Mike McCarthy press conference: Ezekiel Elliott will touch the ball in this offense

We are about two and a half weeks away from the regular season beginning and before we know it the Dallas Cowboys will be in the City of Angels to take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.

These are exciting times in general as far as Dallas Cowboys football is concerned as hope and optimism are hovering in the air. Much of that has to do with the way things seem to have changed under new head coach Mike McCarthy, often times change can yield such results.

Speaking of Mike McCarthy, the head coach took to the podium on Tuesday morning. Here is a recap of what he said. A reminder that all answers are paraphrases and not actual quotes.

No positive tests since camp has begun

Training camp has been going on lately, obviously amid Covid-19. Mike McCarthy noted that the Cowboys were obviously anticipating dealing with protocols and the situation that our world is currently facing. He gave credit to the Cowboys players for how they have handled their new situation.

McCarthy added that the players staying at the Omni Hotel (which is connected to the Cowboys facility at The Star) has created the most bubble-like environment that the team could have which is very beneficial.

Thoughts on blanket policy for fans

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott made a comment recently that a lack of consistency across the league as far as fans are concerned during the pandemic is “ridiculous” given that some teams would have fans and others would not.

Mike McCarthy noted that he did not have an opinion on this.

Safety talk

Mike McCarthy didn’t dive much into any Earl Thomas chatter, but he did say that he likes the versatility that Xavier Woods and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix offer. He also mentioned Daryl Worley’s name and in talking about it said “with Chido going back there some.”

Obviously the Cowboys have their own plans in place so we will have to see what they end up doing at the spot.

Evaluating players who were out all of last year

Mike McCarthy was frank in talking about players who missed all of last year, someone like Cedrick Wilson for example, and noted that it might be a benefit to them that he was not part of the team a year ago.

That’s interesting.

What the want for Sunday is

The Cowboys will be having a scrimmage on Sunday and McCarthy noted that the plan is to simulate game-like situations. He said that the goal is to get that type of experience.

Running back reputation

Much has been made about how much Mike McCarthy will ultimately utilize Ezekiel Elliott and he sort of laughed (in a fun way) at the idea that he had any sort of reputation as far as running backs go. He noted that Zeke is a talented player and that there will be a focus on him touching the football in this offense.

Effects of no preseason games

McCarthy acknowledged that there will likely be an effect on the NFL from there being no preseason games, but the also said that training camp is still training camp. He said that relative to his own experience as far as camp is concerned things have been fairly normal.

Thoughts on Doug Nussmeier

The Cowboys kept not only Kellen Moore from last season but Doug Nussmeier as well. McCarthy praised Doug Nussmeier and noted that the team’s quarterbacks coach is of high importance. He said that he has been very impressed with him.