DMN Blog:Cowboys will have two-a-week workouts
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StarWiz2
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Yesterday had been a scheduled day off from practice for the Washington Capitals, a rare chance to recharge before the regular season grind intensifies later this month.
But after Saturday's 5-0 blowout in Buffalo, the Capitals' most lopsided defeat since March, Coach Bruce Boudreau revoked their respite. Instead, a scowling Boudreau presided over a practice he called the toughest of his tenure.
The hour-long session, conducted with General Manager George McPhee and majority owner Ted Leonsis watching from a perch above the rink at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, began and ended with sprints that left most of the Capitals hunched over and gasping for air. When the end-to-end dashes, tongue-lashings and whistle-blowing were over, the exhausted players dropped to their knees at center ice for a group stretch. Barely a word was spoken.
"If they're not going to work to our standards during the game, then they're going to work that hard during practice," Boudreau said. "Everyone would have loved to have had Sunday off and relax and enjoy themselves. But this isn't a country club."
It didn't matter that some players are nursing minor injuries. Everyone was on the ice, with the exception of Shaone Morrisonn and Alex Ovechkin. Morrisonn was hospitalized briefly in Buffalo after suffering an undisclosed internal injury in the second period Saturday. The defenseman's condition, however, isn't as bad as originally feared, Boudreau said; Morrisonn is listed as day-to-day. Ovechkin, meantime, was scheduled to return from Russia late last night, according to an associate of his. He has spent the past week visiting his ailing grandfather in Moscow.
If Morrisonn is unable to suit up for tomorrow's game in Ottawa, it's possible Sergei Fedorov will move to the blueline and skate with Mike Green. Ovechkin, barring a last-minute change of plans, is expected to practice today and face the Senators.
Even had Ovechkin played and Morrisonn managed to finish the game, it's unlikely the Capitals would have fared much better in Buffalo, given the miscues and uninspired performance of a few key players. Boudreau called out Green, Alexander Semin, Viktor Kozlov and José Theodore. Green accepted responsibility Saturday; yesterday Theodore, who ranked 34th in save percentage (.877) entering last night's games, did the same. He yielded a goal on the Sabres' first shot and four goals on 18 shots through 40 minutes, and might give way to backup Brent Johnson in Ottawa.
"As a goalie, it's my job to make the saves when the team is not ready," Theodore said. "I can bail out the team when they make some mistakes. . . . It doesn't matter if you have 10 shots or 50 shots, you try to give your team a chance to win. And [Saturday] night, obviously, I don't think I played the way I played the previous four or five games."
Captain Chris Clark knew what to expect yesterday when he arrived at the rink. That, however, didn't make the grueling skate any easier.
"Some guys respond to getting yelled at," he said. "Some guys respond negatively to getting yelled at. Some guys respond to not having a day off, which we were supposed to have. We're all professionals and we're paid to play for 60 minutes and guys are taking shifts off here and there. We all need to be accountable."
A coach who gets it. A coach who was NHL's coach of the year in 2008. A coach who brought a dead last team in the middle of last season, to first place in the Atlantic Division and into the playoffs.
In Dallas, the walking wounded need to practice. Most have had half the season off already. So, if they're good to go in two weeks they need to get their butts out on the field, now. That includes Romo. The only Cowboy I would give the entire next two weeks off, is Witten. Well, maybe Brad Johnson too, although I would extend that vacation by quite a few months.
But after Saturday's 5-0 blowout in Buffalo, the Capitals' most lopsided defeat since March, Coach Bruce Boudreau revoked their respite. Instead, a scowling Boudreau presided over a practice he called the toughest of his tenure.
The hour-long session, conducted with General Manager George McPhee and majority owner Ted Leonsis watching from a perch above the rink at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, began and ended with sprints that left most of the Capitals hunched over and gasping for air. When the end-to-end dashes, tongue-lashings and whistle-blowing were over, the exhausted players dropped to their knees at center ice for a group stretch. Barely a word was spoken.
"If they're not going to work to our standards during the game, then they're going to work that hard during practice," Boudreau said. "Everyone would have loved to have had Sunday off and relax and enjoy themselves. But this isn't a country club."
