Cowboys News & Notes: Cedric Thornton Came To Dallas To Win A Ring

With Goal To Compete For Super Bowl, Youthful Advice Led Thornton To Dallas - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
Shortly after reading a comment that todays players are not drawn to Dallas because the luster of the star is little more than a fairy tale to them, I saw this article and there was no doubt in my mind that it would lead this edition of the news links.

Apparently, Thornton's eight-year old son played a big role when Thornton talked to him about which teams to visit. Cedric Jr. didn’t hesitate, immediately telling his father: "Dallas. We’re going to Dallas."

"I had some other offers from Seattle and Kansas City," Thornton said. "But I know this team. I've played against these guys. I think we have a chance to win a championship here. This isn't a 4-12 team. We're going to be back and I just wanted to be a part of it."

"Why not now?" he said. "You can tell they have a special thing going on. I’ve played against Zack Martin, Frederick, Collins, Doug Free. It’s always a tough battle when we face those guys. And now I get to face them in practice every day. I feel like they’re going to make me a better player and maybe I can do the same to them."

The assessment that the star has lost its luster may be right, but I would love to see Thornton and some others prove it wrong.

Report: More than 100 diagnosed concussions left out of NFL studies, including injuries to ex-Cowboys QB Troy Aikman - SportsdayDFW staff
This piece is something of a follow up to the comments made by Jerry Jones. It is very interesting to note the fact that NFL's data for concussions shows a six year span where not a single concussion is listed.  It is strange to hear an owner implying that the data that supports the link between football and CTE is flawed and then find out that there is a significant gap in the reporting of concussions from his team that covers a period of time where it is known that one of his star players suffered at least eight concussions.

Cowboys discussed bringing DeMarco Murray back to Dallas - Clarence Hill, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
We talked about it among ourselves here at Blogging The Boys. From our perspective it seemed like a good move to make, and it now turns out that the Dallas front office had a similar approach to the subject. Alas, DMM will be carrying the rock in Tennessee this season, but it is nice to know that sometimes the front office does think the same way that we do.

Cowboys get a look at QB Paxton Lynch; why private workouts are so helpful in evaluation process - David Moore, Dallas Morning News
While the majority of the Dallas entourage made their way back to Dallas after the latest round of NFL meetings, Jason Garrett took a different route. The head coach went to Orlando for a private workout that the team had scheduled with quarterback Paxton Lynch. The Cowboys have already held a private session with Dak Prescott and will also conduct similar events with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz in the upcoming days.

"But if you can get a chance to go be closer to them and get your hands on them and ask them to do specific things you would ask a player to do, I think that gives you a better chance to evaluate the guy," Garrett said. "You also want to find out who the guy is as a person. That's a really, really important thing to us."

Cowboys will be looking at QBs for Tony Romo's best trait - Todd Archer, ESPN
Since we are on the subject of quarterbacks, Todd Archer gives us a brief look at the one thing that stands out the most in Jason Garrett's mind as he does his evaluations of the team's potential new passers.

"One of the things we talk about as a must for that position is instinct and feel for the game. Great quarterbacks come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not so sure I've ever seen a great quarterback who wasn't instinctive in some way. You can ask what the manifestation of instinct is. It's just a guy who has a feel for the game, a feel for competing, a feel for people around him, a way to kind of function and help his team move the ball, score points and win games." - Jason Garrett

Wentz Made Quite an Impression on Jason Garrett at Senior Bowl - Scott Crisp, NBCDFW.com
To be honest, NFL scouts have known about Carson Wentz for a while, but now the media is really catching on to just how special this kid really is. Jason Garrett and his staff learned that first hand during the Senior Bowl, and will soon have a second chance to observe Wentz in a private workout. Unfortunately, as I stated in my piece reviewing his Pro Day yesterday, I suspect it will be for naught. Mr. Wentz seems destined to play his professional games on the shores of Lake Erie.

"When he went against the guys at the Senior Bowl, I thought he fit in really well. He's a small school guy but he's a very impressive guy as an individual, just the way he carries himself, his leadership. He's very impressive physically. He's a big kid, athletic and he can throw the football. It was a good week for us to get to know him." - Jason Garrett

Laufenberg: Carr is unfairly criticized, but something must be done about his cap number - Babe Laufenberg, Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Cowboys color commentator recently conducted a live chat for the folks at DMN, and one of the questions he answered revolved around Brandon Carr.

Cowboys not planning camp practices with Rams after fightfest - Clarence Hill, Ft. Woth Star-Telegram
Perhaps the next time the two teams get together for joint practices the announcement will be made by legendary fight promoter Don King. One thing is certain, the rematch would be worthy of a pay per view event as the two squads settled unfinished business. Alas, it will not happen in 2016.

"When you go against another team, it naturally escalates in a positive way. You see where you stack up a little bit and get a chance to work against a different scheme, work against different personnel. I think all that stuff is very beneficial, but you have to have a similar approach as an organization. We want to get the same thing out of this. We are not interested in fighting. We are interested in making these couple of days we are together productive. If we can find a team that we have shared valued with, it can be a productive time for your team." - Jason Garrett

That, my friends, is Garrett-speak for we don't mind kicking their butts for them, but when we do it is going to be in a situation where it really matters.

25 years ago this week: Jason, Judd & John Garrett make starting debut in new pro football league called the WLAF -   Kristi Scales, 5 Points Blue
Since we are talking about Garrett, here is a piece that provides a fun look back at the playing days of all three of the Garrett brothers.