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July 2009
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Recently in NFL CategoryFormer NFL Quarterback Steve McNair was killed in downtown Nashville today. McNair played 13-seasons in the NFL, including 11 with the the Tennessee Titans. He retired in 2007 after playing his last two years in the league with the Balitmore Ravens. McNair was a former NFL Co-MVP in 2003. He was 36 years old. ...Training camp is nearly a month away for the Dallas Cowboys, but one key position battle may already be decided. Mike Jenkins says he's the starter at right cornerback, apparently, beating out fellow second-year corner Orlando Scandrick. "Heading into training camp I'm the starter at right cornerback, and my job is to maintain that position," Jenkins wrote on his ...
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens is in town for his football camp and talked with the media. Owens was cut by the team in March and signed a few days later with the Buffalo Bills. Here is some of what he had to say: "I'll be the scapegoat. I'm not here it's (Tony Romo's) team." "I'm not holding any ill w...
Because every NFL team should have it own "official" hotel. From the Dallas Cowboys: IRVING, Texas (June 25, 2009) - The Dallas Cowboys announced today that the spectacular Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas has been selected as the "Official Hotel of The Dallas Cowboys." Having relocated their games to the newly constructed Cowboys Stadium, the most impressive sports venue in the country, it is no surprise that the Cow...
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle La'Roi Glover is retiring after 13 seasons in the NFL. "I'm blessed that I was able to play this game that I love for so long. It has been such an incredible journey. The players, coaches, and front office staff in the cities I've played have all given me so many great memories," Glover said in a news release. "I still love the game with the same passion I had as a young player in high school, so...
The Dallas Cowboys' three-day minicamp is over so it's time to take a look at who helped their cause. You can't tell a whole lot about players when they're not wearing pads, but you can certainly tell who is making plays and is catching the coaches' eyes. Winners: Patrick Crayton: The guy who is always fluctuating between second and third wide receiver had a strong minicamp. Crayton runs good routes and The Dallas Cowboys just ended their minicamp. Here's the archive of my chat about the team. ... The Dallas Cowboys are having a hard time doing one of the most fundamental things in football: Snapping the ball. The center-quarterback exchange is how every play starts. If you can't do that, you can't do anything. Well Cory Proctor and Jon Kitna cannot connect. They just bobbled an exchange. It's been a consistent problem during minicamp. Before and after most of the practice sessions the centers and quarterbacks h...
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips is changing, but isn't. That's about how he said it during his chat with the media Wednesday. You'll remember after the Cowboys season ended with that ugly blowout loss to the Eagles with a playoff spot on the line that Phillips vowed to change. So has he? "I'm not going to change my personal...
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips hopes his team maintains focus in the nearly six weeks until the team begins training camp in San Antonio. "We've got a ways to go," Phillips said of his team's work in minicamp. He says the players will continue to work in the team's conditioning program and coaches will stay in contact with their players. "I think mentally and physically you have to be ready for camp," Phillips said. UPDATE: Mike Jefferson finally showed up, not sure where he went. He missed some early positional drills. The list of Dallas Cowboys wide receivers not practicing is getting much longer than the ones who are. As I wrote this morning, two more receivers missed the early practice today. Now there are just five receivers practicing (...
The Dallas Cowboys are starting their final practice of minicamp. The next time they take the field will be in late July in San Antonio for training camp. It will be much cooler there inside the Alamo Dome. Luckily, I've moved upstairs to watch this practice from the air conditioned press box at Standridge Stadium. It's currently 95 degrees, but it feels a lot worse on the Astro Turf field with a whole bunch of sun an...
Jon Kitna is a welcome addition to the Cowboys, especially after the disaster that happened to the team's offense when Tony Romo was hurt last season. Throughout most of minicamp, Kitna has looked like the reliable backup they need. He has good arm strength. However, in the first practice of the last day of minicamp, he didn't look very good. Most of his passes were incompletions and he had two picked. Terence Newman...
Maybe it's the heat out here. The Dallas Cowboys offense and defense are having some words. It's been an ongoing theme of minicamp. The latest incident came in six-on-six passing drills. The Cowboys offensive specialists were going against the defensive secondary and inside linebackers. Tony Romo threw a pass towards ti...
The Dallas Cowboys have two very good tight ends. Jason Witten is among the best in the game and Martellus Bennett is a very athletic playmaker. So it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that when the Cowboys started their offense vs. defense in the red zone offense that they began with three tight ends. Rookie John Phillips, a sixth-round pick, was part of a three tight end formation, with Bennett and Wiitten split ou...
UPDATE: WR Willie Reid was sick today, according to coach Wade Phillips. The Dallas Cowboys have been thin at wide receiver during minicamp. Miles Austin, Sam Hurd, Isiah Stanback and Travis Wilson have all missed the entire camp with assorted injuries. You can add two more to the MIA list. Kevin Ogletree tweaked his knee during yesterday's workout and Willie Reid, who just joined the team for this camp, ...
