Broaddus: Gregory's Growth, Unheralded WR Highlight 12 Thoughts

[RS12]

I am honestly surprised that Greg Hardy hasn't had much success as a pass rusher in the one-on-ones, but it hasn't been for lack of trying. Hardy has worked extremely hard on his techniques during these practices against the best that this offensive line has had to offer. During practice on Sunday, he took shots atZack Martin and then later in the drill took a rep as a nose against Travis Frederick -- which is a spot he normally doesn't line up at. You can see the intensity from guys like Tyron Smith and others when they get these shots against him.



2) Zack Martin received some work at center during the practice on Sunday, but this is nothing new to him. During practices last season, Martin would take reps on the scout team at center and Travis Frederick would line up at guard. It was just his way of being ready in case the line sustained an injury during a game and needed to cope with it in a different manner.



3) Joseph Randle continues to work on his blitz pickups during these practices. I don't believe it's a question for Randle on who he needs to block, but how he manages to finish. During team period, Jasper Brinkley took him to task and Randle was where he needed to be on the pickup, but his technique was a little off in the fact that he didn't hit him square. It allowed Brinkley to drive him back a bit and gain some penetration. Randle's desire is there but work needs tocontinue to be done.



4) La'el Collins has now taken snaps at both left and right guard in this camp, but in visiting with Jerry Jones after practice, he could also be an option -- and I repeat, an option -- to see some work at tackle, as well. Jones was willing to give Darrion Weems the benefit of the doubt after the San Diego game, but that rope doesn't appear to have much more slack in it. Collins was solid in his work on the right side with no major mental or physical mistakes.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2...=10154198449117814&adbpl=fb&adbpr=99559607813

 

[Ken]

Pencil me down for one who is not surprised at all by Gregory's success in defending the run. I said this after analyzing his play that he is stronger than people give him credit for (over 20 reps at 225) and his technique and desire against the run is great. This guy is going to be a phenomenal player.

 

[CCBoy]

The future of this current team, just can't get here fast enough for this fan...but patient none-the-less.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

So Street has a good game and suddenly the guy Broddaus said can't separate is getting separation in practice.

Stop peeing on my leg Brian.

 

[Bullflop]

I think Hardy may be rusty to some extent from the layoff imposed on him last year. It'll likely take some time once he returns from his suspension for him to get back into his former groove. By mid season, I'm hoping he'll return to his former intensity. Seems to me it's a fairly reasonable amount of time for that expectation to materialize.

 

[Bullflop]

So Street has a good game and suddenly the guy Broddaus said can't separate is getting separation in practice.

Stop peeing on my leg Brian.

He had a pretty productive game Thurs. nite. It's an odd time to offer criticism when Street has had success.

 

[Idgit]

Broaddus is in a tough situation on these reports, because he needs to provide specific content, and he does so many of them. But they do start to sound like him backtracking on guys. Was Street slow earlier in camp, or just hobbled by his ankle injury? Was Escobar not physical enough in the red zone, or did you just see one good play where the Safety beat him? Was Leary ever 'too foot slow to block on the second level in this league' or did you just scout him wrong?

Tough to say, and Brian's on the hook and putting it out there, so I'm not going to second guess him too much. But I will say that I've never seen what he'd reported about Randy Gregory's lack of moves or technique problems, and I'm skeptical that he's improved much in a few short weeks rather than it just being the case that BB was wrong to start out with on that guy. He had plenty of moves, coming out.

 

[Idgit]

I think Hardy may be rusty to some extent from the layoff imposed on him last year. It'll likely take some time once he returns from his suspension for him to get back into his former groove. By mid season, I'm hoping he'll return to his former intensity. Seems to me it's a fairly reasonable amount of time for that expectation to materialize.

He's also the body type and aggressiveness type where he gets a lot more effective after logging more than a few snaps against a guy. I can see him just wearing players down and where he just keeps coming, so what you see early on and what you get over the course of a full game are very different things.

 

[Bullflop]

He's also the body type and aggressiveness type where he gets a lot more effective after logging more than a few snaps against a guy. I can see him just wearing players down and where he just keeps coming, so what you see early on and what you get over the course of a full game are very different things.

True enough and here I'm trying not to allow my expectations to overcome the obstales Hardy is having to face in terms of some probable rustiness he's experiencing. Realistically, he'll quite possibly have the advantage of competing against lesser opponents than he's now seeing with Dallas' OL. I'm confident he'll adjust well in time. He seems to be giving everything he's got in practice. It bodes well for his conditioning to return in a timely manner.

 

[bodi]

Nick Harwell has at times been better -- and not just by a little bit. Harwell continues to show up in these practices with his ability to make plays. He is a sneaky route runner with deceptive quickness.

at least he's getting noticed

 

[Toruk_Makto]

He had a pretty productive game Thurs. nite. It's an odd time to offer criticism when Street has had success.

What I am commenting on is Broaddus saying Street couldn't separate. Now that he's had some visible success suddenly he can separate. It was a criticism of Broaddus.

 

[Spectre]

People here have penciled Hardy in for large sack numbers right from the get-go. Many have even tossed around the word 'elite'. I, for one, am not so sure of that. I'm expecting Gregory to be the sack leader here.

 

[Bullflop]

What I am commenting on is Broaddus saying Street couldn't separate. Now that he's had some visible success suddenly he can separate. It was a criticism of Broaddus.

