The Cowboys have their second preseason game (and second loss) in the books, but if you’re a football-watcher whatsoever, you know that wins and losses don’t mean a thing in the preseason. Here are a few takeaways I’ve processed (over the first day off we’ve all had in a very long time)… on Sunday during Training Camp 2014.
Dez is going to have a freak season. It’s no doubt that Dez is a phenomenal athlete. He can out muscle and out hustle anyone. Whether it’s on Mo Claiborne jawing in Training Camp or a corner (I don’t care what string) against the Ravens, Dez will make the play. We had a chance to ‘mic him up’ at camp, and you can hear a little of his fire here. Initial reaction is that Dez is a trash talker. Well, take it from someone who sat and listened to his entire mic’d up practice for an hour. And who used to think he was a big talker, from the outside. You don’t get the whole story with the small snippets of Dez. His will to win drives everything he says, every person he seeks out to coach up, every example he sets, truly every route he runs. I know for a fact that he can be a deadly asset to Tony Romo, and role model for the many receivers the Cowboys have making cases for themselves at this point in the preseason.
Zach Minter wants you to know his name. Hang on, I’ll tell ya who the heck he is! Minter is a defensive tackle coming to the Cowboys after two games with the Bears last season, and the Bengals before that. He joined the Cowboys midweek before the Ravens game. In today’s press conference, Jason Garrett talked about the way he shined and created opportunity. Garrett mentioned that usually tackles don’t ‘shine in back to back plays’ to paraphrase him, because ‘they make a sack then they’re celebrating and just too tired to make another sack the very next play’. Well, Minter had three notable plays in a row, and finished the night with four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Our WR’s are deep. Jamar Newsome showed flashes of going up to find the ball. Devin Street didn’t touch the ball all game but held crucial blocks – something not a lot of rookie receivers will grit and go for. Terrance Williams coming off a rookie season? Looks more like Dez – AKA – veteran-esque. Dwayne Harris the dread head kid is tough. Chris Boyd, LaRon Byrd, Desmond Briscoe don’t look awkwardly far behind these guys, like a lot of camp bodies tend to do. I’ve said it before and I say it again, I believe Derek Dooley’s WR group constantly fights to stay up to par, and challenge the Cowboys defense, because Dez holds them to this standard.
RB’s… Sheesh. This is a battle I’ve played out in my head all day. Will we keep four running backs? No. Well, will we carry a fullback? Because Tyler Clutts isn’t afraid to LIGHT. YOU. UP. But… RB Ryan Williams stood on the sideline for three quarters Saturday night waiting on his time to stir the pot. When he stepped between the lines, he made his presence felt. Make no mistake – this is true of the competition of life. You better make your absence a painful feeling for someone. Williams campaigned for that beautifully. Williams avg’d 7.2 yards a carry on 5 carries. Joseph Randle avg’d 5.9 yards on 7 carries. Man I like them both. I think Randle is genuinely in love with this game called football. I’m the one who says let’s keep all 4 RBs and a FB and keep this ball on the ground all day long, baby. A girl can dream.
Dustin Vaughan is as poised as a young Div. 2 QB could be. He told me this past week at Training Camp he moved to QB his junior year of high school because there was a need at the position. Ummm… The way he scrambled in week 1 at Qualcomm caught my attention. Against the Chargers, had a nice 24 yarder to Newsome (Training Camp roommates), and a nice little scoring drive with 9 minutes to play, Williams paving the way on the ground. Makes a VERY interesting case for the Cowboys to consider carrying 3 QBs. I personally love the idea of carrying three. I like the number 2 to come in if something happens to your QB coming off of back surgery, with a young guy like Vaughan constantly developing. I think he’s got the body and poise that you want to take a chance on for developing purposes, and to keep away from other clubs. But the Cowboys have urgent needs elsewhere on the roster. So, we shall see.
Romo looked good. Wasn’t in for long, and wasn’t expecting him to be.
Ahmad Dixon had a lesson to learn. He was forced to sit out of the hometown showdown because he was late to walkthrough in Oxnard on Friday. My take is, Coach Garrett is sending a hard message, fast. Dixon was the standout in week one taking defensive player of the game honors with 12 tackles. Even as his night was cut short when he left early with a concussion. If you want to be considered dependable on defense, you better be at practice at the start. I like the message here, because Coach Garrett is proving that Dixon’s actions means something, they carry weight. From being the standout in game one to sitting out game two, Garrett knows Dixon has the ability to have an influence on his position group, and that is at the forefront of his mind. I went to school with Dixon, know he is all business and took it very hard.
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