The Dallas Cowboys third and final day of minicamp is underway. They'll have a late morning practice and an afternoon workout. The main point of this three-day camp, according to coach Wade Phillips, is to set the foundation for training camp. We're not going to learn a whole lot from these sessions, but it's a good place to set the tone. ...The Cowboys are having a little fun ribbing each other. The first team offense was working on their red zone package and quarterback Tony Romo was going through his reads. It would have been a delay of game and coach Wade Phillips even called timeout and sent the offense back to the huddle. Then they tried again, again with a delay. So safety Ken Hamlin yelled out that the offense was taking too long. ...
It's tough to play football without pads, but that's what the Cowboys are trying to do in this minicamp. So what happens is a young player, eager to prove he can play, takes a basic running play and runs all over the field running into players. Keon Lattimore did that on a running play in team drills and ran into Terence Newman, whose apparent instinct was to try an tackle Lattimore. He thought better of it and let Lattimore ...
Patrick Crayton has a great opportunity in this minicamp to make himself the clear No. 2 receiver opposite Roy Williams. Many of those in competition with Crayton are not participating in this camp. Crayton is also playing very well. He just made a nice grab on an intermediate route, the kind of route that best utilizes his skills. He's not a big, physical or speed receiver. His ability is to be able to find creases in the de...
One of the interesting things to watch during these minicamps is what players do when they're not actually participating in a drill. Take star quarterback Tony Romo. In a passing drill, while the backup quarterbacks were working on throws to the running backs (Romo had already taken his turns), Romo was working on covering the backs. He even gave Alonzo Coleman a pretty good shove in tight coverage. Romo seemed to be enjoying ...
The Dallas Cowboys are starting their third minicamp workout, but only their second day of minicamp. The team had two workouts yesterday and will have one workout today. With a fairly consistent breeze, it's not entirely uncomfortable here at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton. Some notables who won't be practicing today are Miles Austin, Sam Hurd, Felix Jones and Igor Olshansky. ...Tony Romo insists he's still having fun, but is fine with not being seen on SportsCenter so much. WFAA sports photojournalist Arnold Payne asked Romo if was still having fun during Romo's chat with the media after the second Cowboys practice Monday during minicamp. Romo says he feels fortunate to be doing what he does for a living. Then when asked about how he's trying to improve this season, he talked about his foot...
The Dallas Cowboys want to improve their punt unit, so much so they've brought in a second punter just so they can do some extra work. Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar is back from his broken foot and is punting well, but the team still brought in Matt Fodge to pooch the ball around. Fodge won the Ray Guy Award as the best punter in college last year at Oklahoma State, but he's clearly not at the same level as McBriar. The Garland H...
Paralyzed Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant Rich Behm was at the Cowboys morning practice session for the start of minicamp. Behm was paralyzed May 2 in the team's Valley Ranch practice bubble collapse. He was in the press box Monday at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton, where the Cowboys are holding practices since the incident. Head coach Wade Phillips says he expects Behm to return to work some soon. ...We've been talking a lot about the Cowboys running back depth and maybe that's really a good thing. Felix Jones will miss the Cowboys afternoon practice of minicamp today with calf contusion, according to coach Wade Phillips. Jones and starter Marion Barber both missed time last season with injuries. Tashard Choice is the No. 3 running back. It's pretty steamy at Cowboys minicamp in Carrollton. Part of the reason it's so unpleasant is because it's on AstroTurf with a track surrounding it. An intern with the Cowboys video department here was overcome by the heat and fainted. He's doing OK now, was laughing and is walking off the field with Brad Sham. The Cowboys training staff rushed over to give him water and make sure he is was fine. Several members of the media...
One of the big things we're watching during the Cowboys minicamp is the way Tony Romo and wide receiver Roy Williams play together. Williams came to the Cowboys in a mid-season trade last year and the two never really jelled. Now Terrell Owens is gone and Williams is the primary outside threat. They connected on about a 35-yard deep pass. Williams made a nice over the shoulder grab before being knocked to the turf by Pa...
If Greg Ellis really wanted to win a Super Bowl that's probably not going to happen now. Ellis spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys and never won a playoff game and is now going to be an Oakland Raider. Read more from Calvin Watkins at fanhouse. ...A few Cowboys are still not practicing to start the team's mandatory minicamp. Not participating are wide receivers Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Travis Wilson and Isaiah Stanback; kicker Nick Folk; linebacker Justin Rogers; tight end Rodney Hannah; defensive end Igor Olshansky; nose tackle Tim Anderson; and guard Kyle Kosier. Also there are two new Cowboys wide receiver Willie Reid, who has spent time with the two Pennsylvania team...
