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Dallas Cowboys' Randy Gregory impresses Tyron Smith early - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Cowboys rookie Randy Gregory fared well against All-Pro offensive tackle Tyron Smith during Wednesday's organized team activities.
"He’s a swifty kid," Smith said. "He’s pretty quick, a different type of rusher. He’s going to be pretty good."
How much has DeMarcus Lawrence improved? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
In response to a Twitter question, Archer says he expects big things from Lawrence in 2015.
We've seen one organized team activity so to say we've seen for-sure signs of improvement might not be the best thing to do. I know the coaches don't look at it that way. But I do think the Cowboys have major hopes for DeMarcus Lawrence and like what they have seen this offseason.
Players make their biggest jumps usually from their rookie year to their second year. He was a difference maker in the playoffs last year. He looks bigger even if he says his weight is the same. Maybe he has just packaged it differently. He is not a speed rusher. He has speed but he is a guy that I think will use his hands and strength to generate a pass rush. One positive sign from Wednesday's OTA was when he bowled La'el Collins to the ground with one arm as he made his way to the quarterback. Maybe some will take that as a sign that Collins needs to get stronger, but I'd rather look at it as a sign Lawrence could be a big player for the defense in 2015.
Randy Gregory explains nutritional preferences | Dallas Morning News
In an interview with KRLD-FM 105.3, Gregory explains his plan to gain weight, a plan that has got to leave the team's nutritionist shame-faced.
I live on In-N-Out, probably go to In-N-Out every day. I lived on the West Coast. I've had Whataburger. I had that about 3 o'clock in the morning one time, I think when I first came out here to visit. Wasn't too impressed. Any calories I put in is good, they don't care what it is. I probably order pizza every other night. The important thing is I'm gaining weight. That's what they wanted.
RB Ryan Williams: Cowboys made me ‘fall in love with football’ | Dallas Morning News
Gotta like this from Williams.
On how many teams tried to get him on their active roster last season:
Williams: "I can’t remember exactly, but I know it was between five and 10."
On why he didn’t leave; it would have been a lot more money:
Williams: "Money is not an issue for me. I feel like when you chase money, you’re chasing the wrong thing. I’m chasing happiness. The Cowboys have always been my favorite team since I can remember. The Cowboys made me fall in love with football. I’m thinking about the bigger picture, and that’s Ryan Williams being happy. Set aside from everything else, the money is always going to be there. I grew up — my mother never made money like this, and she raised three grown boys by herself. So if I can grow up in that household with the money that she made I can live life easily with the money that I’m making now. So money isn’t a big thing.
Four of seven NFL.com dream Super Bowl matchups include Cowboys - NFL.com
Seven NFL.com writers describe their dream matchups for Super Bowl 50? Four like the Cowboys in their matchups, nobody likes the Eagles.
Dave Dameshek: Steelers vs. Cowboys.
Gil Brandt: Cowboys vs. Colts
Bucky Brooks: Cowboys vs. Bills
Mike Huguenin: Patriots vs. Cowboys
Byron Maxwell guarantees Eagles Super Bowl, forgets who his QBs are - CBSSports.com
Philly's free agent acquisition has not yet been briefed on team history and thinks the Eagles are going to make it to Super Bowl 50. He even guarantees it.
"You can take that as a guarantee," Maxwell said. "That's just me believing in my team and the product we're going to put out there on the field. I really do believe that. I have no choice but to think that way."
Travis Frederick: Cowboys' offensive line 'not even close' to being best in history | Dallas Morning News
Meanwhile, while the Eagles are writing checks they have no chance of cashing, Travis Frederick poured some very cold water on the "best offensive line" talk in a recent interview with 105.3 FM.
I don't think there's any reason that we should deserve to be called that. Anybody that's making that assumption should study more about who the greatest offensive line is and what that's like. We're not there yet. We're not even close. The best thing we can do is to continue to work and continue to improve.
