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http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_10170792
Big, bad Cowboys ride into town
The Broncos hope they are better prepared than they were in '07.
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 08/12/2008 12:10:20 PM MDT
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This is the week when the Broncos had better plant a little harder in their three-point stances. Chin straps had better be buckled extra tight. A few more bench-press reps in the weight room wouldn't hurt.
The Dallas Cowboys are coming.
These aren't your granddaddy's white-hat, America's Team, flex and finesse Cowboys. These are the big, bad, rough, tough Cowboys who bullied the Broncos through four practices in stifling, 105-degree heat last year. And then in Texas Stadium on a Saturday night, the Cowboys whipped the Broncos some more for a 31-20 preseason victory. "They took it to us," Broncos defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban said. "Hopefully we can make a little better showing this week. They were a little different team than we were used to facing. They're mammoths up front. They run north and south. Our defense is simplified for the defensive linemen this year, so I think we'll do a lot better."
The big, bad Cowboys will arrive here tonight at 6 p.m., ready for two-a-day, head-to-head practices Wednesday and Thursday at Dove Valley.
Better here than there. It was the Broncos who traveled to Irving, Texas, last year for a week of workouts, followed by a preseason game. Simply put, the trip was a disaster.
For starters, the Broncos were tired, having played a Monday night game in San Francisco, traveling home for a few hours Tuesday, and then two practices at the Cowboys' practice facility Wednesday and Thursday.
Greeting them was unbearably hot, humid Texas air — and a brutish group of Cowboys.
"That's a big, physical group over there," Broncos defensive end Tim Crowder said. "Like Coach was saying, they're a mountain of men. It seems like they're all 6-5 and above, 315, and they can move. They've got stars at every position."
The Broncos started getting beat up. Crowder suffered a bad high ankle sprain in one practice. The injury affected him all season. Veteran offensive lineman Adam Meadows had just been promoted to first-team right tackle in a morning session, only to suffer a torn calf in the afternoon, an injury that essentially ended his career.
"We were all miserable during that trip," Meadows said from Athens, Ga., where he runs a car dealership and home-building company. "The schedule we had, it seemed like we were short on time. We wound up short on numbers. We got our butts kicked the whole week. But a lot of our guys were just hanging on."
It only got worse after dressing in game uniforms. Ekuban suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. The Cowboys surprised the Broncos with a heavy blitz package, causing veteran Broncos safety John Lynch to call out Dallas coach Wade Phillips for going against preseason protocol.
"They blitzed us out the gate hard," Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler said. "I think we'll be more ready for that this time. Plus, it'll be good being here and not in 100-degree heat down there."
The primary purpose behind the week-long gathering is to give the Broncos' offense a long look at the Cowboys' 3-4 defensive scheme that also will be employed by San Diego, New England and the New York Jets, teams on Denver's schedule.
Like the Chargers', the Cowboys' roster is loaded with large, athletic specimens. Defensive end Chris Canty is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds. They have a linebacker, Greg Ellis, who is 6-6, 270. Their star receiver, Terrell Owens, is 6-3, 224. Cowboy players are plain bigger than Broncos players.
"They are bigger," Broncos tight end Nate Jackson said. "But we're not going to arm-wrestle them. We're going to play football. There are different philosophies in how to succeed in this game. It's a chess match."
It wasn't much of a match last year. The trip proved to be telling. The Cowboys went on to become the best team in the NFC regular season last year, earning a No. 1 playoff seed with a 13-3 record. They blew it and didn't get past the New York Giants in the postseason, but then nobody did, not even 18-0 New England.
The Broncos and their 7-9 record never made it to the playoffs.
The Cowboys and Broncos are about to meet again, for four practices, and one game. This time, they will meet in the relative comfort of Dove Valley, where temperatures are expected to reach the high 80s.
"The guys who don't know, we tell them, 'Get ready,' " Crowder said. "There's no side to side with them, they're coming straight at you. It's smash-mouth football." Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
Big, bad Cowboys ride into town
The Broncos hope they are better prepared than they were in '07.
