm by chucking up deep balls on regular basis. Maybe a year in meetings and watching Romo and Brad Johnson have showed the kid there’s more to being a QB than hitting the deep bomb. He’s also dropped a lot of weight and gotten himself in NFL-shape, perhaps the Cowboys already have their future backup QB on the roster.

Sure it was only a few practices with rookies and first-year players who haven’t played a lot, and there were no pads or hitting which can change everything in terms of performance, but we finally got a look at some of the potential 2008 Cowboys roster in real practices. It feels good, just one more step towards the 2008 season and a hoped-for run at the Super Bowl.

Your impressions from the last couple of days?

The DMN blog calls it for Felix Jones, Orlando Scandrick and Danny Amendola as the three stars of the rookie mini-camp.

Emmitt Smith sets a high-bar for Pacman Jones' rehabilitation. 

"As long as you're not killing anybody, getting anybody shot at and going to jail, then I don't have any issues," said Smith, NFL career rushing leader. The former star running back for Dallas was visiting Cowboys rookie minicamp Saturday.

 Ha! All you have to do is not commit any felonies and you’re A-OK with Emmitt. No word on misdemeanors, though.

The Wade Watch is already on for Don Banks at SI.com. 

I could be wrong about this, but Cowboys offensive coordinator and heir apparent head coach Jason Garrett seemed to be the only Dallas assistant who occupied a seat full-time in the team's war room during the draft. The rest of the Cowboys' assistant staff rotated in and out of the room throughout the weekend.

Just another indication that Dallas head coach Wade Phillips is probably what amounts to a well-paid seat warmer in '08.

I went with El Gato as a nickname for Felix Jones. Hey, it’s got to be better than what Jerry Jones said about him.

He talked about his decision to choose Arkansas running back Felix Jones over Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall, saying he "didn't blink" when it came time to make the pick. In an awkward moment, Jerry began describing Jones' posterior, saying he had a nice "bubble butt."

No, Bubble Butt just won’t do.

A news roundup of the first day of rookie mini-camp.

The Breerman gives you five more quick impressions. Short version: Mark Bradford made the play of the day on a long bomb, Orlando Scandrick looked like the best CB on the field, Mike Jenkins recovered nicely in his second practice of the day, Danny Amendola actually dropped some passes in the second session and Richard Bartel looked like a real QB.

Mike Jenkins has a little Prime Time in his past as his uncle, Tracy Sanders, was a CB with Prime at FSU. Deion has been mentoring the kid who is now our second CB from the University of South Florida, the alma mater of Anthony Henry.

Danny Amendola is attracting a lot of attention in camp, especially from Jerry.

"He's certainly showed he's refined," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the first rookie practice Friday. "He will be able to separate. He's going to be able to get away from people. I'm glad we got him."

He may be refined on the field but certainly needs some work on his interviews. Not exactly smooth in the post-practice gab-fest.

But speaking of who is smooth, that seems to be the operative word for Felix "El Gato" Jones. 

"He's smooth," Jerry Jones said. "You can see that he can run when he gets that ball. The most important thing that I saw out here today was just how smooth he looks when he's running and cutting."

Don’t forget about Isaiah Stanback either.

"He's doing a great job, and I'm really pleased with the way he's running routes and catching the ball," [Ray] Sherman said. "He's in shape, and I'm very impressed with the way he runs his routes. He's a contender at that position.... I like our group."

Meanwhile, in veteran news, it apperas that the Tuna did want his former first round pick Bobby Carpenter but the Cowboys said no dice.

According to an NFL source, the Dolphins wanted Bobby Carpenter, but the Cowboys weren't willing to part with the 2006 first-round draft pick. So Dallas included Ayodele in the deal.

As noted by many, including Brandon in his post, Captain Caveman is on the move again.

He's currently backing up veteran Zach Thomas. Carpenter said he's been studying game film with Thomas and already has picked up quite a bit in the short time the veteran free-agent acquisition has been with the Cowboys.

Hat tip to Deke for posting the Bobby Carpenter non-trade article.

Nick Eatman has a few more UDFA’s for the Cowboys.

Mark Bradford WR Stanford
Keon Lattimore RB Maryland
Andrew Brecher OT Harvard

The full list looks like this:

Danny Amendola WR Texas Tech
Drew Atchison TE William & Mary
Mark Bradford WR Stanford
Andrew Brecher OT Harvard
Julius Crosslin FB Oklahoma State
Dowayne Davis SS Syracuse
Marcus Dixon DE Hampton
Brandon Hale OT Sam Houston State
Keon Lattimore RB Maryland
Jay Ottovegio P/K Stanford
Daniel Polk WR Midwestern State
Darrell Robertson DE Georgia Tech