:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14864883/20130110_mje_se2_902.0.jpg)
Morris Claiborne on Dez Bryant - DMN
The praise for Dez Bryant knows no end this offseason. This time it's from the guy who's going up against him in every training:
"Dez is one of the top receivers in this league. The things he can do on the field is just amazing. For me to go out each day and compete with him on that high level is making both of us better. He seems like he gets better each and every day."
"It gets real heated out there. We having a lot of talk going on, a lot of battles. At the end of the day, it's all love. Once he gets started, there's no stopping him. Whatever he's talking about, he's going to prove his point right then and there. If he's running a route, he's gonna talk until he gets back to the huddle and he's going to continue to talk when he comes back out. Dez brings it out of you. You can be one of the quietest corners in the league. He's gonna light a fire up under you."
Our friends over at The Landry Hat managed to get Bryant and Claiborne on tape together for a nice impromptu interview, though why they would chose to overlay the interview with music that almost drowns out what Bryant and Claiborne have to say is beyond me.
Michael Florek of the DMN writes that in the Dez vs. Mo battle, Claiborne thinks both have had their moments:
You notice a difference in Dez going against him every day," said Claiborne, speaking at Brandon Carr’s celebrity softball game on Saturday. "He’s getting better.
"That’s the only person I’ve really been going up against. Me and him have been having this battle the whole minicamp and OTAs."
Will the Dallas Cowboys run more in 2013? - Dan Graziano, ESPN Dallas
If you thought the Cowboys would run more simply because Bill Callahan will now be calling the plays, Graziano has some sobering thoughts for you:
"I wouldn't fret that the Cowboys are all of a sudden going to become a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust running team. They did spend the early part of the draft adding passing-game weapons for Romo, and with guys like him, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten on the team, it'd be foolish to move away from the downfield passing game.
If the plan is to alleviate the extent to which they have to lean on that downfield passing game, fine. But I wouldn't assume the Cowboys' offense is all of a sudden going to look like previous offenses Callahan has run just because he's now the playcaller. Head coach Jason Garrett will remain heavily involved in making game plans, and his influence is likely to remain stronger than Callahan's in the Cowboys' offensive philosophy and plans."
Cowboys rookie B.W. Webb finds a mentor in Brandon Carr - Michael Florek, DMN
Florek writes that Carr and Webb have developed a productive relationship, in which Carr helps Webb with techniques and plays which, according to Webb, is "helping out a lot."
Carr is also focused on providing more than just on-field tips to the fourth-round pick by offering advice about off-the-field issues:
“My thing is to just try to keep him focused because it’s easy to lose focus with all these distractions and everything in the Dallas area and everything that’s going on being a rookie in the NFL playing for the Cowboys,” Carr said. “I’m just here to talk about football, talk about life. Whatever it is, I’m just going to be here to have a shoulder to cry on, have an ear to listen to him, and I’m always down to give him advice."
“I just want to see him get to his full potential.”
Cowboys DE Hargrove tackling life's challenges - Matt Mosley, FoxsportsSouthWest
Mosely with a nice profile of Anthony Hargrove. Hargrove hasn't made a lot of noise yet at OTAs as he spent most of the time trying to get back into shape after almost a year out of football, but don't count him out just yet. The Cowboys really like Hargrove, and from the way Garrett talks about him, they may be willing to give him the time he needs:
"He probably slipped through the cracks a little bit," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. "We're lucky to add him to our roster. We've competed against him through the years, and he's a darn good football player."
Championship year? Don’t believe Stephen Jones’ hype - Tom Orsborn, MySA.com
Orsborn thinks talk of competing for a championship is nothing but a marketing ploy to sell tickets, luxury suites or sponsorships. This is somewhat of an odd assessment to make, given that the Cowboys have been sold out in 193 consecutive games, and you've got to wonder how much of a priority selling tickets is to an organization whose last non-sellout home game was on Dec. 16, 1990 against the Phoenix Cardinals.
Dallas Cowboys’ Daughter-Dad Dynamic - Fox Small Business Center
When a site tells me to "click to browse slideshow", I usually leave the site immediately. But this time I stayed and clicked through a slideshow featuring Charlotte Jones Anderson, the executive vice-president of the Dallas Cowboys, and her take on the important lessons she’s learned from father Jerry Jones while running America’s Team.
Nepotism is also very high on my list of turn-offs, but judging by what her father told her to do, Anderson did a great job, nepotism or not:
"What he wanted were people he could trust around him. So when he asked me to come – drafted me – the only instruction he gave me was, ‘Find a way to stop losing money, and whatever you do, don’t tarnish the brand.’"
Bill Barnwell on the teams that still have holes in their rosters - Grantland
Barnwell doesn't like the Cowboys' moves at safety so far:
"With Sensabaugh released before he eventually retired, I was sure the Cowboys would at least do something to shore up their last line of defense. That big move: sign backup Steelers safety Will Allen, who's started all of nine games over the past five years. Allen's a bit part, and while the Cowboys will hope to get something out of Barry Church, who missed most of 2012 with a torn Achilles, Dallas might be stuck inserting 2013 third-rounder J.J. Wilcox into the lineup long before he's ready to contribute."