It didn't matter that some players are nursing minor injuries. Everyone was on the ice, with the exception of Shaone Morrisonn and Alex Ovechkin. Morrisonn was hospitalized briefly in Buffalo after suffering an undisclosed internal injury in the second period Saturday. The defenseman's condition, however, isn't as bad as originally feared, Boudreau said; Morrisonn is listed as day-to-day. Ovechkin, meantime, was scheduled to return from Russia late last night, according to an associate of his. He has spent the past week visiting his ailing grandfather in Moscow.
If Morrisonn is unable to suit up for tomorrow's game in Ottawa, it's possible Sergei Fedorov will move to the blueline and skate with Mike Green. Ovechkin, barring a last-minute change of plans, is expected to practice today and face the Senators.
Even had Ovechkin played and Morrisonn managed to finish the game, it's unlikely the Capitals would have fared much better in Buffalo, given the miscues and uninspired performance of a few key players. Boudreau called out Green, Alexander Semin, Viktor Kozlov and José Theodore. Green accepted responsibility Saturday; yesterday Theodore, who ranked 34th in save percentage (.877) entering last night's games, did the same. He yielded a goal on the Sabres' first shot and four goals on 18 shots through 40 minutes, and might give way to backup Brent Johnson in Ottawa.
"As a goalie, it's my job to make the saves when the team is not ready," Theodore said. "I can bail out the team when they make some mistakes. . . . It doesn't matter if you have 10 shots or 50 shots, you try to give your team a chance to win. And [Saturday] night, obviously, I don't think I played the way I played the previous four or five games."
Captain Chris Clark knew what to expect yesterday when he arrived at the rink. That, however, didn't make the grueling skate any easier.
"Some guys respond to getting yelled at," he said. "Some guys respond negatively to getting yelled at. Some guys respond to not having a day off, which we were supposed to have. We're all professionals and we're paid to play for 60 minutes and guys are taking shifts off here and there. We all need to be accountable."
A coach who gets it. A coach who was NHL's coach of the year in 2008. A coach who brought a dead last team in the middle of last season, to first place in the Atlantic Division and into the playoffs.
In Dallas, the walking wounded need to practice. Most have had half the season off already. So, if they're good to go in two weeks they need to get their butts out on the field, now. That includes Romo. The only Cowboy I would give the entire next two weeks off, is Witten. Well, maybe Brad Johnson too, although I would extend that vacation by quite a few months.
wileedog
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WoodysGirl;2397235 said:
We have two rookies playing regularly in the secondary, a 2nd string QB who has spent almost no time with the 1st string (and the starter is not guaranteed to be back in 2 weeks), the opposing RB from last game is calling our defense "confused" and we make more mental errors and take more dumb penalties every Sunday than we can count.
Yeah, I think more time away from football is exactly what this team needs.
TellerMorrow34
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Wow...I mean wow. I'm not a Wade hater, or anything, but this is just bad. Really bad.
sacowboysfan513
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I like the idea of extra days off. Sometimes, overworking just makes things worse.
These guys have basically been living and breathing football since the beginning of training camp.
Getting away from each other may be what the doctor ordered. If I was Wade, I would have told them that no player can hang out with each other. Just get away from each other and go to your families and to your outside of football friends.
Go play with your kids, go to the park, sleep in every night, watch movies, but don't think about football.
Its just like when you are writing a story, or an essay and you have been working for several hours. Everything comes to you much slower than when you first began writing. Then eventually you get writers block. So what do you do? You take a few hours or even the rest of the day off, come back to it with a fresh mind and things that you didn't notice before will pop out. You will notice grammar and spelling errors that you could not see before, and all of a sudden you know how to conclude the story or the essay.
BUT when this vacation is over, and next week when normal practice resumes, be prepared, it will be the start of a New season and the start of a great run.
These guys have basically been living and breathing football since the beginning of training camp.
Getting away from each other may be what the doctor ordered. If I was Wade, I would have told them that no player can hang out with each other. Just get away from each other and go to your families and to your outside of football friends.
