Dallas Cowboys Rookie Minicamp Press Conference: Tempo, Talent, Turnovers

Some notes from Jason Garrett's press conference after the morning practice on Saturday:

Progress: Garrett saw some progress from day one to day two:

"One thing we do intentionally as coaches is to be aggressive with the installation. Be reasonable, but be aggressive. A big part of being able to acclimate yourself in the NFL is being able to go out to practice physically but also handle the information intellectually and take it from the meeting to the practice field."

News from the meme that won't die: A question was asked about play-calling to which Garrett answered matter-of-factly, "We haven’t made any decisions on that."

Next thing you know, there's a headline story on Nfl.com's Around the League trying to spin something out of nothing in best PFT-fashion.

So much for that zone-blocking scheme: Garrett puts an end to the speculation about the Cowboys moving to a zone-blocking scheme:

"We've done zone-blocking in the past and we've done what we call gap-trap type blocking in the past. That's been part of our run game here for the last six years and it's probably part of the run game for 32 teams around the NFL. I don't know that we're emphasizing it any more or less. It's been a part of what we've done in the past and we'll continue to do that along with some of the other stuff in the run game

Adjusting to the NFL tempo: The speed of the NFL game can be an issue for the rookies, Garrett said when asked about Terrance Williams, especially as it takes rookies a while to learn the offense. But Garrett said he could already see some progress from Williams on Saturday morning versus Friday's practices.

Player notes:

• Garrett talked briefly about WR Jared Green's NFL bloodlines and described him as a "good football player" with experience and a good feel for the position and with speed that allows him to gain some separation from the corners.
• Nick Stephens has the physical tools and has made some progress, according to Garrett, but still has a long way to go.
• The Cowboys are taking a "wait and see" approach on Joseph Randle's thumb injury.

Turnovers: The Cowboys will continue to focus on turnovers, and Garrett said it was equally about coaching and individual player ability that made turnovers happen. The Cowboys will need to do a better overall job here and the coaches will continue to emphasize that.

Talent Acquisition: Garrett talked a little about the talent acquisition process and spoke about the many players on the Cowboys roster that "have come via the college free agency route". Garrett got a little animated when he talked about how it doesn't really matter for the Cowboys where a player comes from, and that while some organizations pride themselves in how many draft picks they keep, what the Cowboys want to do is field the best team they possibly can.

We talk about the guys we draft, the college free agents we sign; but we really try to go through the process of bringing the tryout guys in. We try to do that the right way as well, because, again, you never know where you can find football players. We want to be very deliberate and thorough in deciding who those tryout guys are.

Asked whether he shares any stories about his own NFL career with his players, Garrett said, "They're tired of my stories."

More Cowboys coverage:

Dallas Cowboys Injury Updates And Roster Moves

What The Rookies Had To Say About Day One Of Camp

News And Notes From Day 1 Of Cowboys' Rookie Minicamp

Can Terrance Williams Become A First Year Starter?

Who Will Be The Cowboys' 2013 Breakout Player?