2015 Dallas Cowboys Off-Season News and Notes

[eagle eye]

Dallas was patient. They didn't make any crazy moves and went it was clear after the 23rd pick by Arizona, you could tell that was the point they knew they were going to get their guy by the reaction of Jerry and company in the war room camera, that patience paid off. At about 10 PM last night Dallas selected CB from UConn Byron Jones and the Cowboys war room, to a man, was ecstatic.

Jones is 6'1" and 199 lbs. He can play either corner or safety, he started his first two years for the Huskies at safety and the final 2 at cornerback and he was good at both. That kind of ability is right up the Cowboys position of need alley. He's a good person from a good family and he's a darn good athlete. Don't believe me? At the NFL Scouting Combine in February he has a vertical jump of 44.5 inches and he set a world record standing broad jump of 12'3". Add to that a 4.36 forty at UConn's pro day you wonder how he ever made to the Cowboys at all. He likely fell to 27 in the draft because he missed half of the 2014 college football season due to a shoulder injury that needed surgery. Healthy now, it may be Dallas got the steal of the 1st round last night. NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Jones ranked in his top 50 players even before the scouting combine. All signs point to this being a really good pick. In the press conference after the pick Jerry Jones said that Jones will be a good fit and he expects him to fit right in with the veteran CBs on the team. In fact Jerry expressed the hope that Mo Claiborne, when he recovers fully from off season surgery on both knees will live up to the potential the Cowboys saw when they drafted him out of LSU. If Claiborne comes around coupled with Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick and now Jones the Cowboys should have a strong defensive backfield.

 

Bryan Broaddus' pre-draft scouting report:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/04/30/scouting-report-bryan-broaddus-insight-newest-cowboy-byron-jones

 

Cowboys more than confident they drafted much more than a workout warrior:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/01/cowboys-confident-byron-jones-much-more-just-%E2%80%9Cworkout-warrior%E2%80%9D

 

Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft are tonight beginning at 6:00 o'clock. Dallas has the 60 pick in the 2nd round (28th pick) and the 91st pick in the 3rd round. That is, of course, the Cowboys make no moves up or down during the course of the night.

[eagle eye]

Here's a look at the players Dallas has drafted up to this point. Right now the draft is in the middle of the 5th round and Dallas hasn't selected yet. Dallas has really addressed the defense so far in the draft potentially striking gold taking a chance on Robert Gregory essentially giving Dallas two 1st round caliber players in the first 2 rounds.

 

1st round - CB Byron Jones from UConn.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/04/30/scouting-report-bryan-broaddus-insight-newest-cowboy-byron-jones

 

2nd round - DE Robert Gregory from Nebraska (Top 10 talent who fell to 2nd round because of a failed drug test)

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/01/scouting-report-nebraska-de-gregory-risky-talented-rusher

 

3rd round - OT Chaz Green from Florida (fills a need for depth at tackle after Jermey Parnell left via free agency--could be tackle of future to replace Doug Free)

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/01/scouting-report-florida-ot-green-has-versatility-smarts-play-both-sides

 

4th round - LB Damien Wilson from Minnesota (Dallas lost some depth at LB and an infusion of talent was needed especially with the injury history of the guys Dallas has at the position. Dallas hit on Anthony Hitchens in the 4th round last year and we have our fingers crossed they hit here again.)

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/02/cowboys-go-back-defense-take-minnesota-lb-damien-wilson-4th

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys draft is over. The second of their 2 selections in the 7th round was made just a few minutes ago. The rest of the draft will be over with in about 30 minutes or less and it's on to the next phase of off season work. UFA signings and rookie OTAs. Let me recap the final 3 picks the Cowboys made.

 

Round 5 - Pick 27 - Ryan Russell, DE from Purdue

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/02/defensive-end-addressed-again-cowboys-take-purdue-de-ryan-russell

 

Round 7 - Pick 19 - Mark Nzeocha, LB from Wyoming

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/mark-nzeocha?id=2552684

 

Round 7 - Pick 26 - Laurence Gibson, OT from Virginia Tech

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/laurence-gibson?id=2552665

 

And Holy Crap Dallas got another pick (#29) from San Francisco via Indianapolis!

 

Round 7 - Pick 29 - Geoff Swaim, TE from Texas

 

This pick is not confirmed because on NFL.com on their draft tracker they have Dallas taking the player but on the player profile page it says the 49ers made the pick. Need to do some research here.

[eagle eye]

Okay, it's official, Dallas got UT tight end Geoff Swaim with the 29th pick of the 7th round.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/geoff-swaim?id=2553454

 

Now the draft is over for both Dallas and Houston because teams cannot trade compensatory picks and that's all that's left in this year's draft. Now, everybody will start critiquing the picks the Texans and Cowboys made and the knee-jerk reaction to everyone's draft. I'm out on this thread. It's been fun but I wish there was more input but I suppose you guys have a life!

[eagle eye]

....as in, "Boys will be boys", meaning no disrespect, I just figured this old saying was appropriate in this case. Yesterday an old Carolina Panther teammate of Greg Hardy quipped that after the draft the Panthers had two WRs 6'5" or better in Kevin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin and Carolina will be the new team with "Twin Towers". Hardy replied with an ill-advised remark concerning 9-11. I talked about this with friends from work and the consensus was just two former teammates jaw-jacking with each other, that no disrespect was intended. But, twitter isn't two guys talking smack, it's social media and everybody and their brother is privy to anything said. What's the prevailing saying in this day and age? Don't press "send". Making good on his promise to help Hardy stay on the straight and narrow Jason Garrett had a little talk with Hardy and not long afterward the tweet was taken down followed by another tweet by Hardy saying he would no longer be active on twitter. Message received, loud and clear.

 

As for the drafting of Randy Gregory, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said there were some things about Dez Bryant that scared the Cowboys more than anything about Gregory. Gregory made headlines for failing a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine for marijuana use and he admitted in a press conference he's struggled with marijuana use for years. According to reports Gregory has asked Jerry Jones to put him into a structured program to help him with his struggles which include reports that he has bipolar disease during his pre-draft visit to Dallas. The Cowboys player assistance program is among the best in the NFL and they have had more successes than failures over the years going all the way back to Charles Haley, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Haley gave his endorsement for Gregory, BTW, saying that Gregory is a real steal for Dallas saying, "The guy can get it done." If Gregory is all that he's cracked up to be that would give Dallas two 1st round picks with Gregory, who was a projected top 10 pick before his failed drug test, to go along with their actual 1st round pick CB Byron Jones.