I understand completely. That's been Street's tendency all along but it's obvious he's overcoming that tendency with the way he's able to position himself to shield the DB from defending him. His routes are being run better. If his separation is good enough to make the play, that's all that counts. I think Broaddus is simply very reluctant to change his position on what he's already said in the past. At some point, if Street's success continues, he'll have no choice but to reverse his stance, however. We'll see what happens.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Pencil me down for one who is not surprised at all by Gregory's success in defending the run. I said this after analyzing his play that he is stronger than people give him credit for (over 20 reps at 225) and his technique and desire against the run is great. This guy is going to be a phenomenal player.

He was also a read and react player in college so he has a firm understanding of how to carry out assignments. He is a much better all around player then the first round DE's outside of maybe Vic Beasley. But those two are really apple to oranges

 

[Ken]

He was also a read and react player in college so he has a firm understanding of how to carry out assignments. He is a much better all around player then the first round DE's outside of maybe Vic Beasley. But those two are really apple to oranges

Agreed. And from my analysis, he was MUCH better than Dante Fowler who was just a one trick pony. Gregory's strength, tenacity, technique, speed, quickness, and hand work were all impressive.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Agreed. And from my analysis, he was MUCH better than Dante Fowler who was just a one trick pony. Gregory's strength, tenacity, technique, speed, quickness, and hand work were all impressive.

Both him and Ray I thought were one trick ponies. And Dupree is very raw. I thought Gregory and Beasley were the two most rounded pass rushers in terms of what they bring overall. With Gregory being the most complete DE, and Beasley offering the most scheme versatility being and to rush standing up, with his hand in dirt and playing a traditional 4-3 SAM role on conventional downs. Id take Gregory over Beasley because Beasleys limitation is that he will never be a true DE in a 4-3. He will have to play LB on conventional downs.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Agreed. And from my analysis, he was MUCH better than Dante Fowler who was just a one trick pony. Gregory's strength, tenacity, technique, speed, quickness, and hand work were all impressive.

He plays with so much power for someone who is underweight. Just take a look at the sack that he had during the Chargers game. He completely push his man back almost right into the QB and then lunged for the sack. He has a combination of speed and power to him which excites me.

12) Looking forward to watching these practices against the St. Louis Rams for the next two days. The one-on-one drills are always the highlights for me, and I can't wait to see Zack Martin and Aaron Donald hook up in a battle of two of the young outstanding players in this league.

Funny that Broaddus mentioned Aaron Donald. I'm been all over his jock strap in wanting us to draft him last year. I think I outgrew that and now I'm more excited with what we have in Gregory than with Aaron Donald.

 

[CCBoy]

He plays with so much power for someone who is underweight. Just take a look at the sack that he had during the Chargers game. He completely push his man back almost right into the QB and then lunged for the sack. He has a combination of speed and power to him which excites me.

12) Looking forward to watching these practices against the St. Louis Rams for the next two days. The one-on-one drills are always the highlights for me, and I can't wait to see Zack Martin and Aaron Donald hook up in a battle of two of the young outstanding players in this league.

Funny that Broaddus mentioned Aaron Donald. I'm been all over his jock strap in wanting us to draft him last year. I think I outgrew that and now I'm more excited with what we have in Gregory than with Aaron Donald.

Indeed, this merits watching it play out!

 

[gmoney112]

People here have penciled Hardy in for large sack numbers right from the get-go. Many have even tossed around the word 'elite'. I, for one, am not so sure of that. I'm expecting Gregory to be the sack leader here.

Interesting take. I expect Gregory to be more successful than people think, and buck the trend for first round pass rushers(they usually get a rude awakening rookie year). But I think Hardy will lead the team in sacks and it won't be close. It is pretty amazing that we are 4 deep with pass rushers though.

As far as the topic, you really have to learn to read between the lines with Broaddus. For me, i take the criticisms with a grain of salt. He's far too 'conclusive' because of a bad day at practice or a few bad plays. I usually rely on Sturm/Vela or even BTB to form a kind of consensus. If a player is playing well or underperforming, most of the times it'll be covered by those guys.

Broaddus is right about a lot though, and at this time of year let's be real, we'd eat up any Cowboys information. Even if it was a Q&A session with 'Dear Abby'.

 

[Bluefin]

4) La'el Collins has now taken snaps at both left and right guard in this camp, but in visiting with Jerry Jones after practice, he could also be an option -- and I repeat, an option -- to see some work at tackle, as well. Jones was willing to give Darrion Weems the benefit of the doubt after the San Diego game, but that rope doesn't appear to have much more slack in it. Collins was solid in his work on the right side with no major mental or physical mistakes.

This is poor reporting, IMO.

Jerry Jones was asked if he was worried about the OTs with Tyron Smith (biceps), Doug Free (foot) nursing injuries and swing option Darrion Weems having a bad outing in San Diego.

Jerry replied that Weems is a "very legitimate way to go here as the swing tackle" and later added "there was no reason to think he can't get to where we think he can be, at least at RT."

Jerry also mentioned the options they haven't looked at yet, including moving one of the current starters out to RT, and that everyone knows La'el Collins has OT experience.

Bryan Broaddus completely left out the part about moving a current starter out to RT should it become necessary, which would imply Zack Martin.

And Jerry offered that before adding that Collins was an obvious possibility.

Nothing in there suggests the rope is tightening for Weems, he was given a vote of confidence.