Chris Canty gets some praise for his work in camp so far. I couldn’t agree more, the guy has been a force in San Antonio. We might see a totally different Canty this year. And I love this quote from DL coach Kacy Rodgers:
"It puts pressure on them where they have to put up or shut up," defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers said. "Before, the players could say it was the system. Now we have the system, so what's the excuse now. That's one of the things Wade says: 'Ain't no time for excuses; it's time to play.' "
So far, Canty has put up. Marcus Spears? Not so much.
The return of the Flo.
We bash him, we say he’s inconsistent, we say he’s overrated. But facts are facts, and we need Flo this year. Nobody on the squad is ready to take over for him yet. Tony Sparano says we’re too harsh on him.
"He's critical," Sparano said. "Really the left tackle is for any team, but Flo is that way for us. I've said this before, but he's been under-appreciated by a lot of people. I don't mean people in the organization. I mean on the outside because this guy is a really good football player. You don't go to the Pro Bowls he's gone to by accident. You don't last as long as he has at his position by accident."
Do we love any player on the team more than DeMarcus Ware? Well, maybe Tony Romo, after all, he has his own fan club – The Romosexuals. Still, what’s not to love about Ware. Jason Ferguson knows he’s the man.
"He's the man," defensive tackle Jason Ferguson said. "We need him to do that. He's all talent. He came here as a rookie and he was raw. But now, he's turned into a beast. He's going to get to the ball and pass rush. That's what we pay him to do. He's a playmaker, especially in this defense."
It’s been noted since the beginning of camp that the defensive players are slimmed down and revved up. Here’s some ink on that transformation.
"I told Joe early when I got here what I wanted," said Phillips, who replaced the retired Parcells in February. "(Juraszek) doesn't just gear (his offseason conditioning program) to what the players want. He also gears it to what the coach wants.
"And he let them know pretty quick I want them to be able to run."
[Bradie] James wasn't the only big loser. Pro Bowl strong safety Roy Williams weighs 221 pounds, eight fewer than last year.
Unlike his predecessor, Phillips apparently isn't opposed to using a roster spot on a kickoff specialist.
"Brad Daluiso did it for us in Denver when I was there, and it worked out pretty well," Phillips said.
C’mon Folk, win the competition outright so we can save that extra spot for a WR or something.
I've added something new to the blog. If you look over on the right-hand side, just above the Diaries section, there's a link for Shango's Cowboys Video. Shango and I have been hanging out at camp, and he does daily video reports about practice, and during the season he continues to update us with new videos. Sometimes they're sober analysis, sometimes they're just plain funny. So click on the link and check it out.