 

The Cowboys declined to pick up the 5th year option on CB Morris Claiborne's contract. This is a little shocking since Dallas traded up to the 6th pick in the 2012 draft. Had the Cowboys exercised the option they would have owed him in the neighborhood of $11MM. That's a lot of money considering Claiborne hasn't exactly lived up to that 1st round pick. There are doubts about whether or not Claiborne will be able to even go to training camp this summer. Last fall he tore his patellar tendon in his left knee which was surgically repaired. In examining his right knee it was found there was instability in that knee at the patellar tendon so Claiborne had it surgically repaired in December. Jerry Jones denied that Claiborne had become expendable. He said that teams need as many good corners as possible in the league and he hoped Claiborne came back healthy and was able to play.

 

That statement by Jerry didn't just apply to Claiborne, it also went for the other starting CB Brandon Carr whose $8MM cap hit this season has been the subject of a lot of debate. The Cowboys would like for Carr to take a pay cut but earlier this year Carr stated outright he wouldn't accept a decrease in his salary. This was without the benefit of much discussion with the Jones family. I've said it before and I've posted articles from DallasCowboys.com writers that stated exactly why Carr ain't a-goin nowhere this season. So, this could be a nice time to reiterate the situation.

1. Dallas is still CB poor, especially with Claiborne's status so uncertain to begin the season.

2. Byron Jones may or may not be a good player, one would suspect he is but, you just never know. Rookie and all that.

3. If Dallas cuts Carr that's around $6MM in dead money. Payout with absolutely no return. Not good business.

4. There's no reason the Cowboys and Carr can't sit down and negotiate a extension that will benefit Carr AND the address Carr's salary cap issue.

5. Carr and Orlando Scandrick have a year in Rod Marinelli's defense and they will only get better in year two. Especially, since the projected plan is to switch Scandrick to the left CB spot and Carr over to the right. The right CB doesn't usually get stuck with the other team's best receiver and Scandrick is arguably the better of the two men at the position which makes such a move pretty sensible.

 

There's the CB spot in a nutshell. Now, after a draft that featured two defensive ends to go with the one's already in house, how can Marinelli create PT for all these guys? Or ask why Dallas didn't opt for a defensive tackle in the draft. They must be satisfied with Nick Hayden, Josh Brent, Terrell McClain, Davon Coleman and Chris Whaley. Word is Marinelli really like Terrell McClain. McClain didn't show much on the field, mainly due to injuries, for Dallas last season but apparently he showed a lot to Marinelli. We'll see.

Edited May 5, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have sort of hit the player jackpot this spring. They signed an impact pass rusher which was a persona non grata because of a domestic issue that is a long time settling down. They signed a slew of linebackers to restock the position after several players left via free agency. Then came the draft. They got a first round cornerback, they got a first round DE in the 2nd round because he fell in the draft because he failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine and they filled some other holes with the rest of the draft. Today Dallas landed another 1st round talent who fell completely out of the draft because he was involved as a person who the police wanted question in relation to the shooting death of a woman and her unborn child. La'el Collins wasn't drafted and after being cleared of any implication in the case and a test confirming he wasn't the father of the unborn child he took a tour of the NFL teams who threw their best sales pitches at him and lo and behold who won the prize? That's right, the Cowboys did. Or at least it appears so. I guess we won't know how this all will shake out until the games starts to count but the Cowboys got a serious influx of talent including the return of Sean Lee and the resigning of Rolando McClain. It would seem that Dallas should be in any serious discussion about Super Bowl contenders going forward. It's been 20 years since the Cowboys last won a championship and for Cowboys fans that is way too long of a wait. Maybe, just maybe, this is the year the draught ends. Now, if only Darren McFadden enjoys a serious rebirth and really is the real deal replacement for DeMarco Murray.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/07/la%E2%80%99el-collins-finishes-challenging-week-cowboys%E2%80%99-newest-signee

[eagle eye]

Busy week last week. Drafted players the previous weekend, signed UFA's including last minute addition of OL La'el Collins and rookie mini camp. Football is a year round event and even the NBA playoffs, MLB season games and the NHL couldn't knock the NFL off the front page especially after the deflate-gate crap hit the fan. I have no love lost for Tom Brady or the Patriots but they got royally screwed. But, that's fodder for a different thread.

 

Because of BS NFL rules that don't allow midweek visits by UFA's La'el Collins will have to wait unit this week to join his new team mates on the field. Because Collins met with Jerry Jones and the bulk of the Cowboys front office on Wednesday and he signed his UFA contract he wasn't allowed to participate in the rookie mini camp last weekend. It's all a load of red tape crap but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. He did get his team ipad and he got to go home to Louisiana and celebrate becoming a Dallas Cowboy with his family and get a jump-start on learning the playbook too.

 

Just before mini camp began troubled DL Josh Brent retired for the second time. Brent has been attempting a comeback after being convicted of intoxication manslaughter of his best friend and team mate Jerry Brown that was the reason for his first retirement from the NFL. Brent was welcomed back by the Cowboys last summer after he served his time for the death of Brown and he also served his 10 game suspension by the NFL for the same incident. Brent returned to the Cowboys in time to play a little in their December push for the playoffs and he also appeared in both of Dallas' playoff games. Brent announced his 2nd retirement saying that he needed to concentrate on getting his life back together. Jerry Jones has made good on his promise to Jerry Brown's mother after the incident that took her son's life, that he would do all he could to help Josh going forward. I think Jerry should be commended for all the compassion and help and patience he's shown to Brent but it's obvious the weight of his friend's death is still weighing heavily on Brent. I, for one, wish him well as he wrestles with the guilt he must feel at being the cause of Jerry Brown's death. God speed, Josh. I hope you find some peace in your life.

 

There were some looks at the Friday and Saturday sessions of the mini camp that were open to the media. Bryan Broaddus and Nick Eatman on Friday and David Helman on Saturday gave us an insiders look at mini camp practices. The Sunday sessions were closed to the media but it was interesting to see the draft picks and UFA's being put through their paces.

 

Friday practices: http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/05/08/mini-camp-live-first-look-rookies-field

 

Saturday practices: http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/05/09/mini-camp-live-1-1-dbs-vs-wrs-pass-rushers

 

No pressure or anything but Randy Gregory, the troubled 2nd round pick from Nebraska was given the number 94 to wear. Gregory knew who DeMarcus Ware was but didn't have clue about the soon to be Hall of Fame enshrined Charles Haley but as he's gotten to know about him he says he doesn't feel any more pressure to perform. He just wants to do a good job for Mr Jones. As long as he doesn't smoke weed and plays well.

