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Once Kyle Orton didn't show up for his physical yesterday before mini-camp, it became obvious we have what you might call a holdout. Sure enough, Orton didn't show up for the Tuesday morning meetings before today's practice. The fining has begun and the stand-off between the two sides has intensified.
Practice does not begin at Valley Ranch until 11 a.m., but Orton was not among those in attendance when the team reported for meetings early Tuesday morning. With this week being the first mandatory activity of the offseason program, Orton stands to be fined up to $70,000 by the time if he fails to take part.
Jason Garrett's repeated proclamations that he expected Orton to show up for mandatory mini-camp has proven false and now the Cowboys brain-trust has to decide how they will proceed. Tom Ryle laid out some options in a post yesterday.
In the meantime, with the Cowboys still being patient with Tony Romo's recovery, Brandon Weeden gets a chance to show what he can do.
"It's definitely a breath of fresh air," Weeden said of his second chance. "I'm excited to be here. I love coming to work every day. It's a fun environment."
Though the Cowboys want to be patient with Weeden, giving him a chance to learn the team's offense under his fourth head coach in as many years, he's been given a golden opportunity.
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"Brandon has done a nice job. He gets in the huddle and handles himself like an NFL quarterback," Garrett said. "He's getting all the first reps, and it's great for him. When Troy Aikman was hurt I got the first reps, and it was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life. You're playing, you're learning, you're making mistakes and you're growing, and when you kind of go back into your role you're better for it. So this is a really good thing for him."
"Brandon has done a nice job. He gets in the huddle and handles himself like an NFL quarterback," Garrett said. "He's getting all the first reps, and it's great for him. When Troy Aikman was hurt I got the first reps, and it was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life. You're playing, you're learning, you're making mistakes and you're growing, and when you kind of go back into your role you're better for it. So this is a really good thing for him."