The Cowboys Cook Up a Solution at Backup Center

Getting word through the Twitter vine that the Cowboys have sent a 7th round pick to the Dolphins for offensive lineman Ryan Cook.  The former Vikings 2nd round pick (2006) started for Minnesota in '07 and '08 and played backup for Miami last year.

Cook has manned three positions on the line -- right tackle, right guard and center.  He adds needed depth to a very thin Cowboys line.

Entering the game, Dallas had six solid NFL-quality linemen to activate on game days, the five starters and backup OT Jermey Parnell.  David Arkin improved, but he's not strong enough to ride for any length of time should Phil Costa go down.  Left guard Derrick Dockery has NFL experience with the Bills, Redskins and Cowboys, but he looked shaky this summer, being a late signing after injuries sidelined Kevin Kowalski and Bill Nagy.

The Cowboys were two interior linemen short of the usual eight which teams dress.  Cook's size (he's 6'6", 328 lbs.) and versatility may let Dallas dress seven, and use the eighth game-day spot on a special teams player.

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All Hands on Deck

And I'm back.  Pardon my disappearance.  Started a new job this week and am swamped at the moment.  I have a lot of stories on deck for the weekend and up to the Giants game next Wednesday.  I've also got some site changes planned and some new features in the works, so things could get dusty around here, but Cowboys Nation remains open for business.

My commitments mean that I should probably share some of the controls with the regulars.  I asked for some help with some tape projects during the spring and got a lot of quality help.  I'm looking some good sets of eyes to help with the breakdowns during the season.

If you want to be part of the crazy bunch, e-mail me through the site link at the top of the page.  It's going to be fun.

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In Callahan We Trust? In Callahan We Must

The Dallas Cowboys new offensive line coach's teaching skills could give his team an edge in a race of line-challenged contenders.

I noticed a trend over the weekend, watching some major NFC contenders.

-- The Packers are manning the left tackle spot with Marshall Newhouse, and the former TCU man had his problems keeping Aaron Rodgers' blind side clean.

-- The Bears analysts had the jitters watching the team shuffle in offensive line groups, looking for a lineup which could keep Jay Cutler upright.

-- The Eagles are searching for an answer at their left tackle spot, and Michael Vick has left two pre-season games early with injuries.

-- The Giants are waiting on OT Will Beatty to come back from injury and are hoping he's ready for the season opener against Dallas.

-- The Lions have a major question mark at right tackle and saw Matthew Stafford leave their game against the Raiders with a hand injury.

-- The Bucs are hoping for a quick turnaround after a down year, but lost guard Davin Joseph for the season after he injured a patellar tendon.

-- The Redskins have question marks at interior offensive line.

Look at the NFC East field and you see a lot of teams with profiles similar to the Cowboys.  Improved defenses, lots of skill position talent, but all of them are sweating uncertainty on their offensive line.  Some teams look better off on their lines.  You ca say the same about the NFC North's top teams. The 49ers, Seahawks, Saints and perhaps the Falcons seem okay or better on their offensive lines and are trying to keep other fraying units intact.

The key to this year's playoff field may come down to which team's offensive line coach can patch his holes the best.  Here, the Cowboys have a major asset in Callahan, who has already shown rapid improvement after his guys were embarrassed in Oakland.  Callahan has started to work his projected starters, Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, into the starting lineup and Tony Romo has seen his pocket time improve.

Callahan has taken Jermey Parnell's game up a level and has David Arkin playing a passable center a month after force-teaching Arkin the position.  

Good line coaches can take the unsung and help them become respectable players.  Think of Hudson Houck in his prime, when he took the aging Ray Donaldson off the scrapheap and coaxed a Pro Bowl caliber year from him.  The 49ers Bobb McKittrick was a master at taking non-starters off other rosters, players like Kirk Scrafford and Cowboys castoff Rod Milstead, and making them into solid starters.

Callahan did the same for the Jets.  Matt Slauson and Brandon Moore were hardly household names, but they were solid contributors to New York's top-level lines when Callahan managed them.  With so many contenders playing shorthanded on the O-line, the coach who gets his guys to overachieve, a Howard Mudd, or a Pat Flaherty or a Callahan could be just as valuable as a big name free agent signing.

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Cowboys 20, Rams 19: Dallas Limps Forward

The Dallas Cowboys half-first team romped over the Rams starters yesterday, racing to a 17-6 halftime lead before the reserves clung to the lead, producing a 20-19 win in the final pre-season game to be contested.  With the Dolphins coming up on Thursday, and the season opener the following Wednesday, the starting 22 might play a series against Miami, if they play at all.

The game added to the momentum built against the Chargers.  Tony Romo received decent protection against a wide-9 Rams front that challenged him with heavy blitzing.  Romo led three drives, all of which produced scores.  The first was cut short by a poor official's call that reversed a seam pass to John Phillips, which would have given the Cowboys first and goal at the three.  Two plays later, Kevin Ogletree dropped a slant inside the Rams ten which would have converted the 3rd down and kept the drive alive.  Dan Bailey's successful field goal salvaged the drive.

On the next possession Jason Garrett called a bomb to Kevin Ogletree which beat the Rams zone.  A double move from the right slot got Harris matched up on middle linebacker James Laurinaitis.  Romo's lob hit Harris in stride, putting Dallas up 10-0.

Romo's final drive of the day again put Harris into the end zone.  Quick passes in the middle of the field, one a dart to Cole Beasley, moved Dallas across midfield.  The Rams continued blitzing and Romo beat them a second time on a crossing route to Harris, who was left alone in the shallow zone.  Good max protect blocking, especially a drive on the right edge by Felix Jones that stopped safety Quintin Mikell, gave the wider receivers the time to drive off coverage.  Harris was alone in the middle of the field when he caught Romo's pass and split two Rams defenders on the left sideline, before diving into the end zone.  The score put Dallas up 17-3 and let Romo take an early shower.

On defense, Rob Ryan's first unit continued its strong summer.  It still has not allowed a touchdown against three opponents.  The rush and coverage units are blending nicely.  Jason Hatcher ended an early Rams possession by beating a guard and sacking Sam Bradford.  Sean Lee ended the third Rams drive by sacking Bradford on an edge blitz.  The coverage behind the line was strong.  Rookie Morris Claiborne was beaten by a couple of short throws, but no corner on the starting unit yielded a pass more than ten yards down field.

The game nonetheless exposes some rough spots in the Cowboys game.

-- The special teams are running far behind the offense and defense.  Joe DeCamillis' guys yielded a long kickoff return after Harris' first score and the kickoff return team let Felix Jones get hit at Dallas' ten on the play after the Rams scored a field goal.  The punt return team was also beaten badly by a fake Rams punt, which helped St. Louis mount its second field-goal drive.

A lot of fence-riders played in the game last night, guys who needed to produce on special teams to stick.  Some of them may well have played themselves off the roster.

-- The injury bug won't let Dallas be.  Nate Livings and Anthony Spencer re-joined the lineup, but Jay Ratliff left the stadium on crutches after injuring an ankle.  IF he's suffered the dreaded high ankle sprain, he could miss the first quarter of the season.

-- It's half of one, half-of-the-the-other at the inside linebacker spot opposite Sean Lee. Dan Connor got most of the first team snaps and looks good against the run, but the coverage liabilities which he showed against the Chargers were exposed again last night.  He was beaten twice on deep outs for the Rams two longest 1st-half plays.

Bruce Carter spelled Connor later in the half and looked better in coverage.  Better run down production could see him win this job full time down the line.