[eagle eye]

For all you Cowboys fans who were licking their chops with the news that Tom Brady has been suspended 4 games for the deflate-gate issue because Dallas was going to play the Patriots in Week 5 after the Pats bye week in Week 4 hold your horses. First of all, the Patriots and Brady will appeal the sanctions the NFL levied on them and they will win so, Brady is playing. What's worse, with the competitor that Brady is he is likely to come out in 2015 with the "I'll show you f*ckers who cheated" attitude and try to hang 50 points on everyone they play. In 2007 NE set offensive records on their march to an epic 18-1 record falling just short of a perfect season with an improbable loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl. In that season people complained about the Patriots running up the score in games as they didn't just win, they demoralized the teams they played. Think 2007 was bad, just wait for 2015 Week 3 when Brady will mostly likely be back.

 

Here is a link to DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus' take on which rookies stood out in last weekend's rookie mini camp. It has to be noted that Sam Houston RB Keshawn Hill is the first player on Broaddus' list. Nice publicity for the SLC.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/11/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-rookie-minicamp-workout-players-who-caught-my-eye

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have been willing to take a player who can and has missed time in his first season in the pros because the player had a high upside and was a good value in rounds later than originally projected for the player. Cases in point include Sean Lee who was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. Lee fell in the draft because he was rehabbing a torn ACL suffered at Penn State in his senior year and wasn't going to be ready to start the season. The exact same thing happened in 2011 when Dallas took Bruce Carter. Both these guys were projected 1st round talent whose draft stock fell because of injury. Bruce Carter didn't make a significant contribution until the 2012 season and he was pretty darn good in Rob Ryan's 3-4 scheme. In 2013 Monte Kiffin replaced Ryan as DC and Carter struggled because it seemed that Kiffin's system was either too inflexible or Carter was slow to learn. In 2014 Carter rebounded with a solid, if unspectacular, season under new DC Rod Marinelli that got him a nice free agent contract from Tampa Bay. Good value, decent player. Lee, when he's on the field, is special. Trouble is Lee hasn't finished a season in the pros yet. He didn't even play a down in 2014 because of a torn ACL, the same knee he tore up his senior year. What Dallas is hoping, Lee and Cowboys fans too, is that Lee's injury problems are all in the rear view mirror. For sure Lee's story is far from over. Dallas did the same thing in this year's draft by taking Randy Gregory who was a projected top 15 talent who fell in the draft to pick 60 late in the second round of the draft because he failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine. Gregory comes into the NFL already with one strike against him in the NFL substance abuse program. Dallas feels their support staff is going to be able to help Gregory succeed. Dallas got lucky (?) when they signed OL La'el Collins as an undrafted free agent. I questioned the "lucky" because I believe Jerry Jones is the ultimate salesman and he wined and dined Collins and had the wherewithal to treat Collins like the 1st round draft pick he should have been prior to being questioned in the murder of a woman and her unborn baby. Collins was cleared of any involvement in the murders and he had an alibi for the time of the murder. At the Cowboys signing ceremony for Collins last Wednesday Collins talked like a man who has fallen in love with Jerry Jones and is on a mission to make his new boss proud. Luck? Not hardly. Throw in the signing of Greg Hardy to an extremely team friendly deal when nobody else in the NFL would touch him because of his domestic violence case last summer. Jerry has always been willing to take a chance on a guy and the only real failure I can remember is Pacman Jones who punched the body guard Jerry hired to help keep the knucklehead out of trouble. He even stuck by DL Josh Brent when it was clear Brent wasn't going to help the team but there were deeper issues afoot with Brent. It's the willingness to take a chance his loyalty to his players that makes Jerry beloved by players who are or were Cowboys. Everybody except former DL and current douche bag Jay Ratliff. Jerry is long overdue for some success and he's long overdue for some credit for being a good GM and is long overdue to get credit for being a good owner. If there is such a thing as karma then Jerry and Tony Romo are both due to bask in a championship or two. I hope there is 2 or 3 years of glory ahead for them and the Cowboys. It's just been too damn long since God smiled on "His Team" and maybe now, after all these years, they may finally deserve His blessing.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys cornerback situation may look a little muddy to some because the talk has been Dallas wants Brandon Carr to take a pay cut. He may not agree to a salary reduction but he probably would agree to restructuring his contract which would include a healthy dose of guaranteed money with a healthy signing bonus while agreeing to a lesser base salary which would lower his current $8MM cap hit. Carr ain't going anywhere because if they just cut him after June 1 it would mean around $6MM in dead money for absolutely no return. I don't see that happening.

Orlando Scandrick has been holding out because he sees Carr having an $8MM base salary and Morris Claiborne having around $6MM in base salary and he's jealous. You can understand that because he's generally acknowledged as the best corner on the team. He wants to be paid like it. That is until you remember the Cowboys, unsolicited, restructured his deal in 2013 and gave Scandrick a lot of money up front so to say we should feel sorry for him for having a $1.5MM base salary is not all that valid. Last week Scandrick was back a Valley Ranch to talk to Jason, Stephen and Jerry about his contract. It may be the Cowboys will restructure it again and that will make Orlando happy but it will put a strain on the cap. If it can be done it will be.

The other CB issue is with Morris Claiborne. The guy is coming off surgery on both his knees in the off season and it's no guarantee he'll even be able to go to training camp. He will be given every chance to do well because of when he was drafted and what Dallas gave up to move up in the draft to get him they don't want him to be a bust. When you take a player with the sixth pick in the draft you absolutely don't want him to fall flat on his face. So far his career has caused him to do just that because of a constant barrage of injuries. If he's finally over his problems and can stay healthy once he finally gets back on the field we may see the player we've been expecting since 2012's draft. Then there's Byron Jones. We don't know anything but he's one athletic son of a gun. Scouting reports are he's able to handle both man and zone. So, it's looking like CB is really a position of strength and you throw in Jones' ability to play safety and now you are looking better at both positions.

 

Dallas has now signed 4 of their 8 draft picks. 7th round pick OT Laurence Gibson is the latest to sign as of last Friday joining fellow 7th rounders TE Mark Swaim and LB Mark Nzeocha as well as 5th round pick DE Ryan Russell.

 

Everyone is worried about Dez Bryant making a fuss over not getting his long term contract. They say Dallas doesn't trust giving Dez a big wad of signing bonus cash and big contract because he may just act a fool and do God knows what. I think there is less to worry about there especially after you read what DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola had to say about what he saw last week. Pretty good stuff.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/15/spagnola-dez-house-wanting-be-good-teammate

[eagle eye]

2nd round draft pick, Randy Gregory, agreed to a 4 year contract in the neighborhood of $3.5MM with about $1.25MM guaranteed. Gregory's signing means Dallas has 5 of their 8 draft picks signed so far.

