Here's What's Actually Going On - Earl Thomas, Players’ Tribune
Earl Thomas wrote an article for the Players’ Tribune in which he explained why he’s holding out in Seattle.
In the end, it’s like I said: If the Seahawks don’t intend on having me around for the long-term, then I understand. And if they want to start over and rebuild, then that’s their right — it’s part of the business. It’s not what I want … but I get it. All I ask, though, is that if that’s the case, and they don’t want me anymore — just please trade me to an organization that does.
Please trade me to a team that wants me, so I can give my all to them for the rest of my career.
It’s time for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to come to Earl Thomas’ rescue - Kevin Sherrington, SportsDay
The Seahawks seemingly don’t want to pay Earl Thomas and he seems determined not to set foot on a football field until his future is secure. End the nonsense, Jerry Jones.
Thomas’ presence would be invaluable in the development of the Cowboys’ young secondary. And his play just might lift the defense to Super Bowl levels.
Could the Cowboys simply wait a year, then sign Thomas as a free agent and avoid having to give up anything but money? Sure. But does Jerry, who’ll be 76 in October, want to wait another year? Besides, the NFL is always a year-to-year proposition because of injuries and performance.
If the Cowboys think they’re close, and Thomas is the difference, then they have to come to his rescue. To the Pork Chopper, Jerry!
Cowboys staff writer on an Earl Thomas trade: “I’m borderline positive it’s going to happen” - DannyPhantom, Blogging The Boys
Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com says where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And Danny Phantom agrees.
With every new day, the cost of acquiring Thomas is dropping. He’s not in camp and unless the Seahawks plan on throwing a lot of money his way, his days in Seattle are coming to an end.
Acquiring a player like Thomas would really bolster the Cowboys secondary and be a nice add to help the team make a deep playoff run. It’s reminiscent of back in the ‘90s when the Cowboys pulled off a trade to get defensive star Charles Haley from another NFC competitor. It was the missing piece that helped propel them into Super Bowl greatness.
The Cowboys have a plan. Credit them for staying disciplined and seeing if they can hold their breath longer than the Seahawks. The further we get through camp, the bluer in the face the Seahawks front office are going to get. When the moments right, don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys pull the trigger on a deal and that day could be right around the corner. I can just feel it.
5 reasons to be optimistic about the Cowboys, including a potential big jump for Jason Garrett - Tim Cowlishaw, SportsDay
If you've been feeling Kind of Blue, perhaps this is the right post for you. Cowlishaw concludes his five reasons wit this one:
WHAT IF JERRY'S RIGHT?
What if, after seven seasons and two division titles with a modest playoff record a game below .500, what if [Jason Garrett] went on to win a Super Bowl in Year Eight in the NFL?
What would we call that coach?
We'd call him Pete Carroll.
You can look it up, but you don't have to. Carroll, of course, had success (some might call it "tainted") at Southern Cal after his initial lackluster results as an NFL head coach. It was in his eighth season as a pro coach -- Russell Wilson's second at quarterback -- that the Seahawks broke through.
Maybe that's why defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard is here from Seattle. Maybe Earl Thomas needs to get here to finish this story.
.@TonyRomo on the 2018 #Cowboys: "They have a chance. That offensive line is so good... they know the recipe... they can do it. There's no question they can."#CowboysCamp #NFL pic.twitter.com/7a5o1u9Rzg
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 3, 2018
No Eagles ring, no problem for Cowboys TE Blake Jarwin - Todd Archer- ESPN
The Cowboys promoted Blake Jarwin to their active roster in 2017 to avoid him being scooped by the Eagles. The young tight end isn't worried about what could have been.
“The biggest thing you try to do is you try to convince him he has an opportunity here and the opportunity he has here is going to be better than the one he’s looking at,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And that’s happened for a long time with these practice squad situations where other teams are trying to poach your guys or we’re trying to go get guys off of other teams’ practice squads.
At the end of the day, sometimes players will get caught up in what that money is. ‘Hey, they’re giving me a little more money here,’ or whatever. We really try to encourage them to pull back and say, ‘What’s the best place for me?’ And you want to make it competitive from a business standpoint. But I think Blake thought it was a good opportunity, I think he liked it here and he’s certainly taken advantage of his chances so far.”
Mick Shots: Inching Toward A Shot In The Arm - Mickey Spagnola, Dallas Cowboys
It's time for the Cowboys to take the training wheels off and get Randy Gregory going.
The Cowboys took [Gregory] off Reserve/Non-Football Injury and jumped him into right into Wednesday’s walk-through practice.
The Cowboys aren’t in a hurry to push him into pads too soon. Maybe the end of this week at the earliest, with an off-day coming up Friday then practices Saturday and Sunday. Maybe those final two practices next week before they depart for the San Francisco preseason game. We’ll see.
But with Taco Charlton finally taking a day to rest/rehab his sore shoulder, Gregory was getting the majority of his walk-through snaps with the second team, and did get a few with the first team. Again, walk-through.
Can’t wait to see him “run-through.” Now that will be a huge shot in the arm for this Cowboys defense.
How Tavon Austin is becoming the 'spark plug' of WR group - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Did you know that Austin hasn't taken a single rep as a running back in camp so far? Well, now you do.
Sanjay Lal calls Tavon Austin the "spark plug" of the wide receiver group. His vocal leadership and attention to detail in practice have impressed his new position coach.
Austin, 28, has been used in a variety of ways through the first five training camp practices in pads. He has lined up in the slot, on the outside and taken handoffs on end-arounds. He's the front-runner to be the team's punt returner.