-- It's a minor detail, but one which needs work.  Doug Free has had periodic problems handling inside counter rush moves.  On the first play from scrimmage last night, DE Chris Long started upfield, then flashed inside and got into the pocket.  Tony Romo completed a dumpoff to DeMarco Murray to salvage the play, but I've seen this move beat Free in camp as well.  It wasn't a recurring problem, but it's one which will probably get more attention.

-- It was separation day at wide receiver, and Kevin Ogletree, Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley moved forward.   They were Dallas' three starting wideouts and all made big plays for Romo and backup Kyle Orton.  Andre Holmes was conspicuously absent from the stat sheet, but he was on the field.  I saw him getting regular reps with the first offense in the first quarter.  He didn't step up, while the others did.  If the Cowboys keep six receivers, I see him as the most at risk;  the Cowboys like Danny Coale and are not going to cut a draftee because he broke a foot in mini-camp and fell behind.

-- The same is true for safety Matt Johnson.  I've seen fans call for him to be cut, and snuck onto the practice squad.  Johnson won't make it through.  I know there are teams which had Johnson solidly on their draft boards.  If Dallas were cut to cut him now, one of those teams would realize a free extra draft pick, for the cost of a waiver claim.

If the Lions were willing to claim Bill Nagy after surgery and wait a year on him, and the Pats were wiling to do the same with the Giants Jake Ballard,  there has to be a down-the-draft, secondary-needy team like the Colts who would gladly claim Johnson, PUP him and get him on the field mid-season.

The Cowboys drafted Johnson and Coale for a reason.  They're not going to give up on them now.  Johnson might find himself on the PUP list, or on IR, but I doubt the Cowboys will risk getting burned Nagy-style a second time.

Play of the Day

Two Houdinis in mid-season form.  First Dallas drive, and it's 3rd-and-10 in the pre-red zone.  The Cowboys are sending three receivers out on patterns and releasing RB DeMarco Murray as a late safety valve.  Watch the protection on the left side.  The Cowboys are sliding LT Tyron Smith and the rest of the line to their right, to double-team the Rams' interior rushers.  This leaves John Philllips one-on-one on the left edge against DE Robert Quinn, who showed a real burst around the left edge last night:

Romo does his Roger Staubach impersonation, spinning wide and way from Quinn.  His down-field options are gone, so he throws across field to Murray:

Murray shakes free from the first defender with an outside in move, then hints that he'll slice between the defender and a closing linebacker:

Murray uses a second outside/inside juke and burns the second defender:

Murray now lowers his shoulders and drives through two more Rams to reach the first down stripe:

Magic on the front side, magic on the back and 3rd-and-10 becomes 1st-and-10.  

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What I'm Hearing -- The Cowboys Edition, August 25th

Here's the latest, after a canvass of my sources on the Cowboys and other teams in the NFC.  Many team concerns echo those I've heard from you in recent weeks.

-- Despite his strong summer, there is still uncertainty about safety Barry Church's ability to hold up in coverage.

-- Morris Claiborne has had his ups and downs, but his natural ability appears obvious, and the arrow points up for him.

-- Backup OT Jermey Parnell has gotten notice.  The feeling is the light may have gone on for the former basketball player and tight end, who showed a real mean streak in his camp play.

-- Dan Connor has impressed and runs ahead of 2nd year ILB Bruce Carter.

-- The arrow points sideways for Victor Butler, who hasn't really taken advantage of his time in the starting lineup.

-- One unsung player with a chance to stick around in some capacity is backup G Levy Adcock.

Around the NFC East

-- Many teams are eyeing the surplus of defensive linemen in Giants camp, waiting to put in claims when some are cut.

-- The same is true of the Eagles, who have an excess at both defensive end and defensive tackle.

-- The major question in Eagles land is who plays left offensive tackle?  I've heard the team is not satisfied with the play of those trying to replace Jason Peters.

-- I've also heard there are continued question marks about the Eagles linebacking corps, which has again struggled in coverage.

-- The Eagles have apparently soured on safety Jaquan Jarrett.  The 2nd round pick might not survive next week's picks and I was told he could draw interest if he's released.

-- I've heard some optimistic news from Redskins camp, where WR Leonard Hankerson and Santana Moss have impressed.

-- The Redskins have also received solid play from free agent safeties Madieu Williams and Brandon Meriweather.  Meriweather in particular has been up-and-down, but if both safeties maintain steady play they could give Washington a real boost in the secondary.

Outside the division

-- Some observers are even more bullish on the Lions offense.  Questions remains at right tackle, but 2nd year receiver Titus Young has stepped up his game and could give Matthew Stafford another weapon.

--  I've heard the Jaguars are quietly assembling a young, productive, blue-collar defensive line which could surprise this year.

-- Supplemental draftee Josh Gordon has made plays at receiver and on special teams in the Browns camp.

-- I've also heard the Browns may shop QB Colt McCoy.

I kept hearing that offensive linemen are in short supply.  Some teams have D-linemen to shop, but very few teams have players to spare on the offensive line.  I'll discuss this in more detail early in the coming week.

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A Second Look at the Cowboys Tape: Tracking the New Guys

OL coach Bill Callahan and new
LG Mackenzy Bernadeau (73)

New Cowboys left guard Mackenzy Bernadeau had a solid debut against the Chargers.

While we wait for the ''dress rehearsal in two days, it's a good time to review the Chargers' video and get an early read on some of the new guys.

Today, I want to look at new right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, the subject of so much spring angst, all because of a dubious rating he received from a major site last year.  The Bernadeau I saw at Oxnard was quick and steady in pass protection.  He accurately handled stunts and set a tight pocket for Tony Romo.

With fellow free agent guard Nate Livings out with an injury, Jason Garrett and Bill Callahan called for an early game plan that ran behind the new money, Bernardeau and free agent fullback Lawrence Vickers.  Here are several cut ups from Dallas' first two series which offer a positive view of Bernadeau's game.

Play One

The situation:  1st and 10.  This is Dallas' first offensive play from scrimmage.  The Chargers know the Cowboys' line struggled badly against the Raiders and want to test them immediately.  Dallas opens in a vanilla set, two backs, two receivers and one tight end, and line up in queen right, and off-set I with the FB Vickers opposite the tight end.  The Chargers are in their base 3-4, but take a look at the strong safety in still one.  He's walked up to the line of scrimmage and is flanking the strong-side outside backer at the snap:

Dallas has called a pass, and when Tony Romo drops the defensive end over Bernadeau and the outside backer over RT Doug Free will run a twist; the DE will charge wide of Bernadeau, hoping to pull him outside, while the OLB loops behind the DE and inside.  Meanwhile, the strong safety will blitz outside of them.  The Chargers hope that either the SS or one of the twisters breaks free -- or that both succeed.

Look at Bernardeau in still three.  He's jabbed his right fist into the DE's chest, holding the defender up for Free.  He's also set up to block Shaun Phillips (95) looping inside.  Bernadeau and Free handle the twist easily.  Outside, DeMarco Murray is running a hot route, releasing wide when he sees the safety crashing.  The Chargers are playing zone behind the blitz, and Romo's quick dump-off pass sets up Murray one-on-one against a linebacker in the right flat.  Murray makes the first defender miss and gains eight yards:

Play two

The next play.  It's 2nd and short, and Dallas calls a simple isolation run to the weak-side, behind Bernadeau, Free and Vickers. It's man-on-man, and notice how each Cowboys blocker gets his man.  At the point, Free and Bernadeau immediately turn their men outside, while David Arkin is riding the NT down onto his knees.  Vickers has the ILB to the play side and it's DeMarco Murray's responsibility to win the duel with the weak-side inside backer crashing down.