 

Another contract deal was done today with CB Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick had held out of team workouts since the NFL draft because he was unhappy with his $1.5MM base salary when Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne were making considerably more especially since he was acknowledged as the best CB on the team. Scandrick has agreed to a one-year extension worth $9.5 million, according to multiple reports. The extension gives him an overall deal of five years, worth $20 million in total. Scandrick thanked the Jones family and said he is very grateful for the deal. Scandrick says that now it's up to him to live up to his part of the bargain. This eliminates part of the cloud over the cornerback position. Now, Dallas will attempt to address a pay cut or at least a restructure of Brandon Carr's contract and the worry over whether Claiborne will be ready to go for training camp as he rehabs from surgeries on both his knees this off season.

 

Late this week the Cowboys held workouts for several veteran running backs. The Cowboys didn't address the loss of DeMarco Murray to free agency in the draft even though, IMO, they did have a nice draft. Among the backs Dallas have worked, or will be working out, are former Texan Ben Tate, former Cowboy Felix Jones, former Miami Dolphin Daniel Thomas as well as a group of wide receivers. This may be just to see what's out there in free agency because Dallas claims that they are happy with the RBs they have. Many claim fans will be surprised at the what is believed to be a revitalized Darren McFadden. I hope those people are right.

 

Dallas' first full team OTA's will begin next Tuesday, May 26 and go through Thursday May 28th. There will be 3 days of OTAs for the next 4 weeks with the last set beginning on June 16th will be mandatory participation and will also be the last official team work until training camp which begins at the end of July. If you ask me, it's not August that should be called the "dog days" of summer, it should be the 5 weeks or so between the end of OTA's and the beginning of training camp. Dog days indeed.

[eagle eye]

With folks having a 3 day weekend with Memorial Day coming up on Monday it's a little slow at Cowboys headquarters in the Valley Ranch edition in north Dallas. For your info here's an article from DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola covering a bunch of issues as we enjoy the holiday weekend in prep for the first full team OTA practices this year beginning on Tuesday.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/22/spagnola-kicking-around-plethora-nuggets-holiday-weekend

 

BTW, on the Cowboys mailbag some joker actually asked if the staff writers thought that Ray Rice could be an option at RB. Wow. Not only do the Cowboys not need that publicity but Ray Rice had had it in Baltimore two years ago. He's 31, or thereabouts, and his best days are behind him. Dallas isn't a desperate team looking to fill holes, they are a playoff contender now and they need players who can help them of which Ray Rice is not one of those types of players any more. That's my take but let's take a look at what the DC.com writers thought about this one.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/22/mailbag-collins-tackle-instead-guard-ray-rice-worth-look

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys, along with most of the rest of the NFL, began the first of their OTA's today. Prior to the beginning of practice Dallas signed former 1st round pick AJ Jenkins. Jenkins was signed by the 49ers with the 30th pick in the 2012 draft. He spent one season in Frisco and was traded to Kansas City where he lasted 2 seasons there and he never really did squat in either place. Jenkins was among a group of wide receivers and running backs Dallas worked out last week. The reason, IMO, Jenkins was signed was because there isn't any depth at WR especially with Dez Bryant not participating in OTA's while he sits out trying to get a long term contract from the Cowboys. Since Dez has not signed his franchise tag deal as yet he doesn't have a contract and if he got hurt Dallas wouldn't be liable to pay for the injury. Hopefully, a deal will get done prior to June 15 or Dez will sign the franchise tender or I don't know what the consequences will be. Anyway, the original point is Dallas just needs warm bodies for OTA's and this signing means nothing more. It became a big deal because Jenkins is a former 1st round pick (even though he is a big ole bust) and because it's the Cowboys.

 

OTA's started today and the only real news so far is the fact that DE Greg Hardy missed today's practice to go to his appeal hearing for his 10 game suspension for violating the NFL Code of Conduct Policy. He may not get a ruling today but at least he can attend the hearing with the NFL brass including Roger Goodell. I am truly worried about this appeal because of the way the Patriots owner Robert Kraft rolled over and played dead in the deflate-gate issue. Fingers crossed here.

[eagle eye]

Slight correction about when Greg Hardy's appeal will be heard, it's Thursday and will be held in Washington D.C.. The guy hearing the appeal will be Harold Henderson, the same guy who heard Adrian Peterson's appeal last year. At the time Henderson upheld the ruling of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell so this isn't exactly good news for Hardy. Anyway, Hardy will be at practice today, as he was yesterday. It's being speculated that Henderson will cut the 10 game suspension in half and the Cowboys, as well as Hardy, will be happy for that. As it stands, because Henderson is a Goodell man, I don't hold out much hope that Hardy will be on the field before Thanksgiving.

 

I was just a hair off when I posted yesterday (I was not on my game yesterday) when I said Dez Bryant has until June 15 to sign his franchise tender offer. It's July 15. Makes a little difference. For what it's worth Mickey Spagnola, senior writer for DallasCowboys.com, thinks a long term deal will be done before the deadline. That would be a good thing.

 

With Dez holding out of OTA's due to his contract impasse this gives second year WR Devin Street more opportunities to develop. It's been reported that the coaching staff really likes Street's skill set and they have contended that if Street had as many looks last year as a rookie as Terrence Williams did when he was a rookie two years ago he would have been every bit as productive as Williams, if not more. Good news for Cowboys fans.

 

Another bit of encouraging WR news is that DallasCowboys.com's resident staff writer and former scout Bryan Broaddus sees a some hopeful signs in recently signed AJ Jenkins. Jenkins, according to Broaddus, didn't get a fair shake in either San Fran or KC and his limited chances weren't indicative of his potential.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/26/scouting-report-new-wr-aj-jenkins-has-good-tape-despite-struggles

 

The Cowboys and third round draft pick T Chaz Green to the usual 4 year rookie deal. The actual terms of the deal were not released as yet. This means that only 1st round pick Byron Jones and 4th round pick Damien Wilson are yet to be signed. The Cowboys are hopeful those deals can be done as soon as this week. Green will benefit from an injury to 7th round pick Laurence Gibson who broke a finger during training that required surgery and will keep him on the sidelines for a little while. Green, who is out of Florida, was seen as a guy who could fill the Cowboys need for a swing tackle after the departure of Jermey Parnell in free agency. The O-line landscape changed considerably when the Cowboys landed La'el Collins, who was considered a top 15 talent going into the draft, as an undrafted free agent. The talent level of the O-line which was really good last season has the potential to downright great with quality depth behind the starters. Needless to say, Dallas' offensive line is sitting pretty for several years to come.

