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Latest Cowboys headlines: Jaylon Smith's “wow” moment; Byron Jones shines; pass rush comes through.
Jaylon Smith turns heads in his second padded practice: 'I will continue to improve' - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Jaylon Smith's second practice in pads was even better than his first, Machota writes.
Working with the second-team defense at middle linebacker during team drills Saturday, Smith broke on the ball, darting at running back Darren McFadden.
Smith would've likely dropped McFadden for a loss on the run play if it was in actual game. The Cowboys don't tackle to the ground during training camp practices.
A few plays later, Smith was noticeably excited after being part of a group that bottled up another run.
"It felt great," Smith said. "Back in the mix of things. I love being out here, just a great feeling to be able to make a play. I've improved from the first day to today and tomorrow I will continue to improve. I'm excited."
Sat. Practice Report: Jaylon Continues To Shine - Nick Eatman, Dallas Cowboys
Jaylon Smith was the clear standout of the day in Oxnard, but not the only one.
Jaylon Smith - Smith said he doesn’t really think about his knee injury until he gets asked by reporters after practice.
“I’ve been doing a lot of this for a long time now,” Smith said. “It’s just a matter of you guys really being able to see me in and out of cuts, and contact. I’m really excited.”
Tyrone Crawford – He might have been the instigator in some fights on Thursday, but he was bringing the fight in 1-on-1 pass rush drills. From the end position, he got around La’el Collins on two occasions. In fact, Collins asked to redo the drill to get another shot at Crawford, who proceeded to blow right past him again.
Byron Jones – The third-year safety continues to make plays on the ball in practice. Jones forced the offense to kick a field goal with back-to-back pass breakups: a diving interception out of bounds on Dak Prescott’s deep pass intended for Brice Butler, followed by another deflection on third down.
Jaylon Smith showcases 'explosion' at Cowboys camp - Todd Archer, ESPN
On Saturday, Jaylon Smith took part in 10 plays of team and four plays of 7-on-7, and he made them count:
Jaylon Smith had his “wow” moment of training camp.
On a stretch play to the left Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys' linebacker shot the gap between the offensive line to stop Darren McFadden for what would have been a tackle for loss.
It wasn’t Smith’s only play. He met McFadden in the hole in the next 11-on-11 period of practiced. He butted up tight end Geoff Swaim on a pass to the middle and nearly tipped a pass down the seam.
VIDEO: Cowboys Five Things to Know - Pat Doney, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
NBC 5's Pat Doney has the latest from training camp in Oxnard, California, including his take on Jaylon Smith's performance and a highlight play from Byron Jones.
Camp Blog: Jones Names 3 Young Standouts | Dallas Cowboys
Jones let the world know which of his young players impressed him the most so far.
When asked about a couple of guys who have caught his eye, the owner didn’t hesitate to name a trio of young players, starting with linebacker Jaylon Smith. Jones also mentioned cornerback Marquez White, the sixth-round pick from Florida State. And Jones didn’t leave out guard Chaz Green, who is battling for the starting left guard spot with Jonathan Cooper.
Cowboys with big plays include Byron Jones, Jaylon Smith and Taco - Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dallas Cowboys making fiery plays yesterday included safety Byron Jones, linebacker Jaylon Smith, and defensive end Taco Charlton.
1. Safety Byron Jones flashed his play-making ability in two-minute drills. Jones came down with the ball out of bounds on a deep throw from Dak Prescott to Brice Butler in the end zone. On the next play, Jones batted the ball away. That’s the type of play-making that the Cowboys would like to see from their 2015 first-round pick.
2. Linebacker Jaylon Smith made himself known throughout practice. He shot the gap and would have had a tackle for loss on a Darren McFadden run. Those plays haven’t been too prevalent early in camp, but it’s the type of impact the Cowboys felt Smith could make when they used a second-round pick on him last year.
3. The pass rush had a solid day, too. Defensive end Taco Charlton, the Cowboys’ first-round draft choice from Michigan, easily got by offensive tackle Chaz Green in a drill, and followed it up with a win over guard La’el Collins. Collins also lost on a consecutive plays to defensive end Tyrone Crawford. Crawford beat him with a spin move and they repeated the drill with the same result. The Cowboys have to hope it’s a sign that Charlton and Crawford can bolster what has been a lackluster pass rush in recent years.