In stills two and three of this play it appears that the Chargers have created a giant pile-up at the line of scrimmage, but notice two things.  First, Vickers is in the process of putting his man on the turf and next, all the other Cowboys blockers play-side are keeping their feet and sustaining their blocks.  Several Chargers seem to have Murray surrounded but none have a hand on him, or are in a good position to bring Murray down:

In still four, you can see Vickers and the ILB on the ground.  Bernadeau is finishing his block and the patient Murray is breaking out of the scrum and into the open. He'll get five yards upfield before a Chargers defender can wrap him up. 

This isn't the blow-em-out, rock-'em, sock-'em push the old '90s Cowboys generated, but this is nonetheless much better point of attack, short-yardage blocking than we've seen in recent seasons.

Play Three

The sprint draw.  It's 2nd and 10 near mid-field on Dallas' second possession.  Felix Jones has replaced Murray as the lead back and the Cowboys have spread the field with an ace set -- three wideouts, a tight end and Jones as the lone back:

The call is a sprint draw to the weakside, again behind Bernadeau and Free.  Watch Bernadeau sell the draw in still two.  When Romo drops, Bernadeau drops backwards, feigning that he's pass blocking. This causes the inside linebacker on the play side to dither in space; he's not sure whether to drive on a draw play or drop into coverage:

After taking two steps back, Bernadeau plants and charges hard at the linebacker.  Bernadeau had an angle and momentum.  Note how the 'backer reacts in still three.  He's trying to absorb and fall off the block.  He's not interested in a major collision:

Bernadeau gets a good punch at the LB, creating a nice seam for Felix Jones, who rips eight yards upfield.  2nd-and-10 is now 3rd-and-2, giving Dallas a very manageable down, with run and pass options.

The new right guard wears Larry Allen's number.  He doesn't have old number 73's violent punch and speed, but Mackenzy Bernardeau looks like a solid, well-schooled alternative to Kyle Kosier.  If Nate Livings can play at Bernadeau's level when he returns, the guard "crisis'' in Cowboys land will look a lot less severe.

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What I'm Hearing, August 2012

A new Cowboys Nation feature culls rumors and nuggets from my source network on the NFL and the college game.

-- I asked some sources to recommend teams that might have a receiver surplus next week and was told to look at the Rams.  As strange as that sounds, they loaded up at wideouts in Jeff Fisher's first year, adding Brian Quick and Chris Givens to a group of tall wideouts that already included Greg Salas, Brandon Gibson, Denario Alexander, Austin Pettis.  Add slot targets Danny Amendola and the fomer Giant and Eagle Steve Smith and the Rams have eight candidates to consider.  One of the bigger young targets, a Pettis or an Alexander, may intrigue the Cowboys if they hit the street.

The Arizona Cardinals were also mentioned as a club which may have some talented receivers to cut loose next week.

-- Some teams that were recommended to track for interior offensive linemen cuts are the Falcons, who already had Todd McClure and Joe Hawley at center before they drafted Peter Konz.  Konz may work at guard, but the team has four center fighting for spots, with Miami Hurricane Tyler Horn rounding out the quartet.

The Ravens are another team with four centers still on the roster, with Justin Boren running 3rd team.  The second year man from Ohio State is 325 lbs. and fits the big boy mold the Ravens prefer, but he's behind Matt Birk and Gino Gradkowski.  The Ravens have journeyman Cecil Newton running 4th string.  The team also has a glut of large guard prospects.

The Dolphins John Jerry was mentioned as a guard prospect to track.  One person I spoke to thought highly of Jerry coming out of Ole Miss and feels he might benefit from joining a new team.  Jerry has struggled to crack the Dolphins lineup in his three years with the club. Watch him on the cut-down days.

-- The Bills were singled out as a team that will have a glut of defensive linemen and will have some tough cuts to make.  This was before Buffalo released Shawn Merriman.  The Bills still have another tough cut or two to make on that unit.

-- Moving to the college game, one source remained bullish on the former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, provided he's able to get his life back on track.  This person said Mathieu is too talented a football player, and will get serious consideration if he's able to rebuild his life and get back on the football field.  His size will work against him, even if he recovers.  The source said of Mathieu, "he's too good a player not to go in the 2nd round, even with his problems, but he'll never be a top 10 player, because of his physical limitations."

-- I was told the 2013 running backs class will be loaded, and that with teams devaluing the running back spot, some very good runners are likely to last into the 4th round.  If some of the top 2014 backs declare early, this crop could compare to or surpass the 2008 class, which saw five backs taken in the first, including Chris Johnson and Johnathan Stewart.  Ray Rice and Matt Forte were drafted in the 2nd round that year. Jamaal Charles went in the 3rd, Tim Hightower in the 5th and Peyton Hillis in the 7th.

'08 alum Felix Jones will need a strong contract year drive, or next year the Cowboys will go hunting for another 3rd to 4th round bargain in the Marion Barber, DeMarco Murray mold.   I'll have much more on the 2013 running backs group later.

-- I've heard that 2013 looks like a poor year for offensive tackles, especially for blind-side protectors.  Florida's Adrian Mixon gets some love, but most of the top tackle prospects look like better fits on the right side.

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Calm Your Heart Palpitations, It's Only Patellar Tendonitis

Dez Bryant received extra attention
at Oxnard

Twitter spread word of Dez Bryant's knee problem at electronic speed this afternoon.  Within minutes of the first messages detailing Bryant's departure from Cowboys practice, NFL radio network analysts were wondering if Dallas might need to re-consider the rusty Plaxico Burress.  Doomday scenarios were moving from the pre-conscious to the the consciousness of fans around the Cowboys universe.

To quote Pam Ewing from the original TV series Dallas, "it was all a bad dream."  And a bad daydream at that.  A scan of Bryant's knee showed patellar tendonitis, an inflammation of the major tendon which connects the kneecap to the shin bone.

I got a quick check with CN"s resident, Dr. Luis Rios and was told that the condition isn't serious and that with aggressive treatment, he does not think Bryant will miss any regular season games.  Rest, anti-inflammatory medications, ice and ultra-sound treatments are tools which can speed Bryant's recovery.

I asked if the problem might recur during the season and was told it could, but that careful treatment now would lessen the risk of flare-ups going forward.

Breathe deep.  The Cowboys keep taking hits, but Jason Witten's spleen injury aside, they've managed to avoid the truly catastrophic injury thus far.

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Chargers 28, Cowboys 20: More Questions, but Better Ones

No context for this photo,
but cheerleaders!

The Cowboys vowed they would get back to work after an error-filled 3-0 win over the Raiders last week.  The team kept its word.  The final score showed San Diego winning by eight points, but the score does not reveal the across-the-board improvements by all Cowboys starting units and the degree to which they dominated their Chargers counterparts.  Dallas took a 10-0 lead to halftime, and lost it when the Chargers' backups dominated the Cowboys' 3rd stringers.

The offensive line took a giant step forward, creating a consistent pocket for Tony Romo.  An opponent would break through here and there, but Romo had the space to side-step the rusher, allowing his lineman space to recover.  Even though two projected starters, LG Nate Livings and C Phil Costa, did not play, last week's line upped its game.  How much better will the line get when the starters are all together?  It's a far more positive question this week.

Romo gets a clean pocket

In these two stills Romo here gets time to scan the field
before throwing:

Outside, Kevin Ogletree made his case to be the third receiver.  He worked as the starting flanker opposite Dez Bryant and made several big catches against the starting Charges cornerbacks.  He caught passes on mid-level routes, like stops and comebacks, and also ran a precise deep post late in the first half.  Ogletree got inside Quentin Jammer, boxed Jammer out from the throw and held on to the ball when a Chargers safety drilled him.