 

Bryan Broaddus can tell you about the state of the defense going into OTA's much better than me so here's a link for your consideration.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/26/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-previewing-cowboys%E2%80%99-defense-otas-get-underway

Edited May 27, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Yesterday's OTA practices were open to the media so we have a lot more news from the practices like.......................

 

> Rolando McClain has been out of the practices and will likely miss at least a couple of weeks as he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Nobody knew until practices were open and the reporters asked where he was. He's in Alabama rehabbing and taking care of some personal business.

> Mo Claiborne was working out yesterday. He only did individual work and work on the side to rehab his knees. It was reported that he was moving well and not favoring his legs. This is a good sign and it could be possible he will be ready to go to training camp at the end of July.

> Same with Sean Lee who is coming back from ACL surgery last year. The Cowboys are working him in slowly and he just did individual stuff and work on the side like Claiborne. The media said that he too was moving well not favoring his knee at all.

> With McClain, Lee and Anthony Hitchens, who missed practice with a minor injury, out the free agents and Damien Wilson got to work with the 1st team. Like Hitchens did last year Wilson is getting a lot of work and folks seem to like what they see from him.

 

DallasCowboys.com writers Bryan Broaddus and Rob Phillips did a video of the open part of the OTA practice yesterday. It's about 20 minutes but it is nice to see some football even if it is only helmets and shorts.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/05/27/ota-live-vets-vs-rookies-7-7-team-period

 

In an interview with RB Joe Randle yesterday he said that DeMarco Murray had a good year last year but there was, "....a lot of meat left on the bone.", meaning he felt like Murray didn't get the most out of his carries. This also infers he feels he can actually do more than Murray. Now, Randle has more speed than Murray and he broke off some long runs last season but that's a pretty bold statement. You know something? I like that kind of cockiness, the challenge now is go out put your money where your mouth is.

 

Orlando Scandrick is working out with his teammates now that he got a bump on his contract last week.

 

Here's Bryan Broaddus' 12 thoughts from yesterday's OTA practice.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/27/broaddus-12-thoughts-after-cowboys%E2%80%99-2nd-day-ota-practices

 

Another player missing from this week's OTAs is RT Doug Free who had surgery on his foot. It's the same foot he injured last season that kept him out of several games. Taking his place so far is UFA La'el Collins. Who is getting some good experience while Free is out. This means that Dallas is working with 4 guys who were 1st round picks (including Collins who was a top 15 player pre-draft) and a highly touted (2nd round worthy) guy in Ronald Leary. Draft pick Chaz Green is also getting some good work in as is a guy who more or less went through a red shirt season last year in Darion Weems from Texas who missed just about everything as he rehabbed from injuries.

 

Greg Hardy is out today as he is attending his appeal hearing in Washington DC today. Hopefully, we all get good news from that meeting.

 

It has to be pointed out that this is the first time in 3 years Tony Romo can participate in OTA's. He missed most of OTA's and was limited in training camp the past two seasons rehabbing from off season back surgery.

 

Darren McFadden is going into his 8th season as a pro. He spent the first 7 in Oakland after being drafted with the No 4 pick in the 2008 draft. He says he's not concerned right now who is taking what reps he is just glad to be in Dallas. He has said he really impressed with the work ethic of the O-line. He didn't just come right out and say it but it's obvious none of the lines he ran behind in Oakland was as dedicated or worked as hard as Dallas' front 5 and backups. If McFadden is able to stay healthy he could really be a difference maker for the Cowboys this season. He's good at blitz pickup which is a must for a bell cow running back like DeMarco Murray was last season and he can run with power and he has more speed than Murray did. Hopefully, McFadden experiences the rebirth people think he's capable of behind Dallas' O-line. Murray is only 27, which is the same age as Murray, so he should have plenty left in his tank. It seems like he's been in the league longer than he has but he was just buried on the roster of a dead-end franchise. It should be a fun summer as McFadden, Joe Randle and Ryan Williams (who a 2nd round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2011) all have something to prove and all of them want the starting job. Good competition is never a bad thing when building a football team.

[eagle eye]

Seven down, one to go. 4th round pick Damien Wilson has been signed to a 4 year deal believed to be in the neighborhood of $2.6MM a year with around $500K guaranteed. The same draft pick in 2014 made that sort of a deal so it won't be too much different with the NFL rookie salary cap rules in place. This leaves only 1st round pick Byron Jones left to sign and it's expected that will take place in the ot too distant future.

 

Dez Bryant spent time at Cowboys headquarters this week meeting with Jason Garrett and the front office folks. No details of any of the conversations have been reported but Dez was participating in the OTA practice yesterday despite not signing his franchise tag tender offer or having a long term deal done. Some say that is smart because technically you are not under contract and the team isn't necessarily obligated to treat the injury or pay even the franchise salary but apparently that thinking is wrong because, as pointed out by Broncos GM John Elway in reference to their franchise tagged WR Demaryius Thomas that if you work out on your own and get hurt the team won't pay squat. If you work out with the team with a letter of agreement under a new deal is done or the player signs the franchise tender offer the team will pay the franchise tender if you are injured in team sponsored workouts. Is this the reason Dez was back on the field yesterday? Maybe to some extent but as has been reported Dez loves football, he loves the Cowboys and he loves his teammates. It was probably killing him to be away from OTA's. Either way I have no doubt that Dez, his teammates and the coaches are glad he's there.

 

The appeal by Greg Hardy was heard yesterday but the results of the appeal may take a while to be decided. Here's an article from ProFootballTalk about yesterday's appeal meeting.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2456775-greg-hardy-latest-news-rumors-speculation-on-investigation-of-cowboys-star

 

When the best practices against the best you can't do anything but get better. This has been proven time and time again, I don't care what sport you talk about, it's just one of those universal truths. The fact is with Dallas' roster getting better all the time we are starting to see this axiom blooming once again. The latest example is how Dallas' new rookie DE Randy Gregory has impressed All Pro tackle Tyron Smith. Here's a link to a Todd Archer article from ESPN.com about Smith and Hardy in OTA's.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/169661/cowboys-rookie-randy-gregory-impresses-tyron-smith-early

 