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 08/12/2008 12:10:20 PM MDT
}
This is the week when the Broncos had better plant a little harder in their three-point stances. Chin straps had better be buckled extra tight. A few more bench-press reps in the weight room wouldn't hurt.
The Dallas Cowboys are coming.
These aren't your granddaddy's white-hat, America's Team, flex and finesse Cowboys. These are the big, bad, rough, tough Cowboys who bullied the Broncos through four practices in stifling, 105-degree heat last year. And then in Texas Stadium on a Saturday night, the Cowboys whipped the Broncos some more for a 31-20 preseason victory. "They took it to us," Broncos defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban said. "Hopefully we can make a little better showing this week. They were a little different team than we were used to facing. They're mammoths up front. They run north and south. Our defense is simplified for the defensive linemen this year, so I think we'll do a lot better."
The big, bad Cowboys will arrive here tonight at 6 p.m., ready for two-a-day, head-to-head practices Wednesday and Thursday at Dove Valley.
Better here than there. It was the Broncos who traveled to Irving, Texas, last year for a week of workouts, followed by a preseason game. Simply put, the trip was a disaster.
For starters, the Broncos were tired, having played a Monday night game in San Francisco, traveling home for a few hours Tuesday, and then two practices at the Cowboys' practice facility Wednesday and Thursday.
Greeting them was unbearably hot, humid Texas air — and a brutish group of Cowboys.
"That's a big, physical group over there," Broncos defensive end Tim Crowder said. "Like Coach was saying, they're a mountain of men. It seems like they're all 6-5 and above, 315, and they can move. They've got stars at every position."
The Broncos started getting beat up. Crowder suffered a bad high ankle sprain in one practice. The injury affected him all season. Veteran offensive lineman Adam Meadows had just been promoted to first-team right tackle in a morning session, only to suffer a torn calf in the afternoon, an injury that essentially ended his career.
"We were all miserable during that trip," Meadows said from Athens, Ga., where he runs a car dealership and home-building company. "The schedule we had, it seemed like we were short on time. We wound up short on numbers. We got our butts kicked the whole week. But a lot of our guys were just hanging on."
It only got worse after dressing in game uniforms. Ekuban suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. The Cowboys surprised the Broncos with a heavy blitz package, causing veteran Broncos safety John Lynch to call out Dallas coach Wade Phillips for going against preseason protocol.
"They blitzed us out the gate hard," Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler said. "I think we'll be more ready for that this time. Plus, it'll be good being here and not in 100-degree heat down there."
The primary purpose behind the week-long gathering is to give the Broncos' offense a long look at the Cowboys' 3-4 defensive scheme that also will be employed by San Diego, New England and the New York Jets, teams on Denver's schedule.
Like the Chargers', the Cowboys' roster is loaded with large, athletic specimens. Defensive end Chris Canty is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds. They have a linebacker, Greg Ellis, who is 6-6, 270. Their star receiver, Terrell Owens, is 6-3, 224. Cowboy players are plain bigger than Broncos players.
"They are bigger," Broncos tight end Nate Jackson said. "But we're not going to arm-wrestle them. We're going to play football. There are different philosophies in how to succeed in this game. It's a chess match."
It wasn't much of a match last year. The trip proved to be telling. The Cowboys went on to become the best team in the NFC regular season last year, earning a No. 1 playoff seed with a 13-3 record. They blew it and didn't get past the New York Giants in the postseason, but then nobody did, not even 18-0 New England.
The Broncos and their 7-9 record never made it to the playoffs.
The Cowboys and Broncos are about to meet again, for four practices, and one game. This time, they will meet in the relative comfort of Dove Valley, where temperatures are expected to reach the high 80s.
"The guys who don't know, we tell them, 'Get ready,' " Crowder said. "There's no side to side with them, they're coming straight at you. It's smash-mouth football." Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
were big and bad
That was team speed at its best.