The father of Dallas Cowboys head coach (and defensive coordinator) Wade Phillip is here. Of course that is Bum Phillips the former Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints head coach. Bum is here in his famous Cowboys had and blue jeans. ...Dallas Cowboys PR Director Rich Dalyrmple told the assembled media this morning, just before the start of the team's minicamp that they do not want us discussing any of the team's special formations and personnel used. Otherwise, he said, the team will have to make those portions of workouts off limits. Previously, there were no rules on reporting on such things so It' s been 20-years since Barry Switzer left OU and The Tulsa World is doing a big series on his departure. One of the stories talks about his next job: Head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. From the article: The Atlanta Falcons have released quarterback Michael Vick. It's not a surprise since he was incarcerated for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and will be released from his 23-month sentence July 20. There's a couple important things to note, though. First is that Vick would still have to be reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, which is not a sure thing anytime soon. Then there's the Falcons, who had a gre...
Ron Washington, the guy who is about to be fired about every May, who has only been the Rangers manager for a little more than two and a half years and whose winning percentage is .490 is now the longest tenured coach of a pro sports team in Dallas-Fort Worth. Ron Washington. I know, I'm having a hard time believing it too. Nothing against Washington, I like him. But he still seems like the new guy and now he's the old pro. Was...
New Cowboys backup quarterback Jon Kitna has had a problem taking snaps during these OTA's. We (the media) were out there today for the fourth time in the last four weeks, and we have been allowed to attend one OTA session each week. So we've seen only four out of the Cowboys' 10 workouts so far, but Kitna's inability to take a direct snap has been a disturbing trend. He's probably dropped the snap a half dozen times, and that's just from the ...
The Dallas Cowboys are wrapping up their organized team activities this week and held their final session that is open to the media Tuesday. We have some video and a slideshow for your viewing pleasure. Video: Terence Newman compares Cowboys position battles to the recession.
Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has been saying "we need a new" tight end or tackle, etc. after a would-be penalty. So when Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten had a false start Martellus Bennett replaced him. Well starting right tackle Marc Colombo wanted nothing of that when he had a false start. Rookie tackle Robert Brewster ran into the huddle to take his place and Colombo gave him a big shove and looked to say some...
There aren't a lot of starting spots that are really being contested for the Dallas Cowboys, but there are a few. At today's OTA, Patrick Crayton started team drills at wide receiver opposite Roy Williams. However, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Mike Jefferson and Travis Wilson are all not working out today. Austin is a lik...
Here are the Cowboys not suited up for today's OTA: Kicker Nick Folk Wide receivers Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Mike Jefferson and Travis Wilson. Safety Ken Hamlin Cornerback Mike Mickens Tight end Rodeny Hannah Linebackers Stephen Hodge, Victor Butler and Brandon Williams. Defensive linemen Igor Olshansky, Tim Anderson and Jason Hatcher ...Pro Bowler Andre Gurode is the starting center for the Dallas Cowboys and Cory Proctor has been the backup, but other linemen probably know it would help their chances to be able to play the position too. That's why during warm ups at today's OTA Montrae Holland, a guard, and Pat McQuistan, a tackle, practiced snapping the football. Proctor is an OK backup, but Holland has been a starter in league for the Broncos and filled in ...
Just when you think Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has learned his lesson he goes and says something silly. We all thought we were done with troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones in Dallas after the team released him earlier this off-season. Then, maybe just a little too elated Jones during the opening of his Cowboys Stadium in Arlin...
Today at the Cowboys organized team workout, we got our first glimpse of Dallas' version of the trendy, single-wing, a.k.a "wildcat" formation. The Cowboys are calling it the "Razorback" in a nod to Jerry Jones and running back Felix Jones alma matter Arkansas. Both Jones' salivating, no doubt; Felix especially. He ran the offense with Darren McFadden in college and gave SEC defenses fits. Today the Cowboys version featured P...
Jefferson, who spent time with the Cow...
We just can't get enough of former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens, who now plays for the Buffalo Bill after being released by the Cowboys earlier this off season. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can't either. There's been a lot of news since Owens left. He took a shot at offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo on his Twitter feed a couple weeks ago: "blame the OC & romo!! but i'm happy 2 b where i am...
The Dallas Cowboys OTAs at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton are closed to the public, but that's not stopping about a dozen people from looking on beyond a fence here at the stadium. I guess if the Cowboys really wanted they could have the folks at CFBISD move the folks out, but it's such a small, quiet crowd that it's probably not worth it. ...The Cowboys ran a couple of Wildcat plays early in their practice today. I was at the other end of the field for the first one; the second one had Patrick Crayton lined up in the shotgun, with Felix Jones coming in motion from the right slot. On the snap, Jones continued running out to the left as a decoy, and Crayton rolled right and threw a lousy pass to the tight end - who looked like he was running a little 5-7 yard out. The throw was low ...
Several Dallas Cowboys starters and people expected to be key contributors are not participating in the team's OTA today. It's too bad because it's a beautiful day. This is the third day of OTAs this week, which is the third week of OTAs. The final week is next week, which is followed by a minicamp. Wide receivers Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback and Travis Wilson Defensive backs Courtney Brown, Mike Mickens and Terence...
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