We have a lot of good players in our room, but we're not going to get anywhere if we don't continue to work as hard as we ever had. We're never gonna be as good as we wanna be. We're not even close. There's always a technique issue. Every single play. Very few plays that you see anybody get 100 percent on. And that's plays, so that means your grades throughout the game is not even close (to 100 percent).
Travis Frederick Does Not Like Excessive Talk Or Celebrations (hat tip to Vancity Cowboy)
Orlando Scandrick On Playing In Philly: "We embrace it" | Dallas Cowboys
Scandrick joined NFL Network and was asked about his favorite place to play outside of AT&T Stadium.
Scandrick: "Probably Philadelphia. I just like the atmosphere. Their fans hate us, we embrace it. I think it's kind of funny to me that somebody can hate you so much and they don't even know you."
NFL Network lady: "Yeah, well that's Philadelphia, get used to it"
Is Joseph Randle the New Larry Johnson? | Inside The Star
The 2005 Chiefs could give Cowboys fans some hope about their 2015 team after losing DeMarco Murray.
Mo Making Progress In Knee Rehab | Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Good news from the Claiborne injury front.
The Cowboys are holding [Morris Claiborne] out of team drills in OTAs, but he’s going through walkthroughs and some individual work – a good sign of progress in his rehab with the team’s athletic training staff.
"The ability to look at adversity, accept the challenge, embrace the challenge – that's important," head coach Jason Garrett said. "That's a big part of mental toughness, and certainly Mo's demonstrated that in his work up to this point. He got some good work in (this week) in the walkthrough format and we anticipate using him the same way over the next few weeks."
Coaches & Teammates Liking Lee’s Progress With Knee | Nick Eatman, Dallas Cowboys
More good news from the injury front.
Lee isn’t exactly 100 percent cleared for all of the practices, but it appears he’s certainly getting close. He is going through individual drills but hasn’t participated in a lot of 11-on-11 team drills.
"He’s doing really good. He’s working in the individual," linebackers coach Matt Eberflus said. "We’re trying to pace him and get him more reps every day. It’s (up to) the trainers and all the guys that are watching him. We’re just trying to move him forward every day through these OTAs."
Sam Bradford no lock to open season as Eagles' QB - NFL.com
Chances are the Eagles traded their starting quarterback and a second-round draft pick in exchange for an injured quarterback who is not a lock to start in week one.
Please let the Sanchize be the Philly starting QB, please, please, please.
Better yet, let it be Tebow.
Will Bradford be ready? For now, Sanchez is the man - Philly.com
Sam Bradford's left knee doesn't appear "remotely close" to full health.
Eli Manning: I'm expecting my best season with Giants - NFL.com
Manning believes his best play is still ahead of him. Apparently, Manning has set a goal for "single-digit interceptions, and a 4-to-1 ratio" of touchdowns to interceptions in 2015.
Over his career, Manning has averaged a mediocre 1.4-to-1 TD/INT ratio, and only managed to surpass a 2-to-1 ratio twice in his career (2.1 in 2008 and 2014).
The chances of Manning coming anywhere close to a 4-to-1 TD/INT ratio are about the same as getting 366 people in a room without duplicate birthdays.
2015 NFL schedule: Eagles and Redskins travel the fewest miles in 2015 - CBSSports.com
The Cowboys have the 12th-most miles to travel (17,148 miles) for their road games, the Eagles and the Redskins have the fewest, and the Giants aren't far behind at No. 23.
Patriots Rookies Petrified Of Going Off Script, Can’t Answer The Simplest Questions - CBS Boston
It's quite funny how the Patriots rookies try their best not to rock the boat in their first appearance with the media.
Browns’ offense appears to be moving on from Manziel | ProFootballTalk
This is a sad, sad story.
After reporting on the first week of OTAs, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland describes Manziel as "a fish out of water" in the offense the Browns are installing. Grossi writes that the Browns don’t seem to be developing Manziel so much as they’re moving on from him.
At the practice the media were allowed to watch, Manziel seemed to eager to run and not confident enough in his passing. And Grossi reports that one source who witnessed another practice says Manziel was actually even worse in a session that the media didn’t see.