Go play with your kids, go to the park, sleep in every night, watch movies, but don't think about football.
Its just like when you are writing a story, or an essay and you have been working for several hours. Everything comes to you much slower than when you first began writing. Then eventually you get writers block. So what do you do? You take a few hours or even the rest of the day off, come back to it with a fresh mind and things that you didn't notice before will pop out. You will notice grammar and spelling errors that you could not see before, and all of a sudden you know how to conclude the story or the essay.
BUT when this vacation is over, and next week when normal practice resumes, be prepared, it will be the start of a New season and the start of a great run.
CowboyManDan
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Wow, I think this is the wrong move. Especially when you have a new WR and the possibility of Bollinger playing if Romo isn't ready.
If it were me, and it isn't, I would be drilling fundamentals this week. It makes sense to keep fresh if the team was playing well. However, since the team is not, there is obviously more than enough things that can be worked on.
But this is how Wade does things. And we'll see how it plays out.
If it were me, and it isn't, I would be drilling fundamentals this week. It makes sense to keep fresh if the team was playing well. However, since the team is not, there is obviously more than enough things that can be worked on.
But this is how Wade does things. And we'll see how it plays out.
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I think that's what people are getting twisted. Wade's only practicing them twice this week. I think things get back to normal next week. There was nothing said about meetings and such.Hostile;2399325 said:
Add to it, Skins get the same bye week and he's giving his team the whole weekend off as well, even tho they lost last night. I don't think it's out of the norm.
CrazyCowboy
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Ominous Oracle;2397162 said:I would probably say, "Unbelievable", but it's pretty damn sad and believable.
What a shame...:
TheCount
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WoodysGirl;2399349 said:
How are they going to do film work and meetings when the article says Wade has cleared them to take trips? It says they have two days off, practice wed/thurs and a 3 day weekend, there sure doesn't seem to be any hint they'll actually be required to be at the facility to watch film/do walk-throughs or even meet with trainers unless they choose to do so on their own.
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Even if the coach doesn't REQUIRE them, these guys can't do a little homework of their own? I'm sure they all have laptops and are given DVDs of game film.TheCount;2399364 said:
TheCount
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WoodysGirl;2399382 said:
How do you do film work on your own, you need the other guys there to communicate with since there's such a lack of communication on the field clearly. Hamlin needs to sit there with Davis and the corners and say, what did you guys see on that play? Proctor needs to sit with Flo and say, should I have been there for you on this play? This is even before talking about sitting with coaches and all that to actually get the TEAM working together.
You can go watch film of how you did personally, but that's not film work, that's just a personal thing. When you've been in the league as long as guys like Flo and Hamlin, etc you aren't going to see much on tape you didn't know instantly when you got beat.
I'm not saying they won't watch the dvd's or whatever, but film room work is completely different.
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And again, these guys can't do that?TheCount;2399390 said:
I understand your point, completely. But given the fact they ARE getting time off, these guys can show a little oomph of their own and meet at VR or their own homes and go over tape together. If they want to get better, they can't count on the coaches standing over them every minute hand-feeding them. This isn't rocket science, IMO.
And if we're lucky, Kosier will be back and Proctor can go find the end of the bench.
Chocolate Lab
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WoodysGirl;2399349 said:
There's no doubt, WG... But the mob is restless.
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I understand that. I really do. But when the team is beat up as much as it is, it's hard for me to yell "Bench this guy!" "Cut this guy!" "Fire this guy!"Chocolate Lab;2399413 said:
Do I think there should be changes? Yes. I don't think a mass overhaul is the answer.
TheCount
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WoodysGirl;2399409 said:
They could have always shown a little oomph, who is to say they haven't been and are still playing awful. Things weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows before this weekend.
My thinking though is that Proctor shouldn't go to the end of the bench, if you want quality depth, then Porctor should still be sitting down and going over stuff after getting a chance to actually play, instead of just having hypotheticals "If you see this, what do you do?" now he can say, "I saw this, and did this, how would you have done it?".
Everytime someone gets hurt on that line, it's like the apocolypse, no one is ever ready to step in.