Is this play good enough to keep Dallas off the free agent market in two weeks?  Maybe.  If Ogletree can do this consistently, this job should be his.  Again, it's a far more positive question this week than it was last week.

In regular sets, undrafted rookie running back Jamize Olawale made a strong push for the 3rd running back spot. He showed he could do the job in single back sets, working well with Romo and the starters.  He's got a burst to the edge, he's got good hands, and he's got a little bit of shake.  He was very effective in short-yardage runs playing with the second unit in the second quarter.

The big story through two games has been the overall play of Rob Ryan's first unit.  Last night they held Philip Rivers and the Chargers starters in check.  San Diego's first series ended with a three-and-out, pushed backwards by a Victor Butler sack.  The next two ended with Brandon Carr interceptions.

Carr has been a beast since day one of  camp and last night he baited Rivers superbly on the Chargers' second possession.  Rivers had not found an open wide receiver on his first half dozen pass attempts, but Carr appeared to have been beaten off the line by a Robert Meachem post route.  Rivers heaved the ball down field and Carr closed quickly, undercut Meachem and snatched the pass away.

Brandon Carr plays patty-cake with his second interception
of the evening.

On San Diego's next series Carr undercut another inside route and tipped a Rivers pass, which bounced off the intended receiver and back to Carr, who played ping pong with it, batting the ball from hand to hand before securing it.

Early in camp, Carr could not be beaten on up-the-field routes ,but could be taken on inside breaking calls.  On posts, on slants, on diagonals and crosses.  Last night's performance shows that Carr is closing down those avenues.

Carr's secondary mates also had strong games.  Barry Church was decisive on his run/pass reads and blew up some Chargers draws close to the line of scrimmage.  There are still questions about his overall game, but he's another player who is offering more positive answers.

The secondary's overall play suggests that new position coach Jerome Henderson has already upgraded his unit's play.  The 2011 squad was horrible at run support.  Mike Jenkins had to force edge runs with a bum shoulder, but his colleagues, Terence Newman, Orlando Scandrick and Alan Ball, were poor at this task.  They were slow to charge the perimeter and they missed too many tackles once they did arrive.

Last night all the Cowboys corners were aggressive in force.  Scandrick made a couple of stops.  Rookie Morris Claiborne made another 4th corner Mario Butler kept the force standard high once the starters subbed out.

Orlando Scandrick stops his man off the line.
(All photos by Steven Van Over, copyright reserved)

Will the corners continue this play into the season?  Again, the questions can be approached from a positive framework -- will the good play continue -- rather than the pessimistic one -- will the poor play stop?

Notes

-- More good results for the d-line.  Kenyon Coleman got the start at left end after Marcus Spears got the honor against Oakland.  The vet and his mates held the line, giving the linebackers and safeties clean alleys to the backs.  San Diego averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on 26 carries.

-- A big night during the reserve scrimmaging for slot WR Cole Beasley.  If the Cowboys had a  real game coming up, I would project the Ace personnel to be Dez as the split end, Austin in the slot and Ogletree flanking Austin.  If Austin were to miss time, today I'd pencil Beasley in as his slot-WR backup.

-- David Arkin can play some center.  Last night you saw what I reported on him two weeks ago.  He can scrap and he can move, but power players will beat him off the snap at this point in his career and push him back.  Chargers NT Antonio Garay got him a couple of times and Arkin grabbed, to keep Garay off Tony Romo.  Arkin still needs more upper body power but he may be a longer-term option in the pivot, certainly as a backup candidate.  I still look for the team to scan the wires for C/G candidates, but Arkin has been a pleasant surprise.

-- Olawale's big game, and Felix Jones' continued trouble with drops will probably lead to some knee jerking to cut Felix loose.  Not so fast.  Job one for any Cowboys back is blocking for Romo.  You never want to find yourself in the Chris Gronkowski spot, looking back at your broken quarterback after you failed to blocking a blitzer.

Olawale impressed, but I didn't see many plays where he stayed in and had to block one-on-one.  Blocking is one of Jones' strengths and he's blown up some linebackers and linemen during practices.  Felix needs to tighten up his game more, but I don't think the Cowboys will discard him until they're sure every running back projected to replace him has Tony Romo's back.

-- A positive night for Victor Butler but he brings the biggest question mark out of this game. He sacked Rivers on Dallas' first series, but he did it as the weakside outside backer.  Butler backed up DeMarcus Ware last night, instead of starting on the strong side, where he has played all camp.  Butler plays better on the weakside, but he's not going to beat out Ware.  Did the move to the weakside show some hesitation on the coaches' part in rushing rookie WOLB Adrian Hamilton, or are the coaches losing some faith in Butler's ability to challenge Anthony Spencer on the strong side?

Kyle Wilber was making a push on the strong side when he broke this thumb.  Last night Alex Albright got the start on the strong side.  Is this a sign of Butler's versatility, or is he a man without a solid place right now?

Add that Butler's sack came against an undrafted rookie left tackle who was filling in for starter Jared Gaither and you have to wonder.

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Playing the Waiting Game on Witten

I did a Q & A tonight with Dr. Luis Rios, CN's medical consultant, on the severity of Jason Witten's spleen injury.  The doc offered some detail which bolsters and explains ESPN analyst Adam Schefter's claim that neither the team nor the player know whether he'll need surgery to remove part or all of the spleen, and when he might return.

CN:  When we first spoke early in the week, you referred to Witten's injury as a "fractured spleen."  That surprised me a bit.  Is the spleen a rigid structure?

Dr. Rios:  Yes.  it has what we call a capsule, a rigid outer structure, and a pulpy interior.  Think of it like a hard-boiled egg.  The capsule was fractured or lacertated in Witten's case, which resulted in bleeding.

CN:  I've received questions from fans wondering why Witten didn't elect to have surgery immediately and get on with his business?  The impression exists that the spleen serves very little function, that it might be similar to the appendix.

Dr. Rios:  It's not a higher-order organ, like an eye or your brain, but it does have functions and there are consequences to having it removed.  It does filter out older red blood cells from the system and it does assist with immune response.  People who have their spleens removed are more susceptible to certain types of overwhelming sepsis.  For example, they're more at risk for meningitis.  These people have to receive vaccinations for certain types of infections, and be mindful that they're always at greater risk.

CN:  Witten told the press earlier this week that he has to be immobile for ten days or so.  It this normal?  Does this suggest any more severe level of injury to the spleen?

Dr. Rios:  The protocol used to be to remove the organ but recently, certainly in the last ten years, there has been a shift to monitoring the patient and seeing if the injury will heal on its own.  One of the risks is that Witten had a fracture to the capsule of the spleen and the bleeding in the pulpy part is contained within the capsule.  If that is minor it could heal on its own, but sometimes patients who have contained bleeding form a hematoma, a clot.  This contains the bleeding but if it dissolves after a while and the bleeding resumes. Or, if the injury is more severe, the bleeding may build up pressure, bulge the capsule and eventually rupture it.  Then, you need surgery to remove the spleen.

CN:  Do the doctors know how severe the injury is, or are they playing the same waiting game as well?

Dr. Rios:  Oh, they know.  They can tell from scans of the abdominal region and from blood counts how much blood Witten lost from the initial trauma.  He's probably had several scans and daily blood counts to see if the organ is stable and if it is healing.

