Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: And Garrett Said, "Let There Be Tackling."

And Garrett said, "Let there be tackling," and there was tackling - C. Williams, Star-Telegram
The Cowboys defense will get to tackle in today's Blue-White Scrimmage, writes Charean Williams.

"At the end of the day, we think it’s a good idea for the younger players to play some tackle football," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.

"We’ll stay away from the quarterbacks, but we’ll tackle the backs and the receivers. It just gives them a chance to get rid of the cobwebs prior to next week and just kind of understand what hitting and tackling all the way to the ground before the game in Canton."

Blue And White Scrimmage will be streamed on DallasCowboys.com
Watch the Cowboys LIVE from Oxnard as they hold their annual blue and white scrimmage from 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET to 3:30 pm PT / 6:30 ET.

Bigger, stronger Claiborne looks like a more confident, physical Claiborne - C. Mendez, Star-Telegram
After his first full NFL offseason, Claiborne is showing much more physicality in camp after adding six pounds and getting stronger in the weight room.

"Mo is a physical player. He’s probably not quite as strong as Brandon is right now, but he is a physical guy," Garrett said. "He has good length in his arm. He can be a really good press corner. And the other thing he has that a lot of the really good corners have is he can really run. So, when you can really run and catch up, you can be more aggressive at the line of scrimmage."

Kyle Wilber's best practice: Day 6 observations from practice - B. George, DMN
Opinions vary greatly on Kyle Wilber's performance so far in camp, particularly after a move to LDE didn't work out that well for Wilber. But with DeMarcus Ware having a veteran's day off, Wilber was a force at RDE:

DE Kyle Wilber had his best practice of camp. Primarily working on the first-team in place of DE DeMarcus Ware (day off) and against LT Tyron Smith, Wilber was in the backfield all night. Wilber had two would-be sacks of QB Tony Romo going against Smith. Wilber ended team drills with a would-be sack against QB Alex Tanney.

Mid-Pack WRs Have A Chance To Shine - D. Helman, DallasCowboys.com
Helman's training camp summary covers a lot of known ground, but has some insight into the WR position, where Anthony Armstrong seems to be on the rise:

With the team’s top wide receivers alternating days off, several others have had a chance to show off. The top three of those have undoubtedly been Dwayne Harris, Terrance Williams and Anthony Armstrong.

Armstrong ran with the first team throughout full-team drills on Friday, and he received the nod, along with Harris and Austin, on Saturday during pass skeleton. It’s safe to say Armstrong made the most of the opportunity, as he hauled in several impressive catches and proved a reliable possession receiver.

Cowboys 'working hard' to improve technique with backup guard David Arkin, but Garrett encouraged overall - C. Mendez, Star-Telegram
The Arkin Man has been getting first-team snaps the entire camp in place of Mackenzy Bernadeau. And Jason Garrett likes what he's seen overall.

“There’s some things technically he has to get better at, and we’re working hard with him on that. He’s working on it,” Garrett said. “It’ll just allow him to be a better pass protector and a stronger run blocker. But he brings it every day. He cares a great deal about getting better, and he works at it, and he’s improving before our eyes.”

More Red Zone Reps For Witten? - B. Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com
Broaddus wonders whether Bill Callahan will use the tight ends more in the red zone than the Cowboys have done in previous years.

One of the biggest differences I have noticed with Bill Callahan calling the plays over Jason Garrett is how he has used the tight ends down the middle of the field and how he swings the backs wide in the red zone to create space.

From what I am seen [sic] in OTA's, minicamps and now training camps, Witten is getting more opportunities inside and the quarterbacks are taking advantage of the situation.

Cowboys practice report: Day 6 - Calvin Watkins, ESPN Dallas
Watkins gives a rundown of the day's activities, and provides a scary list of names on the second team offensive line:

The second-team offensive line is as follows: left tackle Darrion Weems, left guard Ray Dominguez, center Phil Costa, right guard Kevin Kowalski and right tackle Edawn Coughman.

John Clayton picks Giants to win NFC East - Dan Graziano, ESPN
Graziano isn't quite ready to make his own pick for the East, but provides a level-headed assessment of Clayton's pick:

"You never can rule out the Giants, and they're likely the safest pick. [...] I think the Redskins, if Robert Griffin III is healthy all year (a big "if," by the way), and the Cowboys, if they can keep their defense healthy, have more potential to have a great season than the Giants have. But there are also more things that can go wrong in those places. [...] I think the Eagles have the best chance of any of these four to have a poor season in 2013.

Eight Redskins have been suspended by NFL for drug violations, performance-enhancers since 2011 - The Washington Post
The NFL has announced that Redskins defensive end Jarvis Jenkins has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy regarding performance-enhancing substances. Over the last three years, eight Redskins have been suspended for either violating the NFL’s drug policy or using PEDs.

Since 2010, 47 NFL players have been suspended for violating the NFL's substance policy. The Redskins' eight suspensions lead all NFL teams, even ahead of the Seahawks' seven suspensions. No other team has more than three, and 11 teams have not had a single suspension over that period.

Don't minimize impact of Jeremy Maclin's injury on Eagles - Dan Graziano, ESPN
Jeremy Maclin was carted off the practice field yesterday with what has been determined as a torn ACL in his right knee. Graziano writes that the injury is a "major blow" to the Eagles.

There is no one on the current roster who can seamlessly step in and replace what the Eagles believed Maclin could contribute and expected him to contribute. For that reason, no matter how you want to rationalize this, it just got more difficult for the Eagles to win games this season.

New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul not promising Week 1 return - Big Blue View
Giants' star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said Saturday that he will return from back surgery "when I feel like I'm ready to come back," though that's unlikely to be the season-opener against the Cowboys. The 24-year-old Pierre-Paul said that "everything's good" when it comes to his rehab, but that he "can't promise anything for the season opener."

More from Blogging The Boys:

• Cowboys Training Camp Report, Practice Number Six: Studying For The Midterm
• Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Open Thread - Day Six - 7/27/13
• Cowboys 2013: How Good Will Cornerback Trio Carr, Claiborne & Scandrick Be?
• Is The Sense Of Entitlement Gone For The Dallas Cowboys?
• Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: "No Doubt New Defense Will Work", Sean Lee Superstar?