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?

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.

The Breerman breaks down a few of the players at today’s mini-camp. Short version: He’s lovin’ Martellus Bennett, gave a mixed-review about Jenkins’ inconsistent play, is coming around on the smooth styling’s of Felix Jones, noted Tashard Choice had a case of the dropsies but recovered later, and Jason Garrett is a jack-of-all-trades in the coaching arena.

Here's the schedule for the mini-camp. 

Today  [Friday]

10:30 A.M. -12:00 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)
12:15 P.M. -1:30 P.M. -- Locker Room Open to Media
2:45 P.M. -3:45 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)

Tomorrow [Saturday]

10:30 A.M. -12:00 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)
12:15 P.M. -1:30 P.M. -- Locker Room Open to Media
1:30 P.M. -2:00 P.M. -- Coach Phillips Press Conference
2:45 P.M. -3:45 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)

Meanwhile, Julius Jones took a shot at the Cowboys, and fans, in an article in a Seattle paper.

"I love playing here," he said. "The atmosphere, it's 10 times better than Dallas."

And in the WTF department, Colts' WR Marvin Harrison is under suspicion in a gunfire incident.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place earlier this week, a source close to the investigation told Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia's WIP Radio.

He's about the last guy in the NFL who I thought would get mixed up in something like this.

Whew, what a day. Has a NFL draft ever gone by so quickly? I really like the new streamlined format; it makes the action happen much faster and keeps you glued to the TV.

Anyway, let’s talk about the Cowboys draft. I feel pretty good about it but do have a few issues.

Pick #22 – Felix Jones: Anybody who has been reading this blog knows that I’m a fan of Felix Jones and thought that would be the guy Dallas chose with their first pick. What I didn’t expect was having to make a choice between Rashard Mendenhall and Jones. In all honesty, I would have taken Mendenhall at that point, he’s the more complete, workhorse back. Having said that, I understand the Cowboys thinking and I’m not overly disappointed we passed on Mendenhall. Rashard is a very similar back to MB3 in style and size although he doesn’t quite have the violent streak of the Barbarian, but then again, who does? Mendenhall is the type of back who would need a lot of carries in a game to be truly effective and probably wouldn’t get that this year behind MB3. If you’re thinking long-term, then Mendenhall is the guy only if you believe that the Cowboys won’t sign MB3 after this year. Obviously Jerry, who knows more about the situation than any of us, believes that he will get him signed. On that basis I can understand why they chose Jones instead. Felix is the perfect complement to MB3 in this offense, he’ll add the speed element, the outside running attack, and you can throw in some screens and possibly split him out in the slot on occasion. He’s the homerun threat from the backfield that the team lacks. And please, don’t tell me Mendenhall is as fast as Jones. It’s absurd. I don’t care what they ran at the combine - a one-day event where anybody can have a bad 40 time and they aren’t even in pads. Anybody who has watched the game film on Jones can see his game-speed is a world apart from your average back. So that argument is crazy. He’s also a terror as a kick returner. The other thing I like about Jones is that he can be productive with limited touches and has no problem working behind a starting back. In the long run, Mendenhall may be the better back in terms of an every down starter but Jerry believes that the every down starter in Dallas for years to come will be MB3. So based on that thinking, I can see why they took Jones. I’m not willing to say Jones is the better all-around back but his big play explosiveness and ability to work with limited touches probably fits the Cowboys offense better.

Also, I initially thought that Dallas could pass on Jones and still get him at #28. In reality, that might not have happened because the Titans took Chris Johnson, another speed back, two picks later. It’s entirely possible they would have grabbed Jones instead if he was still on the board.

