Bluefin
07-21-2004, 12:58 PM
Rogers will be one happy camper
Cowboys' second-round pick will be training close to home when Dallas begins camp July 31
http://mas.scripps.com/VCS/2004/07/18/sprogers18a_d.jpg
Jacob Rogers of Oxnard (79) gets ready for the 2004 NFL season at Cowboys mini-camp. Rogers will be right at home when the Cowboys return to Ventura County on July 31.0
By Bob Buttitta,
bbuttitta@VenturaCountyStar.com
July 18, 2004
When the Los Angeles Raiders held their training camp in Oxnard during the mid-1980s, Jacob Rogers and his friends tried to peek over the fence that surrounds the Oxnard practice field in an effort to see an NFL team practice.
The budding football player didn't see much. Raiders officials always shooed Rogers away within seconds of sticking his head over the fence.
Later this month, Rogers will be one of the players other aspiring football players will watch when the Oxnard native steps on those same fields to take part in his first NFL training camp as a rookie offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys selected Rogers in the second round (52nd pick overall) of this year's NFL draft. Since Dallas decided to return its training camp to Oxnard, the former Oxnard High and USC standout will make his professional debut within minutes of where he grew up and played in high school.
"Getting a chance to be inside that fence and have the chance to compete as an NFL player is something I am really looking forward to," Rogers said via telephone from Dallas, where he was finishing up his offseason workouts.
"Being an NFL player is something I have been dreaming about since I was a little boy."
Rogers will have plenty of support from family and friends. Having played his college football so close to home, Rogers said the thought of having a lot of friendly faces in the crowd doesn't faze him.
"... I don't think it will cause me to be more nervous," Rogers said. "I'm very family oriented.
"At the same time I know I have a job to do. I have to focus on that."
Rogers joins a Dallas team which posted a 10-7 record in 2003 and went to the postseason for the first time since 1999.
Despite the team's success, head coach Bill Parcells felt the offensive line needed improvement, causing Dallas to draft Rogers and LSU guard Stephen Peterman (picked in the third round).
"I like his size," Parcells said of the 6-foot-6, 306-pound tackle. "Physically, he looks good."
While he was a three-year starter at left tackle for USC and didn't allow a sack in either his junior or senior seasons, Rogers will start his professional career as a right tackle.
The Cowboys have a Pro Bowl left tackle in Flozell Adams, so the team needs Rogers on the right side.
"It's getting more and more comfortable every day," Rogers said of his transition to the right side. "For three years I did things one way and now I have to do them the other way.
"I'm more familiar with the left side, but I know it will come."
While he would have preferred to stay on the left side, Rogers prides himself on on being a team player.
"At every level I have played, I have always said I will do whatever I can do to help the team," Rogers said. "If this is where (the Cowboys) need me to play, then I am happy to switch positions."
With his competition consisting of a pair of unheralded tackles in Tucker Torrin and Javiar Collins, both of whom have minimal playing experience, Rogers figures to have a strong opportunity to be a starter on opening day.
Through the mini-camps, all three of the players have received equal reps, and Rogers expects that to continue through at least the early part of camp.
Parcells and owner/general manager Jerry Jones believe Rogers can make the transition quickly enough.
"We think Rogers has a good chance to step in here at right tackle," Jones said. "He's a big player who can improve our team right away."
Rogers isn't taking a starting spot for granted. He realizes all the accolades and awards he earned at USC mean nothing to the Cowboys' coaches. He knows the only thing that matters is how he plays.
To get ready for the challenge, Rogers spent most of the last two months in Dallas working out at the team's training facility.
"I could not ask for a better situation," Rogers said. "I am getting a great opportunity to come in here and contribute.
"Hopefully, I can contribute in a starting role, but if not, then in some capacity."
Switching positions is nothing new to Rogers. He played tight end at Oxnard and didn't switch to the offensive line until his sophomore year at USC.
"After my first year, the idea of me switching to tackle came up," Rogers said. "It was a natural for me because I was putting on weight. I got to play (tackle) my true freshman year on the scout team and I liked it."
Rogers didn't take long to establish himself as one of the finest offensive linemen in the country.