Teammates and coaches of Sean Lee are happy to have him back on the field and out of the rehab room. He is continuing to impress with his progress in his knee rehab and with the position switch that he will undertake moving from MIKE LB to WILL. This move is suppose to benefit Lee and his health and make room for talent like Rolando McClain and Anthony Hitchens and free agent Jasper Brinkley. Here's an article from DallasCowboys.com about Lee and an accompanying video of LB coach Matt Eberflus discussing Lee.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/29/coaches-teammates-liking-lee%E2%80%99s-progress-knee-position-change

[eagle eye]

In his weekly Friday article on DallasCowboys.com Mickey Spagnola talks about perspective. A subject he is fond of and also very good at. This time around he is telling us to reign in reports of how well players, rookies and free agents in particular, are doing after only 3 OTA practices. I enjoy the articles from the Mick each week. They are thoughtful and thought provoking. Something to consider as the 2nd week of OTA's resumes on Tuesday.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/29/spagnola-rushing-reasonable-man-rubberband-man

 

The staff writers from DallasCowboys.com give their take on the verbal sparring that took place this past week between current Cowboys RB Joe Randle and former Cowboys and current Eagles RB DeMarco Murray that began when Randle had the gall to say that there was "....still meat left on the bone." despite Murray gaining over 1,800 yards in 2014. Even though it seems a little unrealistic to criticize Murray for leaving yards on the field after a season like that I like the cockiness of Randle. I want my players confident they will do well. Let's see what the local writers think.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/05/29/dallascowboyscom-staff-sounds-comments-randle-murray

[eagle eye]

Week 2 of OTA's is in the books. The only news is that Dallas signed linebacker Kyle Knox, formerly with the Saints, and 3 days later they waived him goodbye. This leaves the Cowboys with 89 players on their roster. Since you are allowed 90 there is no doubt that the CowEboys will sign somebody, probably a position of need to get through OTA's, to fill out their roster.

 

Even though he made an appearance in last Thursday's OTA practice, Dez Bryant was a no-show this week as he is still holding out to get a long term deal done and he doesn't appear to be willing to sign his franchise tag tender offer. Holding out is really the only leverage he has to get the long term deal he wants so don't expect him next week either. In fact, in 2 weeks when the mandatory minicamp takes place as the last official team event until training camp takes place don't expect Dez to be there then either. The popular notion is that around July 13th, which is 2 days before the deadline to sign his franchise tender offer, some sense of urgency may crop up and a last minute deal will take place.

 

The June 1st deadline to release players with a lesser cap hit than if released prior to June 1 has come and gone and CB Brandon Carr is still on the roster. This is another player who is expected to get a new deal prior to training camp. The Cowboys probably can't get him to take a pay cut but they could restructure his deal by adding a year or two or 3 with a lot of signing bonus money that, added all together, would lessen his salary cap hit. As for Carr on the field, this week he was switched from the left side of the defense to the right as speculated prior to the beginning of OTA's. He swapped sides with Orlando Scandrick who is generally acknowledged as the best cornerback on the team.

The left side of the defense is the side the opposing team's best receiver lines up most of the time. That move, along with the probable restructure of Carr's deal would make him less prone to be criticized because he would be in a better position to succeed with a smaller cap hit. It's been the money vs production that has been the issue with him anyway even though he played pretty well last season.

 

Two WR's have been getting some positive ink in OTA's and that's second year man Devin Street, who was a 5th round draft pick in 2014 out of the University of Pittsburgh. WR coach Derek Dooley has had some very positive things to say. DallasCowboys.com writers have also remarked that a full off season in the weight room has really helped Street develop physically. It sort of sounds like Street is going to push Terrence Williams for PT this summer. The other guy is an UFA out of Florida Atlantic University named Lucky Whitehead. He's a smaller guy like Cole Beasley and very fast. With the Cowboys trying to replace Dwayne Harris which isn't as easy as you might think. Harris played gunner on kick coverage units and he was a leader in special teams tackles and he returned both punts and kickoffs. This kind of a player is rare and it usually takes 2-3 sometimes 4 players to do what Harris did. Whitehead is fast and has shown a little something in OTA's. He may not be Dwayne Harris but if he can fill in some of the gaps left by Harris on special teams he could earn himself a roster spot.

 

DallasCowboys.com writers Nick Eatman and Mickey Spagnola closed out the week with some nice articles. Eatman gives us the top ten list of currently unanswered questions looming this summer while Mr Spagnola talks about another case of making a player a boring interview. Nice article and how can you go wrong including a reference to one of the great baseball movies of all time, Bull Durham? Check out the links below.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/05/top-10-starting-rb-dez-situation-top-list-cowboys%E2%80%99-unsolved-questions

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/05/spagnola-inability-handle-meaty-comments-leads-bone-dry-boring

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys Tony Romo had planned a huge fantasy football event in Las Vegas this summer. A slew of NFL players were signed on to come to the convention and meet with FF enthusiasts and it sounded like a really nice event. The event was to be held at the Venetian Hotel and Resort. That was the catch, it was held at a casino. It wasn't in the casino mind you, you know these huge hotels in Vegas have conventions there all the time and you don't have to go near the actual casino area. According to the NFL powers that be, in all of their paranoid wisdom, forced Romo to cancel the event because the event was at a casino/hotel. The proximity to the gambling areas was enough to make the NFL office feel that it compromised the integrity of the sport and thus they told Romo it was a no-go in Vegas. It's a shame because this was to be the inaugural convention that is intended to be an annual event. The convention was to be held on July 10-12 for a 3 day fantasy football extravaganza. Linked below is the announcement on March 25 of this year about the convention.

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tony-romo-announces-the-2015-national-fantasy-football-convention-300055532.html

 

If you read the article and you play fantasy football it looked like it would be a blast to go to. Access to NFL players, interactive shows and events, 3 days of a FF nerd's dream. This move is senseless and shows how paranoid the NFL really is. If they didn't have the domestic violence issue and drug suspension and the slew of other things that gave the NFL negative publicity over the last year and a half the NFL may have seen the convention as the harmless event it is and what a feel good story it could have been for the NFL. At any rate here is a link to the item from the Romo convention website GoNFFC.com announcing the cancellation of this year's event and announcing the inaugural Fanstasy Football Convention in Los Angeles in 2016. The open letter to fans shows a lot of class and appreciation for the fans. It also sort of gets a dig in on the NFL who caused the cancellation of this summer's event.

