You want leadership? I'm hearing some bits and pieces from the local media that veteran players are stepping up.

After the Oakland game was over, Steve Dennis later reported on Babe Laufenberg's show that Keith Brooking, DeMarcus Ware and Patrick Crayton challenged everyone to step up their effort and improve their play when the team was in the locker room. They challenged rookies to study harder and learn quicker. They challenged experienced backups to tighten up their game and compete for a starting role.

Folks, this is leadership. Leadership is not screaming and yelling on the field in public, it's players exhorting their mates to do better in a closed locker room, man to man. You can't be interrupted by going onto the field, you can't walk away down the sideline because you don't like what is being said - you're all right there together.

This is face to face, in front of the whole team - family style.

Here's the best part - this meeting is taking place right after the first preseason game. That tells me that internal expectations are much higher this year.

These vets are saying to the rookies, "You're here because you are a football player, now play, no excuses."

They are saying to the back ups, "You play like you practice. Act like each snap is your last."

Hallelujah!

This was a walk-through practice. No tackling. Just scheme and execution. Practice was crisp; they didn't waste any time between drills. Here's my snap-by-snap.

Willie Reid was out before practice shagging kickoffs. Felix then came out to join him.

10: 45 Coach Phillips gathered everybody up at midfield for a team prayer. After that, the team went into stretching exercises-offense in white jerseys, defense in blue. Mrs. Price stood in the stands wearing her Gurode jersey, at about the 40, yelling for the guys to "stretch all the way" and shouting "Bobby!".

10:55 Coaches Joe D and Reggie Herring lined up the kickoff units. They did something wrong on the first kick because Herring threw out a pretty loud F-bomb at somebody.

Buehler, as usual, was booming KOs. His first and second kicks went in the end zone, then he bounced one at the one, another at the goalline, and his last at the four. Folk set up and kicked his first one yard past the goalline and his next one went to the right, coming down at the seven.

11:00 The team split up into units. On one side of the 50, Jason Garrett shouted orders to the offense. The dome was not very packed today, so I could hear that he was talking blitz pickups. He was shouting loud enough for me to make out "free safety", then he started talking about the "SAM and WILL" linebackers as well as the "strong safety". Handling blitzers seemed to be the theme of the practice for the offense.

On the left of the 50, Brett Maxie and Dave Campo were running the DBs through backpedaling and hip-turning drills. After that, they practiced catching lob passes with one hand.

Catch the rest below...

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I'm sure you've seen the old military movie scenes showing a parade of bright, shiny, smiling soldiers marching down Main Street lined with cheering crowds, ready to ship out for battle. Beautiful women throwing garlands, bands playing, and the troops confident in a triumph that they knew would be theirs.

That was last year's camp.

That camp, highlighted by Hard Knocks, gave the impression that the Cowboys were Super Bowl bound and everybody just needed to  "..come on in for the big win."  (To borrow a line from another military movie).  Apparently the other teams in the league didn't get the memo. The Cowboys were bloodied and beaten during the regular season, at times appearing shell-shocked, before the eventual December collapse.

Did that early swagger contribute in some way to the swoon in December?

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Wide receiver Roy Williams is working hard to be a worthy investment for the Cowboys. He certainly has had his critics since being traded from Detroit. With Patrick Crayton being the only other receiver on the roster with substantial game experience, the Cowboys need Williams to be a consistent threat. If he becomes a reliable target for quarterback Tony Romo, his presence would open up the rest of the offense.

During Monday morning's training camp practice (Practice #8), I watched Williams exclusively while the team ran two different 11-on-11 drills: the first from the red zone, the second from near midfield. I watched where he lined up, how the defense covered him, his route running, and his overall performance. Here's what I noted of him on each snap.

Make the jump.

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What Cowboy QB controversy? Exactly, there is no controversy and Cowboy fans can be thankful for that. (Sorry for the sucker headline, like Parcells once said, consider yourself sucked!)

Think about the drama some teams are facing as they head into camp this year. There are teams going to training camp wondering who their QB will be. Will that QB have the physical skills, the leadership skills, the mental and emotional strength necessary to take their team through the regular season and deep into the playoffs?

Consider the Washington Redskins and their QB Jason Campbell. Campbell knows that the team must not have full confidence in his ability based on their pursuit of Jay Cutler during the off season. How does this public vote of ‘no confidence' affect the mind and play of a young quarterback?

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Who are the Bubble Boys this year? Who are the Cowboy players standing on the proverbial bubble this training camp? Almost all rookies are somewhat on the bubble unless they are top-round draft picks. I'm defining a Bubble Boy as a veteran player, who has not broken into the starting lineup and has yet to show themselves to be a reliable backup. At some point the team has to make a change if a player doesn't develop. That change can mean being traded for another player or future draft choice, or being cut outright. For some of the Bubble Boys, the clock is ticking.

Make the jump.

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The end of the offseason and the beginning of camp are overlapping in a messy way. Bill Parcells complained this afternoon that there are at least five things disturbing his preparations. They include:

TE Dan Campbell being played on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list due to appendicitis. Campbell had an appendectomy Thursday night and will surely miss the first week of camp. He could miss a second week before returning;

First round picks Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears have yet to sign and cannot participate in practices;

DE Chris Canty, who signed earlier this week, has yet not received clearance to go full speed in drills. He is listed on the injury report as "extremely limited until August 8th;"

The big news of day one was the absence of guard Larry Allen. Allen failed a conditioning test and was expected to be placed on the PUP list. However, Allen's predicament does not appear as serious as Campbell's. Parcells informed the press that Allen was not injured. The player was working out in shorts with trainers and could be working with the team as early as Sunday.

Parcells' comments make it sound like the league has beefed up conditioning standards during camp in the wake of Minnesota OT Korey Stringer's heat-stroke-related death a few summers ago. "The league has really mandated us to be very, very cautious in light of some incidents that have happened in the past," said Parcells. "I would say we're erring on the side of caution. That's the best way to put it." It sounds like Allen failed the conditioning standard, which is probably more strict for large linemen, and cannot participate in two a days until he meets it.

Allen's failure is a surprise, since Parcells complemented Allen for his offseason conditioning a few weeks ago. Whatever the case, this does not appear to be a long-term problem. Or so we can hope. OG Stephen Peterman has taken Allen's place at LG in the meantime.

Burnett Signs

There was one significant positive development Friday evening. LB Kevin Burnett, the Cowboys' second round pick, signed a five year deal and reported for practice Saturday morning.

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