They can determine a trend right now, whether he's improving or not. But every day is a new day.  They will continue to monitor and test him and see how he's progressing.

CN:  It sounds like Witten is likely to miss some games, whether he needs surgery or not.

Dr. Rios:  Probably, but nobody knows right now how this will progress.  After the ten day to two-week period, the doctors will have a better idea of whether he needs surgery or not, and how much or how little time Witten needs before he can play again.

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Cowboys vs. Chargers Preview: Pull for the DL Greybeards

Marcus Spears

Dallas concludes its Oxnard summer with a walk through today, and then packs up the operation and heads to San Diego, for some two-team practices with the Chargers.  CN will have a correspondent there and I hope to have some reports and photos up when the sessions conclude. 

A pleasant surprise from the Oakland shutout was the play of some unsung defense linemen.  Let's begin at the top, where the ever-maligned Marcus Spears got a start at left defensive end and was man of the match, when the first Cowboys and Raiders units squared off.  He was a regular presence in Oakland's backfield, creating penetration and tackles on run downs and consistent pressure on pass plays.

Late in the contest, un-drafted rookie free agent Ben Bass put on a similar show when the backups played.  He's had his moments during camp and translated them to the playing field better than his young peers Monday night.

The push by two guys rated low on the defensive line means the Cowboys could have a surplus of good linemen.  Figure the following players are locks:

Jay Ratliff
Jason Hatcher
Tyrone Crawford

The first two were money players for the Cowboys last year.  They provided the best pressure and most negative plays by some margin.  They were the two DTs Dallas used when it went to nickel.  Crawford didn't stand out as I had hoped, but he's stood out in practices and showed a lot of flexibility during the game.  Rob Ryan lined Crawford up at both DE spots in the 3-4, at nose tackle, and at DE and DT in a four-man line.  The 3rd round pick from Boise State isn't going anywhere.

That leaves an active competition for the remaining spots.  And before we rank them, we should ponder how many linemen the Cowboys will keep?  They've usually kept six since going to the 3-4, but you tell me which you keep from this lineup?

Sean Lissemore
Clifton Geathers
Josh Brent
Ben Bass
Marcus Spears
Kenyon Coleman

DLs kneeling: Lissemore, Crawford, Calloway, Spears, Coleman
Standing: Brent, Bass, Ratliff

Will the team cut the youngsters, who are almost sure to be snapped up.  (Look at Bill Nagy, who was grabbed by the Lions off waivers, despite having ankle surgery last week.)  Lissemore looks like a probable keeper, but once you get to the final five, there will be some tough decisions, especially if Spears blows it up again versus the Chargers.  Do you cut your productive starter, and risk using still-green kids?  Do you risk cutting a versatile giant like Geathers, who is showing power working inside and outside?   Could you sneak a Bass onto the practice squad if he has another strong second half Saturday?

Clifton Geathers has a Leon Lett-like frame

Do you discard Josh Brent, when at 320 lbs. he offers the big-boy nose tackle the fans have screamed for?  And what of Kenyon Coleman, who has that Jim Jeffcoat-like ability to rope-a-dope his opponents and produce at key times?

Maybe it's not such a bad problem to have.  Teams value young defensive linemen just as much as they do young offensive linemen.  The supply never rises to meet the demand league wide.  We know the Cowboys need supplements at the wide receiver and interior offensive line spots.  A Bass or a Geathers, provided they rip it up some more, could be the bargaining chips in a swap.

Pull hard for all of them, for the kids and the greybeards Spears and Coleman.  A surplus at defensive line could help fill those key deficiencies elsewhere on the roster.

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Yes, Virginia, It Is a Process

The injury malaise lingers, and it's making the Cowboys faithful grumpy.  Where is the backup center?  Where is the shiny new 3rd receiver?

Patience, grasshoppers.  They will show up soon enough.  The key is re-integrating those injured and doing due diligence for the first and second league cut-downs.  However much you want the team to indulge your desires to knee-jerk, remember one thing:  the last time this team made a major deal impulsively, Roy Williams came in and a lot of high draft picks and money left town.  Is this really the mind-set you want Dallas to adopt?

Here are some remedies I think may be coming, starting with the offensive line

We've yet to see the projected inside three -- LG Nate Livings, C Phil Costa and RG Mackenzy Bernardeau -- play a down together.  Early in camp, Bernardeau was out, rehabbing his surgically-repaired hip.  Livings hyperextended his left knee late in week one, making 2nd year man David Arkin the left guard starter and rookie Ronald Leary the right guard starter.  Bill Nagy's week-one injury and Kevin Kowalski's absence later pushed Arkin into the backup center role.

Arkin has taken some lumps in the press for errant shotgun snaps and a day where he could not mesh with backup Kyle Orton.  For a guy who has played two weeks at center, he nonetheless deserved the praise Tony Romo gave him Monday night.  Arkin missed on a second-series screen pass block that got Romo sacked, but he did his job the remainder of the evening.  Arkin played nearly three quarters.  You can see he needs more power, but he's a scrappy guy.

The biggest interior line problem, as I see it, was the lack of talent at guards.  Derrick Dockery was overmatched against Oakland.  He created no push on run downs and had his problems in protection.  When Bernardeau left the game after the third series, Leary took over at right guard and had a trying evening.  He struggles with speedy, agile rushers and a lot of pressure came in through his lane.

Look at the camp reports from the last three practice days and you'll see one constant with the offensive line -- pressure allowed up the middle.  This results from a combination of factors.  The backup guards are poor, and with Arkin and Harland Gunn playing center, some protection calls are likely being missed, with so many inside linebackers and safeties running free through the A and B gaps.

The short term solution is getting Costa and Livings back.  The last time Romo had good protection against Rob Ryan's guys was a week ago, the day Bernardeau made his debut.  The interior that afternoon was Arkin at left guard, Costa at center and Bernardeau at right guard.  The pocket held against the blitzes and stunts that day and Romo completed several balls deep down the field to Dez Bryant and his cohorts.

The next day (or was it later that practice, the practices all blur together now?) Costa hurt his back and the line regressed.  Costa takes his share of abuse, but he looked a better player under Bill Callahan than he did last year.  I'm not saying he's Dwight Stephenson in his prime; Costa will never be that, but he was more effective at engaging defenders off the ball and did a much better job anchoring against power.  The line will improve when he returns.

When Costa and Livings do return, and their workouts suggest that will be early next week, the top of Romo's pass pockets should solidify.  That will let Dallas move Arkin back to swing guard, where he's likely to play the year, if he isn't worn down in the next week by all the extra duty.   Arkin started camp at right guard, in a fight with Leary, then became in short time the LG starter and then the C starter.  He's the fastest Cowboys guard.  He's pulls the best.  He can get out on screens and on toss plays.  He's much better as a protector than Leary right now, and that should give him a game-day edge.

The shortest path to solidity is health, and a new backup center.  Those won't be available until the final cuts, if they're available at all.  The demand for quality young O-linemen far exceeds supply at all times, not just now. If the Cowboys find one, they'll put in a claim.  If they can find a vet who offers an improvement over Dockery and Leary, they'll take him.

Failing that, you'll probably see Montrae Holland signed in week two.  A contract disagreement apparently moved the team to sign Dockery and Dan Loper instead of Holland after the three worked out. Holland performed best, according to observers, but is still waiting for a job.  The Cowboys probably don't want to be on the hook for any one of these players deals for the full season and will try to pull a Laurent Robinson and add a Holland or a Holland-like player in the long week after the Giants game.

Next:  Is the 3rd receiver on the roster?