 

https://gonffc.com/

 

Use of drones for air reconnaissance, virtual reality training tools, 3D visuals of practice exercises. Sounds like a government black ops deal doesn't it? Well it's not, it is the Cowboys embracing the 21st century technology to get the most out of their practices and enhance training of players as they prepare for the upcoming season. Here is a link to the NFL.com article about the new age Cowboys.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000495959/article/report-cowboys-using-virtual-reality-technology

 

There is a guy who seems to fall below the radar on the Cowboys roster that really shouldn't. That guy is LT Tyron Smith. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since he was drafted in the first round by the Cowboys but he has done nothing but anchor the Cowboys left side and protect Tony Romo's blind side about as well as anyone ever has. NFL.com has an article about Smith that seems to focus on the reports by teammate Travis Frederick that Smith can bench press in the neighborhood of 600-700 pounds. If you check out the link below don't forget the link in the article to "10 Things to Know About Tyron Smith".

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000495964/article/cowboys-tyron-smith-can-bench-press-how-much

 

Dallas has turned over the bottom of their roster again. This team they released Synjyn Day who was signed just after the draft as an UFA out of Georgia Tech and they have signed Lache Seastrunk. Seastrunk was a very productive RB out of Baylor and he was drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 draft by Washington but he ended up on the Tennessee Titans practice squad until he was released last month. The Cowboys will give him a good look because he will likely get some extra reps because Darren McFadden (hamstring) and Ryan Williams (knee) have missed some time recently in OTA's.

 

Here are some things that DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus will be looking for when OTA's resume tomorrow.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/08/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-cornerback-rotation-demarcus-lawrence%E2%80%99s-development-more

[eagle eye]

The deal about the NFL influencing the cancellation of the Fantasy Football Convention that had been scheduled at least before the March 25, 2015 press release announcing the event. Tony Romo was on Colin Cowherd's show this morning and in the conversation the NFL never contacted Romo or the event planners to say they were against the convention being held in a casino area. It was more insidious than that. The NFL began contacting the NFL players they knew were involved with the convention and inferred that if they participated there would be consequences. Thus derailing all the plans for fan interaction with players. Romo said nobody from the NFL called him or his people at all. Turns out the convention area had no gambling in the area so the argument that the NFL didn't want it's players in an area where gambling was taking place. Unless they meant Vegas as a whole then they were totally off base. This coming a month from the event and totally out of the blue shows just how chicken hearted the NFL is. On the Cowherd show Colin asserted and Romo admitted that the NFL's motives for this sabotage of this event was motivated by money and the fact that the NFL wasn't going to make a dime off the convention even though Romo said if they had contacted him they would have been glad to do whatever to include the NFL in the deal. It didn't happen that way and the NFL cost the hotel a ton of money and cost the convention planner a bunch of money and also slammed their credibility in the face not to mention the embarrassment of having the rug pulled out from under them in the way it was. I'm beginning to feel the same animosity toward Roger Goodell and his regime for being a bunch of dumbass clowns.

[eagle eye]

First round draft pick Byron Jones is getting the kitchen sink thrown at him in OTA's. So far Dallas has worked him at cornerback and now they are giving him reps at safety. So far Jones has worked as both the left and right cornerback spots, he taken reps in the slot and now at safety and it's being reported that he has yet to back down from any challenge. The luxury of OTA's is that it gives coaches the chance to experiment and tinker around with players in different positions just to see what they've got and according to reports Jones brings a lot to the table. We won't know for sure until the pads go on in training camp but it looks like Jones is the real deal. I can't find any notice of Jones agreeing to terms on a contract. I'm not sure what the hold up is because each position is slotted and you know pretty much what each person in the draft is going to make salary-wise. In the past there's been a clause that teams want in contracts that allows a contract to be voided if a player is injured. This is called an "offset clause" and it has been an item of contention in rookie contracts since the NFLPA and the NFL agreed on the rookie salary cap structure within the new collective bargaining agreement.

 

I guess Dallas will settle up with Jones along with anything they intend to do about Dez Bryant's contract or a possible restructure of Brandon Carr's deal. Before the rookie salary cap was instituted negotiations would last all summer and into the season at times resulting in holdouts by players. The new CBA included the rookie salary cap and all of that business has become a thing of the past. This, to me, is a very good thing on many levels.

 

Think the signing of LSU OL La'el Collins meant that incumbent starter at RG Ron Leary will just roll over and play dead? Leary was once considered 2nd round talent that fell off the cliff because of a degenerative knee condition relegating him to be a UFA much like circumstances caused Collins to go from a top 15 draft pick to a UFA. Leary has been the starter since the beginning of 2013 and he hasn't missed a start since. Another thing, I don't think he intends to just hand his job over to Collins. In the link to the DallasCowboys.com article below Leary talks about this and other things with DC.com writer David Helman.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/09/ron-leary-not-afraid-competition-entering-third-year-left-guard

 

The link below is from a speech given at Jason Garrett's alma mater, Princeton University, as he talks about life and football in an acceptance speech for the Princeton Varsity Club Citizen-Athlete Award Ceremony this past weekend. It's about 20 minutes but it's really pretty interesting. He even defines what, "...the right kind of guy." is that he says the Cowboys are always looking for.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/06/09/jason-garrett-princeton-varsity-club-citizen-athlete-award-speech

 

This is good news department: In the 7 on 7 drills at the end of Cowboys practice today Sean Lee was on the field working with the defense. Nice.

 

This is bad news department: Rumors are circulating that Greg Hardy's 10 game suspension which is being appealed with be upheld. Nothing is really definite but Dallas area writers like Tim Callishaw seem to feel like there will be no reduction of the suspension because of the NFL's recent hard line on domestic violence that stems from the way they messed up the Ray Rice DV situation. It's all media driven IMO and that's a shame. It's a shame because I don't believe, according to what I have read about the Hardy case, he doesn't deserve 10 games. But, this is the house that Roger Goodell has built with his wishy-washy regime.

 

Dallas Morning News report Clarence Hill tweeted this quote from Tony Romo, "That's one of the most exciting things I have seen is just Terrance's ability to take that next step and just grow and get better." That's the buzz around the progress of WR Terrence Williams. It should be an interesting training camp with a lot of praise going around for Williams and 2nd year WR Devin Street.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys finally signed their last 2015 draft pick today. CB Byron Jones signed a 4 year $8.6MM deal that includes $7MM guaranteed with a $4.5MM signing bonus. It was just a matter of time but it's nice to get this final domino to fall in finalizing the contracts of the rookie class. The Cowboys have been very happy with Jones so far as he's played every single spot in the defensive secondary. He's played left and right corner, he's played in the slot and this week he's played free safety and played the strong safety spot down near the box much like former Cowboys great Darren Woodson. Needless to say that this could be the best draft class for the Cowboys in years with the addition undrafted free agent La'el Collins. If any of the other draft picks turn out to be good players this draft will be a home run for Dallas.