The only thing he hasn't done is line up in the back field. When the Cowboys traded for Austin during this year's draft, they talked about using him as a running back and receiver.
"All the things you see me doing out here is pretty much what I'll be doing," Austin said. "I ain't touched the backfield yet, but hopefully, eventually if they need me back there, I'll be back there too."
Cowboys receivers no longer live in back-shoulder world, will win by getting open - Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Winning by getting open: what a novel concept!
Receiver coach Sanjay Lal was answering a lingering question about whether the Cowboys were “going to have down-the-field guys who can go up and get a ball,” which was a Bryant specialty. His answer came with a zing at the end.
“I would think so,” Lal said. “I would rather have down-the-field guys that go run down a ball and score than live in the back shoulder world. We want touchdowns. We have some of those.”
Boom.
Of course, the back shoulder throw was a bread and butter play for Bryant during his heyday with retired quarterback Tony Romo.
Current Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s inability to master that throw has been blamed as one of the reasons for Bryant’s downfall in production. If truth be told, the back shoulder is only a wrinkle in an offense. It’s not the foundation of a passing game or scheme.
Don't be surprised if Cole Beasley is QB Dak Prescott's favorite target and No. 1 receiver this season - Staff, SportsDay
In a recent roundtable of staff writers, Jon Machota offers this take o the WR corps.
Jon Machota: I've been impressed by several of the receivers at different times. If I had to rank them in terms of impact through two practices, though, I'd have Cole Beasley No. 1, followed by Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson, Michael Gallup and Lance Lenoir.
Beasley looks every bit the team's No. 1 receiver with the variety of ways they've been using him. I fully expect him to be Dak Prescott's favorite target during the season. Terrance Williams has been in the mix but not nearly as much as the others as he works his way back from offseason foot surgery. Thompson has been the biggest surprise at the position. He's caught just about everything thrown his way.
I wouldn't say anyone from the group has been terrible. We have a long way to go, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they ended up keeping seven at the position. My best guess at that group right now would be Beasley, Hurns, Gallup, Williams, Thompson, Tavon Austin and Noah Brown. Lenoir is certainly in the mix as well.
Six observations from Cowboys camp: Why the empty set may be a big part of the 2018 playbook; more - OCC, Blogging The Boys
One of the most positive things about this year's training camp is the fact that our very own OCC is blessing us all with his analysis.
Former BTB Podcast host and friend of the community, Landon McCool posted the following offensive formations from training camp:
I tracked the 1st team personnel groupings and which players they put out there for each snap of Team. Good luck reading my writing! pic.twitter.com/NBoEqgJegA
— Best Coast Boys Podcast (@BestCoastBoyz) August 1, 2018
It was all O.C.C. needed to look for to what the 2018 offense could look like. Here are two of his thoughts:
1. The empty set is part of the playbook
The most stunning thing here for me is that six plays, or 17% of all plays featured an empty backfield without a running back (01 or 02 personnel). That’s about every sixth play with an empty backfield formation. And that number might be even higher as we don’t know how often Ezekiel Elliott lined up as a receiver on the plays he was on the field for.
The empty set is a formation used almost exclusively as a passing formation and is designed to spread the field, often to open up short inside routes or screen routes - and could become a staple of the playbook in 2018, even if it was almost never used in the past.
2. Don’t waste your time hoping for the elusive 10 package
Over the last three years, the Cowboys have played only one snap without a tight end on the field. And none in the last two days of practice.
There was and continues to be a lot of offseason talk about the ‘10 package’ (1 RB, no TE, 4 WRs). Perhaps because some fans felt Jason Witten was holding the offense back by being in on every play and thereby somehow limiting the playbook. Perhaps because some fans are enamored by the spread offenses they see in college. Perhaps because some fans simply don’t want to see the Cowboys lining up and doing what they have been doing for years - with or without Witten.
But here’s the deal: It ain’t happening.
Scout’s Notebook: Who Shined In The Red Zone? - Bryan Broaddus, Dallas Cowboys
Wednesday’s practice was spirited and competitive. Bryan Broaddus' notes are a must-have for anyone following Cowboys Camp.
We saw a good bounce back by Michael Gallup in the Wednesday practice. Gallup made several plays where he was able to adjust to the ball no matter where it was thrown, low or high. One exceptional play he had was a catch along the sideline where he had to adjust with not much room to work with. The ball from Dak Prescott was in a spot where Gallup had to almost cradle it over his head, then concentrate to get his feet down -- all with Byron Jones driving to knock him out of bounds.
Give Cowboys OC Scott Linehan credit for this change that WR Cole Beasley will soon cash in from - Newy Scruggs, SportsDay
Newy Scruggs gives credit to Scott Linehan for hearing complaints about pigeon-holing his skill players and getting a little more creative with guys, especially Cole Beasley.
Newy Scruggs: Give Scott Linehan credit for listening to his players and knowing that last year’s results were not good. Cole Beasley is a receiver who has the trust of Dak Prescott. It’s best to find new and creative ways to get the most out of him. That’s what New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has done with Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, Danny Amendola and others. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cole have his best season statistically because the opportunities will be there this fall.
Medical advice as Cowboys Kavon Frazier returns to practice: 'Eat more vegetables' - David Moore, SportsDay
Frazier passed his physical, was activated from the NFI list, and was a limited participant in practice yesterday.
Kavon Frazier still isn't sure what doctors call the condition that kept him out of Cowboys training camp until today.
But what the safety was told to do echos what parents have told their children to do for eons.
"Mainly, I've got to eat more vegetables,'' Frazier said Thursday evening after going through his first practice of this camp. "I've got to take a couple of vitamins a day.
"That's about it.''