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Witten Now Among the Wounded

While the Cowboys have suffered numerous pre-season injures the past two weeks, none had been of the season-threatening variety. No torn ligaments, no broken bones, nothing that threatened to keep a key player out of multiple regular-season games.

That equation changed today with news that tight end Jason Witten injured his spleen in the 3-0 win over Oakland Monday might.  Witten took a shot to his midsection after catching a first quarter Tony Romo pass . The collision injured Witten's spleen and produced internal bleeding.

Witten is almost certainly out for the remainder of the pre-season.  I asked a doctor for a time-table on recovery and he said a conservative estimate would be six weeks, though much depended on the severity of the injury.

Witten's injury puts pressure on starting wideouts Dez Bryant and Miles Austin to complete their rehabs in time for the September 5th debut against the Giants, as Witten was Tony Romo's primary target this past week, when Austin was out and Bryant played just one series.

The injury also creates an opportunity for rookie James Hanna, who has produced some positive play this summer.  Undrafted free agent Andrew Szczerba will also get plenty of reps, since backup John Phillips is also out with an ankle injury.

The injury could also shuffle Dallas' linebacker totem.  Linebacker Alex Albright got some reps with the tight ends last week after Phillips' injury  With only two healthy TEs on the roster right now, I expect Albright to go back to playing both ways.  He had a solid game with the backup linebackers Monday and could help his odds of making the final roster if he produces on offense.

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Cowboys 3, Raiders 0. Let's Move On

We got a shutout, folks!

Yeah, yeah, I know.  That was the ugliest shutout in NFL pre-season history.

So, I'm not going to write a long piece tonight.  You can't make me.  Life is too short.

I'll add some positive fragments.

How bad was the 1st Cowboys vs. 1st Raiders action?  The player of that 20 minutes was Marcus Spears.  Spears played like a man who knows he's one slow stretch from being cut.  He started with the opening nickel and caused problems on run and passing downs.

He and his defensive mates tried to divert attention from a very slow start by the offense.  The Cowboys started an uneven line, with first team member Tyron Smith, Mackenzy Bernardeau and Doug Free sandwiching 3rd string LG Derrick Dockery and 3rd team C David Arkin.  The line had an early case of roving-gaffe disease, where one player had a bad play, then another took the baton.  Free let Lamarr Houston inside of him on a Tony Romo bootleg.  Then, Arkin didn't punch out on his man while releasing on a screen, leading to a Romo sack.  Dockery played soft on two runs behind him, which netted no yardage.

The coaches left the linemen in for a third series, and they tightened up their pass protection.  They removed Dez Bryant for this series, however. Bryant caught a 24 yard stop-fade on Dallas' first series, and the coaches hoped one of the kids would perform with the first offense.  They did not.  Romo checked down twice to Jason Witten, leaving the Cowboys two yards short on 3rd-and-8.

When the team moved to their second and third teams, the Cowboys won.  Here are some positive reviews:

-- James Hanna.  The 6th rounder blocked well as the F-back and as the on-the-line Y.  He also caught several passes while working with Kyle Orton.  If he keep playing like this he'll get some playing time, even after John Phillips returns.

-- Andre Holmes.  He opened his night catching a dig route, the square in over the middle that he's run so effectively this past week.  He also made a few more grabs and had the best night of the back-ups.  Let's keep his performance in context, however.  He got some reps with the first team and didn't get open.  He can beat the second team opponents and has a much better shot of making the team, but he needs to show a lot more before he can be trusted to be the 3rd receiver in real 3rd down situations.

-- Adrian Hamilton:  He generated lots of 2nd half pressure.  He didn't notch a sack but created several pressures.  He can build upon this game.

-- Jermey Parnell:  Rock solid playing with the second unit at left tackle.  I'd like to see him get some reps at right tackle, which he started playing this week.  He gives hope that he can be an effective swing tackle.

-- Alex Albright:  He' fighting Orie Lemon and others to be the last linebacker on the roster.  He made a lot of plays, against the run and the pass.  He's still in a tough spot ubt he'll stick with more performances like tonight's.

-- Ben Bass:  he stood out in the 4th quarter.  He showed good power and penetrating skill against the down-roster Raiders.  He's still a ways away from a team spot, but did what he needed to do.

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A Baker's Dozen of Questions for the Cowboys - Raiders Game

Here are some questions to ponder and some players to track Monday evening, when the Cowboys open their pre-season against the Oakland Raiders.

Cole Beasley

1.  Who takes the initiative as the slot receiver?  Today, I'd say the un-drafted Cole Beasley has the shortest route to a spot inside.  He's had the most reps here, despite missing a day, and runs ahead of Tim Benford in this spot.  Watch to see if 6th rounder Danny Coale works here or outside the numbers.

The Cowboys used Miles Austin in the slot in the ace sets and want to play him on the outside.  They'll put Austin back in the slot if none of these kids stand out, but a strong early pre-season performance from one of the Beasley, Benford, Coale trio inside will ease one headache.

2.  Can one of the kids play well opposite Dez Bryant in the base sets?  Conflicting reports have emerged this evening regarding Bryant's tight hamstring.  Yesterday the team claimed Bryant would definitely not play.  Today comes word that Dez might start and take some reps as the split end.

The tight hamstring was likely the result of heavy work in conditions that resembled Texas.  Week one in Oxnard saw the usual California conditions -- low to mid '80s with a cool breeze dropping temperatures late in the afternoon.  Late this week a heat wave hit the L.A. area.   The temperature rose to the high '90s, with higher humidity.  Bryant had worked with the trainers before every session to stretch his lower body muscles and was shut down immediately.

Dez should be okay as the X.  He's been a durable player.  Austin's hamstrings have, well, hamstrung the team the last two campaigns.  The team really wants someone to step up into the Laurent Robinson role and give them a dependable target on 1st and 2nd downs should Austin go down again and outside in the ace if Austin returns but the slot guys don't step forward.

Kevin Ogletree gets first crack.  If he falters, Benford, Coale and big-bird Andre Holmes will get their shots out wide.

Mackenzy Bernardeau (73)

3.  Can Mackenzy Bernardeau keep Tony Romo's interior pocket clean?  Rob Ryan attacked Bernardeau in his first day as starting right guard.  Ryan called inside linebacker blitzes, zone blitzes and twists at Bernardeau and right tackle Doug Free.  Mack, as his coach Bill Callahan refers to him, handled his switches well.  He offered an instant pass protection upgrade over rookie Ron Leary.  I don't think it's a coincidence that Romo started bombing more down the field that day.  Can Bernardeau carry this over to the games?

4.  Where does rookie tight end James Hanna fit?  He started camp as an F-back, lining up as a wing outside of Jason Witten and John Phillips.  Sometimes, Hanna would flex into the backfield and lead the halfback on inside running plays.  When Phillips rolled an ankle, Hanna got lots of week two reps as the second team Y, the on the line tight end role Phillips manned.  Hanna had some strong work late this week, letting Dallas move Witten around.

Where does the kid fit in best?  Can he lead block on the lead draw?  Can he handle defensive ends one-on-one if Jason Garrett calls a toss play or a stretch play to Hanna's side?  If Hanna checks both boxes, the Cowobys have a real late-round find.

5.  Will David Arkin get any rest at center?  He started camp as the second team left guard.  When Nate Livings tweaked a knee, Arkin moves in as the starter.  When Bill Nagy sprained an ankle Arkin started practicing snaps with the quarterbacks.  He got a lot of reps behind Phil Costa and on Friday became the starter in the pivot.

