Yesterday was the best practice in many respects.
In TC, you have to provide instruction. Some of the new plays are centered around the RB. Marion ran into somebody yesterday, one of the guards missed an easy assignment near the goal line.
Some of the hurt players may practice, but it won't be Crayton. Don't know about T.O.
Hyperbaric chamber? I would know absolutely nothing about it, I don't even know what it is, never heard of it before you mentioned it.
Sam Hurd? He can play more than one position early in camp, learning ability is superior and he has good stamina. He has a little flaw in his receiving technique that needs to be corrected. He doesn't always put his hands together.
Satisfied with both Kosier and Procter. I've been surprised by Procter, he can go from right guard to left guard easily. I don't think he could displace Kosier at this time. If he kept coming though, it could become a contest.
Have to be patient with Petitti, I'm going to have to see more from him than I am right now, is struggling technically from time to time, he needs consistency. He's not technically precise, it takes tremendous discipline to do it every play. He will play some left tackle in the Saints game. He is stronger and in better condition, but the technical precision isn't there.
Watkins is going to be a factor here. He's in contention, he played 54 plays last week, I'm impressed with him. Very unique player, never seen one like him physically. He's quicker than I thought and has tremendous wingspan, good ball skills and smart. He will be an outstanding special teams player. Superior. I'm happy with him. Need him to get to 220 lbs. after a year, that would be a formidable player.
I have some concern with him (Watkins) being young at that position. I've done it before, with Lawyer Milloy, Terry Kinard did it. FS has to be a good tackler, or you'll give up a lot of long runs. Don't care how they do it but they have to get them down. Good ball skills, good range and must be a good communicator.
I'm giving turns to Baker, Henson has been average so far. I don't know if Baker has a chance for the roster, Henson job not in danger from Baker.
Canty, physically in much better shape, strength, power, also mentally tougher this year, more combative. He had the eye and knee problems, but he has trained now and has his confidence.
Taking the word on the trainers on Owens, we do need to get him in the offense, today would be 50% of the practices for Jax, he needs to get in if possible. Not pissed off at #81, can I get frustrated, yes, but it will work out. If he practices, we'll have to judge if he plays on Monday. We'll need to see how he looks. Don't want to jeopardize the early part of the season by making a mistake with him to early.
Hard to put finger on what the problem is with Henson. I've had some talks with him, he has trouble relaxing, his mind races. Beneficial to teach them a mechanism by where they can relax in the midst of the battle. Most notable, I did it with Sam Gash. High strung player, very agressive, in the huddle he would be snorting, hyper-ventalating. I spent time to teach him to relax after a play, to quit spending energy in between plays. I've been spending time with Henson to get him to do it. Under duress, he needs to see the play, see the opening and hit them with a good, accurate throw.
Marcus Coleman is going to play a lot this week. I know the player so I'm not that worried about seeing him.
McQ is another pleasant surprise in camp along with Procter. Seems to have everything you need to be a good player. He's a little hard to figure out. I asked him if he was Scotch or Irish and he didn't know.
We've had several calls about some of our players. But where not down the road on anything right now.
I've added Inman Roshi's write-up below, the guy is amazing at transcribing the press conferences. I'll be stealing his write-ups all year. He posts them at the CowboysZone.
Hurt guys practicing today? Yeah, some of those that are hurt might be out there today.
Will TO practice? I have no idea.
How come guys who have guys who aren?t practicing riding the bike instead of standing around the team and learning? I have never done it. Standing around isn?t conducive to rehabbing injuries. I don?t think its beneficial to have injured players standing around players practicing, myself. I sure you did a lot of standing around, Babe. But I think its distracting.
What do you think of the hyperbaric chamber? I know absolutely nothing about it. I don?t even know what it is.
Hurd? He has one characteristic for a rookie that is not common .. he can play more than 1 position early in camp. He?s got superior learning ability. He has high stamina. Those things impress me the most, but he needs to catch the ball better. He has a flaw in his receving technique. He doesn?t put his hands together properly all the time.
If Proctor has another good game, do you have a decision to make about the left guard? I?ve been satisfied about both of the players there. Kosier has the most experience. I?ve been pleasantly surprised with Proctor. He also goes from right guard to left guard easily. I?m happy with him. Right now I will say no, but he?s an athletic guy. If he keeps coming, that will be an issue. But if the season started today it would be Kosier.
Why do people have trouble moving from right to left guard? Some people are just uncomfortable with it. Its the same thing between writing with your left and right hand. Most people can?t write the same with both hands. One of the things that was in common a few years ago is that colleges would employ a ?flip flop?, where offensive lineman would move from right to left based on strong and weakside alignment. So guys played on both sides of the line of scrimmage. It was much easier to evaluate them. That was one reason I was interested in Jumbo Elliot, he did that at Michigan.
Has Pettiti?s offseason carried over to the field? I have to be patient with him. He has 16 games of experience which is good, but I need to see more from him that what I?ve seen, to be honest. I see him doing some things better, but he still has some technical problems and I need to see more consistency. These big guys to be successful against the DeMarcus Ware?s of this world have to be technically precise. If not, you won?t be able to recover. It takes tremendous discipline for a big guy to be technically precise, but if he isn?t against a guy like Ware or Ellis he has no chance. You have to get yourself in position so that you can use your strengths, which are size and strength. I?m going to play Pettiti at left tackle some this game. He is more powerful than last year, he?s more powerful and in better condition ? but until the technical precision comes into play it won?t manifest itself. When he does use the precision, then you see improvement. But I need consistency.
