Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Bryant Not A Secret Any More, Spencer Living Vicariously, More

Dez Bryant, fantasy football superstar - Dan Graziano, ESPN NFC East Blog
Graziano reflects on ESPN.com's fantasy football draft kit which came out this week, and which has Dez Bryant ranked as the No. 16 overall player in fantasy football heading into 2013, and the No. 3 wide receiver, behind only Detroit's Calvin Johnson and Cincinnati's A.J. Green. And Graziano concurs:

"He doesn't even turn 25 until November, which means there's a chance he's getting better. He plays in a passing offense with a quarterback who loves throwing to him, and he's a physical mismatch against any defensive back this side of Seattle. If he's healthy he will produce big numbers. The only thing I don't like about this is that he's not a secret any more, and he won't be as easy to acquire as he was the past couple of years."

Anthony Spencer "Living vicariously" through Kyle Wilber - Carlos Mendez, Star-Telegram
Anthony Spencer watched Kyle Wilber fill in for him at defensive end in the OTAs and mini-camp, and he said Wilber showed instinct for the position. Spencer, who was sidelined for parts of OTAs, took a hands-on approach in coaching Wilber through the OTAs and said the coaching allowed him to "live vicariously " through Wilber.

Cowboys running back Phillip Tanner more confident after spring work - Christian Clark, Star-Telegram
At the end of last season, it looked like Tanner was being phased out by the Cowboys, but a leaner, quicker, and more explosive Tanner impressed at OTA practices, especially his new coach Gary Brown:

“From what I’ve seen so far, he looks like he’s in great shape,” Brown said. “He’s studying. He knows what he’s doing and not making any mental errors.”

Six-pack of under-the-radar Cowboys up-and-comers - Tim MacMahon - ESPN Dallas
MacMahon digs a little deeper into the Cowboys' roster and comes up with six under-the-radar prospects. But if you thought this was going to be about guys like Cameron Sheffield, Spencer Benton or Edawn Coughman, you're sadly mistaken, because this is about Crawford, Parnell, Johnson, Hanna, Lissemore and Leary. I guess "under-the-radar" means different things to different people.

Why some corners can't play zone coverage - ProFootballFocus.com
PFF looks at why some CBs who play well in man schemes are unable to replicate that success in zone. Must-read for the Xs & Os crowd.

Just Because: Fight over Redskins name goes back 40 years - CBSSports.com
For those who thought the fight over the Redskins name was relatively recently, turns out that's not the case at all.

Jaxson DeVille, Mike Florio feud on Twitter - Big Cat Country
Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson DeVille has a tough life. Yesterday he decided it was time to stop taking crap from people and fired back at ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio.

Vikings Rookie Jeff Locke Can Placehold Anywhere - Kissing Suzy Kolber
Meet the dark ninja of placeholding.

More Cowboys Coverage

• What Should The Cowboys Do With A Vacant Roster Spot?
• Dez Bryant Gets An Assist From Michael Jordan And Chris Paul
• Will Dallas Cowboys Injury Trend Reverse in 2013?
• Cowboys Offseason Headscratcher: Is The Third Year A Charm For Jason Garrett?
• Cowboys Offseason Headscratcher: The State Of The Offensive Line