Arkin's best position appears to be left guard.  He pulls better than any other guard on the team.  He's quick to the edge on zone runs.  He can get out and lead screens.  If he can add some more muscle and punch, he could become a Kyle Kosier-type left guard.  The rash of center injuries means we probably won't see him work there.  See if the Cowboy play Arkin at guard when the second team or third team offenses work and Harland Gunn spells him.

And on defense...

6.  Does Tyrone Crawford have it?  I remember Jay Ratliff's rookie camp in '05.  He started as some no-name 7th round DE.  He got a lot of early work as a nickel DT and got under guard Marco Rivera's skin. After several rough matchups, Rivera got sick of being worked over by the kid and started a fight.  Ratliff was on the map.

Tyrone Crawford (70)

Crawford has a better draft pedigree, being Dallas' 3rd round pick, and he's been every bit as irritating to the offensive linemen as Ratliff was then. Crawford has worked effectively as a 5-technique and as a DT in the nickel four-man line.  He's worked Tyron Smith around the left edge and all the Dallas guards inside.  He was splitting double teams in two-on-one pass rush drills late this week.

He's teasing the kind of game Dallas desperately needs, a versatile D-linemen who can create pressure inside and outside.  If he's more than a camp star, he can lessen Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher's workloads.

7.  Where does Clifton Geathers belong?  He started at left DE, behind Kenyon Coleman and Marcus Spears.  Geathers still works there but he's taking a lot more reps at DT in the nickel and a slant nose tackle in the same sets.  He's pushing some of the centers and guards around.  It is a sign of problems in Dallas' offensive line, or does the 6'7" Geathers have a little Leon Lett in him?

8.  Are any more kid D-linemen for real?  Undrafted free agent Ben Bass has made some plays.  He and Geathers are giving Sean Lissemore and Josh Brent competition.  Does Dallas suddenly have unexpected depth on the line?

9.  Can Victor Butler handle run defense duties and give Anthony Spencer a run for his job?  Hope that the Raiders call some runs at Butler, so we can learn the answer.

10.  Where does the second inside linebacker competition stand?  Bruce Carter and Dan Connor have alternated as Sean Lee's sidekick.  Should the rotation continue, or will one move ahead of the other?

11.  Can Adrian Hamilton find his second wind?  The undrafted OLB has some speed and some shake.  He's fooled tackles with a spin move.  He can slide past blockers with a counter move.  The problem is that Hamilton has flashed these moves in drills but not carried them into scrimmages regularly.  He seemed to plateau after an impressive first week.  If he can perform in a game, he'll have a real shot at the final 53.

12.  Is Barry Church a solid NFL safety, or the best of a middling set of Cowboys safeties?  He's been strong against passes, and has broken up some throws to Jason Witten.  He looks much better than the safety we saw last year, suggesting that Jerome Henderson has raised the overall level of his secondary.  Tonight, we'll learn if Church is dependable, or the latest incarnation of Keith Davis.

13.  Can Orlando Scandrick play the left corner, or is he exclusively a slot back?  Scandrick's play on the edge has been up and down.  Most of the big plays he has surrendered were created by Dez Bryant, who has beaten every corner in camp.  The Raiders don't have a Dez Bryant in their lineup.  Can Scandrick hang with them?

Drop some more questions in the thread.

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Cowboys Camp Report, August 11th -- Stretched Thin

A trainer stretches Dez Bryant

The Cowboys concluded their eleventh workout in the last thirteen days this afternoon, and saw their starters ranks lose another member for Monday night's preseason opener.

The Cowboys have given Dez Bryant's hamstring's some extra work throughout camp, especially after Miles Austin limped off in week one with a strain to his touchy hams.  Trainers have helped Dez in the early workout stretching sessions (see photo) and the last two days strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik has done the job himself.

That did not prevent Bryant from sitting out the last half of today's practice with tightness in a hamstring.  The rest seems precautionary; Jerry Jones confirmed that Dez will not play the Raiders, joining Austin, left guard Nate Livings and center Phil Costa among the walking wounded on his side of the ball.

The missing starters will give Dallas plenty of downs to assess the candidates competing for the remaining receiver jobs.  The most frequent question I see in the chats is the request to handicap the down-roster wideouts.  This list could be turned on its head Monday night, but here it is nonetheless.

-- Kevin Ogletree:  He's the number three at the moment.  He can get up the field in base sets and has made some down field plays, something that some of his competitors have not.  He's not the people's choice, but he has the fewest holes in his game.  He's been steady, though more sizzle would be appreciated.

-- Dwayne Harris and Tim Benford:  Physically, these are the same guy.  One is 5'11'', 200 lbs. and the other is 6'0'', 200 lbs.  They're a tad shorter than the Cowboys prefer.  Harris stuck around last year because he runs tight routes and has sticky hands.  He looks a bit faster this summer, but I still don't see him as a down the field threat.  Benford is a faster Harris, but he's been up-and-down thus far.  He'll beat his man and make a big play, but he'll drop a pass on his next attempt.  The coaches may see them differently, but I see them in an either-or competition.

-- Andre Holmes and Raymond Radway:  the big boys, who fit the Cowboys' profile.  Radway is 6'3" and Holmes 6'5".  Both have their issues, but Holmes is working past his better at this point.

Radway knocked off some first-week rust and made a second week push.  He can get up the field and will make catches among the linebackers and safeties.  He does have difficulty getting off the cornerbacks' jams.  Radway frequently tries bulling his way through the jam, rather than using his hands or lateral moves to break cleanly  Consequently, there are plays where Radway gets jammed and stays jammed for far too long, and get eliminated as a pass option.

Andre Holmes (15)

Holmes in your long-strider.  He's high cut and can sometimes needs several steps to gain speed.  He can build momentum, and the farther he runs, the faster he gets.  The last couple of practices, he's improved as an intermediate target.  He runs the dig route very effectively and is not afraid of contact.  He was pushed as a red zone target in the practices immediately after Austin went down, but did not have tight communication with Tony Romo.  Holmes used his height to snatch a Kyle Orton prayer at the end of today's practice.  He needs work on his releases too, but he's been a more effective target than Radway.  If he continues to improve, Holmes could force his way onto the final roster.

-- Cole Beasley and Danny Coale:  They are the same type of receiver, shorter, quicker guys who can work the slot.  Beasley is by far the smaller of the two, 5'8", 174 lbs., while Coale is 6'0", 195.  Beasley took a well-publicized one-day camp sabbatical, but showed why the coaches left his place open while was gone.  He's amazingly quick in and out of his breaks, and can create separation from any corner.  He has to rely on his movement because he looks tiny compared to his peers.

Coale earns an incomplete in my book.  I've only see him in pads twice and need to see more standout plays. He runs tight routes, but he has some ground to make up if he wants to pass Beasley.  Given their games, I only see Dallas keeping one.

By Tuesday, all these observations could change.

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Cowboys Camp Report: Friday, August 10th -- Moving Day

Clifton Geathers

The Cowboys continued their game prep today with a fast-paced, scrimmage-heavy practice which saw several key rookies make a push for work with the first offensive and defensive units.

The workout continued this week's trend towards shorter sessions.  Where the team held three-hour practices heavy on position work, the last few practices have shortened to two hours and fifteen minutes, with focused, contact-intensive position sessions and far more 11-on-11 scrimmaging.

The practice began with a lengthy punt drill, with special teams coach Joe DeCamillis drilling on punts.  Veteran Dez Bryant and rookie Cole Beasley got nearly all the return reps.  A strong return game against Oakland could vault Beasley into the lead among the second tier of receivers.