 

Philadelphia Eagles OL Jason Peters told reports today that DeMarco Murray was going to have even more success in Philly because their OL was better than the Cowboys OL. I don't know what Peters had been smoking but if you saw how porous the Eagles line was last season and how little success LeSean McCoy had he may want to rethink that statement. He probably wishes he hadn't said anything because later today after Peter's boast the Eagles cut Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis. Ooops!

[eagle eye]

The latest news from Adam Schefter was that Dez Bryant could miss the season opener if he doesn't get a long term deal done by July 15th. If I'm not mistaken, if a deal is not done by the July 15th deadline to sign his franchise tag tender offer he can't negotiate until the end of the 2015 season. All these NFL contract rules are tough to keep up with so I could be wrong. In fact, I probably am since Dez, who confirmed Schefter's report, says he is willing to sit out the 2015 opener because he's serious about getting a long term deal done. Contract negotiations are like this. A lot of tough talk and posturing but in the end deals get done, most of the time before the deadline passes. I get the feeling that the guys who cover the Cowboys locally believe a deal will get done but it won't happen until, say, July 14th or 15th.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/12/assessing-dez%E2%80%99s-contract-situation-after-reports-possible-holdout

 

The chain of learning is a never ending line. When Tyron Smith came into the league he was schooled by Demarcus Ware. Daily abuse from Ware made Smith a better player. Now, with Smith considered one of, if not the, best tackles in the NFL he taking 2nd round draft pick Randy Gregory to school in the same way Ware did 4 years ago.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/12/daily-defeats-d-ware-made-tyron-better-now-gregory-learns-lessons

 

Dwayne Harris was the 4th receiver in the Cowboys offense but he was so much more than that. He was more than just a core player on every special teams unit, he was the punt and kick returner and on coverage units he was the leading tackler. Tough man to replace and now that Harris went to the NY Giants via free agency the Cowboys have some big shoes to fill. It may take more than one player to fill Harris' shoes but Mickey Spagnola thinks maybe the UFA from Florida Atlantic named Lucky Whitehead has some potential.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/12/spagnola-sometimes-it-pays-be-just-little-bit-lucky

 

Okay, my boy Boomer and I were talking yesterday about the Cowboys he we agreed that we had heard good things about new RB Lache Seastrunk out of Baylor. He's been in the NFL for a couple of years but he hasn't been able to hang on to a team as yet. Seastrunk has shown burst and speed and the ability to make people miss but, all that is against, what one Cowboys coach Rod Marinelli, calls air. OTA's do not allow physical contact as the practices are in helmets and jerseys only. There was one thing Boomer and I disagreed about and that was the pronunciation of Seastrunk's first name. I thought it was pronounced La-shay with the emphasis on the final syllable. Boomer corrected me and he told me you pronounce it Lake like the body of water. Not being an avid Baylor Bear fan I deferred to Boomer's expertise.

Edited June 13, 2015 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

One of the most notable no-shows at OTAs has been MIKE LB Rolando McClain. The reason he has been absent is because he recently underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery and was rehabbing in his home state of Alabama. I'm sure that Jason Garrett would have preferred McClain rehab in Dallas with the team trainers but the OTAs are after all voluntary. Today begins the mandatory 3 day mini camp which is the last organized team activity before training camp begins late next month and lo and behold McClain has showed up for the mini camp. Good. As McClain is still rehabbing his knee he won't be given any rigorous activity this week but having him in camp is a good thing no matter how you look at it.

 

La'el Collins seems to have found a home at left guard. In the past couple of weeks of OTAs Collins has worked primarily at LG which seems to be a more natural position for him according to reports. Even though Collins was considered a first round talent he has been working with the second team offense most of the time. Unlike Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin who were 1st round picks and day 1 starters the Cowboys are making Collins earn his way into the starting lineup. For his part Ron Leary won't give up his starting job without a helluva fight. Good, because top notch competition will do nothing but make this team better.

 

The hope is that backup tight end Gavin Escobar will sort of break out as he enters his 3rd season in the NFL. Escobar has shown flashes of playmaking ability but he has had to split time behind Jason Witten with James Hannah. Escobar came to Dallas as primarily a receiving TE but he has had to make strides to become a more complete player. He has had to improve his blocking and as a receiver he has had to go through the growing pains all receivers go through. It's about year 3 in the NFL where receivers often show up as it takes a while to learn the pro game. Except for possibly QB, receiver seems to be the hardest position on a team to make the jump from college to the pros. It's year 3 Gavin. Let's see what you have learned.

 

Could somebody tell me what wearing black frame glasses with no glass in them makes it a fashion statement? If it's intended to make them look smarter I would point out the lack of glass in the glasses sort of negates that. Just a random thought here but I have just been wondering about this for a while.

[eagle eye]

The first day of the mandatory mini camp was yesterday and here are a couple of notes about practice yesterday about Darren McFadden, Sean Lee and DeMarcus Lawrence. There's a link to observations by Bryan Broaddus from yesterday as well.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/16/mcfadden-%E2%80%9C100-percent-and-ready-go-play-ball%E2%80%9D-sean-lee-joins-team-drills

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/06/16/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-wilson%E2%80%99s-progress-hardy%E2%80%99s-shift-among-12-thoughts-minicamp

 

Dallas has scheduled joint practices with the St Louis Rams during training camp in August on the 17th and 18th with is between their first and 2nd preseason games. The preseason games are on the west coast which is convenient because training camp is in Oxnard, California. Game 1 is against San Diego and Game 2 is against San Francisco.

 

Stephen Jones said that Dallas would love to get a long term deal done with Dez Bryant but there is big disparity in what WRs in the NFL want and what GMs want to pay is pretty big. Jones said the problem is because of contracts done with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Those two players signed big deals largely because of low rookie contracts and they skew the value of WRs. With Fitz and Megatron make in the neighborhood of 15.5 and 16.5 million dollars a year the value of the rest of the top NFL receivers is in the 11.5 to 12.5 million range. Dez wants to be paid like an elite receiver and he probably deserves to be but what that amount is is the point of contention between teams like Dallas, Denver and Atlanta face with Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Julio Jones. It is felt that once one of this group of guys signs a deal it will establish the market for the rest. The problem is they all want Megatron type deals and NFL GMs don't want to pay that much. According to reports there is no animosity between Dez and the Cowboys front office. They both understand this is the business side of football. While fans are all freaking out over paying Dez his teammates also understand the business side as well. So, there is no discord within the Cowboys organization, the disconnect seems to be coming from everyone else. Personally I think a deal will get done before July 15 but you never know because this contract situation involves more than one team so you never know who is going to blink first.