By his junior season he was a first team All-Pacific-10 selection. Soon, the chatter shifted toward Rogers' potential as an NFL player.
"Growing up you dream you can do it, but when I made the transition to tackle at USC and started doing well there, then I started to think playing at the next level might be a possibility," Rogers said.
At USC, Rogers played in sophisticated offensive systems virtually identical to the one the Cowboys run.
Playing in a scheme which equally emphasized the run and the pass helped Rogers become adept at both run and pass blocking.
"I think playing for coaches with sophisticated, NFL-like offenses is going to help make the transition," Rogers said. "We ran the same plays under coach (Norm) Chow (USC's offensive coordinator) and coach (Paul Hackett) that we run here. They just use different terminology."
If Rogers makes the opening day starting lineup (Sept. 12 against Minnesota), he will probably be looking across the line at former USC teammate Kenechi Udeze, a first-round pick of the Vikings.
Rogers and Udeze squared off every day in practice the last few years, so each player is aware of the other's talents.
"I know how good he is and I believe he respects what I can do as a player," Rogers said. "It will be interesting to play against him in a game situation.
"I wish him all the best except when we play against him."
Rogers, still buzzing about USC's co-national championship from his senior season, is ecstatic about being drafted by one of the NFL's elite teams and the opportunity to play for a coach who is regarded as one of the finest in league history.
"I'm on Cloud 9, because I know it's an opportunity to put on that star and be part of the rich tradition the Cowboys have," Rogers said. "(Parcells) is a straight shooter. He's going to tell you you what he wants and what he expects. He will tell you where you stand at all times and you have to respect that.
"... I grew up with a strict coach in my father (J.T. Rogers, the Oxnard High offensive coordinator). With my father, if I messed up I would hear about it all the way home and all day the next day until we got out on the practice field."
Rogers returned to Oxnard last week. His plan was to get away from football and relax for a few weeks until camp starts.
He said is looking forward to getting to camp and learning from established veterans like Adams and All-Pro guard Larry Allen.
"Larry Allen and Flozell Adams are guys I can kind of look up to and and try to learn from," Rogers said.
He will get his chance in two weeks.
Cowboys' second-round pick will be training close to home when Dallas begins camp July 31
http://mas.scripps.com/VCS/2004/07/18/sprogers18a_d.jpg
Jacob Rogers of Oxnard (79) gets ready for the 2004 NFL season at Cowboys mini-camp. Rogers will be right at home when the Cowboys return to Ventura County on July 31.0
By Bob Buttitta,
bbuttitta@VenturaCountyStar.com
July 18, 2004
When the Los Angeles Raiders held their training camp in Oxnard during the mid-1980s, Jacob Rogers and his friends tried to peek over the fence that surrounds the Oxnard practice field in an effort to see an NFL team practice.
The budding football player didn't see much. Raiders officials always shooed Rogers away within seconds of sticking his head over the fence.
Later this month, Rogers will be one of the players other aspiring football players will watch when the Oxnard native steps on those same fields to take part in his first NFL training camp as a rookie offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys selected Rogers in the second round (52nd pick overall) of this year's NFL draft. Since Dallas decided to return its training camp to Oxnard, the former Oxnard High and USC standout will make his professional debut within minutes of where he grew up and played in high school.
"Getting a chance to be inside that fence and have the chance to compete as an NFL player is something I am really looking forward to," Rogers said via telephone from Dallas, where he was finishing up his offseason workouts.
"Being an NFL player is something I have been dreaming about since I was a little boy."
Rogers will have plenty of support from family and friends. Having played his college football so close to home, Rogers said the thought of having a lot of friendly faces in the crowd doesn't faze him.
"... I don't think it will cause me to be more nervous," Rogers said. "I'm very family oriented.
"At the same time I know I have a job to do. I have to focus on that."
Rogers joins a Dallas team which posted a 10-7 record in 2003 and went to the postseason for the first time since 1999.
Despite the team's success, head coach Bill Parcells felt the offensive line needed improvement, causing Dallas to draft Rogers and LSU guard Stephen Peterman (picked in the third round).
"I like his size," Parcells said of the 6-foot-6, 306-pound tackle. "Physically, he looks good."