The team then ran through a scripted 11-on-11, run at three quarters speed.  The segment introduced the plays the units would run at full speed later.  Here, there was no contact allowed; the emphasis was on knowing the proper assignments and executing them.  The lineup changed very little.  David Arkin continued with the first-team offense at left guard.  Kevin Ogletree took the reps as the first-team flanker opposite Dez Bryant.  When the team went to its three-receiver ace sets, Cole Beasley played the slot and Dwayne Harris started as the split end outside of him.

The practice them moved to positional drills and moved to offensive versus defensive one-on-ones shortly thereafter.  This was the most intense one-on-one segment of the camp.  The coaches clearly want their players to increase their contact work, with the Raiders game just three days away.  However, they want to avoid full-contact drills with tackling which can tangle up the linemen's legs and result in injury.

Today, the tight ends and outside linebacker went head to head, working on run blocking for edge runs.  At the same time the backs and inside backers worked on head-on blocking in the hole, with upturned trash drums forming the running lanes.

The tight end drills were the first opportunity for James Hanna to emerge today.  He stalemated or won nearly all his duels with Kyle Wilber and DeMarcus Ware.  He's not as consistent or as accomplished as Jason Witten, but the rookie was not far behind today.

Inside, starting fullback Lawrence Vickers provided some big hits.  His backup, Shaun Chapas, had a lot of difficulty taking on linebackers.  Chapas had a strong finish to the day, making some good blocks on the edge as an F-back, but he struggled badly as a lead blocker.

Chapas has trouble keeping his balance and his feet on these plays.  In one rep he leaned forward too far and was pulled off-balance by the linebacker.  On two other plays the 'backer was able to ole Chapas with a spin move.  Hanna did not get many reps as the F-back, but he worked there before John Phillips hurt his ankle.  Hanna could press Chapas hard when Phillips returns, if the second-year man does not step forward.

The team then went to its first all-22 set, with the offense starting in the pre-red zone, on the defense's 35.  Kevin Ogletree did himself an immediate favor, beating zone coverage on a deep diagonal route. He caught an accurate Tony Romo throw behind Gerald Sensabaugh, producing a one-play touchdown drive.

The Defense Eats Its Wheaties

When the second and third teams finished this drill the ball was placed at the offense's 15 and the units worked on a dozen play run drill.  The offense ran nearly all running plays and ran into stiff resistance from an active front that had Rob Ryan yelping his approval.  Even on plays where the line got good blocking, a defender would finish with brio.  On the second play the line got hats-on-hats down the line and DeMarco Murray burst into the second level, only to be smacked down by Sean Lee.  The offense tried a couple of change-up passes from a one-back, three tight end set.  Twice, Tony Romo rolled out, looking first for Dez Bryant and then for Ogletree.  Each time, Brandon Carr smothered the play.  He knocked down the slant for Dez and then forced Romo to throw the second pass out of bounds.

Dez Bryant duels Brandon Carr

The defense's early domination caused a fight.  Doug Free took issue to a shot at the back of his head and charged after Kenyon Coleman.  The players had to be separated, and this gave the offense a brief spark.  Ronald Leary cracked a running lane open two plays later, creating an explosive run by Javarris Williams.

Is this the sign of an emerging defensive power, or a struggling offensive line?  We'll get our first returns Monday night.

The teams flipped ends of the field and continued the 11-on-11.  The defense continued its dominance, diagnosing and stopping a series of bootlegs and quick throws.  The offense did have its moments.  Hanna ran a drag under the offensive line on a bootleg and took a Romo throw for a first down.  Felix Jones reminded everyone of his blocking skills on a delay.  He picked up Sean Lissemore, who had swum past left guard Arkin on a play-action pass.  Jones smacked the tackle in the belly, then slipped into the left flat.  Felix caught a Romo flip and gained seven yards, grinning as he crossed the sideline.

The team broke into its last one-on-one drills, with the quarterbacks and receivers going 6-on-7 with the defensive backs, while the offensive and defensive lines worked two-on-two and three-on-three.  The offensive line was split into halves, wtih tackle and guard combos working against defensive tackles and defensive ends.  The defenders ran a lot of stunts at their offensive counterparts, preparing them for stunts the coaches much expect from Oakland.  The offensive players were very effective, though rookie Tyrone Crawford again stood out among the defenders.  He was able to knife inside and outside double team blocks with regularity.

The relentless Tyrone Crawford

After this mini-drill the centers and guards drilled against the tackle, who ran inside twists against them.  Crawford also created pressure here as an inside rusher.  With Morris Claiborne out, Crawford is the rookie I'm most eager to see against the Raiders.

The team worked on one final all-22, with the offense working on deuce sets, with Hanna playing the Y, the on-the-line tight end, and Witten the F-back.  Romo got some decent protection and created some big plays. He rifled a slant to Dez, who raced free from tight Carr coverage.  The day ended with the second offense working against the second D.  Cole Beasley made two impressive catches out of the slot, the last a one-handed catch on an out against a driving Mario Butler

James Hanna (84) breaks out

Notes

-- Rob Ryan unveiled some funky rush looks.  Early in the day, he put an unbalanced nickel line on the field, which had both DTs, Sean Lissemore and Tyrone Crawford, on the left side of the line while his two OLB/DEs Adrian Hamilton and Kyle Wilber played on the right side.  The line looked like this:

LE -- Crawford
LDT -- Lissemore
RDT -- Hamilton
RE -- Wilber

Later in the day, Ryan had his entire nickel front deploy in an unbalanced way, in this fashion, left to right:

  94  -- 70 -- 98 -- 50 -- 54 -- 57

Four of these players, Ware, Lee, Carter and Butler, are linebackers and Crawford and Clifton Geathers DTs.  In this formation the three on the left had their hands down at the snap and the three linebackers on the right were in two-point stances.

Which ones will rush, and which ones will drop?  Ryan isn't telling.

-- Andre Holmes kept himself in the mix with some over-the-middle catches.  He ran a perfect dig route, the Michael Irvin special 18 yard square in, and held on when Barry Church popped him.

-- A strong day in coverage for Mario Butler, who seems most comfortable as Brandon Carr's backup on the right edge.

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Snap Analysis: Burress Doesn't Have It Anymore

The Plaxico Burress-to-Dallas rumor slowly metastasizes this morning.  I spoke to ESPN Insider K.C. Joyner this morning and he made the case for cutting this meme out before it spreads too far.

According to Joyner, who tracked all Burress' games for Scientific Football 2012, Burress has lost his deep speed.  "If you take all the receivers with more than 50 vertical attempts last year [throws more than 10 yards down the field] if you look at all the high-volume vertical receivers in the NFL in 2011," said Joyner, " Burress ranked dead last in yards per attempt."

"He is literally the worst deep threat in football.  He can still win a jump ball in the red zone, but he doesn't have any wheels any more.  He has no speed.  He was tied for 22nd in short-passing yards per attempt, so he's okay there, but he's not a technician as a route runner."

Yesterday's press reports on Burress reports claimed, "very preliminary" contact between the Cowboys and Burress' camp.  After getting Joyner's assessment, I have to wonder who initiated the contact?  Was it the team, or Burress' agent?

I can't see the urgency to sign somebody who represents a poor man's version of Roy Williams' 2010 game.  A very poor man's version.  Over 1100 players are going to be cut in the next month.  I'm guessing over 100 of them will be wideouts.  I can't believe the Cowboys won't find a better 3rd receiving option there, or from the pool of youngsters already on the roster.

If Dallas does hold some quiet interest, there's no reason to rush into a Burress signing.

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