Pick #25 – Mike Jenkins: This was a great pick for the Cowboys. They needed another corner and they got one that I’ve seen ranked as the best or second best corner in the draft on some scouting reports. The fact he fell as far as he did was a surprise. He has great upside potential and can be a playmaker on the ball. Once again, Jerry made a smart move by trading up to get him because I’m pretty sure he would not have gotten past San Diego. I liked Antoine Cason but he was not as high on my board as Jenkins. I truly didn’t think we’d have a shot at him and if we did it was most certainly going to be at #22. Getting him when we did was great value and I judge him as ready to play from day one. With Jenkins and Pacman Jones coming on board our secondary just got so much better it’s unbelievable. And Jenkins and the Joneses (Pacman and Felix) can all help our special teams. A great pick.

Pick #61 – Martellus Bennett: Like a lot of you, I’m not a big fan of this pick. I will be the first to admit I know very little about the guy. I’ve never seen him play and didn’t research TE’s at all because I didn’t see the Anthony Fasano trade coming. So it’s hard for me to speak to his actual on the field skills. I just didn’t think that TE was that big of a need even with Fasano gone. We got by just fine last year with Fasano who I thought was average at best and that Tony Curtis could pretty much fill his role. I would have liked to seen the Cowboys go for another position like WR or safety here, or even a lineman that they had high on their board. I understand that Bennett is a phenomenal athlete and could become a playmaker, but our second TE just doesn’t get that many opportunities with Witten in front of him and the other playmakers we have on offense. It may not have been a reach in terms of where Bennett ranked in value but it didn’t seem like much of a need for us. My one hope is that the Cowboys scouts have seen something in the kid that tells them he could develop into a playmaker that will force his way onto the field in some role. But I’m not a fan of this pick.

Overall, I like most of what we did today. Going into the draft I wanted a RB and a CB in the first round and I got it. I also think the two players we got at those positions are great additions and will yield positive results. Passing on Mendenhall was a call I might not have made but I understand it. The pick of Bennett is something I’m going to have to be sold on because at this point I don’t quite get it. Still, Jerry had a plan and executed it well. A great start to the 2008 draft.

On another subject, what a great day by you guys on the blog. We had eight open threads with over 2,200 comments. That’s a beautiful thing. I think the new platform functioned very well. I know some of you complained about lagging threads but it might have been your computer because for a lot of us it ran very smoothly. But the real point is that the community was humming today and we cranked out a lot of comments and information while thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Kudos, guys. And thanks to Brandon for helping me out all day. Don’t forget, as if you really would, we’ll be doing all over again on Sunday.

With the 25th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select...University of South Florida CB Mike Jenkins.

The Cowboys trade up to the #25 pick from #28 giving up a 5th and a 7th round pick.

Talk it up!

Ah, Draft Day. It’s here. I hope you guys will be spending your day in front of the TV and chatting here on BTB.

This is the first of many open threads for the weekend. Feel free to chat it up and throw out any ideas or tidbits you pick up from around the Net.

Here are few nuggets to start the morning:

Last night’s trade of Akin Ayodele and Anthony Fasano for the Dolphins 4^th-round picked saved the Cowboys around $650,000 against the cap. Not bad, but hardly a significant salary cap dump. Ayodele wasn’t in the plans anymore after the signing of Zach Thomas. Fasano was the surprise although I wasn’t exactly enamored with his play. He hadn’t produced in the passing game and his blocking was merely OK. But with only star of stage and screen Tony Curtis backing up Jason Witten, could the Cowboys be eyeing another TE somewhere in the draft?

By the way, the Cowboys picks are #22, #28, #61, #92, #100, #163, #167 and #235.

Word is the Cowboys have reached new contract terms with Pacman on a 4-year deal. But the hold up in officially completing the trade stems from a physical AND the NFL players union might object to Pacman giving up a $1.25 million performance bonus he earned with the Titans.

Some final mock drafts:

Todd McShay – Felix Jones, Brandon Flowers

Mel Kiper – Felix Jones, James Hardy

Rick Gosselin – Felix Jones, Brandon Flowers

NFL Draft Cowntdown - DRC, Felix Jones

Don Banks – Felix Jones, Mike Jenkins

This is an open thread, chat it up!