While he was a three-year starter at left tackle for USC and didn't allow a sack in either his junior or senior seasons, Rogers will start his professional career as a right tackle.
The Cowboys have a Pro Bowl left tackle in Flozell Adams, so the team needs Rogers on the right side.
"It's getting more and more comfortable every day," Rogers said of his transition to the right side. "For three years I did things one way and now I have to do them the other way.
"I'm more familiar with the left side, but I know it will come."
While he would have preferred to stay on the left side, Rogers prides himself on on being a team player.
"At every level I have played, I have always said I will do whatever I can do to help the team," Rogers said. "If this is where (the Cowboys) need me to play, then I am happy to switch positions."
With his competition consisting of a pair of unheralded tackles in Tucker Torrin and Javiar Collins, both of whom have minimal playing experience, Rogers figures to have a strong opportunity to be a starter on opening day.
Through the mini-camps, all three of the players have received equal reps, and Rogers expects that to continue through at least the early part of camp.
Parcells and owner/general manager Jerry Jones believe Rogers can make the transition quickly enough.
"We think Rogers has a good chance to step in here at right tackle," Jones said. "He's a big player who can improve our team right away."
Rogers isn't taking a starting spot for granted. He realizes all the accolades and awards he earned at USC mean nothing to the Cowboys' coaches. He knows the only thing that matters is how he plays.
To get ready for the challenge, Rogers spent most of the last two months in Dallas working out at the team's training facility.
"I could not ask for a better situation," Rogers said. "I am getting a great opportunity to come in here and contribute.
"Hopefully, I can contribute in a starting role, but if not, then in some capacity."
Switching positions is nothing new to Rogers. He played tight end at Oxnard and didn't switch to the offensive line until his sophomore year at USC.
"After my first year, the idea of me switching to tackle came up," Rogers said. "It was a natural for me because I was putting on weight. I got to play (tackle) my true freshman year on the scout team and I liked it."
Rogers didn't take long to establish himself as one of the finest offensive linemen in the country.
By his junior season he was a first team All-Pacific-10 selection. Soon, the chatter shifted toward Rogers' potential as an NFL player.
"Growing up you dream you can do it, but when I made the transition to tackle at USC and started doing well there, then I started to think playing at the next level might be a possibility," Rogers said.
At USC, Rogers played in sophisticated offensive systems virtually identical to the one the Cowboys run.
Playing in a scheme which equally emphasized the run and the pass helped Rogers become adept at both run and pass blocking.
"I think playing for coaches with sophisticated, NFL-like offenses is going to help make the transition," Rogers said. "We ran the same plays under coach (Norm) Chow (USC's offensive coordinator) and coach (Paul Hackett) that we run here. They just use different terminology."
If Rogers makes the opening day starting lineup (Sept. 12 against Minnesota), he will probably be looking across the line at former USC teammate Kenechi Udeze, a first-round pick of the Vikings.
Rogers and Udeze squared off every day in practice the last few years, so each player is aware of the other's talents.
"I know how good he is and I believe he respects what I can do as a player," Rogers said. "It will be interesting to play against him in a game situation.
"I wish him all the best except when we play against him."
Rogers, still buzzing about USC's co-national championship from his senior season, is ecstatic about being drafted by one of the NFL's elite teams and the opportunity to play for a coach who is regarded as one of the finest in league history.
"I'm on Cloud 9, because I know it's an opportunity to put on that star and be part of the rich tradition the Cowboys have," Rogers said. "(Parcells) is a straight shooter. He's going to tell you you what he wants and what he expects. He will tell you where you stand at all times and you have to respect that.
"... I grew up with a strict coach in my father (J.T. Rogers, the Oxnard High offensive coordinator). With my father, if I messed up I would hear about it all the way home and all day the next day until we got out on the practice field."
Rogers returned to Oxnard last week. His plan was to get away from football and relax for a few weeks until camp starts.
He said is looking forward to getting to camp and learning from established veterans like Adams and All-Pro guard Larry Allen.
"Larry Allen and Flozell Adams are guys I can kind of look up to and and try to learn from," Rogers said.
He will get his chance in two weeks.