Brad Sham after Jaylon got outside- "WOW" @Boys_Vox @1053thefan pic.twitter.com/29fmwmLjAe
— Shan Shariff (@1053SS) July 30, 2017
Byron Jones almost-INT of Dak is still the play of the day... Caught it, only one foot in... Wow. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/vYwdbIpPIj
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) July 30, 2017
Tyrone Crawford spin move pic.twitter.com/wzpOAc1DOm
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 30, 2017
'I want it all': Why Dak Prescott wants no limitations on Cowboys' playbook in Year 2 - SportsDay Staff
Dak Heading into his second season as the starter, Prescott wants zero limitations when it comes to the playbook.
"I don't want any limitations. I want it all," Prescott said earlier this week on NFL Network's Training Camp Primetime. "I want them to give me everything, give me the whole offense, ask me to do more, challenge me. I think I do better when they challenge [me], they expect more [of me]. From reads to more, I guess you could say complicated plays or reads or whatever it is, I want them to throw it all at me."
Sean Lee: Dallas Cowboys have to step up, on and off the field - Todd Archer, ESPN
Lee with a strong reminder to teammates to focus on what's important for the team.
“At some point, guys have to understand that we’ve got to do things the right way on and off the field,” Lee said. “We have the most gracious, loyal owner in sports and he gives us an opportunity to work hard, change, but if you don’t do that, guys are going to be out of here. We’ve got to find a way to step up, do things right off the field because we have this opportunity.
"Every decision I make, I keep my teammates in mind. I keep this organization in mind. And I keep the fact that we have this unbelievable tradition and this opportunity to play. As leaders, we have to teach some of these guys a better way that they have this opportunity, and they have to respond.”
Luke McCown doesn’t view himself as a “camp arm” for Cowboys - Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys haven't impressed anybody with their QB depth, so McCown has very real chances of making the roster, and maybe not just as the No. 3.
“Golly, what an awful way to think of yourself as just a camp arm,” McCown said after going through his first practice with the team Saturday.
“I have two legs too, you know? … I’m coming in with competition on my mind. To learn and to establish a rapport with the guys that I’m going to be around with Dak [Prescott], with Kellen [Moore], with Coop [Rush]. As the elder statesman in the room – by a lot – try and help those guys along with the experience I have in various offenses. But, yeah, pick up coach [Scott] Linehan stuff as quick as I can and get out here and perform.”
The Cowboys brought in McCown’s brother, Josh, for a free agent visit this offseason, but Josh ended up signing with the New York Jets. Luke is more than happy to fill the void.
“Listen, a lot went into that evaluation and they ultimately went with the younger, better looking one,” Luke said, laughing.
Jerry Jones: Elliott Met With NFL Regarding League’s Ongoing Investigation - Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Jones with an update of where the Elliott investigation stands.
“They have had their hearing and they have had all of the responses,” Jones said after Saturday’s training camp practice. Everything’s in place to make a decision.”
But Elliott’s scheduled meeting with league officials would seem to be a major benchmark toward completing the investigation. Jones said the visit took place in New York within the last month.
Ezekiel Elliott case shows limits NFL faces in probing abuse claims - Will Hobson, The Washington Post
The NFL may think it has a unit of super-duper investigators snooping around, but this article suggests the NFL is running into brick walls with real law enforcement, which limits how aggressive the league can be in investigating players.
In Columbus, city attorney Rick Pfeiffer treated the NFL’s request for more information, essentially, like a media inquiry.
[In Florida] Aventura Police treated the [NFL] inquiry as a public records request, a police spokesman said this week, and gave the NFL investigator a copy of the incident report, and nothing more.
All of which means the NFL's 12-month "investigation" hasn't gotten access to anything beyond the public record. And that public record doesn't appear to justify a suspension.
The materials released in Columbus show why prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to press charges. The accuser called police early July 22, alleging Elliott had physically abused her repeatedly over the previous week. The woman had bruises on one shoulder, and on both forearms and wrists. In violent outbursts, the woman alleged, Elliott had choked her, threw her against a wall and dragged her across a floor. She said Elliott told her “she was lucky that he has not killed her yet,” and that “he loved her and did not want to have to put his hands her but it’s tough love.”
Elliott denied the claims, and told police the accuser had been in a barfight with another woman that night.
Police found no witnesses of Elliott’s alleged assaults. Three people, including a security manager at a bar, told police they saw Elliott’s accuser fight another woman that evening, not Elliott. Four people told police they heard the woman yell at Elliott she was going to “call the cops to ruin his career.” And one woman — whom Elliott’s accuser had identified as a witness — told police she didn’t witness any assault, but Elliott’s accuser had asked her to lie and say she had.
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