Free safety? Watkins will be a factor here. I don?t know about as a starter, but he will be in contention. I?ve been impressed with him. A very unique player. Never had or seen one that looks like this player at that position. I think that?s one of the reasons where he was drafted, because no one else has ever seen him either. He?s quicker than I thought he was and very fast and a tremendous wing span. Good ball skills and pretty smart. A 2 year starter at FSU, that?s good competition. Just looking at the film I think he?ll be an outstanding special teams player this year. Will he be ready to go when the lights go on? I don?t know. He?s a linear player physically. He?s 211 lbs., but I see him in the 219-220 range next year with the same speed. 6?5? 220 lbs is a physically formidable safety. I don?t know how this is all going to sort out yet, but Keith will be active in our defense and I hope that Watkins will be too.
You say you have 15 to 16 defensive starters? Yes, and I hope he will be I that group.
Do you worry about youth at that position? In 1989 I started two rookie safeties. Lawyer Milloy did it, he was a strong safety. Terry Kenard did it. I?ve done it several times, but it doesn?t make you sleep too much.
What do you need to see at FS spot? First of all, the FS has to be able to tackle. If they don?t tackle, they won?t play. You?re going to give up a lot of long runs. They are the last line of defense. I don?t care how they do it, but they have to get the guy down. You want good range. They also need to be good communicators, because they?re the guys who position the rest of the secondary.
Henson?s camp? I?m giving some turns to Baker. I would say Henson has been average so far.
Can Baker make this roster. Is Henson in trouble of not making the team? I don?t know that. Henson?s job isn?t necessarily in danger right now.
Canty? Again like Spear and Ratliff and Ware, they are physically in much better shape strength and power wise. I think Chris is a little mentally tougher than he was too. He seems more combative. I think the injuries last year left his confidence level down. I think you?ll see an improvement in that this year.
On Monday, you appeared to have a ?come to Jesus? meeting with one of your injured WR?s. Do you anticpate another one with that with #81? I don?t know what ?Come to Jesus? means. Maybe that?s a phrase used in the Southwest that I?m not familiar with. Where I?m from we have ?sit downs with the big guy?. Well, I don?t know that player well. The one I had the meeting with I do know the player well. We werent? talking about what you think we were talking about ? we were talking about some other things. I?m just taking the word of the trainers ? but I?m not reluctant to say he is missing a lot of work. We?re running out of time here. We?re 50% through implementing our game plan for first game.
There is a perception that you?re pissed off at #81. No. That?s a pretty strong word. Frustrated? Yeah, sure. Things will work out.
When will he need to practice to play Monday? If he were to practice, that doesn?t mean that he?ll play. I need to see what he looks like. I?m not sure he?ll be ready to go play. Its not when he practices, but how he looks when he does and whether he?ll know what to do. I don?t want to jeopardize the early part of the season by making a mistake here, but I don?t want to talk about this anymore. I hope with your creative minds that you could find other subjects.
You knew this was coming? So what. I?m not a trained pig who wants to say the same things over and over. I don?t want to talk about it everyday.
What is slowing Henson down? Its hard to put my finger on that. I?ve sat down and talked with him a couple of times. I talked with him for about 30 minutes the other day. He has trouble relaxing. He?s smart and his mind races. One of the most beneficial things you can do for a player sometimes, and I?ve done this with hundreds of players, is to try to teach them a mechanism so that they can relax in battle. To allow their mind and body to take a quick 8-10 second vacation in between plays. I had a player who used to expend volumes of energy, Sam Gash. He?s coaching the Jets now. High motor player, very very aggressive. In the huddle he was literally snorting and hyperventilating. He would be exhausted by 4 plays. So I tried to work with him on a way to get him to settle down a bit so he can be ready for the next play. But a player has to learn how to think it through. You can tell a fighter he needs to learn to relax, but its hard when he?s getting the the you-know-what punched out of him.
Did you know about this before he came here? No. I?m not looking at this as a big flaw, but its something ? you know I like baseball very much. I talk to these baseball coaches a lot. A talked to the pitching coach of the Cardinals and he told me ?It doesn?t matter who is in the box, you got to make that pitch.? It doesn?t matter if you got Barry Bonds up at bat, if you try to throw your slider a little bit harder you?re going to make it even more difficult. If you try to press yourself you make things that should be easy hard. As a QB, under duress, you got to take the picture, evaluate, see the opening and put the ball in there with a good accurate throw. You have to relax. Like Sam Gash, he couldn?t be a good player for me until he learned that because I had to replace him after 7 plays. We laugh about it now.
How much longer can you wait on Drew? As long as I have to, I guess. There is no deadline here.
Marcus Coleman? He?ll play a lot this week. He?s in that group that didn?t play last week that will play a lot this week. I know that player, I?m not real worried about seeing him.
When you look at all your WR?s out, do you miss Keyshawn? I miss him personally. I talked to him the other day. He wanted to know how I was holding up. He said he got an afternoon off over there, but he never had the guts to ask for it here. I admired him for a lot of reasons, but the main one is that he?s with you on Sundays.
McQuinston? Another pleasant surprise with Proctor. He?s inexperienced with an enormous amount of ability. He?s got everything you need to be a good player. He?s a little hard to figure out right now. I asked him if he was Scotch or Irish yesterday, and he didn?t know. Sean Ryan says he?s not Irish or he would know.
WR injuries? We?re exploring things, and we?ve had several calls about players here. We?re not down the road on anything, so no use in chasing any windmills right now. The prime windmills chasers are sitting together.
Aaron Glenn in the slot? I?m just messing around with him. He probably won?t play there, Terrence will.